"Deer Foot"

"Deer Foot"
Originally uploaded by Joe Jon!

Ethan called out to me and said, "Dad! A deer foot!"

Amused, I replied back, "You mean deer tracks, buddy?"

"No, a deer foot!"

I walked over and, sure enough, it was a deer hoof, and 4-5" of the leg with it. We were hiking the fields behind our home enjoying a sunny afternoon when he discovered it.

Homeschool International Night

The boys selected Greece as their country of choice this year. It's a much smaller crowd this time around with the local homeschool group. The last couple of years were pretty packed. A bummer, as I love the wide variety of international flavors. Stacie cooked up some delicious pastitsio for our Greek dish. 

Happy Birthday, Caden!

My little buddy boy turned 5 today. He has been so excited, counting the days down for the last week. Stacie took him to Target yesterday to spend some birthday money he received from his Gigi (grandmother). He selected a Nerf gun (about the 10th we have now - the Nerf gun wars are insane in this house!) as his toy of choice. As he walked to the check out line he proudly displayed it, letting everyone who got close to him know it was his birthday and that the Nerf gun is what he picked for his big day. He is the most outgoing of all of us.

YouTube - Keith Green - Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

YouTube - Keith Green - Oh Lord, You're Beautiful: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Fall Color

Fall Color
Originally uploaded by Joe Jon!

Not the best year for fall colors, with the recent mini-drought we had at the end of summer. Most of the tress are shades of dark red, dark orange, and brown. But a few have shown to be bright and cheery, such as the maple in our front yard. View from the playroom upstairs.

I've been working evening shift hours the last week and plan to on through Thanksgiving week while the PM manager enjoys his newborn daughter.  My day crew is full with veterans, but the second shift is very new for the most part, so I want to be helpful to them without being the overbearing boss.  I think they appreciate the manner in which I approach them and help them.

I actually enjoy the evening hours, too.  When working day hours I get home around five or six o'clock, depending on the needs of the day, and might have two or three good hours with the family as we all grow weary and prepare for bedtime.  Working evenings, though, allows me to rise around 8:00 AM and enjoy the first four or five hours of the day with them before getting ready to leave for work.  It's been a nice change of pace.

Some interesting sites of late:

Reformed Book Shelf  A small collection of mostly Puritan writers for loan.  The service is free minus the cost to return the books (a couple of bucks) and you can keep the book up to 30-days.

The Heidelblog  The weblog of R. Scott Clark, professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary, CA.  Always something interesting popping up.  His book, "Recovering the Reformed Confession" is on my "Top 10 Books I Plan to Buy When I Get Some Extra Cash One Day" list.  Right now food and shelter seem to be the most pressing needs.
 
Green Baggins  A bit deep for the layperson at times, but a helpful blog from Lane Keister, a Presbyterian Church in America pastor.  There are several contributing writers, as well.

Daily Westminster  A selection from the Westminster Confession of Faith and Larger & Shorter Catechisms for use in private devotion or family worship.  The reading schedule was organized by one of my favorite preachers, Dr. Joey Pipa, Jr.

Homeschool Spanish Co-Op Lunch Celebration!

It was a great first session in the homeschool Spanish co-op for Gabe and Ethan.  They got a great introduction to the Spanish language and worked on some fun projects and homework.  Today they ordered their lunch in Spanish at San Felipe Mexican Restaurant in Tramway and enjoyed the fellowship of their classmates from the Christian Home Educators of Central Carolina.  They are already looking forward to the next session after the holidays!

How Members Can Serve the Church on Sunday Morning

From the 9Marks blog.

How Members Can Serve the Church on Sunday Morning

Random Pic from the Week

We had a good coupon from restaurant.com for a local Irish pub in Surfside Beach called "O'Keefe's." It was a great lunch. Ethan and I had a game of darts while waiting on our burgers. He almost beat me. Almost.

Sunrise

I love how the rays spring up from the horizon. The ocean was calm and smooth. It's been a nice week. We're heading home shortly.

Ethan Our Early Riser

7:00 AM on the beach right in front of our camper. It was beautiful, as always.

A Rainy Last Day at the Beach

We had five rain-free days, so we won't complain too much about this one rainy day.  Most trips to the beach where we have a rainy day or two find us lounging in the library or walking through the mall.  This morning we chose the library, though we may grab some lunch and hit the mall later if the rain keeps up.  The forecast has it raining pretty much through the evening, so we'll have to get creative.

A Nice Finish To Supper

He ate his meat, and now he'll have his pudding. With some chocolate milk to boot.  K&W Cafeteria in Surfside Beach.  I wish we had a K&W in sunny Sanford, NC!

Homeschool at the Beach

They work hard early in the morning to have the rest of the day for the beach and play.

Homeschool at the Beach 2

Stacie helps Caden with his preschool.

A little Baskin Robbins on a cold evening is good for everybody. Caden is loving this Rainbow Sherbert.