Sunday, June 09, 2013

Time of Blessing/Commissioning

Our Farewell and time of being prayed over at Colony Friends Church

While Janelle was gone

Yesterday Janelle went to Richmond for the Annual Homeschool Convention.  She had a delightful time gleaning valuable and/or fun information from the likes of Joel Salatin, Michael Farris, and Dianne Craft.

I spent the day with boys, and kept the camera handy...


0630 Balloon time while the older boys still sleep

The son's headcheck
"Just checking to make sure you are still there"

Next one awakes...slowwwly, but not without donning a pirate outfit...then
slumps into Nathanael's chair and listens to "Music Together" on Pandora.

Everyone is dressed...
Thad's knows his role for the day...
"Dad's helper"

Tree climbing while we wait for Nathanael to awake from his nap so we can go mini-golfing









Nearly ready to paint

Porch side

Picket fence has been painted

Every stick is a sword or gun...

Serious golfers




Thursday, June 06, 2013

The House Painting Project

The guest cottage stripped of its paint.  House is nearly complete now too.  Painting may start as early as next week.  Been promised the job will be done before we move on/around June 28th.  Keep praying that is the case.  The weather has to cooperate as well.  Tropical Storm Andrea is threatening us at the moment.

The door side was done with an infrared heater device called the Speedheater...the remainder of the project has been completed with a handheld planer of sorts called a paintshaver.  Not an easy task no matter how you do it.  The hard labor workers don't like me much...the end result is a long lasting paint job with Allback Organic Linseed Oil paint with 50 year life span.

The final side of the house and dormers to complete the stripping of old paint

School Lunch...Let's Change it!!!!

This topic is a passion of Janelle's and mine, that we've discussed making a part of our "local impact" whenever/wherever we settle.  Now that we are leaving the military it is exciting to again dream about our involvement in local communities we may soon become members of.





http://www.gardentotable.org.nz/  Check out what New Zealand is doing.

"A revolutionary approach to food education


A revolutionary approach to food education

Children learn best through doing, through positive examples, through trial and error. We need to capture their interest, curiosity and energy as well as their appetites!
As participants in Garden to Table, students discover the pleasures of hands-on food education, through regular classes in a productive vegetable garden and a home-style kitchen classroom.
Students learn to build and maintain a garden according to organic principles, and to grow and harvest a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs. An abundant vegetable garden is created within the school grounds to provide edible, aromatic and beautiful resources for the school kitchen. The creation and care of the garden teaches students about the natural world, its wonders and beauty and how to cultivate and care for it.
In the kitchen, students prepare a range of delicious dishes from the seasonal produce they’ve grown. The finished meal is arranged with pride and care on tables set with flowers from the garden. The shared meal is a time for students, specialists, teachers and volunteers to enjoy the fruits of their labour, and each other’s company and conversation.
An innovative staffing model is crucial to Garden to Table’s success. In both the garden and the kitchen, students work in small groups under the supervision of specialist staff, community volunteers and the classroom teacher. This provides a unique opportunity to learn in an interactive way from adults who are passionate experts in their field.
The Program is embedded into the curriculum and is a compulsory part of school life from Years 3 to 6 (NB: not all schools involve all 4 year groups at the start). The specialists work closely with a Program Coordinator from the teaching staff, planning activities and menus that are integrated into the curriculum. Planning flows from the garden’s seasonal growing cycles, which students experience over a four-year period.
The garden and kitchen provide a real-life context for learning, which interweaves the theories and practices behind growingharvestingpreparing and sharing fresh, seasonal foods.

Farewell to the Air Force

I came home yesterday from my last official day of work with the USAF.
Janelle suprised me with a welcome home/farewell from the community.
I enjoyed taking pictures and visiting with so many dear friends and neighbors that have enriched our lives immeasurably these past three years.

Our friends son age 2

Mommy and son #3

Mommy Kisses
Neighbor with daughter


Friends daughter

No food scares this boy

Pretty clean aftermath even

Energized by the fried protein

Cruising the yard

Notice the freshly painted white fence making the roses "bounce"

I think the term nowadays is
"Besties"

New life blessing us all

New life blessing us all 

Our dear neighbors and forever friends

Friends

Mother & Daughter

Teacher and student
(Literature, Writing, and Grammer)

Friends Daughter
Striking a pose

Friends daughter
(After taking this photo, she asked to see it and exclaimed, "Oh, just adorable"

Thaddeus was so busy I couldn't get him in the lens, but managed to catch him  here