The weather in my neck of the woods:

Overcast with a just a hint of a breeze. I was actually able to work on my butterfly garden this morning.

A simple pleasure:

Going on photo field trips around where we call home with Mr. John and Miss Sam.

I am thankful:

That my friend introduced me to sparkling flavored water ~ it has helped me kick my caffeine free Coca-Cola habit.  I wonder how it tastes when you put peanuts in it????

From the kitchen:

I did not try last week’s recipe but I did try a Crock-Pot Breakfast Casserole ~ this is for you Susan:

Crock-Pot Breakfast Casserole

32 oz. frozen potatoes O’brien with onions and peppers

2 cups shredded cheddar chees

12 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

6-8 drops hot sauce

Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. Place potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with cheddar cheese. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour evenly over the mixture in the crockpot. Cook on low 10-12 hours.

The only complaint I have about this is that it was a little bland ~ even with the hot sauce. I definitely plan on making it again, only this time I will add sausage to it and quite a bit more seasoning.

I am working on:

Have FINALLY made it to Sam’s age thirteen scrapbook ~ yippee!!

The syllabi for the Fall Semester. It will be here (August 19th) before you know it!

From the learning rooms:

Sam has worked through two of the items that I have downloaded from over 55 learning resources (downloaded over the past two years from this awesome site The Homeschool Freebie of the Day) in my homeschool bookmarks.

This week Sam will be reading “Classic Poems to Memorize”. I won’t ask her to memorize them but there are a few treasures in there that I want her to be familiar with. Perhaps she will develop my love of poetry that I had at her age ~ or maybe not. If she is reading this she is yelling ~ that’s a definite MAYBE NOT MOM!!!

I am reading:

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I have never understood the fascination that many people have with her writing ~ perhaps this book will get me hooked.

I Just Finished Reading:

The Wise Woman by Philippa Gregory. Although I really enjoyed her book The Other Boleyn Girl, I thought The Wise Woman was just okay. I did not like the ending at all.

On my TV:

Still addicted to Big Brother Eleven!

Design Star ~ a summertime favorite!

Devotional/Scripture Readings/Key Verses:

Genesis 7:16

The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.

Many have wondered how this animal kingdom roundup happened. Did Noah and his sons spend years collecting all the animals? In reality the creation, along with Noah, was doing just as God had commanded. There seemed to be no problem gathering the animals ~ God took care of the details of that job while Noah was doing his part by building the ark.

Often we do just the opposite of Noah. We worry about details over which we have no control, while neglecting specific areas (such as attitudes, relationships, responsibilities) that are under our control.

Like Noah, concentrate on what God has given you to do, and leave the rest to God.

Taken from The Life Application Study Bible

A picture thought I’m sharing:

These are especially for Jeni from Down River Drivel.

Miss Sam and I went on a photo field trip late yesterday afternoon. Here are two photos that I captured. Miss Sam is still sleeping so I am unable to ask her permission to post her photos ~ perhaps tomorrow.

 

First we went to Yankeetown.

Then we went to Fort Island Gulf Beach

And here is my contribution to How Does Your Garden Grow. It doesn’t ~ it is STILL a work in progress.

This is especially for Elaine from Valley Life in Alaska ~ who can’t take pictures of her garden because she eats from it too fast (I am sooooooo envious!!).

 

 What does your Daybook look like?