The Secret Garden

Recently, the children and I completed Frances Burnett's The Secret Garden, and it was as lovely as I had remembered it.

The characters in the book had become a part of our lives, just as the characters in any good, absorbing book.

As with all our daily readings, I grab a hold of any teachable lesson or moral to impart upon my children.

This story had several.

I personally know people who will not read (or allow their children to read) anything that does not come from a Christian author.

I understand that. We are strict, too.

However, when reading a classic piece of literature that is wholesome overall, I would rather take the approach of teaching my kids to apply good sense and discernment while reading works from non-Christian authors.

This is a better way, I believe, because as the saying goes, don't throw the baby out with the bath water.   *wink

In The Secret Garden we had an opportunity for that.

Mary and Colin, while experiencing the pleasure of watching Spring come upon their garden, falsely conclude that it must be Magic!

" 'I will go into the garden everyday,' he said, 'for there is Magic in there - good Magic, you know, Mary, I'm sure there is!'

'It is Magic,' said Mary. 

And so, they always called it Magic."

It was at this point in the book that my Nola, who has always had a deep sensitivity to spiritual matters, shouted out, "It's God! It's God who is making the Magic!"

I stopped reading and the children and I had a good talk about it.

"Now, did Mary and Colin make the right conclusion?" I asked. "They were right to know that their garden was alive, and therefore something or someone must be in there making it come alive, but they reached the wrong conclusion." 

When a book reaches a wrong conclusion, you can use it to sharpen you and to further cement upon your heart why you believe otherwise, by simply applying your own good sense to it and not getting swept along.

Much of the book, however, reached the right conclusion, and that, too, was a great opportunity for a lesson.

I loved the concept of the power of thoughts in the very last chapter...

"One of the new things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts - just mere thoughts - are as powerful as electric batteries - as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body...

When new, beautiful thoughts begin to push out the old, hideous ones, life comes back, blood runs healthily through the veins, and strength pours in like a flood. This science is quite practical and simple - when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into your mind, one must just have the sense to remember to push it out by putting in an agreeable, determinedly courageous one. Two things cannot be in one place, for where you tend a rose a thistle cannot grow."

(Our own secret garden...)

This is biblical, you know. We are told to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds." And, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

(Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8)

As long as we're talking about gardens, how are your gardens coming along?

I have some flower beds of perennials, a few planters of annuals, and a tiny little vegetable garden.

I have learned that two rows of lettuce is way too much for our family! We have lettuce coming out of our ears and are frantically eating multiple salads each day just to keep up! haha!

I guess Dickon's advice is right... the simple moor boy who had become Mary and Colin's good friend said this about their garden, "All a chap's got to do to make 'em thrive is to be friends with 'em. Gardens are just like all other creatures. If they're thirsty give 'em a drink, and if they're hungry give 'em a bit of food. They want to live same as we do."

I have remembered that this summer...

They want to live same as we do.

While there is a sense of emptiness to close a book for good, a sense of pining to select a final resting place for it on the bookshelf, the lessons and characters remain with us.

"Where you tend a rose a thistle cannot grow."

Thanks for reading, friends.

xo,

~ Courtney ~

Success at Home

Friends, are you all okay out there?

Our world has gone crazy, hasn't it?

I hope you are peacefully tucked in at home during these unsafe times.

When the world is rattled there's no reason why we can't carry on joyfully in our homes.

In fact, there's probably nothing more significant we can do!

"Lighthouses don't go running all over the island looking for boats to save. They just stand there, shining."

~ Anne Lamott

Christian homes are meant to be lights in this world.

And who's going to keep the lights on, but mama of course!

Friends, let's not abandon our posts!

(Have you ever thought that even if you don't physically abandon, you can still emotionally abandon? If you're home but your heart is so caught up in the news and noise of the world that you cannot function, that is just as unhealthy.)

There will always be turmoil in this world.

But our homes and families need us!

"Do not fret because of evil...

Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture."

~ Psalm 37:1a and 3

Being home is more than mindlessly going through the motions of laundry and cleaning.

It's cultivating an atmosphere, promoting happiness, health and well-being, training the next generation and creating life-long memories.

This is worth giving it our best shot and doing it well.

So, how can we have success at home?

I have a few thoughts...

1. Little and Often

The concept here is "slow and steady wins the race." This is better than having bursts of progress followed by a crash because you've run out of energy.

Little and often builds up over time.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

~ Galatians 6:9

2. Ignore what others are doing

Don't compare yourself to other moms. Stay focused on your progress. 

When others have more than you or are doing better than you, realize that it does not take away from what you've accomplished. 

