The Forerunning of Spring

The violets are blooming!
Now, despite the fact that there are forty days of winter left(meaning that we are a little more than half-way through the season), I can believe that spring is, indeed, on it's way.
The violets are my favorite flowers. Modest flowers, many call them, and indeed "modest as a violet" is a well-known cliche. Their sweet smell recalls many a spring to my mind, and makes me think of spicy woodlands or fresh brooks that tumble down the sides of hills.
While they make excellent decorations for any room in delicate vases, I think I am most content to watch them exactly where they belong - in the ground. Let them bloom where they are planted, I say.

God bless you, and bring you a merry spring.

Christmas Season

Yes, it's been a long time. Yes, I'm sorry about it.

We just went down to the tree-lot a mile from our house... simply didn't have the time to head out to a tree-farm this year, a disappointment to all, but we can deal with it. Our tree is a 5'6 (or so) Noble Fir, one which I can carry by myself (a plus!) I do love to put up the Christmas tree during Advent season... bringing out each time-worn ornament with care and finding just the right place for it. I love remembering the stories behind each of our large selection of Christmas tree decorations. We have German wood-shavings that Mom brought back from her Air Force station, German straw-stars and straw-angels from the same, cheap plastic globes that we've been given, delicate glass birth-day angels, hand-painted metal bells, snowflakes of various shapes and sizes... the list goes on. I'm not a photographer, really, so I can't include pictures of some of our things, sad to say.
When our tree is fully decorated - tinsel, lights, the works - I'll sit back on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a plate (bowl?) of fondue and think abut the true meaning of Christmas.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

That God could give up his only son, send him to a mortal life on earth, and let him die unjustly for the sins of the elect, this is the true meaning of Christmas. I pray that we will never forget that, in the hurry and shuffle of Christmas, with its presents and secular message of materialism, there is a higher meaning, a higher calling... a calling to remember the love that sent Christ to earth.

Peace on earth, good will to men.

Finally!

I'm back once more!
And I have pictures from Outdoor school. A month late, to be sure, but still! I wasn't sure if I'd get them up at all, the way it's been going.!


The older students were asked to testify about God's work in their lives.


Sitting around the campfire during Mrs. S's address.


Josh Silliman and I during the Review Game


Emily O'Dell and I dissect a shark. Across the table from us, Jared O'Dell and Abby were doing the same.


Poor shark.


Foreground, Nathaniel Silliman's Hammerhead, backgound is Sarah Silliman's Octopus.


Josh Silliman and his awesome Great White Shark.


Emily and I with our "award-winning" sand sculpture, 'Leviathan'.


Emily and I and Leviathan.




The wind was so bad that it was hard to see for all the blowing sand


One of the stops along the Scavenger hunt


Another bit of the Scavenger hunt/challenge course

Ah, long abandoned blog

Sorry for dropping you for the past three weeks. But hey, it's summer. Which means that every minute not spent on schoolwork or chores is spent outside in the glorious sun. Or something like that.
Anyways. I'm excited. We're going on a family camping trip over the weekend-yes, we will be at church. It'll be at the beach. I do hope we have sunny weather for our trip! We'll be baking today (bread, cinnamon rolls, and rolls) for today and tomorrow, a lovely treat since we don't bake more than once or twice a month, and less in the summertime.
We had teryaki chicken last night for dinner, and it really is delicious. The recipe is this;
One chicken breast, cubed
Fresh broccoli
As much rice as you can eat (rinse it well first)

Sauce:
Heat soysauce on the stove, add brown sugar, garlic and ginger to taste, and one tablespoon of sesame oil.

Cook the chicken well in a stir-fry pan or wok, then add the broccoli. Put a part of the teryaki sauce in, to flavor it. Then serve on a bed of rice with plenty more sauce drizzled over the top. Delicious!

Tonight is quiche night. I'm glad we've finally worked out a dinner plan for the summer months, it makes eating a lot easier.

Mother is teaching me bits of French and German, and I'm learning Welsh from Dad. Of course, I doubt I'll master any of the three languages, but it's interesting to know them and find English words that have the same roots. Latin is also on our list for next fall, as well as Greek-and I'm interested in Hebrew. I ought to be well versed in foreign languages, to be sure.
Well, I've exhausted my list of things to write about, so that's done. And so am I. Au revoir! Hwyl fawr! Auf Wiedersehen! (and yes, I did have to look up how to spell it. Just because I can say it, read it, and know what it means doesn't mean I can write it down.)

Summer!

It's the first day of summer! Hurrah! But wait-where did all the sunshine go? Partly cloudy and 65 degrees... hmm, I wonder. Well, at least the rest of this week looks promising. And just in time, too, since the first day of swimming lessons (I'm a dolphin!...again.) is today. If I'm up to standard for the dolphin class, which is about right for my age, then I'm moving on to Swim Team, and maybe-just maybe-I'll participate in a meet or two this summer. If I need to catch up, it'll be a session of lessons instead.
But I have places to go, people to see, things to do... so I close.

Back from the Beach!

We're BACK! Which I'm sure you've already figured out, from the title and the fact that I am writing. But anyways, it was a fun-filled, err, make that fun-packed three days. Fellowship in and out of God's Word-for three days straight!-is a refreshing treat from today's secular world, is it not? The only thing I won't miss is the mosquitoes. I will just about swear that every single mosquito in the state of Oregon was down there, eating us alive. I've come out with just two bites: the fruits of much mosquito repellent-disgusting smelling stuff, sadly-and slapping.
Despite it being a "beach vacation", we only spent about six hours on the beach. About two of them just walking up and down with friends, and then the other four on a sand sculpture for our annual contest. A good friend, Emily O'Dell (I spelled it right, if you read this!, and I made Leviathan the sea monster. We almost nicknamed him Leroy, but it didn't sound right. Leroy Leviathan. Nope. Well, anyways, we won the award for "Most use of Creativity and Embellishment." Did I mention that there was an award for every single sand sculpture, ranging from "Most Amusing" to "Scariest" and "Most Lifelike." One of the boys made an absolutely stunning hammerhead shark which earned "Most Lifelike," and his older brother did a great white's head/shoulders (do they have shoulders?) sticking out of the "water", with lots of great big sharp teeth. Of course, he got the "Scariest" award. And then, I guess you could count three hours of tide-pooling as beach time. Maybe. Anyways, I think EVERYBODY except for me found some kind of nudibranch-a brightly colored and often fluffy/hairyish-except for me. Even one of the boys found the much coveted Red Sponge Nudibranch-only about half as long as your pinky finger nail-with me standing right beside him holding the bucket. Of course, he got the credit. Not like I mind, or anything, but... *sigh* this being the second-to-last Outdoor School ever, it's the last one at the beach, and the last time to go tide-pooling with WISE Science.
But anyways, I'm tired, so I can't upload/post/even look at the fifty-zillion something photos that I/others collected on this trip. For that matter, I'm not sure if most of them will EVER get posted.
So. Exhaustedly yours, Genny.

Home again, gone again....

Ach, guess who's guilty of neglected her blog? *pets poor, lonely, neglected blog*
Yes, I admit to it. It was me.
But that's not the important news. The important news, see, is that we are leaving for the beach tomorrow afternoon. And staying until late on Saturday! It's WISE Science's Annual Outdoor School, and it's coming right up. Literally. Like, tomorrow. So, to cease to digress, this is goodbye until Sunday.



So... just what did happen to all the lovely summer weather we usually get around here? I'll admit, today was... rainless, sorta... but still.
I can tell you one thing-it's sure-fire, absolute, irrefutable evidence for global warming. :)
And with that, I will close.