Monday Chit Chat

Good morning! I hope all y'all had a wonderful weekend. We had a pleasant couple of days here at home being together. Today we are getting regular work done as well as preparing to go out of town. The girls and I are going to visit my mom for a few days. Weather for the trip looks absolutely perfect and we may even get to see some real fall foliage!

Here's what has been going on at Country Roads for the past several days:

Ginger made scones all by herself.

Her scones look more like scones than my country version!

The girls enjoyed the scones with tea on the veranda. Note: Kitty ears are now part of our daily wear!

Pixie sunbathed every afternoon.

Friday afternoon was perfect for a picnic lunch in the backyard. Even Pixie enjoyed the picnic.

Yesterday afternoon the girls and I learned how to make rice balls! We discovered the type of rice used makes all the difference in the world. (They were yummy!)

After school work and Bible studies we'll be running a couple of errands and this afternoon will be spent preparing meals for Gary to eat while we are gone.

Have a great week everyone!

Those in Harm's Way

Yesterday, those who were preparing physically and mentally to be deployed overseas into on-going military action found themselves facing danger and even death in a place we all thought was safe - a military post on U.S. soil.

There are no words to express our shock and sadness at what happened here in Texas at Fort Hood yesterday.

This type of act is a reminder that our soldiers, those who defend our country and others on a daily basis, are in harm's way the moment they swear an oath and put on a uniform. They and their families should be in our continued thoughts and prayers.

Our family extends our sympathy to the families and friends of those who died as well keeping everyone else in our constant prayers. We also wish to express our deepest thanks to those who sacrifice their lives for our freedom.

Chit Chat

Good morning! How is the weather in your part of the world? We are having a gorgeous day here today and all of our windows and doors are open for the fresh air to blow through the house.

We've had a busy morning here. I've been doing laundry and hanging it out on the line and preparing food so that I can cook and bake later.

The girls have turned in last week's schoolwork to be organized into their school notebooks...

...and they have already started with this week's lessons.

If there are no interruptions all schoolwork and regular house chores should be done by noon which leaves the rest of the afternoon for playing!

This weekend we learned to play a new card game - Dai Hin Min/Dai Fugo (Rich Man/Poor Man). It's a fun game and the girls really enjoyed it. We spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons playing this new game as well as several hands of Old Maid.

Have any of you ever played Rich Man/Poor Man?

I also spent time this weekend writing letters to my pen friends. I feel like I am finally catching up with everything in my life and can enjoy things like reading and writing again. Life is so good!

Hope y'all have a wonderful week!

Modern Version of a Fairy Tale

While we were out running to the grocery store (picking up something we forgot yesterday!) I heard this from Gracelyn:

"Mama, I just a ladder going up to someone's bedroom window. That's great because with such a modern convenience as a ladder Prince Charming can get to Rapunzel without climbing up her hair and hurting her head!"

My first thought was..."I need to redefine "modern convenience" for her!"

My second thought was how much what she said defines her personality -- she is always thinking of how someone else would feel in the same situation and has great empathy for them. Of course, this can lead to a bit tears and emotion from time to time!

Chit Chat

What a beautiful autumn day it is here at Country Roads! We have the doors and windows open and a nice pleasant breeze is blowing through the house. Pixie is enjoying begin able to run back and forth between indoors and out.

School work is done and errands have been completed so we are having fun making wreaths out of jasmine cuttings. When we are finished adding ribbons and such we'll hang the wreaths about the house.

We've been really busy trying to stick to our normal routine and keep up with my mom's health, Gary's handling of my grampers' legal affairs, and other issues that keep popping up.

I thought I would share a photo summary of our past several weeks:

Elsie enjoying a savory pancake during teatime.

Elsie and Millie enjoying the small daisy patch that Gary left for the girls when he mowed the backyard.

"Can we jump in and swim?"

We've switched from our summer dishes to the fall-themed Friendly Village dishes. This year we decided to dedicate one of the shelves to the our tea ware.

And last, but not least, we can't forget about Pixie-Lou:

"What? You're disturbing my beauty rest!"

Pixie - 9 months old
Don't let the serene look on her face fool you...she could be a barrel racer if she wanted!

We hope y'all are you enjoying the Autumn days!