The Usual Things

Snapshots of life in recent days around these here parts.

The usual and ordinary things very often are the best, aren't they?

These are the things we will remember with fondness in days to come.

Mum, let's have popcorn!  Okay, let's.  

Of course, I joined them in the eating of it.  :)

Have I mentioned how much Emma loves to swim?

She corralled each of the boys to take her on separate days last week.

The trade-off is that she hangs out the swim gear once they're back. 

Emily the bride ~ she stood there for at least a day

waiting patiently to be un-brided.

The results of the recent sort-out.

 A three-man job.

One of the first buds of the season ~ Austin's rose bush.

Happy Monday, Y'all!

Many Blessings,

Camille

Usual and Ordinary

Just a little peek into the usual and ordinary things of life

around these here parts in recent days.

Spring is arriving in our neck of the woods ~ we are ready!

Emma brought me flowers (evidence) while she was out rollerblading.

In the mornings, the birds sing early and the breezes filter through

the screens open to the great outdoors ~ I love what spring brings.

Well, maybe not all the rain.  No, I don't love the rain.

But, it is necessary for all the green.  Right?

A few little things for a few little friends.

A Monopoly game in progress ~ it went on for days.

First BBQ of the season ~ Burgers.

Sheets fresh from the line ~ a favourite.

Morning time of quiet with her Daddy.

Preparations for a Theory Exam ~

he will be glad to have it behind him.

Handmade birthday cards for Calvin from the other two ~
It isn't obvious what he enjoys, is it?  I didn't think so.  *wink*

What's been happening in your neck of the woods?
Are you enjoying the usual and ordinary things of life?  
Sometimes those really are the best things after all.

If these are trying days with difficult things, please know
that I understand some of the sorrows that can accompany times like these.
Feel free to email me privately and I will lift you up in prayer.
The Lord knows.  He sees.  He is faithful.

May the Lord give much grace and strength 
for whatever season you find yourself in.
He is always good.  His ways are eternally best.

Happy Weekend Y'all!
With Love, Camille

Don't Blink!

Life is full of little moments that run together to form our days.

If we blink, we miss them.  Very often, I blink.

These days, I am trying not to.

Seeking to keep my eyes wide open to the joys of now.

A treasure hunt map made by Howie for Emma and her friend.

Freshly fashioned cloth napkins to use daily instead of paper.

Dress-up and that it still happens.

Getting some projects under way ~ the picture wall.

Four roasted chickens for future meals.

The writing of an exam and capturing the moment through the glass.

More dressing up ~ see?  It's a trend.
(And, while practicing the piano again...maybe it's a strategy.)

Snail mail preparation.

Dishcloth in progress ~ for her Mama.

The view from the top of the stairs.

From the outside looking in.

A collaborative effort ~ makes me smile.

Texas Sheet Cake ~ just because.

Just one of the benefits of home education.

And...another one.  :)

Cookies ~ just because.

Warmer days and Battleship outdoors.

Flowers from my Dad on Austin's birthday ~ so thoughtful.
Thank you, Dad ~ these are still brightening our days.

The Lord gives each one of us precious moments.
May He give us eyes wide open to really see.
Don't blink!  You might miss the treasures of now.

Many Blessings,
Camille

To Really See

Very often, we want back what we had when it's gone.

But, we don't want what we have when it's here.

It's how it goes sometimes.  Crazy, isn't it?

Perhaps, if we slow down to really see

the blessings of now, we won't wish them away.

We'll drink them in and rejoice!

And, so...today, by God's grace, I am rejoicing.  
Will you join me?  Will you take time to notice the little things

and the not-so-little-things that are the gifts of today?

You might be surprised to see.  To really see.

You may find that these sometimes-messy-moments 
might just be the best gifts after all.

~ More sunshine and blue skies...SO welcomed by us all

~ The sounds of home...water filling up the tub,
pages turning, furnace humming, 
and the click of computer keys as Fraser works next to me

~ The way the trees rustle in the breeze and 
that I can just look up and out to see them

~ Crossing things off my *to do* list...what a feeling!

~ The school we are connected with and how
they left Austin's report cards online for me to print whenever I was ready

~ The things the teachers wrote and how they made me cry

~ That they graduated Austin and gave him final marks for all his courses
even though he hadn't completed all the required assignments 
when the Lord called him Home to Heaven
(the night prior to his passing he was studying for a Geography exam)

~ That some memories can make me smile and even laugh

~ That the Lord is with us in this journey

~ And, that we do not walk this path alone

~ How gracious and merciful and wonderful our Great God is!

~ Waking up to a new day and seeing the dark turn to blue
with a few wispy-pink clouds floating past

~ Spurgeon to read while I ride

~ And, that each sermon is just the perfect length
to read in the time it takes to complete one session of cycling

SO thankful on this day (and always) that I belong to Him.

"I will sing unto the LORD, because He hath dealt bountifully with me."
~ Psalm 13:6 ~

Many Blessings,
Camille

Give Way

One by one.  Moment by moment.  Day by day.

The Lord's mercies are new every morning. 
It's a promise.  It's true.  If only we would have eyes to see.

On this day, I am choosing to see.

