Draw & Discover by Yasmeen Ismail

 I have a DELIGHTFUL series of books for you to learn about today.  Draw and Discover books by Yasmeen Ismail.   Each book has it's own theme from emotions, directions, or even perspective. 

I have got to walk you through these books that are geared for the younger crowd! 

One of the aspects of these books that I like is they use simple drawings and text to allow children the freedom to explore the meaning of a word using whatever they want to draw to do so. :)   Great paper... a thicker quality that will resist leaking through, ripping, and multiple pencil erasures.

 
The pages leave plenty of room for drawing and colouring. 

There is so much room given for children to express their creative side while learning new words.     Why not use art to help teach?

Each book is 56-64 pages long with a two page spread to help explore a single emotion (excited, sad, proud etc), or opposite words (up/down, push/pull etc). 

If you have a singleton child it is definitely a use it up as you go book, or if you have multiple children, you could use it as a springboard to developing your own pages.

Each book has a hard fly (front and back)that could be used as a book mark or a "put behind the page" sheet to prevent leaking of paint or markers to the next page.
That fly contains all the words used within the book as well, making it a good "let's look ahead page" or a "let's review what we've learned page". 

The three books are called:
  
Happy, Sad, Feeling Glad.  Cat and Dog lead the way of exploration.
Inside, Outside, Upside Down.  Bear, Rabbit and Duck are the guides.
Push, Pull, Empty, Full.   Rabbit, Duck and Bear show the way.

All published by Laurence King.   Geared for ages 4-7 years old.  56-64 pages long.  
Everything in these books is designed to get children thinking, doodling, drawing, colouring and learning.   An innovative series by a remarkable children's author: Yasmeen Ismail.
 

This review is part of an Art series is part of an on-going series of Art books reviewed for your pleasure and resource.    You can find more books here and here. 

Be Mindful Gog of Magog, God is going to use you

 Today we are reading from Ezekiel 37:15-28. Last time we met we learned about One People, One Shepherd, One God. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

The Lord has a word against Gog, of the land of Magog today.   The Lord is against him. 
This is why: 
 You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

It always strikes me as odd.   How God will use a nation against his people and then punish that nation afterwards.

Gog is living his life, with all his armies.  God will then muster Gog and his armies " I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out"


⁷ “Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them.   God warns him.

God will muster Gog and his armies and his allies so well that they will be like a storm coming over the land of Israel, expecting to find a land of unwalled villages, in order to seize spoils and plunder the land.   In fact the nations surrounding will say:  Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’

And so Gog and his people will come with a heart to plunder a nation just gathered together and God will act.  He will show his holiness.   He will show his protection of his people.
 
¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? ¹⁵ You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. ¹⁶ You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

God's method of punishment?
He will use the land against Gog and his ilk.  The very land... an earthquake will shake the land, the mountains will quake around Gog and his armies.  Hail and torrential rains will fall about them.   Fire and sulfur will cover them.   (which makes me think volcano).

¹⁸ But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, my wrath will be roused in my anger. ¹⁹ For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. ²⁰ The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. ²¹ I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord God. Every man's sword will be against his brother. ²² With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur. 

 23So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Can you imagine it?  Really? 
I've never been in a major earthquake... I experienced a small one when I went down to CA one time, but a major one where rocks are falling down, with sulfur and what not in the air.... 

You can't mistake such a thing as anything other than the Lord God at work.
You can't.
Not when it's directed at an invading army.

The nations surrounding the newly remade land of Israel would have been watching with avid interest... and to see Gog and his people destroyed in such a manner would have set their tongues a wagging.   

Can you picture it?

I think about this and how to apply it to my life and I keep being drawn back to how God so often uses another people group to discipline his people, or to show his greatness in regards to his care for his own people (and ergo his holiness) and I wonder... I wonder how God is using people TODAY how show his holiness and care of his people?

I don't see (in my personal life) God using people to help me mind him better.  
I know that peoples are persecuted throughout the world for loving God (but I don't always see God punishing those persecuted).   So sometimes I wonder if God still uses this method today.

And I wonder...what would happen if he did?
Would people see it for what it is?   God's greatness and holiness on display for the world to see.   Would it set tongues-a-wagging about the greatness of God?

What can I do to get people talking about the greatness of God?   Nothing compared to this for sure.  I can't make earthquakes.

hmm... 

