It's been a mad week at our house as our planting has begun!!! The boys and I have been busy planting flowers, herbs, tomatoes and peppers. Luke planted green and red peppers and grape tomatoes. Trent planted cherry tomatoes and some lovely flowers. I am also growing other tomatoes, yellow peppers and lots of herbs -- tarragon, basil Genovese, a more spicy basil, sage, thyme, flat-leaf Italian parsley, and of course, LOTS of rosemary. Have to get the oregano, marjoram, mint and some lavender planted next week. We are doing everything organically, from soil to water to fertilizer. We just want our food as fresh and chemical-free as we can get it!
We have already been enjoying fresh rhubarb in a berry cobbler and have put some in the freezer. I'll continue to use it throughout the summer, and the boys and I will be making rhubarb jam for canning. Next week we pick strawberries, so we'll spend a lot of time making jam and canning it. I really want Trent to learn this skill as it will come in very handy when he is on his own. This will also serve as preparation for the county fair in August. We'll enter some canned goods and see how it goes:-)
How lovely to be able to enjoy local fruits and vegetables.
Also got out to see the chicken operation of a friend and fellow homeschooler. The boys got to gather their own fresh, free-range eggs and frolick with the hens, roosters and guineas. Had a great time and got wonderful, fresh eggs. Fun day and great to know we are supporting local agriculture:-) Lovely!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Sunny Saturday
Although Carl's week-long vacation is about to end, we plan to make the most of it this weekend by packing in as much as we can. Yesterday we garage saled Omaha and generally had a lovely day out. This morning found the boys and I planting flowers while Carl did some fix-it jobs around the house. Later today we'll take the boys fishing, and tomorrow...well, we're up for almost anything, as long as it's fun:-)
Planted marigolds, allysum, salvia and petunias. The boys loved digging in the dirt, and Trent is learning how to determine which plants go together sun-wise and aesthetically. He did a fantastic job planting a red, white and blue combo of salvia and allysum. It looks great!!!! Also got in a basil plant, so I hope to have my own fresh, organically-grown basil all summer long!!!!
What a lovely time, these spring activities:-)
Planted marigolds, allysum, salvia and petunias. The boys loved digging in the dirt, and Trent is learning how to determine which plants go together sun-wise and aesthetically. He did a fantastic job planting a red, white and blue combo of salvia and allysum. It looks great!!!! Also got in a basil plant, so I hope to have my own fresh, organically-grown basil all summer long!!!!
What a lovely time, these spring activities:-)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Worthwhile Wednesday
It's a lovely, sunny Wednesday, and the boys are doing more yard work. Can't wait to get to Home Depot and the nurseries this weekend to pick out new plants for our very clean yard!
Will begin reading the classic novel Animal Farm to the boys this evening. Luke will just think it's about animals, but I'm hoping to discuss it in-depth with Trent. Should be a fun time for all of us.
Carl continues to love his vacation time. We're thinking camping and fishing this weekend.
What a lovely blessing to live in this corner of the world:-)
Will begin reading the classic novel Animal Farm to the boys this evening. Luke will just think it's about animals, but I'm hoping to discuss it in-depth with Trent. Should be a fun time for all of us.
Carl continues to love his vacation time. We're thinking camping and fishing this weekend.
What a lovely blessing to live in this corner of the world:-)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Vacation Tuesday
Vacation, glorious vacation!!! Carl is on vacation for a week, and it has been lovely having him home with us. The boys were positively giddy when we went to pick him up Sunday night. Monday Carl did a ton of yard work, and all three boys are back at our landscaping projects this morning. Later, daddy and Luke will supervise as Trent dissects a crayfish for a biology experiment. Only a few biology chapters left and on to dreaded chemistry! So glad to see both boys progressing through their school work. Also glad to see them outside enjoying all nature has to offer.
