We had a quiet dinner at home for Alannah's 23rd birthday. It has been such a blessing having her here as long as we have. Ours have tended to fly from the nest earlier vs later. In her case, having a wonderful local college nearby and lots of privacy at home has made for a practical arrangement for this very responsible young woman. These days are numbered no doubt. We get few birthdays with our faraway adult children, so we relish celebrations together at home when we can get them.
Tess has been showing more and more interest in the sewing machine and has developed a very steady hand and foot recently. We have looked through many, MANY, how to sew books and most left us underwhelmed. We decided to jump in learn on items that would actually be used. She and Abbie finished this apron made from upcycled jeans and painted a wooden spoon to go along with for their little bestie next door who had a birthday this month. We are so pleased and need to get started on our next project.
How to make binding here.
Apron directions here.
Up for a virtual Sunday drive in the country? How about we visit Midway, Utah? It's a little bit of Switzerland in the Rockies. We hope to return for Swiss Days in the fall or the Christmas creche festival. From the folk painted exteriors to the bits of charm throughout town to the horseback riders along the road, it was a breath of fresh air.
It's hard to tell here but we arrived as the clock struck on the hour. The doors opened and the tiny figures spun around as the chimes rang.
Whoever planted these is surely a kindred spirit.
This fella?
I got nuthin'
It's funny how you think you know the stories inside and out and yet a fifth or fifteenth or fiftieth read still yields another new revelation. We have commisserated and mused with several different friends all feeling the pull to be someplace other than where they have found themselves to be very firmly rooted. It is easy to strew pithy quotes to our left and our right as we dance past this sort of anguish. "Bloom where you are planted!" We scold. Listening closer often reveals deeper concerns rather than simple discontent:
"We are here in an urban jungle and our children are surrounded by materialism and vice."
"We are isolated in the country. There are no opportunities for the arts, no likeminded faithful families nearby."
"We are starting over. Again. Our kids left their church friends and are struggling to break into the new group."
"If we could just get to the other place there would be… (the better school, house, job, church, opportunity….)"
"I'm not sure why we are here."
We worry. It feels cavalier to tell our children, our spouses, it will all be fine when we are eye to eye with major challenges, lack of support, isolation. When is that faith and when is that being callous or plain foolhardy?
Is it possible this is God's will?
Maybe so. Maybe this is exactly where God has put you to save your soul. Perhaps He has whisked you, your spouse, your child from an unknown danger. Perhaps you have been plucked from your comfortable place to be where you were needed, even if that purpose has not yet been shown to you. Perhaps this is our season to pull away from other voices and be alone with the One we truly need to hear. To lean into the fear and trust that a good plan is unfolding even right where we stand.
Perhaps.
While my guys were tackling a deck repair the other day I ended up getting some work done ahead in the kitchen. Big project of the day was getting some dressing and ghee made. Aidan had mentioned In and Out sauce a few days earlier so I made up a copycat batch. We also knocked out some Paleo ranch which I feel I cannot live without from this day forward. Disclosure – husband liked it better as a dip than a dressing due to the dill. Say that three times fast. And finally – the ghee. Big new here is that it WORKED. I couldn't seem to get all the milk solids out last time around. Will say it took a lot longer than any of the recipes suggested but look at that. Liquid gold.
We made a double batch of Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash. Oh my word. With the ranch? So good. Daughter and husband crumbled bleu cheese over theirs. Truly a hit. It did make a LOT though so plan accordingly. For the record, it's even better the second day for leftovers.
I made broccoli soup to go with. It was also even better as a leftover. Everyone liked it. Almost everyone. Not this one….
There's one in every crowd. Note to self: have cheddar handy next time.
That sounded catchy. It's actually far more impromptu and serendipitous than thoroughly preplanned, however it has come together so nicely. First, it's hot. Just blasted hot. Second, September is starting to fill up with fun travel plans. So we jointly decided to do some projects now while we are otherwise melting and will have a head start on the autumn semester which is always full to the brim.
True to form this idea occured to me AFTER the 4th. Since the unit study police don't actually exist we are making a whole patriotic month of it over here. This is part of our stack this week:
Which led me to read up on George III and Charlotte and their fifteen fine children. And porphyria and whether or not he had it.
To pull all the separate 'real' books together I have my new favorite ever notebook book. I may have been so gaga over this series I bought them all. They are something like ten bucks at Amazon right now and I am kicking myself for getting mine at B&N but I couldn't stop myself. Years ago – TEN years ago now when I was in perptual motion all day with tiny people – I wrote about guerilla homeschooling. This series makes it super feasible to do that. They give you a broad overview of the topics and general skills your students should have mastered when they leave middle school. The pages are laid out exactly like a bullet journal type of notebook you might have put together yourself. I'm in lesson planning heaven.
The middle schoolers are making this interactive notebook (pssst its free) and sort of crazy over the whole thing. They balked at writing essays about the era, but then complained they were running out of room to put aaaaaaall the cool information they had in their notebooks. That second one is an awesome problem to have as a teacher though. It is helping them learn to distill all that fabulous information to the main points.
They are adding their own maps and things. This was inspired by a page in their book. (linked above)
An art project "in the spirit of" from here. More American symbol art lessons and more American Revolution projects here.
Abbie is working on some latin and English notebook pages:
There has been a LOT of cooking happening – which involves a whole bunch of math and direction following. Here is a July dessert that has no redeeming virtues other than it's color coordination and fun factor. Pioneer Woman's Holiday book as a variation on this recipe which we used.
So that's how July has been shaping up. Summer school this year – which I usually only recommend if you are getting nice restful breaks throughout the main part of the year which we do have.
So. Much. Fun!
We are wrapping up a short trip to the Uintahs. Connection is sketchy so this will be necessarily short. While reading during some down time I ran across Jane Kenyon's poignant poem Otherwise. I was thinking of it when I saw this picture of my dog and I pausing partway up Mt Timpagonos. We are a little sore after our climb, but grateful for this very good day. I take not one single one of these for granted.
Otherwise
I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.
At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.
~ Jane Kenyon
I came across a wonderful summer bucket list a teacher made for her students encouraging them to experience all nature has to offer this summer. My artsy kids were inspired to take the framework of her sketch and make their own list to which we continue to add more ideas. The four element categories remind us to broaden and balance our study of the natural world and incorporate more aspects of it into our summer days. I should clarify that our love of the natural world does in no way verge on the magical in a religious sense. We simply believe the Creator made a rich, multi-faceted world for us to enjoy. A feast for the senses.
I have also been thinking about some ideas Donna Simmons had years ago about therapeutic or healing education and addressing the full spectrum of needs in a child versus focusing solely on the intellectual. Her thoughts would be echoed later by Kim John Payne in Simplicity Parenting. It's a big busy world. Who of us does not feel a tangible peace spreading when we light a candle before dinner or at church, when we gather around a campfire, when we run a warm bath at the end of a hectic day, when we dig in our gardens, or feel a little rush as the kite tugs back on its string? We are on top of to do lists, academic goals, lessons, meetings. Why not also be intentional about incorporating those simple things that ground us and brings us back to that quiet place where we can regroup and shore up again? Peace, it's a good thing.
Some ways we checked off the bucket list lately….
Some opportunities to explore this week:
Starry Sky Journal 