{pretty, happy, funny, real} -- June 30th and some blogging updates

{pretty}

My tomato plants!  Oh, the delight of homegrown tomatoes.
In fact, I'd call them BEAUTIFUL not just pretty!

{happy}

This is an old picture from late May.  Hubby and I went out "on the town"- our small town, that is. It was a very happy night.

{funny}

This took place in my backyard about an hour ago!
Summer joys: this hammock is the source of many of them.

{real}

(get it...REEL)

Yes, a REEL mower.  This is our new mower.  There are many things I love about it and a few I don't.  One thing I do love...it makes for a pretty decent work out.  Most mornings I get up early and spend about 30 minutes pushing this thing around the yard.  (The new yard is large enough I can only do about 1/4 per day...well, I could do more, but I like stretching it out.)  Another thing I love about it: It is so quiet I can enjoy catching up on my podcasts.

Enjoy more at Like Mother, Like Daughter.


And the updates...

Sorry for the unplanned and unannounced blogging hiatus.  Wish I could say I had some great reason, but it was really just summer.  It always takes us a little bit of time to get our summer schedule going...and then we took an unexpected trip to visit dear friends in Little Rock.  (Photos on our family blog and probably some posted here soon.)

I've been thinking a lot lately about blogging.  I keep thinking I'm done with it, but I can't quite give it up.  One blogging friend said she feels "bored" with the internet...and maybe that is part of it.  Or maybe it is that I feel boring myself.  Am I boring you?  It's a thought anyway.  Another blogging friend said she just isn't sure what her blog is going to become...she feels things have changes so much as her kids have moved out of their preschool/early elementary ages...and maybe that is part of it.  Although I do still have a toddler.

Anyway, I not totally sure what blogging has in store for me.  I plan to keep plugging along perhaps in a more personal and familial way.  This blog gets many hits (and a few emails) about Classical Conversations.  This was a nice way to gain some traffic, but it has left me feeling sort of trapped.    I'm just not a CC evangelist.  It works for us, but that is about the best I can say.  So, if you are subscribed because you are hoping for lots more posts about CC, I can't promise them.  They may indeed happen here and there, but it won't really be a main thrust of this blog.

So, I'll just keep blogging and see where I end up.  Hopefully, I'll still have some readers when I get there - wherever that is.

Happy summer, and a day late: Blessed Feast of Saints Peter and Paul!

As spring comes to an end. . .

Feast of the Ascension

The calendar says we have 20 more days until spring is officially over, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell it isn't summer around here.

School is out for all the kids, although all three of the school-aged kids have some work to do this summer.  H and E both have math to finish up.  Everyone has some reading to do.

We've hung our hammock and are working on digging a fire pit.  My laundry line is hung (for airing out linens, line-drying beach towels, etc).  The tomato plants are laden with green tomatoes.

The ice cream man has begun making rounds, although we have yet to catch him.

And we've had about a week with 90+ degree weather!

Summer is HERE!

Some events and updates from the Spring:

:-: Our sweet Louie passed away.  We think he was bitten by a snake.  It was very, very sad as he was SO loved.

We buried Louie in a special spot in our woods.  

:-: We adopted a new kitty: Ezekial Clyde.  He's a very sweet cat.

Zeke taking a nap.

:-: S finished his first year of high school.  Next year he will be participating in the Classical Conversations Challenge 2 program.  (If you are interested in learning more about their program, click on that link!)

:-: New neighbors moved in and our cul-de-sac is complete!  Only one more lot to be built on and our neighborhood will be finished.

{pretty, happy, funny, real} - May 15

A few days late due to Blogger's issues. . . .

{pretty}

Why can't things be made as beautifully as this anymore?  This is my great-grandmother's sewing machine.

{happy}

This is our new kitty: Ezekial Clyde ("Zeke").  A "Free Kitten" sign led to us bringing home this little guy. 

 {funny}

And here he is taming the plant.

{real}

This huge snapping turtle wandered through our yard this week.  His shell was easily 18" long!

Other bloggers, other photos at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

Finally, I'm joining the lovely bloggers at Like Mother, Like Daughter in {pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

. . . this curtain filters the morning light in my bathroom.  

I find new homes not as charming as older homes and sometimes I am discouraged that my home (being new) lacks charm.  But perhaps charm is not found in just the old - that is easy, it is found in the lovely regardless of age.

