Picture Re-Try

Today was the first day of school. 
We, or should I say I, was done by 12:30.  It wiped me out!  Tomorrow is a new day and we will press on.
Jack wins for quote of the day:  "When I think of math, I think of summer that's past, good things gone,..."  That still makes me laugh.
And here are the Lucy pictures I tried to post.  Kayla took them on a roadtrip.  Hopefully they'll work this time! 

Getting Back to School

So ready or not, school starts here tomorrow.  It's time, and I think in some ways we are all ready.  Ready for a more of a routine, ready to dive into those books that the UPS guy brought Friday evening.  We're taking a break from CC  (Classical Conversations) this year in the hopes of freeing us up to do some other things.  Here's what we're starting with this year:
*math- the usual Saxon.
*language arts (some form of spelling/handwriting/word study/grammar for everyone)
*classical roots vocabulary for Jack
*medieval history/geography
*writing assignments based on our history (IEW)
*astronomy- I am excited about this one.  It's mostly for Kayla and Jack but I'm sure Sammy will get in on some of this.  Sam will start out studying animals- hopefully with some caterpillars that will turn into butterflies.
*Latin- excited but intimidated
*logic (mostly fun brain-teasers)
*reading- my favorite.  Jack is starting with a prose version of "Beowulf" which we will follow up with the poem.  Kayla is starting out with From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  Sammy and Lucy are going to enjoy a heavy dose of both classic fairy tales and tall tales.
*read alouds- Two titles we'll read in the next few weeks are Robin Hood (to go along with history) and Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott just because I heard that every family should read this aloud together.
(Amanda- does that satisfy your request?)
Now to get some of those books on the shelf.

40

"Lordy, lordy, look who's 40!"
Me! 
Today is a big birthday for me.
I didn't even think about that little saying until my brother and his wife sent me a fun package with that written on it.  Somehow that makes 40 sound even older!!  But it has made me laugh several times!
I wanted to get up early this morning when it was still dark.  Mostly, I think I was hoping for a little (quiet) time to reflect.  And what I keep coming back to is that this most undeserving woman is abundantly blessed.  I don't know that I could ask for better family- husband, kids, parents, in-laws, brother, siblings-in-law, grandparents, cousins, uncle, aunts, etc...  The Lord has seen fit to give me 40 years full of His goodness so far and I am thankful for them.
My cup is full.

Back!

It has been a loooonnngg time!
Soon there will be a picture blitz.  I didn't even finish putting up beach pictures! 
For now:
*I have less than one week left in my 30s.  I'm going to enjoy entering a new decade but I am also going to enjoy being 39 until Friday!
*Just ordered our school materials for this year.  I think this is my favorite part of homeschooling.  I LOVE picking out curriculum and waiting for the UPS man to bring that box.
*We just got back from a fun trip to my parents' and tomorrow the kids and I are going to Ohio to see Brian's sister and her family.  After that I think we'll be done traveling and get ready to start school.
*But not before we go blueberry picking at least one more time.
*I finished East of Eden.  A scary mind wrote that book.
*I'm starting Phil Robertson's book Happy Happy Happy.  Also reading a biography of Elizabeth Prentiss.
*Time for some ice cream.

Sweetness

I noticed it a few nights ago.
That old, familiar smell.  I don't know if it's from a bush growing at the edge of the woods.  Maybe flowers I didn't notice. 
Could just be the wet, warm earth.
But as it wafts by on a breeze, I am back in the mountains at my grandparents' homes.
I never smell it without thinking of summers spent there.
Of being outside in the morning when either of my grandmas would be working in the garden.
Of catching lightening bugs and swinging until dark.
Of that cooler, fresher air that I only breath there.
It always seems to pass by as quickly as it came and I find myself actually looking around, breathing deeply, hoping to get it back.
Could it be when I am the grandma that I will still so easily be taken back to those days of my childhood?
I hope so.
Often my heart aches a bit for those memories, both missing them and being thankful for them.
And I wait for the next time.
The next time that fragrance reminds me again of those sweet times and sweeter people that I call mine.

The Recurring Dream (and a book)

Number one.  I just finished The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.  Wow.  Just wow.  I am amazed at what kind of mind wove that story.  It was heart-wrenching.  So telling at how we can convince ourselves that we are doing a good and right thing, all the while breaking someone's heart.  A gripping story of grief, hope,deceit, forgiveness, longing, and relationship.

Number two.  I have a recurring dream when I am stressed out or worrying about something.
It came back last night. 
There are two versions, both involve me and college.  In last night's scenario, school starts tomorrow and I have no idea what my schedule is or where an office is or where my classrooms are.  And there is no one to help even though the campus is crawling with people. 
The other scenario is that it's the end of the semester and I have missed a class for the entire semester and am now in a panic.  How will I take the exam or write a final paper in two hours or walk in the classroom I haven't been in once?  How will I explain the big, fat F?
Aaahhh.
I am always so glad to wake up!
The funny thing about these dreams is that once, a few years ago, I told my dad about them.
His jaw was about on the floor.
He has a very similar recurring dream himself. 
Who would have thought?

Wednesday Evening

That roast, potatoes, and carrots that cooked in the crock-pot all day was a perfect dinner on this wet, rainy day.  What a wet spring and summer it's been.  I have sent the kids out when the rain stopped just to get some energy out. Sam and Lucy headed out in the rain some, too.  The Lord sure is watering the earth!
I have spent the day hitting some hotspots in the house- places where things have piled up- which for me can mean any surface.  Today was the top of the frig and a shelf that was kind of tucked in a corner but was such an eyesore!  I can feel myself relaxing a bit as the piles get taken care of.  There are plenty more, and don't even ask me about the basement or garage. But little by little...
I have several books I'm reading on, or at least am waiting to read.  Not gonna hide it- I am flying through The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson of "Duck Dynasty."  It's a fast read and so interesting to learn about their family.  They give testimony to the Lord and that's always encouraging.
Up next will either be East of Eden by Steinbeck or The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. 

Last night Kayla was joking around at dinner and said, "Let's talk about politics."  Lucy smiled and say, "OK.  Once upon a time, Polly Ticks..."  Everyone got a good laugh though I don't think she was quite sure why!