The Elizabethan Gardens

To celebrate Mother's Day this year, my family graciously took me to The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, which are designed to replicate European gardens in the 16th Century.  Whether you are a flower lover or a history buff, The Elizabethan Gardens are absolutely amazing!

 Below, Anna poses with a statue of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603).  The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth never married.  The state of  Virginia is named after her, in reference to her title as "The Virgin Queen."  Her reign is known as The Elizabethan Era  and is famous for its acceptance of the Protestant Reformation, its time of political peace, and its flourishing English literature and drama including such playwrights as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.

The Elizabethan Gardens go right up to the sea and have a scenic view of the Pamlico Sound...

We especially loved the Rose Garden, which was just coming into bloom.  Anna smelled...

 ...and smelled...

 ...and smelled her way through the blooms.

One thing we can certainly say about our daughter: 

she takes time to stop and smell the roses.

Hands-down, my favorite part of the Elizabethan Garden was this tree.  It might not look like a very special tree until you read its sign, below:

 Wow!  How incredible to realize that this tree was already 200 years old during the American Revolution.  And that it has survived 485 years of Outer Banks hurricanes.
THAT is resilience!

Another part of the gardens that really struck a chord with me was a display of  many varieties of hostas.  I had to smile thinking about how my mom has always grown hostas, and I could almost hear her say, "I wish those deer would get out of my hostas!" :)

I also adored this sundial, which is from my favorite poem by Robert Browning...

 I have to hand it to my boys for being such good sports while Mommy toured the gardens.  And almost as if the Lord was rewarding John for his patience through all the "girly flowers," right before we left, John found a fossil dig at a picnic area.  You have to know how much our John loves sharks to understand his euphoria when it comes to finding and identifying shark teeth.  And yes, John was providentially wearing his favorite shark/shark teeth guide t-shirt that he loves so much...

 These were just some of the great little shark teeth we found in that dig, including two that had multiple teeth still hooked together...

Neat plaque dedicated to The Lost Colony of Roanoke.  

That is such an amazing story to study...

So that was our trip to The Elizabethan Gardens.  If we hadn't pulled her away, I'm certain Anna would still be there even now smelling all the flowers...

http://elizabethangardens.org/

A Charming Talent Show

Our family enjoyed the annual C.H.A.R.M. (Christian Home-school Association of Rocky Mount) Talent Show.  A special big thanks to Jennifer Harris for all her hard work organizing the event!

John and Anna played the piano, and all three kids entered art projects.  

If you ever want to feel truly humbled as a parent, attend a home-school talent show.  

WHOAH!  Some of the kids are uber gifted! 

 I actually had to ask Sarah if her artwork was a photograph or a drawing because it looks so real.  Believe it or not, this is a free-hand drawing Sarah made with charcoal.  And Sarah is pretty handy with a violin, too.  She has a full ride to East Carolina University next year on a music scholarship.

Katelyn and her brother Grant did a fantastic job on this song called You Are My Everything, a song which Katelyn wrote herself.  Best wishes on that future in singing, Katelyn!

And I was impressed with Zach, Samuel, Caleb and Sam, who performed Dark Horses by Switchfoot.  Samuel (lead singer) will be attending Christian college next year to major in worship ministry.  

So the Talent Show concluded the first year of the Barnette Family Homeschool.  We don't know what God has in store for our children's education next year... but thank you, Lord, for giving us this experience, so that after being with my three children almost 24/7 for the past 12 months, I know them better and love them more than ever.  Thank you for giving us Your grace so that I did not tire of them and they did not tire of me. Thank you for giving us Your knowledge so that they learned, and I learned, too.  Thank you for giving us good health, joy, laughter, and comfy days in comfy clothes in a comfy home....together.   

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me this year how to make a pearl.  :)

Proverbs 13:19