The First Days of School--With No Pictures

This post could have two titles.  The other would be, "Cameraless".  Not a word?  Well, it means we now have no working cameras in this house.

Sunday, Cameron and Callie served dinner at a church in downtown Indy and Callie forgot her purse there.  We got the purse back, but one thing was missing.  Her camera.  It's a bit ironic that someone took something that has no power cord with it and the piece that tells you what all the buttons are for has fallen off.  They may be disappointed!

Callie hasn't been near as upset as I would have expected.  I realized she thinks that the one that was dropped in the sand can just be fixed with no problem and that she will end up with a new one or our fixed one.  Remember that book that I'm reading?  About youth entitlement?  Oh the irony!

Well I wrote about our school days before the camera drama and I was waiting to post it when we downloaded the pics.  Guess I'll go ahead and post it since I don't really know for sure when that camera will drop out of the sky onto our porch. LOL

Whenever it does, I will have the girls do a replay for pictures!
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Two days down, 178 to go.  So far, so good.  :)

Our first day we continued our tradition of joining our favorite field trip buddies for the official First Day of School Field Trip.  This year, we traveled a little and went to the Creation Museum.  The dad's and even a grandma joined us this time and we had a wonderful day.  The weather was perfect, the drive not too far and the company some of the best. 

The second day was a "traditional" school day.  At least as traditional as homeschooling can be.  Kate was very excited for her first day of first grade and did a great job.  Callie misread the instructions for math and thought she had double the pages to finish.  Thankfully, I caught her before she had a complete meltdown!

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Now we have had four days and things are still going well.  I love the reading that Callie and I are reading together and discussing and she loves seeing the connections between our Literature and History.  Maybe Jr. High won't be so bad after all.

We're As Ready As We're Going to Get

I wish I felt as ready as this room looks.  I love this room!  That's not me bragging.  That's me be very thankful for the creativity of my friend and a friend of hers.  It's just perfect.

Mentally, I am not quite ready for school to start, but our school/sewing room has been cleaned, bookshelves added and supplies are ready.

The previously blue bookcase/cabinet

Monday is the day.  Seventh and first grade.....here we come!

One of these days I am going to make a bunting to go across these windows.

Our bulletin board is an old window that we found.  We just tape things to it.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Phil. 4:13

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

Remember that bumper crop of cucumbers we were going to have?  We had eaten a lot already and made one batch of pickles too.  I'm glad we enjoyed them while we had them.  The storm that blew down our trees blew several of those limbs right across the garden.  The cucumbers were and corn were most damaged.  I was holding out hope that they would revive since the roots were still in the ground.  Tonight, we admitted defeat.  Cameron pulled them out.  I need to figure out what we can plant there now since it is a good sized bed.

We're still not sure about the corn.  I don't think they are going to die, but I'm not sure we really planted enough for them to pollinate properly in the first place.

Our pumpkins may turn out okay.  We have one that looks really good and ready to pick.  One that has a bad spot already and one that looks like it may be good .  There are several blooms on the plant that will hopefully produce some good pies, soup and muffins.

I certainly don't think I will have to worry about freezer space for tomatoes this year.  We've enjoyed some fresh and I did roast one batch for soup, but that's about it.  I don't know what the Roma plants are doing.  Actually, I do.  Virtually nothing!  The few that are turning red are getting black spots on the bottom.

We have gotten the mess cleaned up, but we haven't planted anything yet.  I'm excited about trying garlic this year.  I think we can plant that next month or maybe in October.  We use a lot of garlic, so it would be great if it was successful.  I hope to keep as many things growing as we can for as long as the weather will hold out.   Unfortunately, once school starts we I tend to forget about it.  My focus has already turned indoors with cleaning, painting and organizing for school.  Hopefully this year I won't forget the garden completely.  Maybe I'll add it to my house keeping schedule!

{This Moment}

I haven't been taking very many pictures lately.  It's hard to get the camera away from Callie since the adult camera is broken.

So we are having Flashback Friday!  This was when Callie and Kate saw their covered wagon that they got for Christmas in 2008.

Callie wants me to put this one on here too....

Feb. 2007

Joining in with Soulemama.

Needle & thREAD

I've gotten a little sewing done in the last couple of weeks.  The problem is I don't think I took any pictures before the girls wore their skirts and now they are in the laundry.  The skirts, not the girls. :)

For Kate, I splurged a little and bought an Oliver+S pattern when www.sewmamasew.com was having a sale.  The Sailboat Top, Pants and Skirt.  I love the Oliver+S patterns they are so, so cute!  This is a PDF pattern and even though the process of cutting it out and putting it together seemed a little tedious, I guess it's really no different than cutting out a store bought pattern.  This pattern is quite different from anything I have made before, but not difficult, and I have really enjoyed it.  I'm not quite finished with the shirt yet.

The fabric is from the A Walk in the Woods collection from Pinky fabrics at Etsy.  Great service!  I saw this fabric a long, long time ago and couldn't wait to make something out of it.  I was pleasantly surprised that Callie didn't think she was too old for it.