Weather Assignments

 The Homeschool Review Crew does word prompts for Instagram fun, I think it's great to have these words prompts for doing quick posts.  :)   I find them fun as sometimes it surprises me where my brain goes.  :)
The word for today is Weather.  Let's follow my brain where it goes eh?

 
When I think about the word weather I am drawn to a course that I am marking for an education company.   In that course the students need to take a weather phenomenon and talk about it.

Recipe: Fish Chowder

The other day I made fish for supper.  I tried a recipe new to me and lets just say no one really liked it so I put it back in the fridge.  I later got to thinking...there must be something I can do about that fish, otherwise I'd might as well toss it.

Fish Chowder!  That was my solution, why not give fish chowder a chance?

I found a recipe.   I made a couple of modifications based on other recipes I looked at.  This recipe seemed the most affordable to make though and didn't require any odd ingredients.

Ingredients

1 tbsp (15 mL) butter

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tsp (5 mL) dried dill or dried thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups (500 mL) water or fish stock  (I used chicken broth)

1/3 cup (80 mL) all-purpose flour

3 cups (750 mL) Milk

2 cups (500 mL) chopped raw skinless fish fillets or cooked seafood (shrimp, lobster, scallops, crab, clams, oysters) or a combination

2 tbsp (30 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Whole grain crackers, crumbled

Changes I made to the recipe

• I added 1 tsp parsley
•  instead of butter I cooked up some pancetta and used the grease from that instead.  :)  The pancetta will be added to another dish later on.
• Oh.. and I had some whipping cream leftover from something else so I used that and topped it up with milk to the 3 cup mark.
• the seafood I used was the leftover trout from the night before
• I didn't use the whole grain crackers as I don't like crackers in my soups or chowders.

Directions:

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat; sauté celery, onion, bay leaf, dill, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper for about 5 min or until onions start to brown. Stir in potatoes; sauté for 2 min.
Increase heat to medium-high; stir in water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and boil for about 5 min or until potatoes are almost tender.
Whisk flour into milk and stir into pot; bring to a simmer, stirring often. Stir in fish or seafood; simmer, stirring often for 5 min or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork or seafood is hot. Discard bay leaf. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with crumbled crackers.

Family Results:
My son's thoughts who is reticent about anything new, MOM!  It's edible!   Save some for me for later okay?"
My thoughts: I've only ever had Campbell's clam chowder...(which I like) so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I approached this with skepticism and was pleasantly surprised.  I liked it.  :)  Easy to make.

Review: Let's Explore ... Mountain

Today I have this cute, well-done children's book for all you about mountains!  Put together by Lonely Planet Kids so you know it is a quality book.     Let's Explore... Mountain is an interactive book with stickers, puzzles and activities.

So let me tell you about this great book, it's a bigger sized book with a whole variety of ideas to intrigue and delight your 8-12 year olds. 

They will find themselves introduced to a number of mountains from around the world, as well as the gear you need to climb them, the animals you might see, and different activities you can do on them.

Imagine Cherry blossoms in Japan with Mount Fuji, or skiing down hills of black sand in Nicaragua, or let's visit the snowy peaks of the Matterhorn.

 With over 250 stickers to use, dot to dot, colouring, multiple choice questions and a host of other activities, your children will be kept busy learning about the mountains of the world.   Geared more for 8-10 according to my lad, it is an entertaining book.

 If doing some learning about mountains, this book should prove to be helpful to you in your studies.  Learning, reading, doing...it's a good mix don't you think?  :)

Let's Explore....Mountain
Put together by Lonely Planet Kids

9.11 x 12.13
60 pages
Ages 8-12 years

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

 Amazon.ca: Lonely Planet Let's Explore...  Mountain 1st Ed.

 Amazon.com: Lonely Planet Let's Explore... Mountain (Lonely Planet Kids)

One People, One Shepherd, One God

Today we are reading from Ezekiel 37:15-28. Last time we met we learned about A God Who Hears and Acts. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

Today Ezekiel has a role play for the people of Israel.

Two sticks.
Stick one: Judah and the house of Israel associated with him.
Stick two: Joseph/Ephraim and the house of Israel associated with him. 
Join those two sticks together.

 ¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ ¹⁷ And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 

People, being the naturally curious people that we are, will say: ¹‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’

Ezekiel's answer is to be: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. 

God's Promise to the people: First he will make them one nation. Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. ²² And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 

Second: They shall no longer make themselves icky in the sight of God.   He will save his people. ²³ They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Third: David will be king over them.   They will have but one shepherd, one voice to listen to.
²⁴ “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. ²⁵ They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.

