328 to 40: Sunset Bay

With significant persuasion by Miss Esmé, we decided to squeeze in another beach adventure while the sun still shines…

You can shake the sand from your shoes, but it never leaves your soul…

329 to 40: Cheer Camp

A good cheerleader is not measured by the height of her jumps, but by the span of her spirit. 

~Author Unknown

Note to self:  Do not dose kiddo with cold medicine 1 hour before the game.  Lack of cheeriness doesn’t suit cheerleaders…

330 to 40: Angels By My Bed

Sleep dear child and peace attend you, all through the night
Guardian angels God will send you, all through the night
   Soft and drowsy hours are creeping,
   Hill and vale in slumber sleeping.
   God his loving watch is keeping,
All through the night.

While the darkness may surround you, all through the night
Angel care will there be found, too, all through the night
   May your dreams be far from bad ones,
   Chase away each thought of sad ones,
   Bring you only peaceful glad ones,
All through the night.

Till the morning comes to wake you,
And wherever the day may take you,
May God’s presence ne’er forsake you
Through day or night.

~Sylvia Nelson Clarke; 1st verse is Welsh folksong

Esmé is one of those kiddos who NEEDS something playing in order for her mind to shut down for the night.  For the past few weeks, her sole final request is a CD gifted from her grandparents: Angels By My Bed by Sylvia Nelson Clarke.

331 to 40: Roses

It’s one of those days – where I reach the end of the day and suddenly realize I haven’t captured that glistening moment yet.  (There are a lot of those days.)  So I rush outside where the sun is gone, and catch a glimpse of the last roses of summer.

'Tis the last rose of summer
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
~Thomas More

332 to 40: Noeo

(Is there something wrong with the fact that some of the most exciting moments of my days revolve around books?)

We got the shipment I’ve been antsily waiting for!  Have you ever seen something you just HAD to have, though you didn’t even know you needed it before you saw it?

That’s the way it was for me seeing the Noeo Science curriculum. Lots of books, lots of prepackaged hands-on experiment kits, just plain good science. Nicely organized and ready to go.  Absolutely perfect for our house!

Isn’t this Biology I set gorgeous?

We started on Day 1 right away. 

And Esmé didn’t want to stop there.  But we did.

From the www.noeoscience.com site:

What does 'noeo' mean?

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
(The original Greek word, noeo, is translated here as 'understood')

Noeo   (no-eh'-o)
1. To perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding.
2. To think upon, heed, ponder, consider.
(Source: The New Testament Greek Lexicon)

333 to 40: Picture Day

Smile every day like it’s picture day!

We have our first batch now.  Those shots that immortalize forever the annual progression of baby teeth making way for grown-up ones in mouths that are still child-sized.

Love it!

334 to 40: Desert Weather

If I didn't start painting, I would have raised chickens.
  ~Grandma Moses

Esmé’s weekend homework project was all about the weather. She chose to do a watercolor desert night scene for her picture, complete with nocturnal coyote and night-blooming cactus – and we all know you can’t paint without swim goggles on your head, correct?