Starting on a new scrapbooking project I hope to have ready to enter into the county fair in August. I want to create a "yearbook" scrapbook of our 2007-2008 Salt and Light Christian Academy school year. I've gathered pictures from many of our school activities, and I hope to add some additional pictures as we do school throughout the summer. I then plan to gather them into a cool yearbook so we can all recall all of the fun and interesting things we have done this year in our little homeschool. Lovely opportunity, this homeschooling:-)
Reading voraciously:
two books on turtles as pets
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp
Summer Reading Plan:
The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters
Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters
Chez Panisse Fruit by Alice Waters
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (reading this again, with both boys this time)
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing by John Wilson
Inteliigent Design: The Bridge Between Sceince and Theology by by William A. Dembski
Bird Song Ear Training Guide by John Feith
Starting on a new scrapbooking project I hope to have ready to enter into the county fair in August. I want to create a "yearbook" scrapbook of our 2007-2008 Salt and Light Christian Academy school year. I've gathered pictures from many of our school activities, and I hope to add some additional pictures as we do school throughout the summer. I then plan to gather them into a cool yearbook so we can all recall all of the fun and interesting things we have done this year in our little homeschool. Lovely opportunity, this homeschooling:-)
Reading voraciously:
two books on turtles as pets
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp
Summer Reading Plan:
The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters
Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters
Chez Panisse Fruit by Alice Waters
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (reading this again, with both boys this time)
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Uncommon Dissent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing by John Wilson
Inteliigent Design: The Bridge Between Sceince and Theology by by William A. Dembski
Bird Song Ear Training Guide by John Feith
Saturday, May 10, 2008
May Saturday
This has been a busy month so far, with lots of yard work and outdoor time. Our yard is making progress, and this week we'll start on planting things -- tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers. The boys and I will also be planting sunflowers and working on a couple of crafty birdfeeder projects to make our backyard more bird-friendly. Can't wait to get all of those lovely blooms in our yard:-)
School is slowing down for the year. Trent is nearing the end of his grammar and reading assignments, as well as biology. We will continue with algebra and spelling through the summer, and we will read several novels together. Luke commented the other day about missing Huck Finn. Both boys loved it when I read Huck Finn aloud to them last winter. Looking forward to The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and a Charles Dickens novel. Both boys also want me to start on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer aloud, so we may have to squeeze that in too! We'll continue with math and phonics with Luke throughout the summer, and a new school year will be here before we know it!
Both boys have been sketching birds in their Nature Notebooks, and Luke is definitely improving because they draw together. It's a fun activity both boys can share. These lovely boys are so talented:-)
Carl has a week's vacation next week, so we will kick the yard work into high gear. I am so lucky to have someone who shares my love of flowers and plants and the outdoors. Lovely guy, my Carl:-) While Carl is on vacation, we also hope to garage sale in Omaha and take a trip to the Strategic Air and Space Museum to see some airplanes and celebrate Armed Forces Day on May 17.
Happy Mother's Day!!!!!
School is slowing down for the year. Trent is nearing the end of his grammar and reading assignments, as well as biology. We will continue with algebra and spelling through the summer, and we will read several novels together. Luke commented the other day about missing Huck Finn. Both boys loved it when I read Huck Finn aloud to them last winter. Looking forward to The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and a Charles Dickens novel. Both boys also want me to start on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer aloud, so we may have to squeeze that in too! We'll continue with math and phonics with Luke throughout the summer, and a new school year will be here before we know it!
Both boys have been sketching birds in their Nature Notebooks, and Luke is definitely improving because they draw together. It's a fun activity both boys can share. These lovely boys are so talented:-)
Carl has a week's vacation next week, so we will kick the yard work into high gear. I am so lucky to have someone who shares my love of flowers and plants and the outdoors. Lovely guy, my Carl:-) While Carl is on vacation, we also hope to garage sale in Omaha and take a trip to the Strategic Air and Space Museum to see some airplanes and celebrate Armed Forces Day on May 17.
