End of Summer Daybook Post

Outside my window ~

Gosh! That Texas heat can be brutal.  Today we went to Lowe's.

Our backyard is looking a little worn out so we hope to freshen it up a bit longer.

I am thankful for ~

* the sacrifice and discipline of my husband.  Last month, we paid off our mortgage.  Praise be to God!  I'm so thankful for his discipline and God's blessings.

* Our camper!!!  Without it, we would never have been able to afford all the adventures we took this summer.   (girls' weekend, swimming holes and Texas Hill Country, and Jamaica Beach and Galveston coast line)



From the school room ~

Back at the end of July and for the third year in a row, our home school group gathered together for a pool party.

There was a  home school field trip to a local pottery/painting venue.

The group of kids REALLY enjoyed this experience :)

And just this past week, we attended a field trip to the children's garden at the Dallas Arboretum.  (So amazing!)

From the kitchen ~

Last Saturday was Miss Mabel's feast day, (St. Helen of the Cross - her Confirmation saint), and we didn't think about it until the day after.    We were a little late celebrating, but we did none-the-less :) Miss Mabel made some chocolate crosses from candy molds we have.

What I am reading ~

Exercising the brain is so important.  I've been doing a lot reading this year after giving myself a 25 book challenge for the year.  I just completed these 3.

This one hit home since my dad was a pharmacist!  Did you know that a pharmacist was not considered an officer in the Army during WWII?  They were only enlisted men.  Many times, their profession was looked down upon as being an interference to doctors or snake oil sellers.  Can you imagine?!  It took the Pharmacy Corp enactment before Pharmacists received the respect and status they earned.

I found this book on a bookshelf  in our house.  After dusting it off (excuse the pun),  reread it.  Based on the dust bowl, Stan the man has to read this novel for his Texas state history class this fall.  It is AMAZING!  Your middle school student and up would love this.  Be aware, there are a few parts that may be scary for little ones, but there is no candy-coating the harsh realities of the dust bowl.

"Without Mama, life in the log house at the forest's edge can be lonely for a young girl. But there's Papa for company, and the two mules, Bartholomew and Thaddeus Frisco, and the big old dog that mysteriously showed up at the end of winter. The girl longs for her mother, but other than that, everything about her little homestead seems right and in its place--that is, until a powerful storm settles over the valley and threatens to take it all away. As the flood waters rise and separate the girl from her papa, will there be anything that can save her?" "The Angel Knew Papa And The Dog" is a lyrically-told tale of a little girl's faith, personal courage, and amazing survival in the wilderness.

Around our house ~

The Feast of the Assumption with a tea party :)  It was just the three girls and I, Miss Clementine decorated the table with things she found around the house,  and we only had blue Powerade for tea, but that's alright.

We Catholics are so blessed to have the tools at our fingertips to bring our faith alive and pass it down to our children.  As technology advances, there's more and better ways to share the faith with one another.

I pulled out these old Glory Stories for Miss Clementine.  (My big kids use to listen to these all the time.)  On the way to the Dallas Arboretum, Clementine listened to the story of St. Rose of Lima.  St. Rose of Lima's feast day was that same day, August 23.

Even though it is near triple digits, some fall decor went up.

Y'all!  This is early for me down here in Texas, but looking at the calendar, this was going to be the only chance we had until the end of September.

I am praying for ~

* my mom!  In your charity, please keep her in your prayers.  She's having some issues from her lung surgery and will be seeing a specialist at the Mayo Clinic next Thursday and Friday.  She has a very rare condition and we pray God delivers answers next week.

Coming down the pike ~

We still have a bit of quiet around here.  No sports yet, but that'll soon change.

Labor Day weekend we have a house project that needs to be checked off the list.

A last photo to share ~

We had some friends over to swim this week and decided to call it home school PE :)

As my daughter Miss Ester read somewhere, "August is like the Sunday in Summer."  Enjoy what's left of it and have a wonderful weekend!

Patty