as cozy as spring

Snippets

Creative Writing with Boys

So I popped in my son's bedroom day while he was in the middle of telling my daughter a dramatic original story.  This is what I heard.

"...and the British officer fell over dead because he couldn't bear the stink of it and then he barfed snakes out of his bottom..."

I backed slowly out of the room and closed the door.  Boys are so weird (and wonderful).

Summer: Day One

After a busy weekend, I laid down on my son's bed at about 9:00am.  A couple hours later, I woke up to find both children had joined me.  There is little I love more than spontaneous family naps.  The summer is off to a great start.

Summer Berry Cakes

(I never will be a proper food blogger and take photos of the finished project.)

I made this Strawberry Summer Cake for my parent's barbecue yesterday.  It was good, but not quite as good as the Stone Fruit Tea Cake from earlier this month.  For the first year, we're having just a bit of luck growing our own strawberries.  They can grow well around here, but either we've never planted the right variety or had just the right conditions.  

Books

I missed my Saturday Book Notes because we had ballet on our minds (oh, what a night!).  We did start The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.  We're only two chapters in, but we're really enjoying it.  

Unschooly Weather Study

My daughter wanted to make the barometer described in this book.  So she made me a list of what she needed and did it.  Y'all, it really works.  I can't believe it.  It's such fun!  (Our barometer is similar to this one.)

Sadly, I only have one proper week off before camps begin, then we'll begin school again in July.  I'm working on our summer fun to-do list today.  Tie Dye!  Ice Cream Pops!  Swimming Lessons!  Writing actual posts instead of just lists!

But I'm really just hoping to fit in a few more naps.

Dill

Goodnight friends!

End of May Notes

First up: My go-to teacher gift this year: Nothing Bundt Cakes.  Y'all, we've tried almost all of these and everybody loves them.  I've given away countless boxes of bundtinis.  The only reservation I have concerns the Red Velvet cake because I am philosophically opposed to Red Velvet cakes.  I'm sure they are fine and dandy, but anything that calls for that much food coloring grosses me out.  Nothing Bundt Cakes also makes a super last minute dinner, for the adults at least!  This is completely off topic, but remember when I mentioned watching The King's Speech with my husband a few weeks ago?  My dad called in the middle and talked to my daughter who told him that we were watching an "adult film".  Awesome.

Second Up: That Hallie!  She has me wanting to look presentable for a change.  I bought lip gloss and real grown up clothes (not from Ross!) this week.  Shall I link?  This super cute skirt is on sale at Ann Taylor Loft.  And Banana Republic is giving out surprise coupons so I picked up this cardigan to wear with it.  Honestly, this is far more than I would usually spend on one item but the coupon and the combined gasps from my children when I walked out of the dressing room convinced me to splurge. My husband thanks you, Hallie!  

Third up: New yarn in my mailbox!  It's for Halloween 2011.  My little girl wants to be Hermione.  I went with the super affordable Valley Yarns Northapmton in Dark Gray, Garnet, and Gold.  I think it's a great match to the Gryffindor colors.  I don't think I'm saving much money by making the House sweater myself but that's almost always true with do it yourself projects, isn't it?

This is a photo I took during the storm the other night.  What is to be said?  It's just heartbreaking to see all the damage that has been done this spring.  My children were so frightened and even though I've been through the drill probably a hundred times, it's still eerie to hear the sirens go off and know that there's not a thing to be done.  I found it oddly peaceful in a way I can't explain that's entirely faith related (that's usually when I run out of words).

Well, this is being written during a brief lull in the day and I've got to get back at it.  Hope all is well with you, friends!

A Little Bit of Everything

Garden: First blueberry - May 21.  This was another newbie who spent the winter in a greenhouse.

Enough tomatoes that I'm wondering what I'm going to do with them all.  

Books: Currently, Don Quixote.  We are seeing the ballet and that always prompts us to do a little homework.  And also: She links, I buy.

Knitting: I am still knitting, but my knitting time has been replaced with workout time most days.  A stitch here and a stitch there got me a new sock though!

Knit in Tosh Sock Lichen which I picked up at the Fiber Fest because Charlotte and I both thought it looked like a me color.

I've also sewn a few garments here and there, but I haven't bothered to photograph them.  Imagine that!  Sewing something to be worn instead of posted. ;)  I did figure out zippers and skirts, but I'll save all that for another day.  

Looks like my big wrap up post shall be cut short.  'Tis a busy, busy week!

Milestones

"I recommend to you holy simplicity.  Look straight in front of you and not at those dangers you see in the distance.  As you say, to you they look like armies, but they are only willow branches; and while you are looking at them you may take a false step.  Let us be firmly resolved to serve God with our whole heart and life.  Beyond that, let us have no care about tomorrow.  Let us think only of living today well, and when tomorrow comes, it also will be today and we can think about it then.  In all this we must trust and be resigned to God's providence."

St. Francis de Sales

I've posted this before but it came to my mind this morning as the day I've been dreading for years finally arrived.

My baby lost his first tooth. 

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  He is just as irresistibly cute and lovable as he has ever been.  It's all fine.

You might think I'm being funny or exaggerating how much I fretted over this first real childhood event, but I'm not.  Since becoming a mother, the passing of time has been unbearable at times.  I remember sitting on the floor in my parent's dining room sobbing because my newborn daughter was already 3 weeks old.  But she's ten now and I love her even more than I did then.  I hope this trend continues.  My dad insists it will.

More than anything I wish that I could get the above quote to sink into my head and stop my heart aching over these little milestones.

