New Normal

Things have changed.
There is a new *normal* around here.

Since taking my break,
I have implemented a few changes
in my online life.


I have a notebook.
It can be carried from room to room.
It can be shut down
and put away.

And,
that is exactly
what I have been doing.

Email.
Shopping.
Blogging.
Research.
Gmail.

It all waits until I take it off its shelf
for an online *session*.
My goal is to keep it
to two *sessions* per week.

Liberty.
Freedom.
Joy.

How wonderful it is!


No more *quick checks*
that run into *long visits*.
No more *losing track of time* online.

There is a pre-appointed,
set aside,
allotted time.
For all of this.

And then, it is shut down.
Until next time.
By God's Grace
and with HIS help.
I am not perfect,
but HE is!

May the LORD help us all
to take stock and heed His Words.

"So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
~ Psalm 90:12 ~


I fully realize that we are not
all in the same situation.

Life is always changing.

What works for me,
may not necessarily be what works for you.
We are all at different stages of life.
And that is good!

But, I would encourage you to pray about what
the LORD would have you to do.

And then...
Follow Him.

Many blessings to you each one!
In Him,
Camille

P.R.O.J.E.C.T.S.

What did we *DO* all Summer??
Well, we had some fun playing.
And, we had some fun working.
We all got in on the act.

One of the first things I did was
ask Howie to pick me up some of this...

To fix this...
Yes, I did it myself!
(Don't even ask how many rags I used up)! :)

And my Sweetie taught Calvin
how to do this...
And Calvin sanded most of it himself!

Emma got to try...
For about two minutes. :)

The finished deck...
(it's wet from being washed...
we didn't use a *high gloss* stain) :)

Meanwhile,
Austin did this...

And this...

Fraser and Emma tackled this...

And, after a LOT of this...

We got this (it's a lovely, creamy,
washable yellow).

Calvin did some of this...

To put into this...

Austin stacked and stacked and stacked...

Which my Dad built!
(Thank you Dad) ~ xo

My Treasures...


We are not always this productive in the Summer-time.
It seemed that MANY things needed attention
this year for some reason.
We are very thankful that we have
so many precious helpers! :)

Many blessings,
Camille

A West Coast Experience

We went whale watching on Fraser's Birthday.
It was a glorious day.  And an unforgettable experience!
We were on the boat for seven hours.
And we sat up front most of the day.

Emma waiting for the
Captain to launch us out into the deep.

Howie enjoying a little *down time*.

A happy looking bunch.

There they are!

See the black fins lined up in a row

off in the distance?

Orca Whales! (Which, btw, really are

part of the Dophin family...who knew?  Not me.)

Emma and Fraser enjoyed a chat with

*Rusty*...the dog-mascot.

Calvin with his *zoom* lens...

he got some *close-ups* of the Orcas. :)

This pod dove under the boat after this shot

and came up about 1/4 mile away!

Our young man.

Enjoying a rare treat.

Gorgeous views all day long.

It was a lovely day.  A real joy.

We are thankful that we were able to have this experience

with our children.  God's Creation truly is Glorious!

What special memory did you make this summer??

Please do share.  I'd enjoy reading about it.

Many Blessings,

Camille

Just 10 Minutes A Day!

Our Fraser LOVES languages.
He is interested in everything from
Arabic to Hebrew to Chinese.


These books
have helped to satisfy his thirst for
knowledge in this area.
And at only *ten minutes a day*
they are perfect!
Fun and interactive.
Engaging and interesting.

He has tried different programs
(some were strictly computer based) ~
but, he keeps coming back to this system.


This is not a school requirement.
He is doing this *just for fun*.
Not to say that it could not be for school,
just to let you know how enjoyable they can be.

These books are *introductory* in nature ~
The goal being to equip the child
with the ability to converse simply
in the chosen language.


This was his response when I asked what he would
like to try next, and I quote ~

"Anything to do with Bilingual Books...
it's always good!"

Imagine this being said with a great deal of
animation and enthusiasm.
As I previously mentioned,
he LOVES languages!


