The Life of Mrs. Miles

if you right-click on the download link, and open it in a new tab or window

you wont' be taken away from today's entry!

download

Home SWEET Home...



Dorothy really summed it up in the Wizard of Oz, when she proclaimed "There's NO PLACE like home!" Though we had a completely wonderful time at the coast with our folks, it was so good to arrive back. Part of home was with me during our time away - when we shopped or hunted at the yard sales my thoughts were always on how each item would fit in or enhance our home. More about the 'sales' later... so much to tell.

woo hoo!

Firstly, I've been awarded Rocking Girl Blogger by no less than TWO friends! Melanie voted me before we went to the coast for a week, and then Valinda voted me again, not knowing. Thanks to both of you - I'm Rocked! In turn, I'd like to vote the following fab five:

Gina - you Rock because you're so real. You're the sister of my heart. You don't 'pretend' to be someone you're not, and you've shared your journey with us - whether painful or pleasant. You've been an inspiration to me more than you can ever know. In fact, it seems my friend could use a little encouragement right now (& prayer too!)

Becky - You and I are years apart in age - but who's counting or even noticing - you and I 'clicked' from day one, and any differences we have only complement a very special freindship. YOUR blog is often my daily spiritual breakfast.

Cicero - your love for flora and fauna and food... haha, not necessarily in that order... well, you teach me so much. You and I live life much the same - a little away from the hustle and bustle of the world, but able to connect and engage and enjoy it when we find ourselves away. I always look forward to seeing what flower or insect or recipe you will feature next. I just know that when we meet face to face, it won't be a surprize at all - I feel like we're old friends already.

JanMary - I once told you that your blog is like reading a Mauve Binchy novel - your adventures in Northern Ireland and surrounding areas, with your beautiful children and friends make me long for something I can't even put a finger on. I live precariously through your photos and journaling some days... Thanks for sharing and always letting me know when you update your blog as I'm bad at even checking my RSS feed! LOL!

Amy - you never lose confidence in me that I will get our little project done SOMEDAY... lol. And I WILL... One day sparks will fly and we will whip it up in a couple of hours and wonder why we did not do that sooner. Your blog Rocks because besides sharing your life with us and many photos of sweet Emma, you also GIVE so much. Thanks for compiling your freebie lists - I know without your generosity (along with several others) my blog would not receive much of the traffic it does.

So, I am so touched at being selected as your Rockin' Blogger - but I can't take all the praise myself. My blog is only an extension of my faith - and I'm grateful my Lord has enabled me to be able to find some way to entertain and enrich your life. The word that crosses my mind is the word 'worthy' ... which caused me, naturally, to look up the word itself. You found me 'worthy' enough to choose my blog as one of value to your own blog readers.

Worthy:

1. Having worth or merit or value; being honourable or admirable
2. Worthy of being chosen especially as a spouse
3. Having qualities or abilities that merit recognition in some way

And, by now, you also know I'd of course look that up in the bible - this is often the way I do my bible study, is by seeking life's answers and experiences there. The word worthy is mentioned 48 times - and almost always as God being THE one worthy of ALL of our praise. So, when I'm deemed worthy of YOUR awards, I have to give praise to the ONE who enables me to build my blog daily.

Psalm 145:3

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

I always rely on HIM to provide me with my blog content - truly I suck at writing - but if I pray and ask to be filled with stuff for you - I'm always rewarded!

Proverbs 8:6

Listen, for I have worthy things to say;

I open my lips to speak what is right.

And if I can't rightly, fully describe where my blog flows from, perhaps watching the following video can capture it for you. It's a music video by Jason Morant - and it really sums up how I feel - humbled in Him, who provides me with words and creations for you daily. Really.

do you see a face here too?

I can see this blog could get away on me FAST today - I did not even have an element made when I started this a.m. (had to think HARD!) and its gettin' on in the day, and its SUNNY outside, so I'm going to try winding it up pretty fast. I will just hunt out a few handy hints for you and today's history and a great site to keep your appetites whetted for the next one - which won't be for a few more days.

With summer winding to an end, and the kids bored out of their little skulls I've got a few ideas for you to get them thru till you can give them over to their teachers. Here they are:

Take a 'penny walk'... Take a walk through your neighborhood - taking a coin along. Each time you come to a corner, flip the coin to see whether to go left (heads) or right (tails).