For example:

Imagine you have planted a teeny tiny garden. You love it and tend to it every day. It's a successful little garden because of your care and you are proud of it. But then you see your neighbor's garden across the street. It's huge and impressive! They've planted all sorts of wonderful things, and it looks like something out of a magazine! Suddenly your garden feels underwhelming. Why did I even bother? you may be tempted to think.

But think of this, their success doesn't take away yours. You still have your little garden no matter what happens across the street.

What you've done is still worthwhile. 

3. Understand that nothing goes off without a hitch

I am still learning how to accept this one. But the quicker we accept this, the happier we'll be.

Sometimes life at home with a family can feel like two steps forward, one step backwards.

This is normal, and it doesn't mean you are failing!

Just learn from it and move on!

Lastly...

4. Commit your work to the Lord

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this."

~ Psalm 37:4-5

We are doing Kingdom work so the Lord is on our side and rooting for us to succeed. All we have to do is walk in the way He has already laid out for us.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

~ Ephesians 2:10

Have you ever thought that it is God's will for your life to have success at home?

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will excel in every good work."

~ 2 Corinthians 9:8

xo,

~ Courtney ~

Wrapping Up Another Homeschool Year (Part 2)

(My white Calla lily up close... I like the tiny flecks of white on the leaves.)

Hello again friends.

There's really no way I could ever include everything that's a part of our school year, but I am back to share a few more books and thoughts with you.

Also, some had asked where I get our books. I hope this post can answer that, plus be a continuation of the previous one.

For those who are new to Abeka, there are 170 lessons per book.

It is easy to stay on track and not lose heart with Abeka, since they have organized the lessons for you.

All you have to do is one lesson per subject a day.

I believe it's unnecessary to push for much more than that.

It's better for the absorption of little minds anyway. 

Besides, I'd rather focus on a well-rounded life, than be an academic drill sergeant.

Once the 170 lessons are complete for the year, there are supplementary exercises in the back of the books that are perfect for extra practice through the summer.

The kids can do these on their own since it's review. No new concepts will be introduced until the next school year.

I order straight from the Abeka website, and start each child on Abeka in first grade.

Prior to that I've always just used materials that can be found at Walmart and the Dollar Tree.

These were Elsa's books this year...

I also use Walmart and the Dollar Tree for materials like flash cards and handwriting practice paper.

The kids and I were in a locally owned school supply store right before Christmas and I picked up this reading comprehension book for Roman...

He worked through it this past winter.

I really liked it because it has adapted short stories from well-known authors with questions to answer at the end.

(A quick note: When you're working with non-Christian material, it's wise to skim through it first and tear out any pages that are not in line with your family values. Just because something's written for kids doesn't mean it'll be appropriate for your kids. Don't be afraid to do this. That's why your children have a mother. *wink)

I had mentioned in last night's post that I also shop for books at antique stores. Also, flea markets, thrift stores, and rummage sales can be good places to check for homeschool material.

That's where I found this Ten Commandments book...

Isn't it lovely?

We worked though this one altogether as a family devotional.

My goal was for us to memorize all ten!

I've also been given books from friends and family.

That's how we acquired this Christian life reader...

It's a "Keepers of the Faith" reader.

I've been going through it with Nola.

I love it!

I think every mom should get a Christian life reader and go through it with her children.

These are wonderful because not only do they build your child's vocabulary, comprehension and reading ability, but their character and faith as well.

People don't seem to consider the mind part of Matthew 22:37 when we're told to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind," it means education also!

This is what will always separate a Christian education from the others... Books and assignments that cause the child to dwell upon the lovely and the pure.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 

- Romans 12:2

After each story in the book there's a corresponding Bible verse, discussion questions, and a vocabulary list.

I've had some precious conversations with Nola as a result of these discussion questions.

It's a great tool to see where your child's heart is.

So you see, great homeschool material can be found from a variety of stores and sources.

But have you considered that even if you don't have a single piece of curriculum, you can still homeschool by making lessons yourself? Out of your own knowledge, and based on your child's ability, you can cobble together any little concept you want them to learn.

Here's an example:

Today I wrote "Who's vs. Whose" on notebook paper for a quick writing assignment for Nola and Roman.

I gave them some sentences I made up, and they wrote them using the right spelling.

Who's Stacey's mother?

Whose bag is this?

etc...

After they wrote the sentences I solidified the concept...

Who's = Contraction for who is or who has

Whose = Belonging to whom

We've built up quite the home library because we've been doing this for a while now. But if you're  new to homeschooling start small and make your own lessons. Your library will build up over time.

