Flying Solo

Saturday began with horesy baths ----

lots of scrubbing, brushing, combing.

Once both horses were clean, they rested for a short while.

Then they got loaded into a trailer,
which was loaned to us

 by dear friends, just for the occasion.

We drove our horses to R.B. Equestrian Center

for a playdate --- 

it was the first time our family flew "solo" -- 

loading, hauling, and and attending an event
with our own horses.

It went GREAT !!
Smoother than we dared to even hope.

(Thanks to the G family for prepping us so well !)

Cinnamon tried on her

pretty pink sparkly halter while

she and Cherub 2 practiced

some "in hand"

skills in the arena.

SunnySocks visited an arena

for the very first time ...

she was a little spooked when

some other horses/riders

were going round and round,

but DadToCherubs and Cinnamon

helped her calm down and collect herself.

After the arena time, Sunny and DadToCherubs

hung out by the horse trailer.

Sunny watched Cinnamon and Cherub 2,

and munched some yummy hay.

She did soooo well for her first trip !!

Meanwhile, Cinnamon and Cherub 2 "tooled around"

on the Trail Course together, trying various "skills".

After a short while, Cinnamon and Cherub 2

headed down to the arena for a bit more riding ...

and Sunny watched them from the hillside.

Although it's not a good photo, you can clearly

see the JOY in Cherub 2's face ... 

a girl and her horse ...

in the arena, riding for the first time.

What fun !!

Cherub 2 on Cinnamon, and their teacher/trainer

Ms. R on Kodak, riding in the arena together.

Don't they look so pleased just to be together ?

They tooled around a bit more on the trail course

while Sunny watched -- Sunny did sooooo well,

patiently waiting and watching (and munching !).

After spending about 2 hours at R.B.,

both horses and humans alike were so pleased.
Everything was going even better than we'd hoped.
So, while all was going so well,
we packed up our beautiful horses and

headed home.

It was a fantastic day !!

Sunny did really well, especially for
her very first time

at an official "arena"
with all of the new horses,
new people, new sights, new smells

... it was a great start for her future.

And of course Cinnamon and Cherub 2

had a lovely time working together.
This was their first official "outing"
together too.

Now they are looking forward to

possibly showing together for

the first time this fall.

Thanks to Dumma for coming

along with us.

And thanks G family for

making our first solo trip such

a special day,

for helping us succeed,

and to Ms. R for being such

a patient and dedicated teacher.

We appreciate you all !!

The Offical Last Day Of Summer

Today marks the autumnal equinox, the point in the year when the length of day and night are equal (the exact time this year is 11:09 p.m. ET). 

Starting tomorrow, the days will be getting shorter, the air brisker, the nights a little longer. 

CM Blog Carnival

The newest edition of the

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

was posted this morning.

Enjoy !!

Multitude Monday: One Thousand Gifts

601.  First day of school – excitement, expectations, education.

602.  Cool mornings - some when I could almost use a sweater.

603.  Air conditioning off, curtains blowing with gentle breezes.

604.  Camping with Scouts.

605.  Quenching rain.

606.  Laundry caught up.  For the moment at least.

607.  Delivering firewood cut from trimmings to dear friends.

608.  Tiny touches of red and gold in the green of the mountains – the coming of Autumn.

609.  Fresh baked bread; first loaf made by Cherub 3.  It was delicious.

610.  Warm oatmeal on cool mornings.

611.  DadToCherubs began his diet, and is beginning to lose.  Hooray !

612.  A very smooth first week of school completed.

613.  Heartfelt discussions with Cherubs - they are growing up so quickly.

614.  Cinnamon’s limp – it was just a sting or bite.  Praise the Lord !

615. Giggles shared with the girls, late at night.

616.  Horse-y playdate coming up --- how fun !

617.  Swimming and splashing together at Indian Boundary.

618.  Warm tea shared during our Bedtime Read Alouds.

619.  Solid school plans, clear to-do’s for every day.

620.  A successful beginning for our local homeschool support group.

Would you like to join in the counting of the many blessings Our Father bestows on us ?  Visit here to learn more about the Gratitude Community, or simply visit Ann Voscamp's A Holy Experience.

Signs of Autumn

We went up to the lake at Indian Boundary

yesterday to swim a little, and noticed some touches

of color laced through the forested mountains.

It seems Autumn may be

coming sooner than we'd thought ....

Elective: Equestrian Studies

Cherub 2's school plans for one of her electives

this year are a bit "horse-y".

She has been learning to ride for a year now,
but wants to take her "hobby" more seriously now,
as she is considering a career in the Equestrian world.

Her plans, assembled in a Charlotte Mason style,
include a combination of horse literature (fiction and non-fiction),

horse veterinary care and anatomy,

horse "care" manuals,
horse training methods and resources,

DVDs about various horse-topics

such as styles of training and riding,

perhaps some riding clinics and shows (and of course Horse 4H) ....

Some of the books we've planned are:

True Horsemanship Through Feel (Training - Leslie Desmond & Bill Dorrance)

Natural Horsemanship:  Six Keys To A Natural Horse-Human Relationship (Training - Pat Parelli)

Natural Horsemanship Explained:  From Heart To Hands (Training - Robert Miller)

The Seven Games of Parelli Natural Horsemanship (Training - video - Pat Parelli)

The Horse Owners Veterinary Handbook (Care and Keeping - Thomas Gore, DVM)

The Horse Lover's Bible:  The Complete Practical Guide To Horse Care and Management (Tamsin Pickeral)

True Horse Story (Literature - various titles from this series by Judy Andrekson & David Parkins)

Black Beauty (Literature - Anna Sewell)

My Friend Flicka (Literature - Mary O'Hara - we'll also watch movie 1 and 2)

National Velvet (Literature - Enid Bagnold)

The Black Stallion (Literature - this title and other's in the series - Walter Farley)

Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague, King of the Wind, Justin Morgan (and other stories).

