A visitor, a play week, and a good book

A fun week on the way...no school!  One of those privileges of homeschooling.  We started school early in August to be able to take some time off during the year, this week being one of them.  My beloved aunt, who is like a big sister to me, is coming to visit from AZ and we're gonna play.

I'm looking forward to endless cups of tea and some rollicking laughter.  I don't know if it's our chemistry or what, but my aunt and I can laugh till we're crying.  I'm due for some of that!  She is one of the neatest people I know and one of my all-time heroes.  (She was The Agent that introduced my beloved Hubby to me!)  She had a long career in missions, serving in South and Central America, retired now, but still full of the joy and zeal of the Lord.  I'm glad SweetPea is going to have the chance to just soak her up this week and glean some treasures.

And wouldn't you know it...we're welcoming her with SNOW!  We're due for some tomorrow and more later in the week.  Seems too early somehow.  Ah, well, once our yard is really cleaned up from fall leaves (they're still falling), then we can go into "cozy" mode indoors.

We just finished reading Escape Across the Wide Sea as a read-aloud.  It follows a French Huguenot family in the mid-1600s who have to escape religious persecution and end up on a very long journey to freedom.  While the book was neither really long or deep, it was a very compelling story, based on a true story.  We learned about the slave trade, sugar plantations in the West Indies, and how the French Christians finally found a place to put down roots in America.  A good story--I'd recommend it!

 

And fall danced...

Funny the small drama that played out around me on my walk yesterday. The wind, though not cold, blew and blustered around me in fits and gusts, no rhyme or reason to its direction. It blew and drove clouds of gold, red, and brown leaves about my feet, rattling and dancing and scuttling and swirling across the road in front of me. Trees bent to its invisible force, releasing their burden of colored leaves in showers about me, looking for all the world like flocks of birds scattering in wild array across the crystal blue Colorado sky.

The scene sparkled with action and color and aliveness. Neighbors raked and tried to keep up with the piles-in-the-making, and in the distance I could hear the drums of a high school marching band practicing for a game...homecoming, maybe? How good to be able to walk and smell and hear and see all the richness about me.  How good to see the Lord's hand everywhere.  He loves fall, too.

A wonderful time of year!

Fall fell...

...literally!  We've had a few days of very cold weather, freezing temps at night, and a lot of our leaves have simply fallen off en masse, without the beautiful golds or oranges.  Just a dead, blah, greenish-brown.  For those trees that didn't succumb to the cold, I'm hoping for a few weeks of Indian summer now so we can have some color to enjoy.

Had a fun visit from my sis and her husband this weekend, and though we had to bundle up against the chilly temps, it was cozy with a fire in the fireplace, an old movie, and some fun hanging out.  We don't have any of our families living nearby so it's always quite a treat when any of them visit.

My brother-in-law put me onto a free Bible software program, E-Sword.  In case you've never heard of it--wow.  It's amazing!  You can download it here.  Most of the resources are free:  Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries, graphics, etc., though some require purchase.  It has some great functionality, though; definitely worth checking out.

Thankful today for the grace of God that has given us all things to enjoy richly.