If you are overwhelmed and don't know where to start, I would encourage you to go on Abeka's website and just order the Arithmetic work text for your child's grade along with a Language Arts book. Just start there. Read through them yourself this summer and get familiar with the concepts. By fall you'll be excited to start! 

As time goes on you'll gain confidence and momentum.

You don't need to feel called or qualified, your love for your children will motivate you to want to succeed.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today friends.

I know not everyone cares about homeschooling, but I use my blog to record our family stories and homeschooling is a part of that!

"Reserve your memories,

keep them well.

What you forget 

you can never retell."

- Louisa May Alcott

xo,

~ Courtney ~

Wrapping Up Another Homeschool Year

It is currently gloomy and drizzling here at the Downs' farmhouse.

This is my view from the kitchen sink window...

After a few days of very sunny dry weather, it's a nice change of scenery to have a little rain.

I baked a loaf of bread earlier, mopped the floors, and got out for a load of groceries. I feel ready to begin a new week!

Monday mornings feel nice to homeschool moms. We get to begin our passion again. The busyness of the weekend is over, and we get our kids and our routine back! 

Our school year is about wrapped up, so the work load feels lighter. But we still have some finishing up to do in our books.

I consider our school year done when the Abeka books are complete.

The kids kept their daily workbooks in these wooden boxes. It worked great for us this year. I'll have to remember to buy a fourth one for Elsa, since she'll start first grade curriculum in the fall.

We've always used Abeka. It's been a great fit for us. 

I love how traditional and uplifting it is.

Every lesson in every subject points students to the Lord, and toward happy, healthy thoughts...

(Abeka 5th grade penmanship)

(Abeka 2nd grade American History)

(Click on the images and read them! They're delightful!)

 It's important to love your books!

That will keep your motivation strong through the year.

Lately I've been daydreaming about what I want our summer school to look like.

That's always fun because once the "serious" work is done we can enjoy all the books and activities we didn't seem to have time for during the school year.

We were given this book set that I am excited to have the kids go through this summer...

It has some wonderful things in it that even I have enjoyed reading and learning from.

Something very marvelous about homeschooling is that YOU, the mother, get to learn and relearn alongside your kids! All the things I had forgotten, and even things I never knew... I am learning, too!

(Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in the 5th grade reader... fascinating stuff!...)

If I keep learning myself and presenting these books to the kids like, "Hey! Look at this! I didn't know this about Columbus, did you?" It piques their interest and causes them to be open and willing to take the book and read for themselves...

I also like to pick up old books in thrift or antique stores to supplement our curriculum.

I bought this reader for a couple of dollars a few months ago and have been going through it with Soren...

It was published in the 1930's and has some timeless stories and lessons in it...

If you can find some books you are delighted in, your heart will be in your homeschool day, and it won't feel like drudgery.

Another thing that helps me keep homeschooling from feeling like drudgery, is to keep our table cheery.

It is good for my mood and motivation to freshen up the house with new scenes.

A week ago I had this arrangement...

But since my grocery run this afternoon it now looks like this...

Notice the white Calla lily in the center... I was in a store right before Mother's Day and saw a table of Calla lilies for sale. It caused me to remember that I had wanted them for my wedding years ago. They are one of my favorites! But Calla lilies were out of season at the time and therefore too expensive, so I got white Tulips instead.

This memory made me look at the price tag, wanting to get one for myself, but they were 26 dollars!

Yikes! Too expensive yet again. *sigh...

I went home without it.

But today I saw this one at my grocery store. It was the only white one and it was 10 dollars!

Oh! Thank you, Lord. I said in my heart. I'll just put this right here in my cart next to the bread and milk. I know You did this just for me!

I think it looks right at home here on my table, ready to greet me tomorrow morning.

You'll also see I have a lesson out and ready as well.

This is for Soren, and it's top priority for the morning.

(I made a lesson of blends for us to work on...)

So you see, homeschooling can be whatever you want it to be!

I like knowing exactly where my kids' strengths and weaknesses are and exactly how they're progressing and what they need work on. Then it's fun to custom-create a school experience that's perfect for each of them.

With this approach Monday mornings can be a joy!

Wishing you a great start to your week as well.

Take care, friends...

xo,

~ Courtney ~

The Mundane Things are The Important Things

I have lately felt as though these have been meaningless days.

.........

I have not had much motivation for deep cleaning, massive organizing or elaborate renovations, as some of you have.

So many people are using this quarantine for such projects, which I think is absolutely wonderful.

But those of us who are always home are just plodding along, living how we've always lived.

It can feel a little mundane, but mundane to me is just another way of saying peace, and stability.

