Nature Finds

(1)  A Heron flying over Fort Loudon Lake.
(2)  Baby Bluebirds taking Flying Lessons from Moma and Papa Bluebird.
(3)  Daily visits to our birdfeeder by this female Carnival.
(4)  This beautiful turtle found in the lower pasture.

(Sorry about the blurry photos.  My camera was broken en route from California.  And loving DadToCherubs just bought a new camera for me ... however, I've not quite mastered using it yet.)

Just Some Horse'n Around

(above)  Cherub 2 riding Cinnamon.

(below)  Cherub 5 riding Cinnamon.

Playin' In The Water

We've been playing at the river ....

And taken the Polar Bears for a swim in the lake ...

And played on the jetskis with Dumma ....

And we've done a lot of smiling and splashing.

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

Welcome to the newest edition of the CM Blog Carnival.

There are so many gems, submitted generously,

that's it quite hard to choose which to read first.

So, with a big cup of coffee or tea in hand ....

Enjoy.

Barb, from Harmony Art Mom, shared Science:  Connections and Relationships.  She said "it is the relationships that we have with our world that makes things meaningful."

Kris, from A Private Eye Nature, shared Nature Study Resources.  In her post, she tells about three out-of-print treasures found recently.

Nadene of Practical Pages shared Charlotte Mason On Handwriting.  In her post she quotes Miss Mason, "Let the child accomplish something perfectly in every lesson ..." and "The thing to be avoided is the habit of careless work ...".

Samantha of To Be Busy At Home shared Nature Study - It Begins With Me.  She shares the recent revelations and a change of heart concerning Nature Study.   "While it is certainly beneficial to go on nature study outings, true incorporation of nature study into daily life has to begin with an awakening of interest in a topic related to the natural world."

Nikki Olivier of Our Journey In Him shared A Nature Walk In Winter.  She shares one of her family's winter nature study adventures ... and included many photos of their adventures in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa.

Amy of Fisher Academy International: Teaching Home shared Wednesday:  Geography and Bible, in which she shares several wonderful resources used in her family's homeschooling. 

Nak of Sage Parnassus shared Living Education Retreat.  It's a "narration" of a retreat she recently attended.  Miss Mason's philosophies, fellow educators, beautiful scenery, meaningful discussion, and reflection.  It sounds glorious !!

Pamela of Blah, Blah, Blog shared Tar Pits, about a family vacation field trip to the La Brae Tar Pits.  Museums are indeed treasures for homeschooling families.

And last but not least, the Cherubs here at Beck's Bounty elected to share all about our recent Horse Drama.  Our horses have been keeping us busy - and we're loving every minute of it.

Please join us next time

by submitting an article

for the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

here.

We'd love to have you join us !!

Multitude Monday: One Thousand Gifts

402.  Mowed pastures.

403.  Freshly bathed pups.

404.  Surprising the Cherubs with a quick trip to the river to swim.

405.  Volunteer opportunities with the Rangers.  Thank you L.S.

406.  Fledgling baby Bluebirds, while Momma and Papa Bluebird carefully watch.

407.  Baby Barn Swallows – watching first flight.

408.  Blooming roses.

409.  It was a small leak, and then just a quick kitchen plumbing repair.

410.  Freshly mowed grass.

411.  Watching Cherub 2 and Cherub 5 horseback ride here at home.

412.  Visiting with Dumma, and sharing some chocolate ice cream.

413.  Raisin Bran for breakfast – how simple.

414.  Swimming at Fort Loudon.

415.  Touring a bit of the lake via jet ski.

416.  Our vet says “clean bill of health” for Smokie and Cinnamon.

417.  Boys heading into town for Summer Camp Physicals.

418.  Scheduled summer visitors – we’re looking forward to seeing them.

419.  Spam catching for our email.

420.  Coffee House’s Vanilla Latte and Caramel Macchiato creamers – yum !

421.  Horsey bath time – soft shiny manes and tails.

422.  Teeny tiny squashes and cucumbers in the garden beneath the blossoms.

423.  Blooms on tomato and pepper plants – it won’t be long now.

424.  An undiscovered Cherry tree, polka-dotted with ripe red treats.  Yummy.

425.  It was only a knick on the beginner-wood-carver’s finger.  No stitches needed.

To learn more about the Gratitude Community, or to join the Multitude Monday: One Thousand Gifts celebrations, please visit A Holy Experience.

