One of My Favorites

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Proverbs 14:1

Doors of Daring

The mountains that inclose the vale
With walls of granite, steep and high,
Invite the fearless foot to scale
Their stairway toward the sky.

The restless, deep, dividing sea
That flows and foams from shore to shore,
Calls to its sunburned chivalry,
"Push out, set sail, explore!"

The bars of life at which we fret,
That seem to prison and control,
Are but the doors of daring, set
Ajar before the soul.

Say not, "Too poor," but freely give;
Sigh not, "Too weak," but boldly try;
You never can begin to live
Until you dare to die.

--Henry van Dyke
from the Book of Virtues' chapter on courage

Mr. Van Dyke was the 19th century American Presbyterian clergyman who wrote the lyrics for "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee".

Homestead Traditional Crafts Village

These guys had a booth that caught my eye at the homeschool convention. The brochure they handed me for their spot in Texas was equally impressive. I may use some of their crafting kits or their music for the kids sometime, and I'd love to stop in there if we're ever in the area.

www.cfeeschool.com

My Portrait

I'm sure there is great depth to many of the details of this portrayal, but I'm somewhat afraid to ask. I'll just be glad my four-year-old thinks I'm worth becoming a subject of his art.

Permanently Imbedded in my Memory

Spotted over ten years ago on the sign of a church in the northern part of our state that happened to be across the road from a purveyor of frozen dairy goods:

"Like Dairy Queen's Sundaes? Try ours!"

A Sunrise Reminder

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

--Lamentations 3:21-23

Ian's Exploits

Here's what Ian's been doing for the last couple weeks. He says his favorite parts about swim lessons are going underwater and jumping off the diving board. We are proud of the courage he has gained through the experience. Anna's been eagerly practicing blowing bubbles underwater in the frog pool in anticipation of her opportunity to do some intensive swim training next year.

In other Ian news, the boy caught a mole in our yard yesterday . . . with his bare hands! I guess its mouth was too small to bite him. Of course, Ian promptly put his acquisition into his five-gallon bucket for observation until Daddy got home and put an end to its tunneling days.