Summer...

The summer is flying by. I mean it! It's really flying by! One month until school starts and the glorious freedom of summer turns into the daily responsibility of school and all that goes along with that. Actually, fall is my favorite season. I love the cooler weather, the harvest, the football games, and even the excitement of a "new year". But, I really love summer vacation. Not so much the heat of it, but the freedom it brings... What will we do today? Where will we go today? So many options...or, just doing nothing.

We've enjoyed our summer thus far and are trying to savour each day we have left. We did an 8-day vacation to Florida in early June. It was a fabulous trip until we reached Birmingham, AL on our way home. Our van broke down...actually, our van died! It wasn't going to move another inch. We ended up renting a van to get us home and then had to buy a new car a week later. Bummer... We're thankful we were never in danger, and that we were able to find a used vehicle that we could afford.

My sister-in-law and our 11 year-old nephew came to AR from New Jersey for a short visit. We showed him the small town life and made a day trip to Branson. He had a great time and lamented that he didn't want to leave. He didn't know how fun AR with his cousins could be.

Now, our big boys are at New Life Ranch participating in their leadership training program. The day they left for camp, our 3 little ones went to spend 4 glorious days at Aunt Gayle's. I am so thankful for an aunt that welcomes and loves my kids. They adore her and Uncle Jimmy and think their house is one of the best places in the world to be.

The littles came home on Thursday afternoon, right after I had oral surgery to remove 3 wisdom teeth. I had contemplated having the teeth out early in the week while the kids were all away, but decided against it. This was the first time in almost 18 years I had been this home alone...4 whole days! I figured I'd like to enjoy those days, not spend them with puffy cheeks in a drug induced stupor.

So, that's what's going on around here. The big boys have another week of camp, but they get to call home today! And, I've been doing a lot of knitting... I love summer!

Here are some fingerless gloves... Thank you to my lovely model, Katie.

This is a hat that converts to a neck warmer. The bow around the top can be untied and pulled down over the face and then scrunched up again to keep your neck toasty. Again, thank you Katie.

No need to explain these... adorable.

I'm particularly happy with these slippers. I was a little nervous about them fitting, but they turned out great!

This is a scarf I made in early summer... It's a lovely brown and has red beads throughout.

Here are a few things that Zane has completed this summer.

Finally, this picture should make everyone feel really good about themselves...

My Summer Reading

Yes, yes...I know. You haven't been able to sleep at night because you've been wondering what in the world has happened to Trish! Thanks for the thoughts, but you needn't worry. I'm here. I'm still trying to hang on to every last drop of summer... I'm gardening for the first time ever and am enjoying it immensely. And, I'm working on getting my act together to start school. But, enough about all that...
One of the things that I have enjoyed so much this summer is getting to read. So, I thought I'd do a little book list/review... I checked several of these books out from the library, so I don't have them in front of me, so I might not be able to give you the authors. You're smart. You can find it if you want to.

A Handmade Life - written my the gal that has the blog www.orangette.blogspot.com. I really liked this book. It is a memoir that chronicles her life and the food that she associates with the times of her life. It has 50 recipes...including the Winning Hearts and Minds Chocolate Cake. I've made this twice and it's fantastic.

The Egg and I - By Betty MacDonald -- This book was written in the 40s, I think, and was a bestseller, which was rare for a woman. It tells about her and her chicken-loving husband living on a farm in Washington state. It was a funny book. I liked it.

Onions in the Stew - Betty MacDonal - Continues her story after a divorce, and a new marriage. She and her husband and 2 daughters move to an island in Washington state. It was ok, but I like the first book better.

Country Matters - Michael K? - Another book about a New York couple buying a farm and how they came to love it. It was a good book...easy to put down and pick back up. Has some language.

The Curate's Awakening - George MacDonald - A fabulous fiction book that deals with questions about God and faith. I try to read this book at least once a year.

A is for Apron - a book of apron patterns. I actually made an apron to hold clothespins and harvested produce. I love it.

The Magic Apple Tree - Another book that chronicles a life on the farm. Written by a gal that's famous in England. Another book that's easy to put down and pick up. I like reading about this stuff...do you see a pattern?

I read several books about raising chickens. The one that I actually bought as a reference is The Joy of Keeping Chickens.

Made from Scratch - I loved this book. The author is Jenna W. and she has the blog www.coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com Her book tells about her transformation from a city dweller to a country dweller in the city. She tells about her first attempt to raise chickens and other endeavors. And, she gives info on how you can start small as you head towards the goal of homesteading.

Hobby Farms - a sort of reference book on how to do things on a farm, but as a hobby.

I subscribed to 2 magazines that I really like. Hobby Farms is a magazine that deals with mainly the outside stuff...barns, pens, gardens, tractors, etc... The other magazine is Hobby Farms Home, which deals with the inside stuff. I like them both, but would go with HFHome if I had to choose one.

I read LOTS of cookbooks and information about canning and preserving...

Wow... I guess I was a little single-minded this summer.

This and That

I keep thinking I need to post something... but I don't really have any earth shattering news or exciting events to write about. Wait! My oldest was talking at the dinner table last night and with his exuberant hand-waving, completely flipped over his plate of spaghetti. Most of it flipped into the butter tub. That's it. That's our exciting event. Is your heart racing?