Every Morning

This morning's sunrise, as seen from our front door.

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness.”  Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

Multitude Monday: One Thousand Gifts

380.  Parched ground refreshed by weekend rains.

381.  New blossoms on squash plants.

382.  Clover blossoms in the “lawn”.

383.  Elbow-grease being the magic ingredient to reconditioning a saddle.

384.  A gorgeous hike – with our pups by our sides.

385.  Rose bushes in full bloom – bright pink, white, delicate “rose” in shades.

386.  Cardinals, BlueJays, Chickdees, Sparrows ... at our bird feeders.

387.  The whirl of bicycle wheels, pedaled by Cherubs.

388.  Watching the “herd” out in the pasture.

389.  Milkshakes with whipped cream – yummy !

390.  Rambunctious kittens and their crazy antics.

391.  Honeysuckle blooming along roadsides, the perfume filling the air.

392.  Blackberry blossoms – we can hardly wait for those delicious berries !

393.  Horsey-bathtime, suds and sun, and fresh clean horses.

394.  A caring home vet who he comes here to tend to our pets health needs.

395.  Two eyes, two ears, and nearly an equine smile when we are near.

396.  Progressing from catching up to caught up – laundry day.  Hooray !

397.  Going on a short hike with DadToCherubs, our Cherubs, and our Pups.

398.  A new-to-me reciprocating saw and circular saw.  Gifts from DadToCherubs.

399.  Blessing a friend with lumber for his projects.

400.  Fresh sweet-smelling barn stalls, lined with pine shavings.

401.  Radar images on stormy days; the ability to watch red cells approach.

Visit Holy Experience to find out more about the Gratitude Community, or to join Multitude Monday:  One Thousand Gifts.

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

The newest edition of the

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

has been posted.

Enjoy.

Multitude Monday: One Thousand Gifts

360.  Gentle rain.

361.  Mother’s Day spent with tender hugs and kisses from Cherubs.

362.  Beef Stroganoff loving prepared by Cherub 2.

363.  Napping with the pups on a cool drizzly evening.

364.  Chainsaw working + DadToCherubs = old brushpile cleared away.

365.  Light end-of-the-year school days.

366.  Lovely rosebush in full bloom; ahhhh, the scent is wonderful !

367.  Hoofprints on Cherubs hearts.

368.  Welcome Smokie and Cinnamon – our new horses.  And Sunny loves them too.

369.  Three Boy Scouts handy with knots, and things needing to be securely tied.

370.  Blooming Honeysuckle – ahhh, the fragrance !!

371.  Dew-damp grass under my bare feet on these spring mornings.

372.  Anti-itch ointment for my poison ivy – hooray !!

373.  Blackberry brambles in full bloom.

374.  Itty bitty, teeny tiny cucumbers on our vines – how precious.

375.  Cherubs riding bareback – smiling from ear to ear.

376.  Helmets for horseback riding.

377.  Caramel Macchiato coffee creamer for my coffee – yummy !!

378.  Line dried sheets and blankets.

379.  Cackles of hens – and little hands full after collecting fresh eggs.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day !!

Multitude Monday: One Thousand Gifts

337.  Our horses – SunnySocks, Cinnamon, and Smokie - and their blossoming “friendship”.

338.  The J Family, for blessing us with the privilege of buying Smokie and Cinnamon.

339.  Lovely friend, A.B., for helping get us through the first few days of Horse Drama.

340.  That Estrella was accepted into a wonderful Horse Rescue program, to help her find peace and work through the baggage of her childhood (she was abused before we owned her), that she might someday become as happy as she is beautiful.

341.  Smiling Cherubs, hoofpicks and muckrakes in hand.

342.  This high hill our home sits upon – an protection from the storms and flooding.

343.  Mended fences, and protection from the poison ivy we had to wade in to mend them.

344.  Bluebird families in many of our birdhouses – watching several father Bluebirds as they faithfully serve their families, and hearing tiny tweets from below.

345.  Protection of the Scouts during their Spring Camporee, and the then-coming Monsoons.

346.  Maggie’s continued progress – she is becoming more social, and not so scared of anything and everything.

347.  Sweet hay and grain flecks on Cherub 2’s clothing – as she smiles from ear to ear.  There are hoofprints on her heart, for sure.