I have to remind myself, mundane things are the important things.

I bring fresh flowers home from each grocery trip, and light a candle on the stovetop everyday.

My morning consists of a simple, but important, hair and makeup routine.

I spend my days reading, cooking and cleaning, and helping the children through their school lessons.

Some days lately have had a bit more ambition in them...

We have tried new recipes and have baked cakes from scratch.

I spent three days making new curtains for my living room.

And the children have been to the lake twice in one weekend!

Our days are full.

But with this prolonged government order, I feel my days whittling away. Each one rolling heedlessly into the next. With no rhyme or reason...

"Today is Thursday." I say to the kids. "No, wait. It's Friday." I correct myself. But we all know it doesn't matter. Everyday feels exactly the same.

In a way it's all been truly wonderful.

Just like how life is supposed to be!

(The home living part. Not the government order part. *wink)

"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink and find satisfaction in his toil - this is a gift of God."

- Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Did you catch that? Be happy...

Christians are not stressed or anxious during this time, as the media and our culture wants us to be.

We know that, "If God is for us who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31.

So we carry on at home, light-hearted and free from burdens.

"Despite the upheavals that several times overtook our city due to political crisis and uproar, the business of living our life, the everyday preoccupation of cooking, cleaning, looking after the house, never wavered. When Mama Odette was still with us, remember how particular she was about the flavor of her bouillabaisse or the quality of her snails, even if angry mobs were parading down the streets?"

(An excerpt from The House I loved, by Tatiana DeRosnay)

I've noticed a similar rebellious streak in myself. It seems the more the bad news ramps up, the more determined I become to live happily and peace-filled at home.

Why give them what they want? They don't have our best interests at heart.

Wasn't it John Adams who said, "The more they kill us, the more we will live!"

(Can you tell I've been doing some reading lately?)

I like to pepper little stacks of books throughout the house.

Alongside children's artwork, I think it is a charming look.

I don't chase trends in my home decor.

The houses that sparkle with the latest trends are beautiful on the surface, but that's as far as it goes.

A house where a well-rounded life can be lived, a vigorous mind can be formed, desires of the heart can be pursued, nutritious meals can be lovingly prepared and enjoyed, this is a deeply beautiful home.

And it seems to only be cultivated by doing the mundane things.

I personally believe everybody really wants this, deep down in their hearts.

"I long for rural and domestic scenes, for the warbling of birds and the prattle of my children. As much as I converse with Sages and Heroes, they have very little of my love or admiration. I should prefer the delights of a garden to the dominion of the world."

- John Adams

(Letter to Abigail Adams, 16 March 1777)

So, maybe my days aren't meaningless after all.

If you're planning your spring garden, simmering soups, and fussing over the laundry, yours aren't, either!

Some are marching in the streets, others want to change the laws... but we are building America just the same.

Through our mundanely important things.

xo,

~ Courtney ~

New Books and Meaningful Work

I have told you before, haven't I, how I like to use my blog as sort of a journal, or scrapbook, to document our family stories and pictures.

I never expect anyone to be interested in reading what I write, since we are ordinary people and are never doing anything that you aren't doing yourselves. But for some reason people continue to come here to this blog, read through what I'm sharing, and even sometimes leave behind a "like" or a comment.

How that has warmed my heart through the years.

So I continue to write and share photos... mainly for my own personal enjoyment, but also for something to leave behind for my children. And maybe, if I'm lucky, be a blessing to you!

(My Easter lily)

These are interesting days we are in, aren't they?

Unusual in that we are all in the same boat, experiencing the same thing!

When has that ever happened before?

The rich, the poor...

The sick, the well...

The celebrity, the commoner...

The city mouse, and the country mouse...

We are all homebound.

And here I sit, with my insignificant blog, that I decided from the start would strictly be a blog on home living, and I chuckle at the thought that what was mocked by some just a few years ago, is now a topic we all can relate to!

(But don't worry, I won't rub it in. *wink)

I will just do what I've done all along, and that is to share out of my own experiences and from the belief that home has always been the safest, most important place.

(My spring/summer faux arrangement on the mantle.)

"A long time ago- so many years ago that I could almost write "once upon a time"- the pride of a woman's life was her home. She was filled with gratefulness, for being alive, being married, having a large family to cook for, a house to live in, and household tools to work with. The glow painted on her cheeks came from her own love and excitement."

- Thyra Ferre Bjorn 1968

Now that these things are all any of us have, we might as well try to do it with love and excitement!

Here are some things we've been doing lately...

I packed away my winter centerpiece on my dining room table.