What does the LORD have in store?
My Mama heart wells up with tears
at the thought of where this might lead.
But then, I have to remind myself that
he is only twelve and we do have a few years left
to care for him in our home...up close! :)

The LORD is so gracious with us
and never gives us more than we can bear.
HE will lead and guide and give
the grace for whatever it is HE
calls our children to do.
What a blessing to rest in that!

In the meantime,
we are encouraging this love
for learning these languages by giving
him the tools to explore them all!
But, not all at once...
maybe just one or two at a time. :)

May the LORD bless you
all as you seek to raise up your
children for HIS glory.
And may HE give us each the grace to
allow them to flourish in HIS World!

Many blessings,
Camille

Ebb and Flow

**This post was written before
I took a month off ~
Which is why some of it is a little "out of date".

The Ordinary.
The Everyday.
The Ebb and Flow of life.

Sometimes we take these things forgranted.
Sometimes we forget to give thanks.
And yet, we are commanded to.
It is the mark of one who is redeemed.

We owe everything to HIM.
To HIS grace.
To HIS mercy.
We belong to HIM.
We are to glorify HIS Holy Name.

1459. Building my repertoire of
quick and easy meals to prepare ~
Just like THIS! :)

1460. More ice cream!

1461. Walks at the beach with friends

1462. Hanging baskets at the front door

1463. The squeals of laughter coming
from Fraser and Emma as they play outside

1464. Austin and Fraser creating music together

1465. So thankful for the Doctrine of God's Sovereignty!

1466. Simplifying life ~ or at least trying to!

1467. Accountability

1468. New beginnings

1469. Amazing preaching Sunday after Sunday ~
SUCH a blessing!

1470. Being challenged from the pulpit through God's Word

1471. My Dad who is always willing to help out around here ~
Thanks Dad! :)

1472. Catching up with a dear friend

1473. Pink sky at night

1474. The longest day of the year

1475. Longer days

1476. My clothesline!

1477. First load of towels hung out to dry ~
LATE...July 4th!

1478. A stretch of sunny days after MANY grey ones

1479. Opening up windows and doors early in the morning
to let the fresh air in and let the stuffy air out!

1480. The breeze that comes off the ocean

1481. Trimmed trees

1482. A better view

1483. Firewood for the winter

1484. Thankful that we don't depend on that
wood to keep warm in the winter months

My journal sits on my counter.

I list as events unfold.
Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.

Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal,
set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~
As they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Looking Up

Life has been a flurry of activity.
First, school ended.
Then there were...
Family commitments.
Birthdays.
Anniversary.
BBQ's.
Home projects.
Not to mention the regular.

The *everyday*.

Meals.
Laundry.
Shopping.
Cleaning.

Once in awhile it is important to
re-evaluate.
Take a step back.

Be still.


As I write this, I do not have everything sorted out.
I do not have everything in its rightful place.
But, I am getting there.
Step by step.
By God's Grace.

Every once in awhile we must get above the clouds.
Step out of the whirlwind.
Take stock.

Am I reaching my goals?
Do I have a proper understanding
of what they ought to be?
Have I sought the LORD on what
HE would have me to do next?

Probing, but necessary questions.

Sometimes life is overwhelming.
We get too busy to even think.
At the end of the day it's all we can do to
fall into bed exhausted.

But.
There is hope.

These are often just seasons.
The LORD never gives us more than we can bear.
Sometimes WE are the ones to
blame when the overload buzzer goes off.

I have been guilty of this.

When that has happened I must examine
myself and my motives.
Have I added things into my calendar
that had no business being there?
Did I ask the LORD what HE would
have me to do before I made those commitments?

Ah, yes.
The litmus test.

These last weeks I have taken a step back.
It's been a blessing to just *be*.
To just live and do the next thing.

Looking Up.

Many Blessings,
Camille


**Photo Credit ~ Calvin

Time Warp

Living fully engaged.
IN the moment.

Intentionally.

Travelling back in time.
All the way back to the
days before computers.
At least to the days before
MY computer.

Living according to HIS plan
for me ~

Just. This. Day.
By HIS Grace.