Fourth: God will make a covenant of peace with them.  ²⁶ I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. ²⁷ My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.forevermore.”

End result:  ²⁸ Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst 

When it refers to David being their shepherd, he was not referring to the actual King David who was long since dead. He was referring to the type of David.  So this was a foreshadowing of Christ.

Which has me thinking you know?
David, the best leader that Israel ever had.   A man whose heart longer after God.
Jesus comes from the line of David.   God's very own son.  Whose heart longed after obedience to his heavenly father.

God promises that he will give us a singular shepherd.  We know from history that Jesus is that singular shepherd, that ONE voice we are to listen to.

My question is: Do I listen to that voice?

Lately in my head I've been feeling annoyed and bothered.  It's a natural thing as I adjust to change.  Once I've adjusted to the new norm I'll be fine... but everytime lately that I feel annoyed and bothered God is graciously putting this song in my head.. a mantra if you will that keeps running.. be still and know.. that I am God.

Over and over again.

It makes me check myself.  To call myself to account.  Do I want to listen to those voices of worry and doubt OR do I want to listen to the voice of the one who cares about me more deeply than I can even imagine. 

God wanted Israel his people to know him, to trust him, to know that he forgives their sin, he wants them to be one people, not a people scattered listening to all kinds of voices but his own.

He wants the same for us today.  To be a people united in faith.  A people who will hear his voice and listen to the shepherd he has given us. 

Today.. be still and know that HE is God.  He is our Lord God and We are his people.  

 

Igloos and Inukshuks Work

Did you know that some folks think that a good number of Canadians live in Igloos?  I know!!!   It's just so weird to me the first time I heard that.  It wasn't said in jest...the person was VERY serious.   Trust this... I don't live in an igloo and in fact I've never even been in one... at least a proper one.  :)  I've been in snow forts and tepees and half domes but never an igloo. I would love to be in one though, I think it would be VERY cool to see if they truly get so warm inside that a young child could bundle about naked. 

Made me wonder about the science behind the idea.

1. Igloos are made tight, in a spiral, out of compressed snow.  Starting at the bottom, sinking the blocks in and building up on a spiral.  The blocks decrease in size as they build up toward the dome.  

2. In fact, the compressed snow is so air tight that if you don't make vent holes and leave an opening at the top you can suffocate.

3. The design of a traditional igloo has terraced sides, this leaves a cold dump at the bottom for the cold air to sit while the warmer air rises to keep the people warm.   The more people you add the warmer it gets.   Since warm furs are placed on the terraced areas, it gives younger children a warm and safe place to play.

4. With the door being at a right angle to the igloo walls it keeps the cold wind from blowing in, a fire in the middle and a vent hole at top, keeps the air circulating.

Igloos WORK.

Another thing that works is the Inukshuk.

Did you know they are built to act as landmarks?   They are meant to say "someone was here" or "you are on the right path."   An inukshuk in the form of a human being is called an inunnguaq.

Each inukshuk (inuksuit would be plural) is unique, and they each have their own job. They can be a random stacking of stones, or they can be built to look like a person.  Most of the time, traditionally, they were just a random piling of stones, sometimes with a directional pointer.

Normally they appear singly, but occasionally you can find them in groups.   The purpose of a inukshuk can be  as directional aids in navigating or to mark a memorial, or even to indicate migration routes for animals or places where fish can be found.

When they are grouped it can be in a series to make a path, or in a group to mark a significant place.

They have been a valuable asset to the Inuk travellers throughout their history.

Others in the series: 
 A: Sidney Altman, Canadian Scientist.  B: Beavers! C: Chant National/O Canada. D: Dog Sledding. E: Edgewalk. F. Tailed Frogs.
G: Greats of Canada.
H: Henry Hudson.
I: Igloos and Inukshuks Work 

Come join us won't you?

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.anetintime.ca/2017/01/introducing-blogging-alphabet.html " rel="nofollow" title="A Net In Time Schooling"><img src="http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz198/amandahopkins83/Blogging%20Through%20the%20Alphabet%201_zps3c1fmifq.png" alt="A Net In Time Schooling" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

Walking with the Waodani and a Boy's Questions

For the past few weeks, my lad and I have had the joy of Walking with the Waodani, as a review, a four part study put together by the Home School Adventure Co.. Imaging history, seeing God in action, trying new recipes and talking....oh the conversations we've had.  :)

 Walking with the Waodani is a four part study Lesson 1 = Shell Mera (Then), Lesson 2 = Shell Mera (Now), Lesson 3 (Ecuador) and Lesson 4 (Quito). For the purposes of this review we mostly worked with lesson 1 and 2.   It was created by the Home School Adventure Co., a company that has produced such wonderful resources such as Philosophy Adventure and Philippians in 28 weeks.  Producers of faith-centred products to broaden our hearts and minds. 