I'm reading Cleaning House:  A Mom's 12 Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement.  Do you sense a theme here?  This has been an informative and enjoyable read.  The author is pretty funny so she makes what could be just a rant on children in an age of excess into an enlightening piece to truly help our children, and ourselves, not be spoiled and coddled.  I'm on chapter 5 and so far it's all about working, or rather teaching your kids to work.  It's not about turning our kids into our own personal servants, but about teaching them to enjoy work and see the benefits of it.  Not just the pay they may earn but the satisfaction of a job well done.

I'll admit that I was terrible with Callie when she was little and often said, "It's okay, Mommy will do it" because I wanted it done a certain way.  I know, I know.  Thankfully, I'm not doing that with Kate.  She is usually very eager to help and Callie has improved greatly.  Poor firstborns!

I'll try to post pictures tomorrow.

Visit Elizabeth for more.

Yarn Along

I'm so glad to actually be able to join Ginny again.  It's been a long time since I had a finished knitting project.

I finally finished the pair of hand warmers I was working on for Callie.  It took a long time for me to get the hang of it, as usual, but once I did the second one was finished very quickly.  I'm planning on making a pair for myself and Kate has asked for some too.  I'm not sure how that will work out though.  Her little arms and hands are so tiny!  

photo by Callie

I think she may have one pair on wrong side out.  Although, I fully admit that one only has one mistake while the other has several!

As for reading, I finished Honey for A Teen's Heart a few days ago.  I really, really liked this book.  Many of the books recommended in the different sections I was not that familiar with, so I can't really say how I feel about those, but the writing of Gladys Hunt and her advice and wisdom was what I really loved about this book.  

She talked about the importance of reading aloud together as a family even when children are older.  She talked about the special memories they have of certain books and reading them on road trips and camping trips when it was pouring the rain.

She had a whole chapter on the "evils" of TV. 

"...I know that probably the biggest enemy to personal growth is sitting in a prominent corner in a room of your house.  All chairs are facing it-as if this electrical box were the source of a message from on high."

I loved that!  That's is exactly how our living room is set up and almost everyone I know is the same way.  She doesn't really call the TV "evil" and she talks about certain movies that her family has enjoyed, but she believes that it is way over used.  

She doesn't really talk about social media much because the book was written before Facebook and I-phones.

Callie is only 12, but she will be 13 soon and her interest in reading books has not waned.  She likes a large variety of books and when I saw this book at the library I remembered reading the one for younger children and thought this may be helpful for this next phase of life.  I was right!  There is much in this book to help us find good books and discuss what's not good.  As someone who is a little terrified of this next stage, it was also very encouraging to me.  

About the time I was finishing this book, Callie had just finished a book she had gotten at the library.  She really enjoyed it and wanted me to read it.  I honestly don't know if I would have taken the time to read that whole book if I hadn't read Gladys Hunt's book.  I'm glad I did.  Callie was right.  It was a great book and it was fun to talk about it together.

A Little Cleaning Inspiration

I know.  I'm getting ready to write about cleaning.  How desperate can I be? :)  Let me tell you though.  There's nothing like the diagnosis of major allergies to make you want to clean your house out, from top to bottom.  Never mind the fact that we will be starting school and twice a week ballet soon and I am always convinced that if I can get the house REALLY clean before we start, it will stay that way.  I know, I'm dreaming on that last statement, but I always try anyway.

So there is nothing like a few new "tools" to get us inspired.  I've had the same broom for years and it is even broken, but I keep using it.  No more!  I got a new broom and a wonderful little thing made by OXO that will help us win the battle against the spider webs and dust.  I even splurged and bought some Mrs. Meyer's cleaning solution.  Whatever it takes!!

We're getting rid of more stuff and maybe even ripping out the carpet in the girls room.  Although that probably won't happen until next year.  It won't happen at all if Callie has anything to say about it.  We are hoping to bribe her with a pretty rug.

I also made a new cleaning "schedule" of sorts.  It seemed like I was constantly moving and doing things but then never really had much to show for it.  I would work all day, it seemed like, with very little results.  I needed a plan.  So I made a list of everything that needed to be done in each room and divided that list up into 24 days.  I took into account which days are ballet and which days I will be babysitting this fall (Yes, I'm crazy.) and made the lists shorter on those days and we don't do any chores on Sunday.

So far, with Callie and Kate's help, we have stuck to it!  It has been very helpful.  We know exactly what needs to be done, and when those things are done they know they can have play time or whatever.  I know that even though the whole house isn't spotless all at the same time, that each room is going to get a good cleaning either every week or every other, depending on which room it is.  The schedule does not include laundry or basic every day things like making beds or washing dishes, but what is interesting is those things are being done more efficiently too and with more willing helpers!

I'm praying we can keep it going once school starts!

Welcome Home!

The excitement just never stops around here!

Saturday morning we left to go to my parents who live about 2 1/2 hours away.  We were going to celebrate my mom's birthday.  My sisters and dad and us all chipped in to buy her a Nook with the back light.  I've never known anyone who sleeps so little and she often reads in the middle of the night, so the light was a must.  This is her first electronic device.  She was very excited, but a little scared of it too.  :)

We had a good time, even though one sister and her family were missing.  Something about some stupid ball game in Cincinnati or something. :)  Missed you Valerie!