I'm taking a little hiatus
from email, gmail, internet,
blogging ~
online anything.

Just a little break from this.

But, not forever ~
Just for about a month.

This means that any comments
you may choose to leave
will be published at the end of
my time away from this screen.
At that time, my plan is to
reconnect with all of you.
Thank you for understanding!

(I do *L*O*V*E* to hear from you ~
Please let me know that you stopped by.)

If you have my phone number,
please feel free to call ~
Let's get together! :)

In the meantime,
I'd like to leave you with a beautiful
passage of Scripture ~

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace."
~ Numbers 6:24-26 ~

See you in about a month ~
LORD-willing!

In HIS Love,
Camille


**Photo credit ~ Calvin

Special Delivery

Birthday Roses...

Hand Delivered...

With Love...

Thank you Dad! xo

Salty Caramel Anyone?

Are you a salty caramel person?
If so, this is the ice cream for you!

Come on over and I will
serve you some with a smile ~
That is, if there is any left! ;-)

Sweet.
Salty.
Yum.


It is time consuming.
And fussy.
And a bit tricky.

BUT...
worth it!
(In my opinion, of course).

After reading about this ice cream
on David Lebovitz' blog,
I knew I had to give it a try.

Do you have an ice cream maker yet?
Hurry...summer is waiting.
And so are your family and friends.

Quick!

This is the one I have.
Gifted to me from my family
for Mother's Day.

(A little tip ~ Amazon's prices fluctuate...
check back periodically for the best deal).

It's been a fun journey.
A person could get used to
having ice cream daily.

I know.


Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream ~
Oh. Dear. Me!

ENJOY!
And...don't blame me
if you become addicted to
its creamy saltiness! ;-)

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Links are working....

Baked Berry Almond Oatmeal

Y.U.M.M.Y.

SO good!

It was a hit all around.
And the boy who can NEVER get filled up...
did! :)

Click Here to find the recipe ~
You will need to scroll about half-way down
the post to locate it.
It's worth the hunt! :)

FYI ~ I doubled the recipe to serve my family...
using two pans of the 7" x 11" variety.
AND...I used old fashioned oats
and thawed raspberries (they had been frozen).

Enjoy!
Blessings,
Camille

Day After Day

Time flies.  That's not a surprise, is it?
It's like this for all of us.
Seize the day!  Enjoy the moments!

One of the ways I seek to do this is by counting.
Numbering the blessings.
Treasuring up the moments.  Day after day.
By HIS grace.  For HIS glory.

They are all gifts from HIS hand.


1432. Evidence of children in our home

1433. Stocking up

1434. My custom-made budget in excel...
Howie created it for me years ago and I *love* it!

1435. Licorice Mint Tea

1436. Random games of Uno

1437. A quick trip to the pool for the two youngest...
free swimming and all done in less than an hour


1438. Swimming lessons for Fraser and Emma

1439. That the pool is just around the corner and we can walk


1440. Chocolate!

1441. Getting the hang of this diet

1442. That it's helping

1443. Teaching boy #3 how to make grilled cheese sandwiches

1444. That tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it yet!

1445. That the LORD always forgives and meets us in our need
and gives us grace and mercy.

1446. Warm sun...it's been teasing us!

1447. "Bonus Time" available to use...thank you S and L!

1448. Pineapples from my Dad ~ Thank you Dad! :)

1449. A phone chat with my sister

1450. Listening to Fraser play "The Pink Panther" on the piano

1451. Flowers from Calvin..."just because"...so sweet! :)

1452. Listening to
Diana Waring's History CD's ~ W.O.N.D.E.R.F.U.L.

1453. Learning with the children

1454. Marvelling at God's hand in history
and how it all comes *alive* when taught from
a Biblical standpoint

1455. Frozen meals prepared in advance and
using them when they are most needed

1456. School's Done

1457. Completing another year of homeschool

1458. The change of pace summer brings

My journal sits on my counter.

I list as events unfold. Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.  Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal, set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~ as they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!
Many Blessings, Camille