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!

Changing Seasons

This last week has been a busy one, and we are finding ourselves in a season of change.  I suppose this was bound to happen as our children grow,and find themselves needing, wanting different things.  Thankfully, the Lord has been protecting my tender mama's heart from too much change.  I am not sure I could handle a lot more!

The change is in several forms.  The first is that we are finding it more difficult to go camping as a family. Already, our oldest had stopped going a few years ago.  Now that he is 17, he is able to stay by himself and cat sit.  And his involvement in marching band makes our camping trips less frequent, as we are trying to be supportive band parents.

The other two still enjoy camping, though not as much as they once did.  And frankly, Jeff and I are finding it a lot more work than fun, even with the teen's willing help.  So, we had the unusual experience of coming home from a camping trip and deciding to cancel two upcoming trips!  It is usually the opposite.  Nothing bad happened.  We all just said that day trips would be as nice, and we love our home!  Perhaps that is one of the precipitates.  We love being closer to home as there is so much to do around here.  We did schedule a trip up to our beloved lake in July, but we will stay at a hotel.  We will see how it goes.  We don't plan to sell the camper just yet, but it is an idea on the table.  We spend $40 a month to store it.  We still have one camping trip left on the books.

The other change has to do with our schooling.  Our youngest had already declared himself ready to try the local public school.  With our oldest doing well there, we were considering it, however, they are two very different boys, and I was not totally on board.  Grace has mostly finished the Sonlight offerings for high school, as she started the high school cores when she was in middle school with an older brother going through them.  So she was also looking for a new school plan.  So, it has been decided that they will be enrolled in an accredited online school.  They will still be at home, which I like, but they will have outside accountability. Then if Trevor comes up with a compelling reason to try the public high school the following year, he will have accredited records that our local school will require.  He may not go.  He may like this online school well enough.  We shall see.  We have two friends who are enjoying this online school, so that gives us hope.

And as I mentioned last week, Jeff starts a new job this coming Monday.  I am praying it is a good fit.  I am so thankful that it is close to home. (Another reason to love our home!)  It is ironic though.  If he had not taken the job so far away, we never would have moved here.  God knew though!

The Pace of Life

Life is moving a long at full speed. Despite our school year winding down, we are pretty busy.  Last week, we finished AWANA.  We have agreed to be Trek directors again next year.  A big part of our decision came down to a major change for us. Jeff accepted a new position at a CPA firm 9 miles from home!!  Jeff won't have to drive 60 miles a day now.  He will be saving so much in gas and time.  As I am someone who craves stability and security, a new job brings anxiety, and a chance to trust the Lord!  He starts in June.

Ryan has started marching band!  He will be playing saxophone.  Last Saturday was kick off.  Do you know how much work goes into band?  That boy has made quite the commitment, and we are so proud of him. He will be learning saxophone on the fly.  He says it is not hard.  He is one happy kid!

Grace and I finally got our raised garden beds put together and filled.  Hers has marigolds, zinnias, and sun flowers.  Mine has tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, parsley, and catnip. A bunny ate two of the tomatoes and cucumbers.  I need a fence! It was such a joy to be able to have boxes again.  I am so thankful and grateful for my husband who helped make our dream come true!

We finish school Thursday.  These last days are the hardest.  We can smell freedom!!

Last Five Photos

In an effort to find something worth posting, I have decided to upload and share the last five photos taken on my phone.

My dear husband painted our table.  It turned out great.  Now the old plastic chairs that we have look terrible.  So we are kind of, not really hard looking for second hand chairs.

Grace was looking so lovely that I snapped this picture before we left for church.

This geranium is one that I propagated from my grandfather's geranium.  We call it, "Son of Grandpa."  Trevor says,"Does that mean it is really Daddy?"

My cousins got together for an evening meal to celebrate our cousin's visit from England.

Trevor's grandpa sent him this meal, as Trevor had a fever and was unable to join us at another family gathering this week.  He is all better now, thankfully.

We have had quite a lot of socializing this month with friends and family.  I am looking forward to the quieter weekend coming up.  Too bad it is only Monday!