Bliss

It was a beautiful autumn day: a brilliant blue sky, the leaves still slowly deciding to turn in the warm air. Glorious.

Fridays are very full days for us. We're part of a Charlotte Mason fine arts co-op in the morning. Then Little Miss has piano 30 minutes west of co-op before we head over to a friend's house where are oldest children are doing writing and science together. We also swap babysitting once a month with the same friends. Fridays are full.

Today, my friend suggested we blow off lessons and get out in the gorgeous weather.

What a marvelous idea.


We decided on a nature preserve about 5 minutes from our house. There was another homeschool family building a dam in the creek. Our kids immediately joined in the fun. My friend also recently moved from Virginia, and we marveled that our kids were wading in a creek on the 6th of November. I love Texas weather.

More than the gorgeous weather, it was wonderful watching the kids play together while we sat on the bank chatting. We've known this family for more than 10 years. Our kids have grown up together. In Virginia, they were our go-to emergency call. I love their four boys nearly as much as I love my own herd. They are dear, irreplaceable friends. And I am very thankful for them.

APOD!

I'm thankful for the Astronomy Picture of the Day. Scroll through for some beautiful examples of God's glorious creation.

He speaks!

Today I am thankful, so thankful, that after 5 months of speech therapy, Satchmo--the almost three year old--finally decided to speak to his speech therapist.

*Aside: Why is speak "ea" and speech "ee"? It makes no sense.

Anyway, since June Satchmo has toddled back once a week to play with Miss Elissa for 30 minutes. Originally, he wouldn't engage with her at all. Slowly, he's been more and more interactive, but no actual words. Last week he panted at her, being a puppy one of his favorite past times and all.

Lately, he's been talking up a storm for us. We've been coaching him every week. "We're going to see Miss Elissa! Can you say 'Miss Elissa'? Can you say 'Hi!'?" Every. Stinking. Week.

Last week, semi-success. He said "thank you" as we were leaving.

This week, the flood gates opened and he chatted away merrily. Until he couldn't make himself understood and shut down. But he opened back up before the session was over.

Things should go much better in speech when the patient actually speaks.

There, but by the grace of God, go I

Today I was going to be thankful for a representative democracy and encourage people to vote 'em if you got 'em! But then I read this post from Ali.

And I'm thankful for Ali and the men and women of mercy ships who are giving women their lives back. Yes, their lives. Because of the the damage that childbirth inflicted on their bodies, they were outcasts, shunned and alone.

And I'm thankful that I love in a prosperous, medically advanced country. Because if I didn't, if I lived in one of a multitude of countries around the world, I would more than likely be with these women. My body did not handle childbirth well, but capable doctors and the wealth of this country protected me from the shame these women bear.

Why did God show mercy on me to be born to such luxury? I do not know, but I am thankful. And because I have been shown mercy, I know that I can show mercy to other women because I have been blessed to be born into prosperity and wealth. No, I'm not wealthy by American standards. But historically and globally, I am very, very wealthy. I am thankful for the blessings of prosperity and thankful for the opportunity to share them with those in need.

Sunshine!

I am thankful, thankful, thankful for the sun. My kids are out right now running and swinging and hula hooping. I think we'll have history outside, too.

Sunshine!

UPDATE: I'm also thankful for Pioneer Woman Cooks! where I have saved on my bloglines
Monkeybread, Baked Lemon Pasta, Quick & Easy Apple Tart, Apple Pita Chip Crisp, Pioneer Woman's Key Lime Pie, Individual Raspberry Cobblers, Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes, Stuffed Mushrooms, Quick Southern Style Baked Beans, Buttered Rosemary Rolls, and Mushrooms stuffed with Brie. Yum.

Thankfully November

Lately it seems I've been just holding up, barely hanging on, trudging along, name your cliche. It's easy to get bogged down in the day to day survival and forget to be thankful. I've been thankful for certain moments, acts of kindness. I've been sporadically thankful, not deliberately thankful.

Colossians 2:7 tells us to be abounding in thanksgiving. Abounding, like the bounty of the harvest, overflowing.
So this month I'm going to try to be deliberately and abundantly thankful, and blog it.