Happy Mother's Day!!!!!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Hello Friends
I wanted to say hello to all of my friends out there who I didn't mention in my 'Friends' blog post the other day; I know some of you read this blog, so I didn't want you to feel un-appreciated! These people make my life so rich and fun. Some are old friends, some relatively new. Please know how important you all are to me:-) My mom, Debby, Farzad, Nedda, Ann K., Jen, Debra, Amy, Diane, Betty, Erin, Mary, Michelle, Jodi. Some of you have given me very sound homeschooling advice, some of you are fellow politicos, some of you are just plain wonderful to talk with. Without your individual perspectives on life, mine would be much less rich and interesting.
Of course, I must mention my Carl here. He is truly my BFF. Not only do I love him, I actually really, REALLY like him. Ditto for Trent & Luke. Ditto for my big, lovely extended family:-) Ditto for Melissa Pratte -- fellow clothes horse, lipgloss junkie, garage sale maven, literature lover and Billy Collins fan.
This weekend is filled with garage sales, yard work, hopefully some time to read and bake, and a trip to Clarinda, IA to celebrate Trent's birthday. Lovely spring weekend!!
And now, a poem:
Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
Of course, I must mention my Carl here. He is truly my BFF. Not only do I love him, I actually really, REALLY like him. Ditto for Trent & Luke. Ditto for my big, lovely extended family:-) Ditto for Melissa Pratte -- fellow clothes horse, lipgloss junkie, garage sale maven, literature lover and Billy Collins fan.
This weekend is filled with garage sales, yard work, hopefully some time to read and bake, and a trip to Clarinda, IA to celebrate Trent's birthday. Lovely spring weekend!!
And now, a poem:
Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
Friday, May 2, 2008
New Life
It's a rainy, chilly Friday, but I feel very sunny. My sister-in-law just had a new baby (April 30th), and mama and baby are going home today and doing wonderfully. I am so excited to see this new little girl, and I know Carl and the boys are excited as well. Can't wait to breathe in that new baby smell:-)
My season of garage sales has officially begun! Yesterday I shopped a sale where a woman was selling stock from her scrapbooking store!!!! Tons of bargains, lots of lovely goodies with which to work. This weekend, I hope to do more sales and find more lovely bargains.
Not a lot more going on right now...jsut gearing up for the boys' summer activities. I'm not even reading a book this week -- just an assortment of magazines. Oh well, something will catch my attention soon, and I'll be off on another voracious reading jag.
Two friends and I are starting our very own Jane Austen Book Club, after watching this movie. Probably won't be as much romance and heartbreak in our little club, but how lovely to read and discuss literature with two people I came to know in an English graduate program. We all sat through so many lectures on postmodernism and discussions of themes in the works of Toni Morrison, Shakespeare or the author de jour. Now we're done, settled and able to meet and discuss on our terms. Lovely thing, this reading obsession:-)
The boys are I are loving this show right now:
Jon & Kate Plus 8
Every one of the little sweet things on this show has captured our hearts.
Creative Inspiration for the Day:
Ali Edward's 365 Photo Project
Hula Seventy
Ali Edward's Art Journals
My season of garage sales has officially begun! Yesterday I shopped a sale where a woman was selling stock from her scrapbooking store!!!! Tons of bargains, lots of lovely goodies with which to work. This weekend, I hope to do more sales and find more lovely bargains.
Not a lot more going on right now...jsut gearing up for the boys' summer activities. I'm not even reading a book this week -- just an assortment of magazines. Oh well, something will catch my attention soon, and I'll be off on another voracious reading jag.
Two friends and I are starting our very own Jane Austen Book Club, after watching this movie. Probably won't be as much romance and heartbreak in our little club, but how lovely to read and discuss literature with two people I came to know in an English graduate program. We all sat through so many lectures on postmodernism and discussions of themes in the works of Toni Morrison, Shakespeare or the author de jour. Now we're done, settled and able to meet and discuss on our terms. Lovely thing, this reading obsession:-)
The boys are I are loving this show right now:
Jon & Kate Plus 8
Every one of the little sweet things on this show has captured our hearts.
Creative Inspiration for the Day:
Ali Edward's 365 Photo Project
Hula Seventy
Ali Edward's Art Journals
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