Sometimes my Sabbath Sweet is figuratively sweet, sometimes literally. This week I gave a new recipe a try. Andrea at The Train to Crazy posted her recipe for Peanut Butter Balls. Oh, sweets, where have you been my whole life?

We hadn’t yet dipped them in chocolate when we snapped this photo. But we were too busy bickering over who got to lick the bowl by then. TeeHee.

Sweet November,

full of the color of grace,

and touches of heaven,

sneak away slowly in the middle of the night.

Then I won’t miss you so much as long for your return.

Lord, You set the roots in the ground and the poured the waters atop the sands. You set in motion the seasons and the tides and the moons. You are Masterful Creator and Sustainer of all that is beautiful and natural. Bless us in this season with Your warmth and color. In Jesus’ Name I praise You.

My poor five year old figured out smashing the instant oatmeal packet against the dining room table was probably not the best method of working out the sugar clumps.

Thank heaven for dustbusters.

My husband left me a special little surprise on the breakfast table before he left for work. Five bowls, spoons and glasses carefully laid out, and this

my favorite mug waiting for my special  morning blend. His care for me speaks louder than all the little annoyances that build up over the ins and outs of our days together. I love you, Chuck!

It was 70 degrees on Sunday! After a yummy post-church lunch at Italian Sensations, we ventured over to Bel Air Family Golf. What a great place.

We strolled our way through the miniature golf course,

and hit a bucket of balls on the range afterward.

What a fantastic day! I loved hearing the kids hit the sweet spot. And they were so proud of themselves. Now they want golf lessons. Anyone know of any good ones in Harford County?

Today was a perfect day.

I danced and laughed in the kitchen with each of my children during hymn time.

I helped Brooke and Brad to learn hard new math concepts–without losing my temper.

I caught up with a friend at the park while our children squealed and collected sand in their shoes.

I watched my children ooh and aah over the paintings they recognized in the Linnea in Monet’s Garden dvd.

I made honey pork chops and mashed potatoes for dinner–and my family liked them!

I played and sang Christmas songs with my children, who have beautiful voices.

I gave my husband an extra kiss and hug for taking the girls to dance class, and enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I read an entire novel, The Christmas List, and cried at the end even though I knew what was coming.

I cannot imagine a day more filled with love and peace. Thank You, Lord, for your mighty love. For showing my heart the things that bring true, lasting joy.

So, your turn. What’s your Perfect Day?

I struggle with dinner. I don’t mind breakfast, which is typically cold cereal, or lunch, which is often some type of sandwich. I suppose I don’t mind those much because my children make their own. But I just can’t seem to muster up excitement about the meal that’s supposed to bring us closer together as a family. I  just can’t stomach preparing the meal that will burn itself into our memories for eternity. The meal that comes at the end of a full day of home schooling, cleaning, errand-running, dog-managing, and trying to find some little piece of quiet for something that brings me peace and joy.

Ugh. Dinner.

A meat and a veggie. Maybe a bread. Sometimes a side salad. And a glass of Country Time Lemonade. Nothing spectacular, but a necessity.

Needing a little inspiration, recenlty I borrowed a dozen cookbooks from the library and found two I really liked. I ordered them on Amazon and they arrived today.

I’ve already chosen next week’s meals! (I sure hope this kind of enthusiasm sticks.) I chose recipes that looked interesting and included meats I have in my freezer.

• Fri: Pizza Night
• Sat: North Woods Wild Rice Soup
• Sun: Leftovers
• Mon: Cranberry Chicken
• Tue: French Steak
• Wed: Honey Pork Chops
• Thu: Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese

If you know me in real life, hold me accountable. Ask me how my kids liked the soup or the chicken. Make me tell you the details of putting together the meal. Don’t let me snow you.

If you know me from blogland or facebook, comment on here to let me know you’re waiting for an update. Maybe a little peer pressure will help.

For pete’s sake, something has to help…my kids can’t eat many more dinners of homemade waffles or scrambled eggs. And I can’t stand anymore pizza! (Well, except for Friday Pizza Night.)

If I lived in the Castle, I’d start my day with my Bible and a cup of hot tea in this little cubby.

Then I’d join the children for breakfast at our own special table,

where we could look through this arch

into the ballroom and the fire started on chilly mornings.

After schooling, I’d grab a novel and a mug of hot cider and read on this porch

while they traversed the land,

discovering all sorts of special spaces made just for curious children.

Maybe I’d grab my journal and settle into this seat, 

and look up into this.

Maybe I’d invite a friend for tea and chatting here,

and we’d spend our quiet time taking in this view.

On rainy days, I’d encourage the children to explore the wood-lined room under the stairs

while I ran my hands over the smooth wood of the parlor.

If I lived in the Castle, life would be magical for us all.

We spent most of our Saturday in Philly in the Franklin Institute.

We took our time, seeing most every exhibit, having fun touching everything. (And praying we didn’t pick up some virus or the Swine flu!)

We tested the brakes

before we rode on the real steam engine.

We spent plenty of time in the Heart wing.

Here we are making our way through the walk-through heart.

Chuck found out he has

of blood in his body. Interesting.

Brooke has always wanted to be a doctor. She decided to practice a little open heart surgery in preparation  for her future career.

Where else will you get to sit on a bone bench?

Or crawl through a blood vessel?

We made sure to get plenty of exercise to keep our hearts beating strong.

In the space wing we made and tested moon rovers

and watched a really cool movie in the plantarium all about the sun. Perfect preparation for our upcoming solar system study.

We had a BOO-last at the Liquid Scare show. Here the children are all molecules in a solid, packed tight together, being quite still.

I forgot to take photos of our faces at age 70, as seen through an age progression machine. That’s probably better left unphotographed, anyway

I do highly recommend the Institute for lots of science fun.

I made a new friend at the Greater Philadlephia Christian Writers Conference this summer.

She and her husband are missionaries with CLC Publications just outside Philly. She invited me to visit with my family, and I couldn’t resist the offer.

We started our visit with a tour of the U.S. Mint–no photos allowed there. We learned all about how coins are made and actually watched the process happening live. How cool!

Friday night we toured the CLC publishing house. What fun to physically see the Editors’ offices and the old print room–and everything in-between. I asked to see the infamous ”slush pile,” but these days it’s more of an electronic thing.

We spent Saturday in downtown Philly strolling the same cobblestones great men in history walked.

The  line was very long to see the Liberty Bell, so we took our photo with the display at the Visitor’s Center instead, opting to come back on a weekday to see the actual bell.

We spent the majority of the day in the Franklin Institute science museum. (I’ll add another post with those photos soon.)

Sunday we worshiped with our friends and toured the Castle. The castle was my favorite place in Philly.

We had a fantastic time with new friends, in a new place. I hope we can get back there again next autumn.