Books Books Books

Because we home schooled we have a plethora of books. I can't seem to get rid of them. When we moved I gave a ton of stuff away to families who were beginning to home school their own kids. But I still have a ton of books. (If I actually weighed them I'm sure it would be close.)

I like books. If it weren't for the fact that we were not suppose to love any thing I would say I love books.

I collect children's books. The ones with pretty pictures. The ones that were favorites of my kids when they were little and the ones that were my favorites as well. The ones that are classics. Some are new books. Some are very old books. and some are from the used book store that caught my eye -- or the eye of one of my kids.

I collect reference books. If you want to know all the acceptable two letter words for Scrabble I have a book that will tell you. If you want to know about wolves, mountain climbing, knitting or golf I've got a book for you. My whole family likes books. Now we have too many books. They are spilling out of the bookshelves. I've tried to get rid of a few recently. But how do you cull a bookshelf that has already been culled many times before?

Maybe my kids will move out and I can fill a box with books for a going away present. (Edit: they did move out but did not take (m)any books with them - at least none that I can see.)

I have thought of turning one of the rooms of the house into a library. A cozy chair, a nice bright light and a warm afghan. My idea of bliss. I could stay in for the winter. Oops! Bruce just suggested going for a walk.

I started a new program.

1. Do not go to the library.

2. Read through your own library.

3. Methodically go through the bookcases culling books you haven't read but want to read.

4. Set them in a special place.

5. Read the books one by one.

6. If you can't get through it, give it away. Do not save for another day when you might be interested in it.

7. If you find a book that you value, keep it and put it in a cleaned out bookshelf  (read: empty)

8. If you can do without it, get rid of it by putting it right into a box to give away.

9. Go through the bookcase again and give away all kids' books (that don't belong to your kids) to someone who can really appreciate them.

I'm using this as reference.

Hmm, it's a library book.

Tea at Susan's

Catch Up

I'm planning on posting all my drafts so if they seem disjointed and out of order - they are. Blogger let me import all my old posts to this new blog but would not let me post my drafts in order. I suppose it's because the old drafts are older than the new blog. I could go back to my old blog and post them and then import them but that's too much trouble. I'm so far behind and that would take a lot of time. So, if I post about a summer event in the winter please excuse. Enjoy!

Point Roberts

I was in Point Roberts recently to mail some books. Since our week-end was so hectic I thought I would take a little break afterwards and mosey around.

It's very peaceful here and I would love to own a house along the water. But sea storms bother me. There's too much water

Gardening

If I gardened this is what I would like the front of my house to look like. You can't see it very well but each of the windows has a flower box in front of it. But alas, I have a black thumb. Everything dies on me. If I have a house plant it lasts as long as a fingernail. It either dies from lack of water or else I drown it. I can never remember to water and when I do, I over do it. Oh, well.

Opals

Since October's birthstone is Opal I thought I would do an on-line search for some pictures of this beautiful stone. I found lots and these are just samples of the various kinds of opals there are. I was amazed at the value these stones have. I had no idea they were so expensive. This one is worth $3990.00.

Because these stones are so colorful finding a project for the month of October was fairly easy. Plus I just "love" variegated yarn. The crazier the better. Every time I go to any store that carries yarn I usually come away with at least one skein of yarn--enough to make a pair of socks or a few baby hats. More often than not it's variegated.

I'll have pics of last month's "sapphire" project as well as pics of this month's project later tonight when I upload my pictures.

aussie treasure chest

I Think I'm Going to Buy New Walking Shoes

No, this is not a good price since it's in litres and not gallons. I figure that when it's translated to gallons it's over $5 per. With the $US/$CND exchange so close these days you can figure out how much we're paying for gas.

Do I want to eat or do I want to drive? I think I'll drive since I need to go on a diet anyway. But then again if I walk I probably won't need to go on a diet. Maybe I should do both!!

Speaking of which I need to go pick up LJ from

school. I should walk.

There was a mother's day tea last Friday. All the moms got a rose at the end. I didn't have my camera so check the chatty housewife blog for May 14.

A Little R and R

The roads to Lynden from Blaine on both sides of the border stretch endlessly. You get the feeling you could drive forever and a day. It's very peaceful just to look off into the distance and "vegetate". I could do that since I wasn't driving.

