A Final June Daybook

Outside my window...
A somewhat cooler day today. Suppose to get storms later, thank goodness! A welcome break from the heat.
thinking...
about C-Sunshine's upcoming birthday. She would like to have a few friends over for a Movie Star birthday party. Complete with the red carpet, fashion/talent show, movie made right here on set and an awards ceremony. C-Sunshine has done all the plans so far and has made her checklist. (Yes, she is a list maker too. Apple doesn't fall far. :)
I am thankful for...
My husband and his ability to plant trees and plants in this rock hard Georgia Clay and make them grow. I love you hon....
From the learning room...
not much going on up there except summer play. It is waiting for a good straightening and replenishment of supplies.....crayons, markers, paints, colored pencils, paper, tissue paper and lots of crafting. I am trying to buy better quality supplies this year, so I have been utilizing my Michael's and Hobby Lobby coupons each week.
From the kitchen...
still lots of blackberries. We have eaten all the muffins already so I am going to bake up a big batch probably tomorrow. Canned blackberry preserves and blanched and froze green beans from a friend. Going to make something scrumptious to take to my parents at the lake for the 4th with family.
I am wearing...PJ's....shhhhhh
I am creating...
a Mom place and it is turning out nicely. I will save the rest for an upcoming post next week. It's an exciting space for me..
I am going...
to a Mom's Bible Study today with some other homeschool Mom's. We pray, the kids swim. It's a great combination.
I am reading...
Still re-reading A Mother's Rule of Life. I am also reading Simplicity Parenting.
I am hoping...
for peace this weekend and that our dog doesn't pee on my mom's floors.
I am hearing...
PBS Kids on TV. K-Doodle is not feeling too well today. But not bad enough to miss swimming. :)
Around the house...
thinks are looking up. Except the garage! It is still full of boxes from our move one year ago. My goal when the heat breaks, is to get out there and unpack or declutter, get rid of, one box per day until they are gone! I will persevere. I WILL get my van in there this winter!
One of my favorite things...
Netflix. We don't really watch TV (except PBS). So, we have enjoyed lots of family movies played on the Wii and seen on the TV through Netflix this summer. They really do have a lot of good quality films if you look for them.
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Keepers Club meeting, Bible Study, Fourth of July with Family at the lake.
A Picture Thought I am sharing....
Trying to get a one year old dog to pose for a picture with a party hat is not an easy task. :)

Have a great week!
Simple Woman's Daybook.

Lucy's very First Birthday!

Our dog Lucy was born one year ago today. We got her about 9 weeks later and have so enjoyed having a dog in our lives again. Happy Birthday Lucy Lou!

It's Wild Blackberry Pickin' Time

This weekend, we spent hours outside together as a family picking blackberries. It was pretty hot and sticky, but we found a good patch and had fun picking. Atleast until the plants and their prickers started attacking us! Advice if you are going to pick blackberries - where long pants and long shirts and spray with a non-toxic bug spray. If you don't, you WILL get chigger bites!

K-Doodle out in the blackberry patch trying to find a good spot. All these blackberries actually grow in our neighborhood everywhere. There are still a lot of vacant lots (can you say recession?) so we have a lot of blackberry patches living in those spaces. Yeah for us!

Picking just the right one........

C-Sunshine taking a taste.....

The harvest. We actually got about 30 cups of blackberries. So what do you do with all those blackberries?

You make blackberry muffins!

and can some blackberry jam!

National Wildlife Federation: Great American Backyard Campout - Home

National Wildlife Federation: Great American Backyard Campout - Home

A June Daybook Post

Outside my window...
Another incredibly sunny and hot, sweltering humid day here in Georgia.....
thinking...
about summer plans and already my thoughts are towards school plans for next year.
I am thankful for...
All of my daughters. Each one brings something different into my life. They are joyful, playful, funny, smart and quite entertaining. And I am not just talking about the little girls here. Daughters turn into your bestest friends. I like that....
From the learning room...
do we have to talk about that? The "Learning Room" has been transformed into a mini version of our VBS from last week. The girls have put up props everywhere and are having fun playing store, town, ship, and whatever else their little brains are coming up with. So, for now the Learning Room is all about the summer fun and play.
From the kitchen...
Will be baking this week. Just pick about 8 cups of blackberries and have plans for some blackberry muffins and cobbler. Need to bake and freeze.
I am wearing...clue jean carpi's and a white tee
I am creating...
summer fun "plans". Not really plans, just jotting down ideas that we might want to look into, places to investigate, etc. No agenda here.......no REALLY.
I am going...
to be late for swim lessons if I don't turn this computer off.
I am reading...
Still re-reading A Mother's Rule of Life. I am also reading Simplicity Parenting.
I am hoping...
to create some alone time with my hubby. I haven't been in "wife" mode much lately. I need to stop thinking like a teacher and more like a loving, dotting wife. (Did I just say that?) No really, I want my hubby to know that I love him and he IS the world to me. Not just someone to share my kids with, but to share MY life with.
I am hearing...
my girlies playing upstaris in their bedrooms with their cousins who are here for a week. They are having so much fun.
Around the house...
I am trying to run my dining room nothingness (we don't use it for anything but a catch all room), into a peaceful, tranquil Mom room. I would like to be able to scrapbook, blog, letter write, etc... in that space. Bought a table off a friend last night for twenty bucks at my Meal Making Club. Hoping to make it into a crafting happy place.
One of my favorite things...
My card organizing that came prefilled with all kinds of cards. It has saved me a lot over that last few months!
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Swim lessons, free movie day, bible study and swim, lots of playin' with the cousins and hopefully that alone time. :)
A Picture Thought I am sharing....
I am hoping that you can see the bunny, squirrel and dove all enjoying spilled birdseed together in my parent's driveway over the weekend. I will try and crop it and repost. It was so cute to watch. Have a great week!
Simple Woman's Daybook.

