first snow this fall

SNOW!!

we still have flowers blooming!

snowing on the "date-table"

more hollyhocks

and yours truly

friday fun

Friday night has always been a family-night for as long as I can remember. And we almost always enjoy pizza. Tonight was no exception.

BBQ Chicken pizza (inspired my Mother Dear's favorite dish at California Pizza Kitchen) and it was oh-so-yummy!!

Italian Cream Soda

and a very happy family =D

Sickness and Smiles

This week Caity has gotten sick with a flu sort of bug. She's been resting and sleeping that last few days.

This afternoon, the boys attended a birthday party for a friend. They were supposed to dress silly, and so this is what we came up with.

Mark decided that he'd "rather stay home with Dad, than be silly," so he did just that. Dad and Mark started out their afternoon watching football during lunch. Mark absolutely loved it and also enjoyed getting to have a Dr. Pepper (a infrequent treat in our home). =)

lots of new friends!

all of the girls and staffers

Marissa, Hollie, Anna-Kate, and Valen

Bryn and Me

Marissa and Kristy

Brianna, Catherine and Me

Marissa's car-full of girls

Me, Adele, Sarah, and Kristy

Hollie and Marissa

Mary Beth, Kaylen, and Me

Marissa and Bryn

Kaylen and Me

Tara, Marissa, and Mollie

Me and Aryn

Paige, Carolyn, and Rebekah

My roomies (we had the smallest room, but the best rendezvous ever!): Paige, Me, Rachel, and Kristy

Rachel and Me

Hannah and Marissa

There were five "katies" there! (one was staff, Kati, and I didn't get her): Katie, Caity, Katie, and Katie

Tarah and Marissa

Mrs. Childers and Me

Marissa and Betsy

Paige and Me

the staffers minus just a couple:

Paige, Carolyn, Bryn, Brianna, Rebekah, and Anna-Kate

favorite photos from the week

dahlias from Mrs. Cock's garden

Carolyn

sun-set on Lake Oconee

Katie's hair

love that hair-do!!

Anna-Kate

Endeavor day 6

We only had a few hours in the morning before we left...not much to tell about, right? WRONG!

Marissa and two friends decided to get up early and go swimming in the freezing lake:

We said good-bye to all our friends and loaded up in the van for our hour-long ride to the Atlanta Airport. I got to sit with and talk to Mrs. Gebert--a great way to end an amazing week!

Our flight home was interesting. We were dropped off at the airport early (round 12:00 and our flight wasn't until 4:30). So after we waited with the others and walked the last girl to her gate, Marissa and I headed over to our gate (since I was navigating the airport, Marissa looked up our gate number) and we found a good place to sit and wait. We pulled out the laptop and watched part of a movie and got a bite to eat. Then we realized that we had 15 minutes till our plane is supposed to leave and we hadn't heard anything about boarding. AH! so we pulled out our boarding passes and found out that we had gotten to the wrong gate. We got to the right gate (only 5 gates down) only to find out that it left early!!! so after waiting all that time we had to wait another 2 hours to catch the next fight home. But we did get home that night after 7.5 hours in the airport. whew. What a memorable way to end a fantastic week, right? =)

Endeavor day 5

Wednesday: Intentional Action

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Colossians 4:5-6

"But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.' " 1 Peter 1:15-16

To start off the day, Elise Hall (the PD of the week) gave a talk on being a good hostess and guest. Most of us think about being polite, "together," or pleasant when company are coming over, but when was the last time you stopped to really think about what you could do to be a blessing to the people whose house you are headed to eat at? I know this is definitely an area I need to work on! Here are some helpful suggestions:

Being a Hostess:

think of what you can do to bless the people coming over

clean up the house, but don't make a big deal if it is still a mess!

prepare space in the closet, if they are staying overnight

don't ask questions that make it sound like you are complaining or will have to go to lots of extra work

make your guests' stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible

meals:

either have everything ready for dinner when your guests arrive

OR

have specific jobs that you can have for your guests to do, if you like to have some prep/talking time before the meal

Being a Guest:

be punctual (not late, but most especially not early!)

greet your host/hostess before others

only cancel if there is an emergency

ask what the attire is so you can dress properly for the occasion

let your host/hostess know if you are allergic to certain foods

don't complain about food, even if you are allergic to it--just don't eat it

become part of the family; don't cause extra work

clean up after yourself

if you need something, speak-up and let your host/hostess have the pleasure of serving you

don't put your feet on the furniture

ask what you can do to help (be observant to look for what needs to be done and ask to help with that specific task...try it, it really does work better than a general question!)

don't be the last to leave

write a thank you note afterwards

for either one:

don't wear sunglasses inside

engage in meaningful conversation

don't blow your nose at the table (I'm sure there is a bathroom nearby)

apply makeup in the bathroom, not in public

don't use cell phones at the table

the person you are face to face with is (at least for the moment) more important to you than all the others

(as with all the other "rules" we were taught this week, we should know how to properly use them, but also know how and when we can break them--there is ALWAYS an exception)

Our week was so jam-packed with wonderful activities, we had to squeeze a session in during lunch. This was another of my favorites! Mrs. Cocks talked about the importance of modesty and the significance of style.

The modesty issue wasn't new to me, so I won't go into details, but I was encouraged that there are other Christian young ladies who hold-up the same standards. Style is really based 3 main factors: body shape, skin and hair color/tone, and personality. Let's face it, some clothing just does not flatter certain figures. Once you know what lines and design elements to avoid, you can then better plan your wardrobe. The four base colors are black, grey, navy, and brown. Everyone looks better in one or another of these colors. To start out, get the basics in your closet; figure out your color and then buy a skirt, slacks, and jacket that all match--this is the time to really invest your money, you will get out all you put into them and then some. Also find two pairs of jeans, one hemmed for flats and one hemmed for heals. (I haven't done this, but what a great idea!) Now its time buy the other shirts, skirts, and pants. Find some classics (ones that won't go out of style), then you can purchase the fun, fashionable, and vogue pieces. These should, in general be cheap so you don't end up wasting a lot of money on clothing you will only wear for a year or two. As an overall tip, Mrs. Cocks suggested that you have a word or phrase of words that defines how you dress, or, if you don't already feel like you have a defined style, what you want you clothes to express. Then, whenever you go shopping, you can think about "your word" and hopefully start to have a closet of clothing that you really like and always feel comfortable. I love that idea! I did pick two words to describe me, though I have to say it wasn't original (Mrs. Cocks used it as an example in her talk)-- Elegantly Cute

Another highlight of the week was going to the Ritz Carlton Lodge on Lake Oconee. We got to go behind the scenes: into the kitchen, through the spa, around to some the outdoor areas, and up to the top "club" floor. This was all topped off with a talk by the General Manager (a Christian, homeschool Dad) and accompanied by fantastic tea.

Tea Sandwiches:

Chicken Salad on Brioche

Classic Cucumber & Herbed Cheese on Rye

Pimento Cheese Sandwich on White

Pastry:

Rasin Scone

Cherry Scone

Fruit Tartlet

Opera Galeaux (a chocolate and coffee dessert)

Yes, we got to dress up for another event!!

That night we had a surprise session by the Wilson Sisters. Their talk was so inspiring, encouraging, and convicting!

Jordan Wilson, Christian Lewis, and Lauren Black