348.  Protection of C & M, who recently moved back to Nashville, and are now surrounded by rising flood waters (please join us in praying for them as the waters all around them continue to rise).

349.  Blooming roses --- how lovely !!

350.  Pancakes for breakfast, served with soft butter and warm syrup.  Yummy !

351.  Vegetable Garden in progress – most plants are in, but there’s plenty more to be done.

352.  Sitting on this high hill, at the base of the mountains, while the rains poured down flooding many parts of Tennessee.  We are sitting high and dry, or at least mostly dry.

353.  DadToCherubs’ job …. His ability to be at home while working …. And his willingness to visit the barn late at night to comfort SunnySocks who is not quite sure what “being in the barn” is all about.

354.  Protection of DadToCherubs, Cherub 2, Cherub 3, and Cherub 5 while they camped in the barn last night (in the truck) during the storms – to comfort Sunny.

355.  Incredible and beautiful lightening, although a bit close for comfort, lighting up the night sky.  It was spectacular, but a bit frightening.

356.  Cowboy Magic – and beautiful manes and tails.

357.  Bella is settling down – she’s calmer, not quite as “on guard” as before – she is finally beginning to rest after several years (since our housefire).

358.  L..S.’s Momma horse, Peppy’s Sunshine Girl, gave birth to a beautiful blue eyed Paint colt – Momma and baby are doing well.

359.  The opportunity for Cherub 1 to spend a day working (volunteering) for the Forest Service – an incredible day he had.  Thank you Lord for L.S. and for this opportunity.

Horse Drama

Beck's Bounty had big Horse Drama this weekend !!
And poor little Sunny, who will be 1yo in June, had an especially long weekend because she was at the center of it all.

On Friday, Sunny's mother, Estrella, left for her new home.
And also her 2 new "friends" arrived ....
because being alone for a horse is torture.
Her humans were by her side the whole time too, which seemed to comfort her greatly.
She only cried for Momma a handful of times .... and seems to have adjusted to life in her new "herd" very well.

So -- back to the weekend ....

Our 2 new horses arrived at 730am on Friday morning, just minutes after Estrella left for her new home.
A dear friend, A.B., helped us introduce everyone and to get everyone settled into their barn stalls for a rest .... horses, that is.  Then we took turns staying with them in the barn for much of Friday morning:  horsey-sitting.  Sunny has never spent much time in the barn, and so it was rather scary for her at times ... plus, she was looking for her mother.  Spending the morning in the barn went more smoothly than we expected overall.

After lunchtime on Friday, A.B. came back and helped us do more introductions, and then helped us turn all 3 horses into the field to get better acquainted.

Did you ever play Mother May I (game) as a child ???  Well, that is the best way we have found to describe the activities we watched in the field ... it was fascinating !!

After spending several hours in the pasture together, we led everyone back into the barn.
Dinner time, grooming time, picking out their feet .... who knew Cherubs would smile so much !!

Then, back out to the pasture they went overnight.

DadToCherubs cleaning Sunny's feet.

Sunny saying "I am just a baby and am not a threat to you" to Smokie.

She is such a polite little filly !!

Smokie is one of our new horses (above & below).

Our other new horse is Cinnamon.

She is also the "Lead Mare".

(below)

Smokie and Cinnamon have fit right in.  What a joy they are to have here at Beck's Bounty !!

Sunny is adjusting to herd life ... to her new friends ... and of course is soaking up the love and attention of her humans.  

Since this is a new adventure for Sunny, she has been a little timid at times.  So we have been taking turns barn-sitting with Sunny -- when she cries or gets anxious, we talk to her or pet her, and she settles down.  In the pasture she seems to do fine, so we do a lot less horsey-sitting when she is out.  It appears that Cinnamon and Smokie are going to be wonderful companions for Sunny -- she is anxious to be with them, feels very connected to them, and is very much modeling their behavior (which is excellent !).

And in the middle of the Horse Drama this weekend ....

.... watching the Cherub's faces light up with smiles has been absolutely spectacular.  Smokie, Cinnamon, and Sunny are shining from the tops of their ears to the tips of their tails -- groomed perfectly, and petted tenderly.  And their feet are spotless -- everyone is learning to keep their feet clean -- but more than that, each is loved more than they could possibly know.

Thank you J family for bringing Smokie and Cinnamon into our lives !!

Thank you A.B. for helping to get us through the weekend.