Sometimes B and I take the afternoon off just to re-group. Yesterday was one of those days. Since we had to pick up stuff at a parcel depot for the girls (and their horses!) we took the opportunity to have lunch out.

This is part of the endless road along the Canadian/US border

A Change of Pace

I don't always knit, eat, drive girls to the barn or work on an on-line bead web site. Sometimes I crochet too.
A crochet pattern of "Grandmother's Flower Garden"
(a favorite pattern among quilters)

The First Day of Sunday School

"Let the children come unto me."

These little girls have never been to Sunday School before and are so excited to be there. They are such a joy to teach with their eagar little faces and happy smiles. Of course, it helps a lot when you are free with the stickers, prizes and candy treats!

Part of a Normal Day

I had just gotten home from doing errands. I ran around town doing the banking, paying bills, buying CD's to burn an update for our printer's driver (our computer finally died and since it's not hooked up to the internet we had to download an upgrade and thus burn a CD), getting a Starbuck's :), picking up LJ from school, going to the grocery store for a few items for dinner, mailing a parcel to B&P and finally getting home. Does it sound like your day? I suppose it does because we are just normal busy people. (That really was just one hour in the afternoon.) When I walked in the door B asked me, "Do you want to go out to eat tonight or Thursday?" You mean I get a choice? I thought he meant for H's b-day since we planned on taking her to a Greek resturant but he was thinking of using the gift certificate that a very generous friend from CA had mailed to us. Here is where they wanted us to go. We have never been to this kind of a restuarant so we didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, we did not come away disappointed. It was fabulous. A meal fit for a king.

The Border's Lined Up

There's a long-standing joke in our family that when we're up to our ears and can take no more we say, "and to top it all off, the border was lined up." It goes back to a friend that had had a horrendous day and at the end he had to wait at the border and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Go figure.

Nothing

Nothing Between My Soul and My Saviour
by Charles A. Tindley

Nothing between my soul and my Saviour
Naught of this world's delusive dream,
I have renounced all sinful pleasure;
Jesus is mine, there's nothing between.

Nothing between, like worldly pleasure,
Habits of life, though harmless they seem;
Must not my heart from Him ever sever;

He is my all, there's nothing between.

Nothing between, like pride or station;

Self or friends shall not intervene,
Though it may cost me much tribulation,
I and resolved, there's nothing between.

Nothing between, e'en many hard trials,

Though the whole world against me convene,
Watching with prayer and much self denial,
I'll triumph at last, there's nothing between.

Doors

Pictures deleted by Blogger

Dolls

Bethany asked me to make doll clothes for her doll and I told her I would if she brought it to meeting next time I saw her. Well, was I surprised when she chased me down on Wednesday night and showed me a cute little baby doll! She was hesitant to let me take it home but finally relented when I showed how difficult it would be to make the clothes without the doll. On Lord's Day I brought both the clothes and the doll back. I wondered when I gave them to her that she was not so thrilled. I think she was more embarrassed than anything. You see, the doll she gave me was actually not hers but belonged to another little girl who had left it there Wednesday night!

Babies, babies, babies

The last of the expected babies was born almost three weeks ago. Now there are four very little ones here in our assembly. From oldest to youngest (back to front) there are PC, PY, "Bob" and Prince D. After years of "drought" we've finally had a hay day! They are all beautiful and so very precious.

"He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah 41:11

Honk if you knit!

I re-discovered my brother-in-law's blog spot and lo and behold I found this" honk if you knit . " Pretty neat. I may just order one myself.

Just a quote

"We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development ... We can not do everything, and there's a sense of liberation in realizing that."

I don't know where I read that but you can apply it to the rearing of children as well as working with souls. Paul planted, Appolos watered, but God gave the increase. (I Cor. 3:6)

Bike Race

Every year Delta has a bike race that occurs sometime in July, usually around the time of the Tour de France.



Everyone is excited about that race and it rubs off on the locals as well as TdF wanna be's. So we see tons of riders around the Lower Mainland in the time before the race.




This year's race was much like any other year--only I don't remember there ever being a crash before. No, no-one was seriously hurt. At least I don't think so.




Here's a few pics of the racers racing by.



Can you feel that wind? They are clocked at 60 kpm, which is pretty fast. So fast that my camera had a hard time catching them.