Happy Friday 🍂
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We have a day off from our normal routine today and so I am soaking in the lazy morning ,enjoying coffee in one of my fav coffee mugs,cozied up in a favorite wool throw 🍂
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Whatever you have happening this weekend , take time to enjoy a warm cup of your favorite drink and soak in the moments that will most likely never be repeated ❤️
What better doll to start with on our new doll lineup then McKenna Brooks. She is from Seattle , Washington and dreams of being a gold medalist on the Olympic team . She loves gymnastics but really struggles with reading . As her story unfolds , she is teamed up with a tutor, Josie. As her friendship develops with Josie, we see McKenna grow in maturity and we see how they both help each other in their friendship .. so good!
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We also learned about the history of the Olympics and gymnastics.
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We added our sticker to Washington State for the geography of where Mckenna lived .
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Our craft for Mckenna was a balance beam for our dolls. This was such a fun project ! We started by wrapping the beams in colorful duct tape. Some of the students decided to leave them unwrapped so their friends could sign them. The students also had the opportunity to hammer their legs onto their balance beam.Thankfully no one hammered their fingers .
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Our Tea party was the highlight! We had Oreo cookie medallions .. Yumm! And Cheeto torches made out of icecream cones. So cute!
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And we had lots of opportunities to shop! The students earned class money from doing homework pages . I have attached them below ⬇️
Having an inviting table doesn’t have to be super fancy . You can take a few things to make a beautiful setting that is practical and inviting.
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The memories , conversations , plans, school work and sharing of life that happens around a table is immeasurable. It is essentially the hub of a home. A place to gather , cry , work out life and laugh ❤️
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I do wonder if every grain in the wood of this table could contain all of it. Would the grain lines of the wood be darker when there were years scorched by fire or hardships ,would the grain have lines wider in years being well watered and flourishing in love or have thinner lines in years of drought ? Interesting to think about what it would hold.
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What ever season you are in , remember it’s just that a season. Take time to enjoy your family or a friend around your table. Invite them to linger and stay a little bit longer. Savor the grain lines that are forming 🍁
“she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”
Proverbs 6:8 ESV
Who says learning sightwords can’t be fun? With some stamps and @playdoh , we had a great time stamping our sightwords.
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Bringing activities like this into teaching makes learning fun for both student and teacher❤️
Fun way to enjoy more pumpkin❤️
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Fun fact ➡️Did you know that The State of Illinois produces about 90% of the Pumpkins in the US? We are learning about Molly for our American Girl Doll History Class and came across that❤️
Fall vibes and cozy candles🍁
You are so loved! Don’t let others rob that from you friend ❤️
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“She is more precious than rubies: And all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.”
Proverbs 3:15 KJV
Recently,I have been doing a study on Habakkuk from the #thedailygraceco Let me start by saying that even though I have read through the Bible several times and knew it was a book of the Bible , I really had no idea what it was about.
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It’s a super short book but there is so much in there. Habakkuk is living in a time between kingdoms . The Babylonians are ruling the roost and Habakkuk is overwhelmed at what he sees and doesn’t understand why God is allowing all of these things. He starts with telling God all of this and asking why haven’t you done anything and where are you in this. And guess what? Does God stay silent? No. He answers him .And in his response , you see no condemnation .. you see love and gentleness. Again Habakkuk responds with more complaints His heart and soul are so overwhelmed and he is grieving not really knowing how to continue and to keep going. Guess what? God responds again, not in a fussy way of oh come on get it together attitude, but in a loving gentle way . The book ends with Habakkuk praising God .
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There are seasons where the mud we are treading turns to concrete and you feel so stuck that you can’t move. Trust me, I have been there. In those moments,It’s so easy to complain, want to give up and lose hope. What if we looked at that concrete filtered through what God says and what his word says? Maybe the mud turned to concrete to keep us still ? To hold us in place as God works? To keep us from running ahead to fix it in our timing ?
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This verse is one I have claimed being ground in by the concrete around my feet . I will chose to take joy in the God of my Salvation even when I can not see any fruit of what he may be doing. I will trust.
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I pray that if you are reading this and treading mud or being held still by concrete, that you will keep your eyes on God. He is working even when we cannot see or when we don’t understand. I am praying for you today ❤️
Our stay at McMenamins in Tacoma was quite the adventure . Think Adult scavenger hunt mixed with college bar scene , throw on some steampunk decor and a history museum and that would give you some insight to what we experienced .
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First a bit of the history …
The building itself is a 1916 Elks Temple that was designed by É. Frère Champney, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and has since been restored . There are 7 floors packed with history including a hidden 5th floor . There are 5 bars ,The Tasting Room & brewery, The Spanish Bar and Ballroom,Doc’s ,The Old Hangout, McMenamins Pub and a secret Speakeasy bar if you can find it called ,The Vault.
The 45 guest rooms are named after a person or group of people that had some connection to the building or to the Tacoma area.
The diversity of the rooms is amazing. There is so much history in just the names.
We stayed in the Lea McMillan room 204 . In the room, there is posted his history with the Elks Lodge. We learned he loved handball and would sneak into the Lodge with his friends to play . He then served in the military and when he returned in 1961 He applied to be a member so he could play handball but leaving out his Native heritage. At that time , People of color were not allowed to join. That was corrected in 1976 . He may have been the first member of color to be a member of the Elks Lodge. So fascinating !
There is also a hidden hallway with graffiti that was originally in the building when it was bought and restored .
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There is so much visually to take in as you explore the hotel. You can’t possibly see every detail the first time.
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It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Happy #nationalcinnamonrollday ❤️
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#cinnabon is offering BOGO free to celebrate today only. Perfect day to share a treat with the loves in your life❤️
