End of June Ramblings

Be forewarned, this post is a jumble of my thoughts as I contemplate the fact that the last quiet week of summer is here.  Starting next week we will be really busy.  So this week has been dedicated to reading, taking care of a few errands, riding bikes, and getting the house in order.  Hey, at least next week I should have something more interesting to blog about.  :)

As for this past week, we rode our bikes more than 30 miles. That brings us over 100 miles for June.

Grace and I visited a farm market in another town just south of us.  I am going to make it a regular thing.  I miss going.

Jeff and Trevor attended a "Passing the Torch" class at church.

We have had a ton of rain! It is probably going to be a wet July, too, if the pattern continues.  Better now than in January!

We visited a nearby church where good friends attend.  We are praying about where that might lead us.  It sure was nice to drive 15 minutes to church.  The kids attended youth group with their kids, also similar in ages to our kids. This is a huge deal, as we have been at our beloved church since 1995.

So many changes!

~Jenn

It's a Jungle

This glorious rain has produced quite a burst of green in our little garden boxes.  We even harvested an 8 inch cucumber this week.  I love growing things in a box.  There is no room for weeds.  The plants need less water.  And they produce lovely results.  Makes me want more garden boxes next year.  I certainly will not try to grow cucumbers on trellis'.  They need more room.  I was greedy.

That's That

I have lost track of how much rain we have received in the last couple weeks.  I do know that I dumped the rain gauge a few days ago,when it had 1.5 inches, and today it is back over 1 inch.  I know we are not as bad off as the folks down in Texas with the flooding, but we are seeing the affects of Tropical Storm Bill.

In fact, right now, we were supposed to be down south setting up our camp.  We had our favorite spot at one of our favorite parks, too.  We decided to cancel when we heard about Bill.  We are not big into camping in the rain.  A passing shower, no big deal, but a tropical storm is another animal.  Now the area has flash flood warnings for today and tomorrow.

Oh well, except that this was probably the last trip we had planned in our camper for awhile.  It is a disappointment, however we will still have an enjoyable weekend with lots of family time, so no big deal, really.  Here's hoping we can go soon!

Our trip last month. 

Not!

Like many mothers, I decided to write up a summertime plan for my kiddos, to keep them off the computer 24/7.  I shared my document with them, asking for their input. This is their editing.

Summertime Party! WOO! WOO!

1. Read for at least 20 minutes.  Does include computer, and STO wiki.
2. Write something: journal, friendly note, email, cookbook, angry letter  .
3. Math, as in adding ,and subtracting and making cookies from cookie clicker.
4. Play, build, minecraft, craft or do something creative for at least 40 hours.
5. Complete chores, per Mom. Just your regular chores.
6. Eat cookies for at least 20 minutes. Or 45 if you are man enough.
7. Spend time in the virtual outside. Because virtual outside is way better than the real outside.
8. Make sure your room is tidy. (Dust, vac, purge, sheets, pick up 10 month old Chinese food)
9. Garden, weed, trim toenails and hair, rip up plants and put them in a stew for dinner, mow as needed.
10. We love you, Mommie -Grace and Trevor </ 3

A Quiet Week

We have had a little quieter week, since June band camp was completed.  Jeff's new job seems to be going well.  Grace is crafting away, making cards with quilled flowers.  I have decided it is OK to have a quieter week.  Perhaps we needed one.  The only problem is that I can find it hard to keep track of the days!

Last Saturday, we took a nice 8 mile bike ride in town.  We are getting good at using our bike rack.  It took a few tries to get it adjusted.  I am very thankful to have one.  It is so nice to be able to take all five bikes and all five of us in one van.

Saturday afternoon, we celebrated the graduation of our cousin.  He lives 1.5 hours away, so it was an enjoyable country drive. I loved seeing many cousins, some I see only once in awhile.

Sunday, we had church, and then not a whole lot planned.  We did end up going to get potting soil, so that I could re-pot my African violets.  I am not an expert at this, and my poor violets are not the happiest looking plants.  I read up on what to do.  I hope they perk up.

Monday was super quiet.  I am trying to use Mondays to get the house back in order, and get laundry caught up.  It rained a whole inch.  That was exciting.  Thankfully, we were still able to take a bike ride after dinner.

Today, Tuesday, we took the cats to the vet for their wellness checks.  That was enough drama for the day. The poor dears did not enjoy their field trip.  And Giles has a wheeze that needs looked in to.  He gets to go back.

The rest of this week is pretty unscheduled.  There is a block party to attend, groceries to buy, and some chores to do.  We will ride our bikes when the weather allows.  How can it be in the 90's again? Summer. Ah summer.

Lamb's Ear

It's So Final

Boy, another week has flown by!  This past week was finals week for my oldest.  He also had a cold, and a big marching band rehearsal one evening during finals.  He managed to do very well, thankfully.  He got a perfect score on his Chemistry final, amazing!  I have to say, he really had a great year, and we are very thankful.  He also received notice of a very good SAT score.  What a week for him.

Enjoying the pretty sky as we wait for oldest at band. 

The rest of us, well, we had a nice first week of summer vacation.  Jeff was off for Memorial Day and Friday as well.  Memorial Day was memorable as we purchased new appliances, which were installed on Friday.  I feel so spoiled, yet the learning curve is steep with fancy systems to master.  

Blessed!

Tuesday through Thursday, besides running Ryan back and forth to school, we rode our bikes, worked on the house by putting away camping things, and just enjoyed some down time.  We rode our bikes 26.4 miles this week.  Awesome.

First fruits!  Almond pound cake. 

Saturday we finally got to our local farm market.  We found some soap, salad dressing, and enjoyed all the sights.  We also had to do our weekly stock up trip to the grocery store since we had to empty our old fridge for the new one, and wait for the new one to be cold enough.  Best part of the day for me was getting new athletic shoes.  My feet were hurting from wearing the old ones.

My silly boy. 

Mom and Dad's bikes ready to go. 

Sunday was our biggest bike ride of the season so far.  We packed up our bikes, and after church, and a fine lunch at my parents, we all headed to a bike trail for an 8 mile ride.  We are still learning to ride together,so there were a few bumps, but the trip was proof of concept.  We are hoping to do another longer ride soon.

Hope you are having a good start to your summer, as well!