Best Old Friends

When I moved into my new house this past week

I finally was able to unpack my boxes of books

that have not been opened for a year and a half.

As I pulled them out to put on shelves

I found myself saying "Hello, old friends!"

and feeling a joyful coziness come over me.

And that shows how much of a book lover I am!

I can taste like it was yesterday the cold popsicle

against my tongue and feel the tingle of excitement

as I see the title "Castle of Adventure".

I can hear the rain pouring down in tropical bursts

as I see the title "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency".

I can feel elation and the cramped quarters of 

a long car ride when I see the title

"Trixie Belden and the Black Jacket mystery"

 I can smell the sweet aroma of baking bread

as I see the title "At home in Mitford"

and I can see the blue sky wheeling in great 

robins egg arcs as I see the title 

"Summer in Fairacre".

I wish everyone could love books the way I do,

it just makes life so much more wonderful.

"A mind needs a book like a sword needs a whetstone."

G. Martin

Aurora Colony, Oregon

Another fun visit I made during my glamping

adventure took me to the small

town of Aurora.

This town was settled by a band of pioneers

who came west to live in a communal way

and to branch out from the celibacy their

original colony had required.

 Aurora Museum Complex

 Views around town

The Emma Walk

This follows a real individual who's life story has

been made into a series by Jane Kirkpatrick.

(Change and Cherish Historical series #4)

If you have read the trilogy you would love this

walk! I have not but plan to soon.
What a great way to spend a summer morning!

Locovore Challenge Day #6

Counting down to the last day

of my Locovore Challenge!

Breakfast

 Lunch

 Dinner...Rockys Pizza...
Does that count? It's local!


What I learned
-I miss chocolate and popcorn!
-I'm ready for easier meals
-It takes creativity to do food Blogging!!!

Score Day 6
85%

Locovore Challenge Day #5

I was truly back on track today!

Breakfast

 Lunch

 Dinner (OUT!)

The food at this place was DELISH!

I was able to choose from a wide variety of 

things because fresh local foods tend

to be more GF friendly.

What I learned

-have you noticed how vivid the colors

of all the foods are?!

-it's worth the extra time to eat a lunch

like I had today

-Eating out can be really great if you 

choose the right place

Score Day 5

95%

Suggested Reading for Girls of All ages

I just had to put in a plug for one of

my favorite series of all time.

It is the Betsy/Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace.

They are perfectly geared to all ages because the first book

takes place when the girls are 5 and is written very simply

so a girl close to that age could read them. Then each book

starts getting a little more advanced,

following the lives of a set of girl friends in the early 19oos,

and eventually ends

with the girls grown up and getting married. Anyone from Minnesota will recognize many of the things

mentioned as it takes place there.

I think I have read them 100s of times and finally

just purchased the set, so my granddaughter

can start them when she is old enough.
Although they are not technically Christian

they were written back in the days

of morals and church going in most

of America so are appropriate for anyone to read.

I hope all of you young and old are getting some

summer reading done!

Whats in a Box?

What could possibly be so exciting about a brown box?
Its a new batch of Ladies Bible Study books! Tomorrow me and 13 other ladies are starting a new Bible study...the fresh feeling of opening up a book and wondering what treasures will I find here? What truths will forever change me? What stories will be told, whose heart will be opened, how much tears and laughter will fill this house every Weds. for a few weeks?
I know that when we open up the Word we can expect to be different than before, thats the beauty of doing a Bible study, it gets you concentrated on THE WORD for a few weeks. Such joy in being privileged to open my home to that!!
Can't wait until tomorrow....

For Jane Austen Fans Only

Here is a "Just for Fun" site to check out... strangegirl.com/emma/quiz.php. You can take a quiz to find out which heroine of the Jane Austen books you are most like! Of course I knew right away which one they would peg me as, so as much as I'd like to be a more exciting heroine "I must be forever resigned to go thither with quiet dignity and faithfulness" as Anne from "Persuasion"! Ahhh, to live in a refined and gentler time....

A Year of Mornings

I happened to run across this book at the Library. The 2 women were bloggers who lived 3191 miles away from each other and every morning they would post a picture taken before noon. Eventually they began to have such a following that it became a blog of its own! Fascinating to anyone interested in photography or everyday life.

Check out their blog at http://3191.visualblogging.com/.



The pics above are examples of a few of my mornings in the past month! Isn't it interesting to see how much beauty there is in the everyday hours?

See Spot Run!

I was 4 years old when I remember turning the page in my big sisters' Dick and Jane book from school and realizing I know those words! I can read! I can read!

This was in the days before phonics, when you simply learned to read by repetition! It sure worked for me and started a life long love of reading.

So I was pretty excited to find this book at Main Street Station in BG for $2. I felt a tingle all down my back when I saw the words "Look, look." Because those were the first words I ever really read! I think Brielle and Grandma will be reading this together in a few years:)