Story time

This is what story time tends to look like in the Gayner household...

More like a descent into chaos.

My little chair across the room - that strategically only seats one - was very peaceful.

Birding Pockets

Just the right place for watching out the back deck window, I've been looking for a great little table to put in the corner for our bird books, binoculars and nature books. Upon the eagerly anticipated arrival of Handmade Home, I saw her wall pockets and the light bulb switched on...

Made rather differently from hers - flannel from the girls pencil rolls is the backing, instead of a blanket, and a totally different shape to fit the wall - it was definitely the inspiration that I needed to fix the problem. My clever husband completed it for me by hanging it with a re-purposed towel rail (that Noah ripped off the wall a while back, I might add).
Not too shabby!

A Warning

This is what can happen around here if your nap goes just that bit too long...

All kinds of learning at the Science Center

September is Homeschool Month at the Maryland Science Center. If you're a MD resident that homeschools, get on down there!

Digging for treasure - uh, I mean, bones

Chillin' in the dino prints

A wanna-be astronaut

The Wet Lab is always a big hit

It was our first time there, and we all had a lot of fun, and learned a few things, too. I think, though, the biggest learning experience was when it was time to leave and we got to watch a little boy have an almighty temper tantrum because he didn't want to leave. The kids were sort of stunned by it all, and Abi even commented on what a "naughty boy" he was being. It was then that, in His kindness, God gave a teaching opportunity. Being able to remind my children that without discipline that they would be no different, and that Jesus died for his sin, just as He died for theirs, also reminded me that all the anger bound up in that poor kid's heart is also in mine. I may handle it better or be a little more slick and subtle than screaming the place down, but that doesn't mean it's not there. And it's for this - his sin and mine - that Jesus went to the cross. Thanks be to God.

The Christmas Knitting

It has begun. If I'm going to make all the Christmas gifts I'd like to, I had to start now, maybe I should have started earlier.

So the first offering is from the toast pattern on ravelry, beautiful wrist warmers. The two darker colors are made in a silk/wool blend, and the yellow is a light-weight tweed. All feel lovely on, as least I hope their recipients think so.

Last Week and Tomorrow

Well, last week was our first week of school. It's been good to get back into a familiar routine, even though it carries it's own set of challenges.

Abigail's now in 2nd grade and Anna's in 1st, though one could argue that "grades" in homeschool are fairly redundant. I prefer to think of them as "flexible".

It's been fun, this week, to see them get back into the swing of sitting down with their books, learning new things and reviewing familiar ideas. I love being the one who sees them understanding the concepts and grasping hold of new ideas. And teaching a child to read? It's like a special brand of magic.

Tomorrow is Abigail's birthday - amazing. She can't really be 7 already, and yet she will be exactly that. In fact, at this moment 7 years ago, I was sitting in my living room, contracting away and waiting for the ambulance to take me to Birmingham Women's Hospital. Ah, the memories...

As for me, I've turned the "blech" corner and feeling pretty good. However, it'll be a quiet week around here, since Toby will be away for a few days for work training. It'll be my opportunity to eat junky food he doesn't like and watch sappy movies he doesn't enjoy. We shall celebrate his return, however, by a trip to DC to celebrate the Big Girl's big day.

I wonder what exciting experiences and wonderful memories will be had in her 7th year...?

Space

We have some new photos up in the dining room. They're not really new - I gave the prints to Toby for Christmas - it's just taken this long to get frames and hang them up. We're kinda slow around here...

First, we have the Eye of God Nebula. So cool.

Next, a crescent Earth.

Finally, the Eskimo Nebula.

By the way, it was surprisingly difficult to get decent shots, due to glare and flash and reflection. And my substandard camera.

In other news, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat this morning. Never ceases to be a thrill.