Become nature detectives.

Take a digital camera along on your walks. Keep an eye out for any unusual items. Take pics, later look up the items on the internet together.

Trail Tote:

Lizette Castano at the Children's Nature Institute came up with this neat idea:

Pack a canvas bag with the following items -

Egg Carton: Paint the bottom of each compartment a different color, then challenge kids to find natural souvenirs in a matching hue.

Magnifying Glass: Encourage your family to take a closer look at things and discover treasures hidden in plain view, such as the silvery veins on a leaf or tiny mites on a decaying log.

Magnets: Run a strong magnet across the soil to see if iron bits are lurking about (they'll stick to the magnet). For an even greater wow factor, bring a paper plate, top it with soil, then run a magnet underneath it to see the iron bits dance.

Water-filled spray bottle: See how a gentle spritz can change the look of things, such as spiderwebs and color shifting rocks.

Homemade soil slides: Cut a 1/2 inch square in a notecard cover and cover the hole with a piece of clear tape. Press the sticky side against the soil, then use a magnifying glass to discover the individual components.

And to keep yourselves amused (tho I would have enjoyed the previous activities as any kid) - why not send a DQ VIRTUAL cake to someone - all the fun with none of the calories LOL! Just click here to send your cake!

ah, home!

Our beautiful Okanagan fruit and mountains!

Today in History:

1831 - Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection in Virginia.

1841 - Venetian blinds were patented by John Hampton of New Orleans, Louisiana.

1878 - The American Bar Association was formed by a group of lawyers in Saratoga Springs, New York.

1888 - The adding machine was patented by William Burroughs of St. Louis, Missouri. The invention bore the Burrough’s office machine company name for years.

1911 - Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris by Italian waiter Vicenzo Perruggia. The painting was recovered two years later. Painted at the beginning of the 16th century, Mona Lisa is believed to be the portrait of Lisa di Noldo Gherardini, wife of Florentine nobleman Francesco del Giocondo. Today the Mona Lisa is behind bullet-proof glass in the Louvre Museum.

1912 - The first boy to reach the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest Boy Scouts of America rank, did so today. His name was Arthur R. Eldred, a resident of Oceanside, New York.

1931 - Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hit his 600th home run.

1950 - The United Nations moved to a new permanent location at buildings in New York City , on land donated by the Rockefeller family.

1959 - President Dwight Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii as the 50th state of the United States. Two months earlier the Hawaiian electorate had approved a referendum in favor of statehood. The name "Hawaii" is believed to derive from Hawaiki, the former name of Raiatea, an island in French Polynesia.

1961 - The United States and El Salvador signed the first Food for Peace agreement.

1971 - Laura Baugh, just 16-years old, became the youngest winner of the United States Women’s Amateur Golf tournament.

1976 - It was announced by RCA Victor Records that sales of Elvis Presley records passed the 400 million mark.

1990 - The first pictures from Venus by the space probe Magellan showed features similar to volcanoes and valleys on Earth.

1997 - A plastic artificial leg was fitted to a pink flamingo in Lincoln Park Zoo, Illinois. The flamingo, know only as B9720, was believed to be the world's first with an artificial leg.

what can I say?

BARB'S HANDY TIP #299
Get some Color!

I love this site - it causes me to look in for colors in a whole new way, and it's filled with terrific resources! (you can view and download tons of wonderful palettes!) MAKE SURE you explore this entire site - there's a lot to it!!!

COLOURlovers™ is a resource that monitors and influences color trends. COLOURlovers gives the people who use color - whether for ad campaigns, product design, or even in architectural specification - a place to check out a world of color, compare color palettes, submit news and comments, and read color related articles and interviews.

The COLOURlovers™ community is regularly updated with information and examples of the way colors are used in the real world -- along with news articles on color trends and interviews with top creative professionals. Here everyone who is interested in the practical applications of color can find an index of color trends as they are happening. Together, they create a color trend index for the entire world provided by users of color worldwide. It's a tool designers and artists of all kinds use to work with colors in new ways and quickly find out what's hot and what's not. This site allows anyone to find their inspiration for color by searching, sorting and filtering through keywords to a color scheme that interests them... or create and share your own!

COLOURlovers