We received the preview version of this brand new study, it's a study near and dear to Stacy Farrell's heart, as she's been working on it for the past four years, gathering information, conducting interviews and just learning about an amazing group of people.  :)

We start off meeting a young man who made a great trip into Ecuador with an older mentor, where he met the Waodani.  In case you didn't know, the Waodani is the preferred name for Auca, the group of savage natives who killed a group of missionaries (the Nate Saint story) back in the day.

Each lesson is set up the same with lesson introduction, people & places, meals & markets, animals & agriculture and worlds and worldview.    We get the chance to read blog posts that further our education, interact with websites, and fulfill worksheet requirements.   The worksheets (taking the form of a travel journal) had a variety of components to it... question and answers about the material (often found in a blog post), a chance to rate a recipe, draw a picture of a favourite animal learned about and ... a creative writing opportunity.

I have to admit that my son freaked out the first time he saw one of these.  He was completely flummoxed and I needed to explain it a few times.   Once he figured it out though, he simply had fun with it.  It was indeed a joy to read, and for lesson two he was asking "What do I get to do this week?"   He did this work sitting on the computer as getting this lad to hand write anything is like pulling teeth.  :)  He was so very very pleased with his efforts when completed, but not enough to share them with everyone. :)  I honoured his request by hiding most of his work.   I expect that week three would cause him to grin...writing about a giant sloth snatching him away... it's an adventure!!!

Admittedly part of the work didn't interest him in the way intended, my story telling lad, rather than draw an animal  would instead tell me a story about the animal he would have drawn if he felt like it, stories about ants and a jaguar.   It's good to have the details in story form and hear about why he chose that animal and all the information he knows.

My son thoroughly appreciated the aspect of judging a recipe.  He thought roasted grubs would be good but was rather unsure about the live ones.  He would have liked to try them, but frankly...where does one find live eating grubs in Canada in the middle of winter?   I had no idea, and wasn't keen enough on the idea to research it.  :)

  Our fish experiment.. well.. let's just say that making up the fish recipe was not a hit in our household and lead to me making my first ever fish chowder.  A great way to use up the fish that I didn't want wasted.  :)

Lesson three has a meal that intrigues me, but not sure what the guys will think of it.  Good to experiment with new things though eh?     I am looking forward to reading through the history with my lad, I am positive he will ask lots of interesting questions. 


I have to admit that has been my favourite part of this unit study.... watching my lad's eyes as he learns new information and thinks about the sacrifice people make.   Families lose the husband/father ...and then go and serve among the people who killed them.  Changing an entire culture. 

Sussing out that sometimes "civilized" societies help best when they step back out of the way and let the "natives" handle things themselves... as the natives know best what works in their own culture.

We've had delightful conversations and those moments I treasure.  :)  OH... and the laughter... we laughed at some of the exploits of that young man.

You know you have options right?   You can easily complete one lesson over the course of a week (each day is colour-coded for ease), or you can stretch it out over a month.  You can use the material as a jumping off point for a more in-depth study of Ecuador, missionary work among indigenous people, innovative methods for travel and so much more. 

What else can I tell you?
I haven't seen the entire study as week four has yet to be released (along with a blog post).   I know you can see it in the store HERE.  I know that the price is flexible with the anticipation of $14.95 for the digital edition and $18.95 for the print edition.

I know there will be a giveaway involved in the release but beyond that....

It's a great study and I think you and your students/children could get a great deal out of it.  Seeing God in action, being inspired to try new foods, learning about some wonderful animals, seeing how a people group functions that is completely different than one's own and more.  I know that you should come prepared to laugh, to think, to be surprised and filled with wonder at God's amazing work.  Learn the history, learn the geography and the people.  It's good stuff indeed.  

This unit study covers geography, history, social studies, culture, and more.  It is a flexible curriculum that should suit most learning styles and families. 

 If you want to stay informed about the release, click here to stay in the loop.