{happy}

I wish you could hear the squeals of laughter as she ran back and forth on the sidewalk.  

{funny}

This is what happens when I am so distracted by doing Kalliope's hair (and she is sitting happily and quietly entertaining herself) that I fail to notice what she's up to!  Big sister's play make-up was such fun!

 {real}

Burying our beloved kitten, Louie.  We think he was bitten by a snake.  He had been acting slightly off for a day and then disappeared, but we didn't find him for a few days and then it was too late.

Birds not blogging

A Carolina Bluebird has made her home in our mailbox complete with a tiny, perfect, pale blue egg.

Spring is springing ... and other activities

The weather has turned warm here, but I'm still suspicious.  Surely we'll get another cold snap.  Perhaps not, though.  I can't believe I haven't added any photos since January!

This is one of the last days we had these lovely paperwhite blooms.

She loves to pretend to be "big brubbie" with his headphones and computer.  Sorry, Burbbie, about the sticky fingerprints on your keyboard.  :)

E turned 9 in late January!

We took her for a small celebration with two good friends to the "Jumpy Place".

See here they are!

This is why we call it the "Jumpy Place".

The girls caught and enjoyed "fostering" a box turtle for a day.

The creek was still icy on a few mornings.

This is why we call him "King Louis" - King Louis the "CAT-orze" (modified French there)

Valentine's Day treats

These were gone in a day, I think.

Erik brought home some lovely forced bulbs from Trader Joe's for my Valentine's day!

More photos to come...

Today is . . .

. . .a special day in our home.  Two years ago this sweet girl became part of our family.    

We celebrated with fresh Krispie Kreme doughnuts.  YUM!  As you can see, L is not shy about eating!

Oh, yes, they are that good.

Cheers, Baby L, here's to two years as a part of our family.

A week of winter pleasures

We rarely get to enjoy the quiet whiteness of a snowy landscape.

Steaming bowls of homemade chicken and rice soup.

Little E teaches us how to make some playdoh creatures.

Toddler L enjoying a morning of playdoh

A first sleepover with our new neighbor (in the white, little E in pink)!

Not the best picture, but I had to show you what our crazy dog does.   She even sits perched on this stool like some over-sized bird.

a promise of spring

A week of winter pleasures

We rarely get to enjoy the quiet whiteness of a snowy landscape.

Steaming bowls of homemade chicken and rice soup.

Little E teaches us how to make some playdoh creatures.

Toddler L enjoying a morning of playdoh fun

A first sleepover!

Not the best picture, but I had to show you what our crazy dog does.   She even sits perched on this stool like some over-sized bird.

a promise of spring

The First Day of Christmas - 2010

On the first day of Christmas, we awoke to the soft, closeness of a snow-blanketed forest.  A delightful little Christmas gift, no? 

It is now nearly 3 in the afternoon and the snow has mostly stopped.  The road is visible and some snow is melting, but it is still so lovely and bright outside.  I'm tucked under a cozy comforter sipping chocolate-cherry hot cocoa (I'll share the recipe!) and nursing a flu.  Yes, the same one the boys had earlier.  Our dear little "E" (8 year old daughter) is also ill.  So, we will enjoy just looking at the snow.  The boys have been out, but only for a bit.

Not quite the way we expected the day after Christmas to be spent, but a quiet, lazy snowed-in day is nice.

How are my other east-coaster friends doing?  I think there are some of you who have quite a bit of snow on the ground.   White Christmas blessings to you all!

Advent pictures

Our artist.  Not a day goes by without a painting, a drawing, a sculpture or creation of some kind.

He got this silly hat (it sings and the bell shakes back and forth) from a friend at church.  Check out the YouTube video!  (you can see some of his other goofy videos - yes, we homeschool.)

E and I found this wasp next in the woods a couple of weeks ago.

Saint Nicholas Day (Dec 6th ) goodies!   My goodness, don't those two look sleepy?

And L discovering her St Nick goodies.  I think she is amazed we gave her candy before breakfast!

Yum - the goody jars!  So tempting...and almost gone now.  

A quiet late fall afternoon.  H and E spent the afternoon drawing and listening to some old Christmas radio shows.

S - still has some Christmas humor in him despite being a high schooler. 

Farmor arrived last night.  The girls enjoyed a snuggly Christmas book.