A Father's Day Remembered

This is the man I married just 17 years ago this month, Patrick. He is the father of our four beautiful girls and the hubby to one thankful gal, me. Happy Father's Day Patrick!

We spent Father's Day at the Lake at my parents house. Everyone had a great time tubing on the lake and boating. I have such fond memories of my summer's at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. It is so nice to be close to my parent's now and give my girls the opportunity to make some lasting memories of their own. Summer fun with cousins, grandparents....FAMILY. That's what it is all about.

K-Doodle and C-Sunshine hamming it up on Big Mabel.

C-Sunshine and her big sis Amber waiting patiently while we gas up the boat.
Amber having just too much fun after deciding to get it with her clothes on!Here's my Dad. Doing what he loves the most....spending time with his grandkids!

Hot Dog - It was in my mailbox

I received Mine today. I am so excited! Did you get yours? I just LOVE getting my new Rainbow Resource Catalog in the mail. It always gets my creative homeschool brain juices flowing. (This picture is of last years cover.) If you haven't gotten your yellow pages sized homeschool catalog, you can go here and order one. It is a must have!

Well the best laid plans, sometimes get derailed. After spending some excellent quality time with my hubby (our 17th anniversary alone weekend); I have been scrambling this week going to VBS each day and doing various other activities. What happened to my PEACEFUL summer? To top it off, I have been staying up late jotting down plans for the next school year. Things to buy, look at, borrow..... I just can't seem to unplug this summer and be. Any advice? I am so grateful that God has kept my spirit in the homeschooling direction, but I think I need to refocus for the summer and just enjoy my family.

I have had several emails from you guys wondering what happened to me. We have just been super busy so far this summer. I will be glad when school starts again and things slow down..... :)

I will be sharing things that I am working on right now including a Little Flowers Girls Club and Little Women of Hospitality group. Until then.......sweet summer peace to you!

Too much

One of the wonderful things about homeschooling is that you have the opportunity to decide how your children will spend their time learning. You decide what activities that they will be involve in and how much time they will spend away from home. One of the challenges that I am finding homeschooling in Georgia, is choosing between so many wonderful opportunities for homeschool families. It is incredible. There are large and very organized homeschool groups that offer field trips, seasonal parties, co-op classes, mom's night out, play days, art classes, etc.... The list goes on and on. Where we live, there are several home school groups that we have been involved in, trying to find the right fit for our family. Unfortunately, or fortunately, we like them all! The problem is... we don't have the time to be involved in all the various groups and activities. We do have to get some kind of schooling in somewhere. I also noticed that the more we do outside the house, the more stressed out my girls will be. They love being with friends, but they also love to be at home. Which is a good thing.

I have been reading "Simplicity Parenting". I agree with a lot of what this guy is trying to say about children today being over scheduled and over loaded. Too many activities, too many toys, too many choices. As I spent the weekend "paring down" in the girls bedrooms (remember, they are away....when the cats away.....) I was turning in my mind, the ways that I can "pare" down their outside activities. The more outside distractions I can eliminate, the more time we can spend establishing traditions and memories in our home that will last a life time. Family game night, Dad's Sunday breakfast, Taco Wednesday, Brownies on Saturday.....cleaning routines....learning new crafts, sewing, knitting.... the list goes on.

I know this post is scattered. A laying down of thoughts. I guess my goal for the new school year is "Keeping It SIMPLE". To stop over analyzing. (Yes, I was a logisitics analysis by profession for a time.) I think I need to call on the power of Prayer and the ability of saying "No thank you." Too much thinking going on......but....my girls come home today!

In the quietness....

It's quiet here today. There is no giggling, laughing or reading out loud. No pidder padder of little feets down the hall. No one screaming "Mom!" down the stairs. The little girlies are at their grandparents at the lake having fun with cousins. It is too quiet here. I miss them but have lots to do. I will not complain about the noise when they return. Atleast not for awhile.......