Anyway, on our way home on Sunday, a friend called Cameron and asked where we had been (since we weren't at church) and Cameron told him.  Then the friend says, "Did anyone tell you about your house?"  Now these are words you really don't want to hear.

Thankfully, it wasn't so much the house, but the trees.  Two different trees had basically  split and fallen over right by the back door.  Each one hit the gutters in different spots, but that was all the damage they did to the actual house.  However, one of those trees knocked down and broke our outdoor water spigot.  It is not the more modern thing that is attached to the wall, but stands about 3 feet above ground.  So water had been pouring out of that since the trees had fallen.  We were told the storm came through around 5:30 that morning.

So other than a big mess in the back yard, two pieces of siding ripped off the front of the house and no water, we have a lot to be thankful for! :)  Oh, and a really torn up garden.  Some of those large limbs blew across the garden like a gigantic broom sweeping away dirt.  But back to being thankful....

Seriously, all I kept thinking about over and over was how thankful I was that we had not been home.  I can't imagine the kind of noise that those two trees falling would have made.  The wind out here is often fierce and loud even in a mild storm.  We had to go ten feet into the corn field to get some of the large limbs and a small picnic table that Cameron had rigged up for us and some other odds and ends!

I'm also thankful that there was no serious damage to the house and my new (still not finished painting it) back door!

I'm thankful for the rain that was so desperately needed here.

I'm thankful for good friends with chain saws who are really hard workers.  They came over as soon as we got home and everything except the largest portions of the trunk have already been cleared away and put into a big pile.

I'm thankful that Dominoes has gluten free pizza and for paper plates!

I'm thankful for more good friends who let us come get showers after the clean up.

I'm thankful our two apple trees survived unharmed.

I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed that the BARN is still standing!  That's what we need to get rid of! LOL

So every time today, and possibly more days depending on what is involved with this water pipe outside, that I get frustrated about having no water and how it has totally interrupted my plans,  I am going to repeat this list in my head.  And I'm going to thank God for the fact that we normally have access to all the water we could want.  Because we live in the country and have a well, it is also free.  Many people around the world do not have this most basic "luxury."  It is a blessing that I know we take for granted.

The First Week of August

Monday we went to Six Flags just north of Chicago.  The girls and I earned free tickets through a reading program that Six Flags sponsors.  We planned to just go to the water park since it was so hot.  We had SO MUCH FUN!  Now I am not adventurous.  My idea of a good time is watching a movie with hot chocolate in hand, on the couch with Cameron.  My idea of adventure is going camping in state parks and hiking the man made trails. :)  Callie would probably describe herself the same way.  Well we decided to live on the edge and ride some water rides.  Now don't be too impressed.  These rides were so dangerous that Kate was tall enough to ride them too. LOL  We were very glad we didn't chicken out and everyone had a ball.  It was a dream come true for Kate.  Seven hours spent playing in water.

Tuesday was Kate's surgery.  Thanks to faithful friends and family who prayed, neither I, nor Kate, cried one bit when they wheeled her away.  Cameron wasn't even able to come with me.  Callie woke up not feeling well and he had to stay home with her.  She was fine, just exhausted from the day before.  Four hours of sleep later she was perfectly fine.

Callie took this.  Does she look pathetic or what!?  This is how she looked all afternoon and evening Tuesday.  There was constant drainage so the hospital sent us home with this thing to hold the gauze under her nose.  How she was able to breathe with that on her nose and a blanket in her mouth is beyond me.

Wednesday I was prepared for a terrible day.  I thought Kate would be miserable and in a significant amount of pain.  She did complain a couple of times and taking her medicine was a bit of an ordeal once, but other than that, she did great.  I couldn't believe it!  So other than a couple of breaks for lunch and checking e-mail, we spent the whole day playing Horseopoly.  You know, Monopoly, but with Horses instead of street names.  Callie went to a friends house so it was just Kate and I.  Even though a certain body part of mine got a little sore, it was fun.

Thursday was errand running day.  Nothing exciting there.

Today I did some painting.  It was sort of sad.  One of the bookcase/cabinets that we bought had already been painted blue and some very nice fabric applied to the back.  It was really pretty.  My mother will shoot me.  But, I have nothing in this house that is blue.  It needed to be red! :)  It will look really good in the school room when it replaces the cheap, ugly, too small pressed board shelves that are in there right now. The other set of shelves are white, so they will work as is.

We are meeting friends for dinner so since I spent the morning watering outside, quite a chore in this drought, and the afternoon painting, that means I have to go get a shower!

The collard greens are doing well, we have two pumpkins and lots more blooms, lots of cucumbers and hopefully some corn.  The sunflowers always do well and the tomatoes are okay.  Peppers, as usual for us, aren't doing much.  This may be the last year that I even bother.  See the circle of green in the back left?  That's one of two apple trees.  The only green grass we have is next to plants we are watering to keep alive.

Have a great weekend!!