home sweet home

We are safely home and everyone is happy. We had a pleasant trip, made good time and it was uneventful..........that is good. Family supper included fresh bread and flowers out of the garden. It is the simple things that cause gratefulness at home, Goodnight!

river rats

Oh to be a kid! And Mine are savoring every last minute of vacation fun. We spent the morning on the rock in the river. No one wanted to leave when it was time for lunch. We must pull ourselves away in order to have time for a few other things we love.

math camp fun

Math Camp is over and what fun it was. Awards included, hardest worker, 2nd place team competition award, leadership award. A good time was had by all, we hope the results will show this year in school. I am thankful these men have had an opportunity to work as a team player and for teachers other than me. I hope their experiences will be lasting memories to build on in the future.

homeward bound

We have begun packing. How will we get all this stuff back in the van, I have no idea. This great trip is coming to an end and while we do not want to get back to work, normal routine will be nice.
I am looking forward to these activities that I find therapeutic:
hanging laundry on the line
preparing a schedule for fall
baking bread
my laundry room
cleaning out the chicken coop
working with the baby goat(so we will be able to milk)
watering flowers
contemplating a fall garden
While these activities seem so ordinary, they are the ones that bring me much joy and fulfillment.
Travel day is set for Saturday.
Packing must go on.

e=mc2

The boys are half way through Math Camp and really enjoying it. They have one of Dad's math professors from his college days. Each night they get in the car and tell us how crazy she is. They do not say it in a critical way, they are commenting on just how much energy she has.

On the home front, subtraction is all we seem to be doing. Each day we minus more chickens; down to 2. This equals zero eggs for those of you following this word problem. If we order chickens now, it will be four to five months until they are laying. I don't want to buy eggs!

Well, I am savoring my surroundings, cool nights, rainy afternoons, and all the beauty. This is coming to a close and, as usual, it will be difficult to leave. More to come in a another post.

tie dyed

Remember the days of your youth? Here is a through back for you.......tie dye in the park. What fun, I didn't have to assemble all the stuff (I mean mess) and and figure it out. Someone was there to walk my children through step by step, coaching them on how to get the look they wanted, samples already done so they could chose which one they liked best. One small issue I had not planned on.

"That was so much fun Mama, can't we please do it again?"

Guess what all of you will be getting for Christmas. I must admit ~ it was quite fun.

I hope all you are having a wonderful summer! Apply lots of sunscreen, stay out of the heat, or at least in water. A Happy Independence Day to you!

just off the beaten path and straight up hill

Tonight was a beautiful night, perfect for an after supper hike. This was not meant to be a poem, so for those of you who thought just maybe I was going there, and you know who you are, sorry, but I am just too tired. This is not a journal post but a picture post. The following pictures are in order taken along the path as we went. This waterfall is on the grounds of the Mission Retreat just on the other side of the mountain. Children not pictured were at a concert.

bookworm?

I have an announcement! Caleb just might finish TWO novels in a week! This is cause for celebration, and that's what he did, with a trip to the ice cream store. The library called to let us know he won an ice cream for a book review he had completed and put in a drawing. I think he is hoping to add more reviews to have a better chance at the grand prize. I'm not overly concerned with the reason behind the added interest. It makes me smile when he tells me he needs to take his book in, wherever we are going, when I tell him he should leave it in the car. I also laugh when he makes the comment, "this one is even better than the last one". I sometimes think, if I can just find a book he will really like, he will be hooked. I didn't like reading for enjoyment, or any assignment, until I was in college. Therefore, I understand his reluctance. I just hope his journey has finally begun and it will be long and rewarding.