I procrastinated in doing it because I loved it and never grew tired of it.

I made it in November from a birch log that a dear friend gave to me. I stuffed it with all sorts of wintery things and enjoyed it all the way into April when I finally realized it was high time for a spring centerpiece.

I carefully wrapped it in plastic and tucked it away in storage.

My table now looks like this...

(The paper cross was made by Nola, who has always had a heightened sensitivity toward spiritual matters. It deeply bothers her when Jesus is left out of Easter decorations, haha.)

The grocery store by my house has a really nice floral department, and I've noticed lately that the spring flowers are marked down so cheap it's almost like they can't give them away!

Nobody wants fresh flowers in this time of crisis, apparently.

In the vignette I included an antique story book opened to a beautiful, colorful poem about Easter...

Those who know me know how I feel about books, especially old books!

We were recently given an abundance of books by a veteran homeschool-mom friend of mine. She was cleaning out her bookshelves of old books and gave us three big boxes filled with the the most interesting and exciting books!

It was like Christmas Day!

I poured my attention over each one, carefully dusting them off, then giving them a flip-through to air them out. It was such fun to organize them into categories- children's books, history books, homeschool books, boys and girls books, etc, then finding a place in the house to keep them.

I've already finished reading one of the books she gave me.

It's called Dear Papa, by Thyra Ferre Bjorn.

Isn't it adorable?!

The story was as precious as the cover.

Perfectly wholesome and uplifting, it's about a minister's family from Sweden who immigrated to America in the very early 1920's to take on a little church in Massachusetts.

Being from a well-churched background myself, and being familiar with all the ins and outs of dealing with church people, I found this book especially entertaining.

Now I am about halfway through the next in line from the new library given to us... Noble Deeds of American Women, by J. Clement.

This one was published in the late 1800's so the stories are quite old, but still very enjoyable and relatable to read. Like this line for example...

"It is not in the still calm of life that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties."

- The mother of John Adams 

My friend gave us a lot of children's books as well. Now that the kids' school work is wrapping up for the year, we thought it'd be fun for the older kids to pick a book they're interested in and when they are through reading it they could teach the rest of us what they learned!

Here's what they plan to read...

Although I think it's funny to note, Nola originally chose a book titled, The Mark of the Beast, which is not a children's book. She has been reading it on her own in bed at night. We've laughed that she will soon be prepared to teach us all there is to know about the end times, haha.

Now is the perfect time to read, don't you think so, too?

I would encourage you to turn off the news (especially at night, when people tend to be a little more emotional than during the day) and get absorbed in a good book, instead.

Like I wrote about in my last post, the media isn't doing us any favors.

What has it given you in return for all the devotion and attention you've given it?

Sorrow?

Stress?

Fear?

Of course. That's what they want. But good, wholesome reading can build you up and give you so much more.

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...

The man who never reads lives only one."

- George R. Martin

Other than getting lost in a book, another great way to ward off stress and worry during this time is to keep very busy.

I don't mean just busywork, but meaningful work.

Everyone, including children, needs a purpose.

This is one of the reasons why I don't think it was right for everyone's jobs to be taken away from them. But since this is the situation in which we have found ourselves, through no fault or choice of our own, Micah has wisely thrown himself into some meaningful work around here.

Our old picket fence was rotting and breaking down, so Micah has been working on building a new fence for us...

It's made from treated lumber so it will never again rot.

I am very happy about that!

We plan to paint it bright white.

As for me, my work has always been home and family, so what I busy myself with each day feels about the same as before. Just with a heightened sense of wanting to do it extra well at this time.

One of the most impressionable things I've ever heard came from someone who was a child during the Great Depression. He came from a loving and stable farming family and said, "We didn't know we were living in the Depression. Life felt the same. We always had milk from our cows and eggs from our hens. We had a mother who made our clothes and canned our fruit and vegetables. We didn't know we were living in such a dark time."

That has stayed with me, and now I would like to impart that same carefree atmosphere into my children's lives, so that in twenty years when they read about COVID-19 they can say, "We didn't know the nation was in such a terrible crisis. Home life felt the same." 

One of the ways I like to do this is by taking an interest in mealtimes.

"Don't ever think of husband and children as "just the family." Fuss a bit for them and you will be rewarded. Be sure the silver is straight and even at each place, and the napkins are folded neatly. Make each meal the most important task you've ever undertaken."

- Thyra Ferre Bjorn

Meaningful work is nourishment to the soul.

What about you?

What are you busy doing these days?

What are you reading?

As always, feel free to leave a comment...

Thanks for stopping by today, friends.

xo,

~ Courtney ~