Draw 50 Horses (Art - Lee Ames)

All of these are tied together in a neat balanced package,

and are topped with weekly Horsemanship Training and

weekly Horseback Riding Lessons.

Today our trainer/teacher came ....

Ms. "R" worked with Sunny first (our yearling),

and then the whole party went off on

their first trail "adventure" next door.

It promised to be a wonderful adventure !!

 Sunny was busy checking everything out  ...

and other than a few small spooks,

she did really really well for her first

time on a trail "walk" !

Sunny loves and trusts Ms. R ....

plus she seems to gather a lot of her

"horse" confidence from Cinnamon .... 

As you can imagine then, 

having Cinnamon AND Ms. R with her on the trail

worked really well.

Her spooks were limited (and short lived) ...

and without much spookiness,

Sunny is curious and continues to be willing to "try" new things.

By the end of the trail, Sunny was "old hat" at trail walking.

She appeared to be quite pleased with herself.

HA !

Cinnamon acted as though she had ridden this trail

a gazillion times before, even though it was her first time ... 

she and Cherubs 2 had a fantastic time together, I believe.

Above:  And look at that view ... WOW !!

What a blessing it is to live here,

and to see this every single day.

Here's the adventurous party heading back toward the barn ....

And here, Cherub 2 and Cinnamon are waiting for

Sunny and Ms. R to catch up ....

we also suspect that Cinny was

checking to be sure we

didn't want her to maybe go 

into the barn first ....

maybe a snack from the Feed Room, Cinny thought ???

Ahhhhh ... back in the pasture again ...

safe and sound ...

and s-o-f-t.

All of the adventurers, human and equine alike,

were pleased ... it was a grand adventure, indeed.

Our First Day

Our supplies were ready .... 

so after a nice breakfast of apple oatmeal, we began ...

We discussed art by Joni Eareckson Tada -- and

allowing God to work through our hands as

we grow more artistic and creative.

We also discussed the worthlessness of

"I can't ....".

If you know Miss Tada's story, you'll

understand why "I can't ..."

just doesn't work.

We "played" with Oil Pastels for the first time ...

learning strokes and methods ... 

getting the "feel" for them.

We'll spend our first Term working with Pastels.

Everyone started reading their new books ...

Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis) is one

the "big kids" have begun.

The High School

Overall, it was a fantastic day.

The Cherubs are excited about a new year ...

well, at least about "most" subjects.  HA !

Now we're off to run and play

for the rest of the afternoon ...

to get the "wiggles" out,

to run and jump and skip ...

and to relax.

How was your first day ?

CM Blog Carnival

The newest edition of the

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

is ready.

Enjoy.

Multitude Monday: One Thousand Gifts

571.  Cooler days, and yes, high 80s is cooler.

572.  Night times with open windows, curtains blowing with the cool breezes.

573.  Our new homeschool support group.

574.  Freshly mowed grass, and the cool rains that quench the land.

575.  A clean sparkling house before traveling – rest-to-be for weary travelers.

576.  Line dried sheets and blankets.

577.  Smooth travels into and around Georgia.

578.  Watching Cherubs discover the Atlantic for the first time (that they can remember).

579.  Collecting seashells on the shore at sunrise.

580.  Moments captured by our resident shutterbug, Cherub 1.

581.  Surf and sand … playing with Cherubs.

582.  Visiting Zoo Atlanta with the Cherubs.

583.  A speechless Cherub 5, standing 5 feet or less from Tara, a REAL elephant, with tears streaming down her cheeks.  Priceless !!

584.  Tears of joy again from Cherub 5 when she saw the Panda’s.

585.  Visiting with Dumma in Atlanta.

586.  Adventures in Paleontology with Cousin Bobby – wow !

587.  Cherub faces after trying fresh coconut for the first time – after watching them “crack it” first. HA !

588.  Fellowship time with other homeschool families at the lake.

589.  Watching Cinnamon grow healthier and stronger under guidance by our caring vet.

590.  Cherub 2 and Cinnamon – there’s nothing like watching a girl with the horse she loves.

591.  Supplies ready, books chosen, plans made --- 1 week left before we begin our new school year.

592.  Tree limbs heavy with nuts – pecans, chestnuts.  It won’t be long now until Autumn is here.

593.  New teas purchased at the World Market in Atlanta – our tea drawer is filling up again, ready for warm cozy nights with herbal tea and bedtime stories.

594.  A new Scout troop – renewed enthusiasm, new friendships, and great plans.

595.  Preparing to introduce other families to Nature Studies – sharing something we love with others.  What an honor.

596.  Family friends (B family and T family) who are expecting a new baby soon --- we are honored to lift them in prayer !

597.  DadToCherubs’ new commitment to a healthier diet, regular exercise, and visions of a bright future when he’ll be feeling better.

598.  Sharpened pencils, open minds …. Cherubs looking forward to school beginning next week.

599.  Hints of color on the mountains – fall won’t be long in coming.

600.  Beginning again our nightly study of His Word all together.

For more information about the Gratitude Community, or to join us in being God-Seekers and Joy Finders, visit Ann's blog, A Holy Experience.