P90X - Halfway

Note: I wrote this as part Fitness Fridays at Betty Beguiles

I finished the first 6 weeks of the P90X program.  A little fitness background:

1. I've pretty much always worked out.  I find it not just helpful but necessary for my mental well being.  Most days, I run.
2. I like to bake (and I prepare a hundred thousand meals a day) so I'm rarely a skinny person but most of the time I'm at a healthy weight.  Not look-great-in-a-bikini healthy but my-doctor-isn't-worried-about-my-heart healthy.
3. I gain weight every winter.
4. I've never lost weight without cutting waaay back on the calories.  I can run for hours a day and the scale won't budge until I start regularly going to bed hungry (and dreaming of cookies).  I think, by definition, losing weight has to be uncomfortable.  

So, I was not terribly shocked to see such high numbers on the scale in February (+7 to be specific).  It happens every year.  I got right to work, figuring the weight would come off when I started working out regularly again.  It didn't happen.  On April 1, I started P90X.  I loved it right away and have done at least one workout 6 days a week for the past 6 weeks.  I've lost about 3 pounds so far.  I think I could have lost a lot more, but April and May have been very cake intensive.  Cake cake cake - every weekend a party with leftovers.  As I said above, unless I strictly limit and count every calorie, I will not lose weight.  So that's what I'm working on right now. It is, by far, the trickiest part of the equation for me.

Back to the P90X DVDs - I'm still loving every minute.  Most of the workouts have become - dare I say - a little easy (except for Core Synergistics - I hate that workout).  Even though I'm not getting the spectacular weight loss I hoped for, I'm in far better shape.  I'm much stronger, running much farther, and feeling really good.  I care a lot less about those last few pounds because I'm more confident about what I can do.  

But I still want to lose the last 4 pounds. :)  

(Not proofreading!  Must make lunch for my children.) 

As the year ends

We were on target to wrap up the year at the end of April, but I decided that I wanted to cram a little more in.  It's been a little bit of a struggle.  My children run outside first thing in the morning to take advantage of the cool morning temperatures and I can't seem to call them back to the table (see Theresa's post here!).  They are constructing mud cities, inventing games, running and playing and gosh, grammar just seems far less important.  It probably isn't, and rest assured, we are getting all our scheduled lessons completed by the end of the day.  There's just very little enthusiasm.

I cut back to the bare minimum this week.  Our priorities right now...

• Reading together - an early reader with my son and a bazillion other picture books.  American History with my daughter and a bazillion other chapter books.
• Math Review Tests.  We save the Math-U-See test book for the end of the year review and she completes it after the last lesson of the book (Epsilon this year).
• On a whim, I decided to give my daughter a standardized test (through Seton, no time to link).  I quickly learned that she'd need to be taught how to take a test.  We are going through the practice book together and she will take the test on the last day of May.
• Piano practice
• I've mentioned in passing our unschooly habitat study.  That's the only lesson anyone really cares about right now.  

We're filling the rest of our time with bike rides, (Peanuts!) Monopoly games, ballet, and playing outside for them (P90X for me).

We'll take June off - sort of.  It's packed full with summer camps at this point. 

First Peaches

We didn't expect peaches the first year, but we got peaches the first year.  Eight, in fact.  They are not perfect, but they are beautiful and yummy.  They ripened early, due to a winter spent in a greenhouse.  I am so, so happy about my first little peaches.

 

I know I'm not the first person in the world to grow their own food.  Goodness, we've been doing this ourselves for years.  But the joy and surprise never really diminishes.  There are so many things that can go wrong.  Caterpillars, birds, squirrels.  But y'all.  Y'all!  I have eight peaches sitting on my kitchen table.  Real peaches that weren't grown for shelf life, but for taste.  (One little peach did encounter a caterpillar, so he has been isolated and wasn't available for his blog glamour shot.) 

This will be the biggest yield we get from our fruit trees this year.  Most of the pears dropped either due to immaturity or some strong spring winds.  These eight were such a lovely little surprise gift.  And provide just enough encouragement to plant more next year!

Saturday Morning Book Post

Good Morning friends!  It's super cool here for May (54 degrees) and we are going to go out and take a long bike ride in the "woods" (that run beside and under the highway).  I'm elbow deep in cake for my husband's birthday and I can't think of what we've been reading this week!

I did end up ordering America's Prairies and Grasslands.  I paired it with Draw Write Now: Animals of the World, Dry Land Animals (It's Book 8).  We're studying prairies right now.  It's been such fun.  

thinking....

thinking....

Yup, that's about the only thing to report.  We're rereading a lot (Little Town on the Prairie - never gets old) and tons of picture books.

Wildflower of the week: Antelope Horn Milkweed  We've seen these growing all over.  Isn't it just lovely?  I have a soft spot for lime green flowers. 

Waste Canvas and other stuff

  

I never seriously took up cross stitching because I didn't like the feel or look of the standard cross stitch fabric.  But I did fall in love with some of the patterns in Alicia Paulson's Embroidery Companion.  Several of her projects call for waste canvas and I finally remembered to pick some up this week.  Just by the by, I really hate JoAnn's and wish every project didn't require a trip there for some two dollar notion.

Anyway!  It's awesome.  You can cross stitch on anything and just pull it all out when you are done.  I stitched a simple monogram while watching The King's Speech (great movie!).

Thanks for all the reviews of the Kindle.  I think I might want it.  I was absolutely sold on the IPhone too earlier this week when Melanie linked to a plant identification app.  Plant identification is my very most favorite activity (what a dork!).  But then I got to thinking... Will using an app diminish the thrill of the identification process?  Will we still study the stems and flower structure as closely in our quest for accuracy?  I'm completely serious and question still how all this knowledge at our fingertips affects our ability to wonder.

On the flip side, I do thank Wikipedia for solving the riddle of that Phil Collins song from the 80s, "Don't Lose My Number."  Y'all, it has no meaning.  No story behind it.  It's nonsense.  I wasted so much time.

Happy Friday friends!