 Other products being reviewed are: 
 Creative Freewriting Adventure which will also include the Creative Freewriting Adventure Coloring Book Edition  
I'd Rather Be Your Mommy, which includes I'd Rather Be Your Mommy Coloring Book Edition and the I'd Rather Be Your Mommy Print Set  
Celebrating Manhood: a rite of passage guide 

A couple of updates you might be interested in:

1. Digital Download $18.95

2. Print Edition: $21.95

3. Subscriber Preview can be found here.

 

Find us on social media 

 Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HomeSchoolAdven  @HomeSchoolAdven
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HomeSchoolAdventureCo
Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/homeschooladven/
Google+:  https://plus.google.com/b/115241518288669984312/+Homeschooladventure
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HomeSchoolAdventure

Hashtags: #hsreviews #celebratingmanhood #waodani #CreativeFreewriting

The Highlights of This Week

This week has gone by much too fast so this week I'm only going to talk about my highlights of the week .

1. My son cooking another meal.. a good one.    Then Hubby made Spaghetti and meatballs last night.   It's so nice not having to think of what to make a couple of nights a week.
     Poutine and ribs.

2. Learning that I and the lad may be accompanying hubby to the states in May. We do some sightseeing, he does some pastoral learning.   So plans are in the works.  Biggest thing will be to find affordable place to stay (most likely Pinchot State Park) and then affordable things to do driving around the area.    Will be looking at the Hershey Chocolate factory and apparently there's a driving tour of Gettysburg and such like.

3. Building Lego together because the Lego Fair is coming up (tonight in fact!)  and I can't show you pictures until AFTER the fact... oh and making cookies!   Always good to make cookies you know?  :)

4. Two litters of bunnies born.  Not as big of litters as I hoped, but alive so all is good.  One litter had two broken orange (though one might be a really like tort.   And the other had two torts.   Both were litters of holland lops.

I have a litter old enough to go to new homes, spunky kits these three.   The broken chestnut already has someone interested in her.

 Let's see.. other highlights of the week... My sweetheart brought home a few more things from the church this week.  Slowly he's getting his stuff out of the church.  It's a hard process so this is a step forward.. 18 years of his life was invested in this church.

Homeschooling and life:
Abandon - a word prompt post 
From Singleton to Many - finding ways to teach many when having a singleton
A wife's understanding of sin - continuing to learn from "the Excellent Wife"
Middle - a poem on Middle
Five Advantages in Learning how to Cook.
Profile: Henry Hudson. Learning about the man behind the name
Multi-grain, whole wheat bread. 
A God who Hears and Acts.  Devotion on Ezekiel 37:1-14

Reviews: 
 A Kid from Diamond Street - women in baseball - Edith Houghton
 Fantastic Planets.  adult colouring book
 A Dog in A Cave.  Humans and Dogs, influencing each others development
Really Woolly Easter Blessings.  Board book  
 Three Great Middle School Reads.   Good books
 

Abandon, can we let ourselves go?

As I was pondering this word this morning my heart was aching with the fear and panic a young mom Toronto must have been feeling.  Loading her kids in the car one at a time, comes out of the house with the second to find her car stolen.  Her four year old inside.    I could only just imagine the panic she would be feeling.

The youngster was found safe and sound an hour later...but that hour... wow... so hard for that mom I'm sure.

The relief...oh the utter relief she would have felt then eh?   To have your wee one back in your care, safe and sound.

All that was in my head as I thought about the word abandon.

Abandon is an middle English word that means to give up, reject, cast away and some such world.    It also has this meaning "to yield (oneself) without restraint or moderation; give (oneself) over to natural impulses, usually without self-control".

 I read that definition and I thought..hmm... if only more people could do this.. not in the "give yourself over to grief" or the "be stupid in your happiness"...but in the abandon yourself to the love of God.   To just revel in God's love for YOU his person, the one he has called according to his purposes, to let yourself go into the love.

I say this knowing that I find that difficult myself.....to just let go with the looseness of a child knowing their parent loves them and will keep them safe.   But wishing ... oh ... just wishing that I felt free to abandon myself to the love that God has for me.

What about you? 

 This is a five minute Friday post. the word prompt is brought to us by Miss Kate.  Today the word is Abandon.  What is Five Minute Friday?  Well it's a party of a group of like minded folks who gather on Friday to do a five minute free write around a singular word.  AND THEN we take the time to offer up encouragement to each other on this writing journey.  It's fun, though it's not always easy, but it is always good.   Come join us won't you?  You are always welcome.