Today, I'm thankful my little October Blaze Maples that adds autumn color to our neighborhood. When we moved here almost 3 years ago, the tree in our front yard was dead. (Well, we didn't know that til the spring.) So last year, we replaced it with two trees. By then, we knew that almost all the trees on our block turned a vibrant . . . brown. There are a couple that have yellow leaves, and the maples next door, which are orangy-red. Coming from the beautiful autumns of Virginia, I needed more color. So we got two scrawny "October Blaze" maples. This year, they have some beautiful color. I can't wait til they're big enough to carpet the lawn with their leaves. But I'm guessing MTG can.

A critical point

From Wesley Smith's blog, where he has much goodness and wisdom on all sorts of medical issues, including health care reform. (All that to say, you should read his blog.)

From his post on Canadian health care rationing:

If an HMO tried to do that here, it would not stand. The screaming would justifiably never stop and government regulators would join fight on the side of the patient. But if we permit centralized cost/benefit/best practices panels–the regulators will switch sides and work on behalf of the cost cutters. Indeed, once we allow centralized cost/benefit panels–which would be run by pro-rationing utilitarian bioethicists–to take charge of both private and public medical decisions, we will end up in the Canadian soup. . .

Exactly.

To the polls!

Next week, (some) Texans will go to the polls to vote on 11 Constitutional Amendments. We're always voting on amendments because our post-Reconstruction constitution is a veritable straight-jacket.

For example, in 1932 this amendment was adopted:

For the Constitutional Amendment authorizing counties and cities bordering on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico by a vote of two-thirds majority of the resident property taxpayers voting thereon to levy and collect such tax for the construction of sea walls, breakwaters, or sanitary purposes, as authorized by law, and authorizing the creation of a debt for such works, and the issuance of bonds in evidence thereof.

However, in 1914, this amendment was defeated:

Providing for authorizing counties bordering on the Gulf of Mexico to build seawalls.

I don't know what's stranger, that localities had to have a constitutional amendment to protect themselves from the raging seas, or that the it was initially defeated. Texans are weird (says I, speaking as a Texan.)

Anyway, we've got eleven amendments to pass. This guy seems to have a pretty good analysis of the offerings. For the "Non-partisan. Really" analysis, here's the League of Women Voters of Texas, although it is certainly less thorough than the first gentleman. Also, "Non-partisan. Really." Really? I think the ladies do protest too much.

Also, I'm glad to know it is now legal to take written materials into the voting booth. Prior to my absconding for more easterly pastures, it was illegal. My high school government teacher told us how she'd sneak scraps of paper in to remember her votes. Criminal! Also, excessively liberal. Seriously. And an amazing teacher, to boot. Anyway, I don't have to choose between breaking the law and remembering 11 votes.

If you're in Texas, go vote!

That's embarrassing

The Democratic Party holds the presidency and majorities in both houses of Congress, but still can't manage to pass their agenda. (Not that I'm complaining. I'm all for not passing bills. Woo-hoo, gridlock!)

In a variety of ways, it seems to me, the Dems are showing a fair amount of incompetence. Really, the Republicans could stand still, try not to look too smug and come out ahead.

Or they could do this.

Bless their hearts.

ht: HotAir where Allahpundit highlights so more, um, missteps. (Good heavens, children, is this your first time on the internets?)

How do people in the Northwest do it?

It has been rainy for 3 days past forever. Approximately. Five weeks into my girls' softball season and all but one of their games has been canceled--and it looks like tonight's game is rained out, too.

Stuck in the house with sick kids, we can't even make a run to the Chick-Fil-A indoor play ground. (Well, we could, but then I'd be a horrible awful person and other mothers would throw chicken nuggets at me. Hey! Free nuggets! Hmmm. I've got to think this through.) If it were decent weather, I'd bundle them up for a walk around the cul-de-sac.

I thought we were out of the flu woods, except for lingering coughs, but Bulldozer decided to repeat his fever. He's also voluntarily lying down. It's a strange world, this flu-land.

OT: Little Miss is having lots of fun with the unabridged dictionary and a magnifying glass. "Tooth has 21 definitions!"