Seeking to observe and list these precious, fleeting moments of life.

Before they are gone and give way to others.

They do, you know.  Give way.  No two moments are alike.

They are precious and they are worth taking notice of.

When the moment is gone.  It's gone.

It only lives on in the memories we keep.

I am treasuring up these moments and holding them in my heart.
Today, I give way ~ As one moment flows into the next.
I'm seeking to capture them all ~ One by one.

~ Math being done decently and in order...
all while wearing her Mama's High School graduation dress and a hoodie  :)

~ Tulips in Winter...a gift from my Dad...so pretty!  :)

~ Entering the world of texting...sporadically

~ Our two middle children battling it out on the ice 
(in the friendliest of ways)

~ Skating each week...a real treat!

~ Figure skates in the mix (so much hockey around here)

~ Sunshine day after day after many that were grey

~ Blue skies!

~ The way I found them...

 ~ Boys and their Dad and their bikes...on one of those sunny days

~ Mud.  Fraser's hoodie and Howie's shorts after the fun.

 ~ Help from the children in the home...so much gets accomplished
when we all pitch in together (I am one grateful Mama)

~ Listening to Fraser compose
(sometimes it brings me to tears but, I do love it)

~ THM treats that satisfy without guilt or payment

~ A first professional (for pay) photography job for Calvin...so exciting!

~ Balloons gifted to the children which they set free to fly

~ Watching from the window, observing the joy they brought

~ Emma teaching me to play chess (she won)

~ Last minute trip down to the city with the children (just them and me)

to conquer the seawall with roller blades, camera, and running shoes

~ Making cookies with my girl...not THM unfortunately

~ Tomorrow's a new day...isn't it a wonderful thing?

May the Lord bless you as you notice the tracings of His Hand
in your life each day.  He truly is Good and Gracious and Kind.
He is worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving.

Many Blessings,
Camille

Seeking to See

It's a good thing to notice the seemingly little and insignificant

things in day to day life and living.

The little things really can be the most precious of all.
It is too easy to take so many things for granted.  So often.

When we overlook the little, we miss out on so much.  Too much.

Much of life is little.  Insignificant.  Routine.

But, these things are not little at all ~ they're big.

All added up and rolled into life ~ these moments are significant.
Very significant.  Very precious.  Anything but routine.

We often don't realise this until we look back.

On this day, I am starting up again.  Beginning afresh.

Seeking to see the tracings of His Hand in the everyday things of life.

They are there and they are precious.
 If only we will stop to consider.

If only we will slow down to take it all in.

These moments?  They are all precious gifts from His Hand.
By God's Great Grace, I am seeking to slow down to see.
These are the moments to cherish.

I am thankful for the ability to teach my girl to sew.
She is learning on the very same machine I learned on.
Isn't that something?  I *love* it.  :)

I am also thankful that she wants to learn!

Thankful, too, that our little project (a joint effort) turned out.
It was a skirt for Emily ~ Emma's doll.  :)
See the little purse?  It was a gift from a precious little friend.
Thank you Miss R...it's perfect!

I am thankful for my young men who work diligently at their studies.

And, I'm thankful for moments like these (above) when we catch
our Fraser doing what he loves best ~ studying about other lands and cultures.

This young man is able to work in the office
while Howie works in the background ~ it's a gift.

We are finally able to tackle the boys' room and fill 
all.those.holes. ~ Can you tell I'm excited about it? 

Yes, Calvin and Fraser both contributed to the state of the walls.
I was sad that I neglected to get a before photo for memories' sake.
They had posters of airplanes and countries and hockey plastered everywhere.
It was a sight to behold.  Maybe it's a good thing I forgot to take a picture.

Yes, a very good thing.  Smile.

I am thankful for this little rose tree and that we were able to plant it in this spot.
It was a gift in memory of our Austin.  Gorgeous blooms were produced all summer long.
Every day, as I come and go from our home, I pass by it.

Our precious Austin's entire memorial service has been 
preserved for us on DVD ~ thank you so very much Jonathan!  
We are very pleased with how well it turned out ~ what a gift of love.

I enjoy seeing the boys' hockey gear drying on the rack in the great outdoors.
It's been such a blessing to have hockey in our lives for all these years.
When the boys were little, I didn't like the idea of them playing hockey.
However, I now see that it's been a blessing, and I am thankful.

Our street is street-hockey-friendly.
As the streets all around us have become busier, 
ours has remained very much the same as it always has been.
It's another gift.

Emma was sick last week ~ it was a precious thing to see her tucked in on the couch.
It's even more precious that she is almost all better now.  
God is always so Good.  No matter what.

Still in her housecoat, she blew some bubbles on the back deck.
Thankful that she is still little girl enough to enjoy these sorts of things!
The laughter we shared as the bubbles blew away is a memory to cherish.

Isn't the bubble in this photo a powerful visual 
of how fleeting these moments really are?

May the Lord help us to enter into the moments He gives.
All the moments string together to make a life.
By God's grace, and in His strength, may we live them all for Him.

He alone is worthy of all our praise.
May we be found praising Him with our lives.
With all our hearts.  For all eternity.

Many Blessings,
Camille