For our family, the end of April and then through May is probably our busiest time of year. As we wind down our home school, warm weather taunts us as we get our algebra and spelling finished. And, it's time for my yearly "Project Surge". I am suddenly inspired to get busy with all these projects I keep seeing around the house. But, I. must. stay. focused... I've got to finish up May before I can tackle the fun stuff. That doesn't mean there's been no fun around here. My garden is up and running and I must say that I'm just tickled with it. Everything looks really good and we found beans poking through the fresh soil yesterday. I transplanted my cantaloupes today and will get a few marigolds in this weekend. See... not all work and no play.

I also had a birthday last Saturday. The yearly melancholy-ness came and went without too much ado... Birthdays and Mother's Days without a mother stink. But, my family came through and I had a lovely day. The weather was beautiful, and I felt loved.

The Sounds of Summer

What a great holiday weekend! I love it when the holiday falls on a Friday. It fools my brain into feeling like Friday is Saturday. Then, on Friday night, it's so exciting to realize, "Hey! It's only Friday! We get one more day!!" Even though Sunday is technically part of the weekend, to me it's not really a "free" day. When you have to get up and get dressed up and make a real lunch...well...it's just different. I do try to do the resting thing on Sundays. I used to do all my grocery shopping on Sundays, but that is definitely NOT resting...so I stopped. Not stopped shopping, but shopping on Sundays.

We went to our friend's house for dinner and to watch the big firework show from their backyard. Burgers and potato salad...watermelon and homemade ice cream...swimming until dark...loading sleepy kids into the van after great (not to mention free) fireworks... Lovely.

We worked on the yard this weekend. A couple months ago, my friend Wendy had a girls' night out at her house around her fire pit. It was great!! We do quite a bit of burning and have a mound in the backyard, so I told Roger we should make a little pit like Wendy's. We had some of those bricks that go around a tree...so we used them to go around the fire. As usual, Roger's idea was a little bigger than mine...so now about 20 people could sit around it. We've already used it for smores twice. We had another family over last night with their 3 kiddos... Our boys and their boys with chocolate smeared all over their faces...riding bikes and chasing hundreds of fireflies... Perfect.

Speaking of perfect... I had mentioned in my last post that I got my little bird feeders up and going. I was sitting on the back step this afternoon trying to sit really still so some of the birdies would come to the feeder. The dogs were laying at my feet, asleep. Zane came out and was sitting next to me and I was explaining to him that you have to be really still and quiet so the birds will forget you're there...then they'll come and eat. So, there we sat...trying to be really quiet, listening to the sounds of nature, when all of a sudden, the dog gave us a 3 second fart! Talk about spoiling the moment!! I never really thought about it, but I guess dogs can get gas too. We tried to compose ourselves, but she did it 3 more times!! Well, no birdies were coming near us, so we went inside.

Finally, tonight we got everyone and a visiting little friend loaded into the van to go hit tennis balls at the courts. Naturally, 5 minutes after we arrived, my 6 year old announced that he had to go to the bathroom. We realized that he'd never had the opportunity to pee outside. So, Roger took him behind a tree. All I heard was a lot of giggling. He has officially joined the "pee on a tree" club. If he's anything like my other boys, I'll have to explain that the tree is only if there aren't any bathrooms around...It shouldn't be the first choice...and it surely shouldn't be in the neighbor's yard!

Fireworks, lots of giggling, chasing fireflies, dogs farting... What a great summer so far!

Wonderfully Boring

The very thing I feared would happen has happened. I have nothing to say. I actually enjoy the fact that things are pretty boring/relaxed right now. I see people write that they have nothing to say on their blogs and I always think to myself that it's silly because I like reading about people's lives....especially people I know. There are ladies that I hardly ever see, but now I feel more connected because I read their blog. So...here are some boring snippets of my wonderful but boring summer...

---deep cleaned the school room. Books SOOOO dusty. Would you like to take bets on how long it can stay that way?

---Packed up last year's school books and computer. They're in boxes next to our door, ready to be returned when I get the UPS labels in the mail.

---Rearranged Katie's room. I think I pulled a muscle in my back.

---A lady I know introduced me to her husband as, "This is Trish Youmans. She's a supermom." I don't think it was a compliment. Spent a day obsessing about that. Decided to ignore her.

---Taking Zane to swimming at 7:30 in the morning 3 times a week.

---Got a hook to hold our bird feeders. Roger chopped down a tree right outside our breakfast nook while I was in Italy. Now, my little birdie friends have gone! So, I got a hook and put it next to the new baby tree. I hung the feeders, and even added a little bird bath, and hoped for birdie forgiveness. I got it...and they're back.

---Did a little birthday shopping. My baby turns 6 on Friday.

---Took the kids to hit tennis balls a couple of times in the evening last week. We had a great time! I'm trying to keep us away from the TV.

---Had a followup to a mammogram. Everything is fine. I held it together until the Dr. told me I was fine...then I fell apart.

---Contacted a realtor in Tahlequah to sell our land/cabin. We just never use it.

---Went to the library...again, trying to keep kids away from the TV.

---Started a new book...and actually read past the first chapter!

---So thankful for my summer and the freedom to do nothing...or anything... Still 9 more weeks!!

Everyone Home - At Last

Well, my men will be home tomorrow night, and we'll all be together. Roger and the big boys are in Dominican Republic with our youth group building a new church for a group of believers that don't have a place to worship. They left last Wed. So, I took the 3 little ones and we went to Branson on Tuesday. We stayed 5 nights and had a blast. We returned on Sunday and I hit the ground running with my list. I always get so much done when Roger isn't here. I don't have to stop and cook, or clean. We can have cereal for dinner and everyone loves it! With my trip done, and the boys' trip almost done, we're staying put for a while. No other plans but work and trying to stay cool as the temps rise.