Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Early Fall Bouquet

 

early fall flowers

 

  Summer ends

  and Fall begins…

  And the wildflower bouquet

  gracing my kitchen table…

  Bright, vivid yellows

  deep, rich purples…

  And the beauty

  of grasses gone to seed…

  In a canning jar

  Fall’s beauty boasts…

     ~  ~  ~

Homeschool Hiatus

Thirty days down, One hundred and fifty to go… Sounds a little daunting.

Nevertheless, we are taking today off. My darlings are tired. They need a break. They are wearing their jammies. They are chilling in the family room, watching Homeward Bound. I have no agenda today.

And yet….

The egg cartons have come out of the storage room.

egg fun 101

And my oldest two are building pyramids.

And then, our good friend Math showed up.

The egg cartons are fewer in number these days. The pyramids aren’t quite so big.

So they started with a base of 10 or so…

But they ran out of egg cartons before they reached the top of the pyramid.

So, they tried a base of 9. Not quite…

And a base of 8….

Until finally, they found the magic number and configuration of cartons to create a perfect pyramid.

Um. Yeah. Math happened here today.

A little un-intended schooling. So, does that count?

Happily enjoying a Homeschool Hiatus.

Happy homeschooling…

Friday, September 23, 2011

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

ginger 030

I’m linking {this moment} over at Soule Momma.

September

I’m back from my “fishing trip.”

Dan at the Pond

Well, maybe…

I’d like to say it’s been a nice break. In truth, September has not been my favorite month of the year. Some days, it’s hard being a grown-up.

It’s hard to look past the aggravation of the mildew in the basement. I’ve been fighting it for quite a while, wondering why all my cleaning seems to be futile. Finally, I admitted defeat. We started ripping out the carpet. We found a pristine and dry floor underneath. Confusion. And then, we moved the set of cabinets that serve as my homeschool and craft storage. Eww… The mildew epicenter. Underneath the cabinet and where the cabinet touches the wall was full of mildew disgust. Needless to say, cabinets have gone to the barn to either rot or be cleaned and painted with some Kilz. Carpet is gone. Much bleach has been used. Again, and again… I can now go into my own basement without getting a terrible headache. I’m liking it.

We’re also fighting another battle. A traffic one. My poor honey. He’s been getting up early to beat the rush getting to work. We are not, and I repeat, NOT morning people. Far from it. However, leaving the house at five means a one hour commute to make the normally 45 minute trip. Leaving any later means a commute that can take two and a half hours, each way. I don’t know when this insanity will end and our roads will be open again. In the meantime, I’m finding that five o’clock does happen twice a day.

And Mr. Sam… He had another fall. Another trip to the emergency room. And I have more silver in my hair. This kid’s gonna have to get a helmet. He’s fine and healing nicely. A little trivia for you… That connecting thingy that goes between your top lip and your gums will reattach on it’s own when certain accident prone children manage to tear it… But it looks horribly scary.

I feel bogged down by all this. I’ve been eating lots of chocolate. It’s a good thing I take lots of pictures. Looking back at the September photos, I can see beyond the overwhelming stuff. Despite the crud we’ve been through, we’ve managed a lot of joy…

Mary 030

A certain little boy lost his first tooth. A momentous occasion which brought great joy. He had been racing with his big sister to lose his tooth before she lost her loose tooth. But in a moment of frustration, she pulled her very loose tooth and got the thing over with. He was crushed. Totally crushed. It’s not fair to pull the tooth… So I told him that it wasn’t too late to call it a tie. He tried his best to pull that wiggly tooth, but it hurt. So he asked his big sis to do the job. And, she did. Without remorse on either side. Just joy and a bit of blood. Ah, siblings.

 Mary 045

And speaking of big sis… She’s found a confidence and joy that shows in this picture. She’s become a little lady all of a sudden and she’s growing up too fast for her momma. Can’t stop time, but September will be the month I mark when my eldest went from being a little girl to being “half-grown.”

ginger 003 ginger 013

ginger 007

ginger 017 ginger 010

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And then there’s this cute little ball of fluff.
Ginger is adorable and the kids can hardly wait to bring her home in October.

Ah, October…. Please be nice to us.

 

And thanks y’all….
for the break…
for the encouragement…
and for stopping by. I missed ya’.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

A Little Break

gone fishing

I love sharing here. I love writing, sharing my photos, and hearing from folks who take time to read my silly little thoughts.

Life has been a bit crazy around here… Nothing wrong, just lots of normal chaos.

I’m going fishing for awhile. Not really, ‘cause I don’t like to bait a hook or even catch fish. Mostly, I’ll be helping my honey rip the carpet out of the basement (it has been making me really, really sick). Then, I’m going to paint my porch swing. Maybe, I’ll even have a yard sale. More likely, I’ll just haul the stuff to Good-Will.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. I’ll be back… eventually.