Currently

Reading ... I'm somewhere in the book of Jeremiah in the Bible.

In other books I read Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery. Such a delightful treat. I don't know how I never read it before, but to be able to read it for the first time now. Ah ... I thoroughly enjoyed every delicious minute of it.

I was recently introduced to The Blythes are Quoted by L.M. Montgomery as well. I have started reading it, but am only at the very beginning of the book so I can't tell yet if I'll like it as much as her other books.

Writing ... Rosie Mae had requested I get her copies of her favorite family recipes, so I've been working on getting them written on recipe cards and tucked into a cheerful little recipe box. Sharon and Paige said they also want a copy of them, so I'm doing three copies of each recipe. 

I'm happy to do it, but my hand does get tired at times. Apparently it can no longer spend hours doing handwriting like it used to.

Watching ... still an episode of Little House on the Prairie most everyday. Just between you and me, I'm kind of getting sick of it. I think I need a break, and maybe watch a cooking show or two.

Listening ... to Pride and Prejudice on Libby. I have tried reading Jane Austen books numerous times over the years, but always gave up. Listening to it makes it ten times more tolerable and I'm finding I'm actually quite enjoying it. 

Baking ... Sharon has "Charlie", her sourdough starter on the kitchen counter. She just fed it, so some delightful sourdough treat will be baked tomorrow.

Though not baking, I did cook up a batch of Vanilla Bean Pudding for dessert last night. We'll have what remains of it tonight.

Cooking ... tonight supper will consist of lamb chops, baked potatoes, and a quick salad.

Feeling ... happy, and just slightly claustrophobic. The school room has become the storage place for all things wedding related, and well,  it's making me feel crowded, itchy, and yes, a touch claustrophobic.

Loving ... these gorgeous summer days. We still desperately need rain, but it's no longer as hot. It's hard not to love the weather even as we hope for rain.

Playing ... today Steven and I played a few rounds of Top Trumps Fishing. He loves everything to do with fishing, including games so he quite enjoyed it. I like that the game is a bit educational with some facts about fish, while still being fun to play.

Cleaning ... nothing special this week other than the daily dozen and washing a window thanks to the exuberant killing of a pesky fly.

Currently

Reading ... In the Bible I'm reading Isaiah. Starting that book always sends a little thrill through me and helps me relive that time in our life when we truly found Jesus. You can read that condensed story here, if you're interested.

In other books I found a delightful little book called Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster. It's about a young girl who grew up in an orphanage and was given the opportunity to attend college by a generous, but anonymous benefactor. The only terms were that she send letters to him in care of his secretary regarding her progress at school and details about her life as if she were writing to her parents.

The book is then filled with the letters she wrote. 

Such a fun little read. It's reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables, and yet not.

I was reading it while Steven was fishing and came upon a quote that I needed to scribble in my book of book quotes, but since it wasn't available I simply took a picture of it. Hang on a minute while I find it.

Okay, here we go.

Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit.

The truth of the quote resonated with me somehow.

Writing ... lists, lists, and more lists. There's something about writing lists that makes me thrive. And thriving, I am.

Watching ... a show about storm chasing and tornadoes etc. It's not my favorite, but fits in nicely with the Meteorology unit study by Campfire Curriculums that Steven had been doing.

Listening ... the hum of the dryer, a cow mooing persistently, and some kind of summer insects that I'm not sure what they're called. I only know they're not crickets or katydids.

Baking ... I made some Hot Fudge Pudding Cake today. It's been a while since I've made dessert and this has been one of our favorites ever since the first time I made it 25 years ago.

Cooking ... tonight was "haystack" night. Rice, beans, hamburger, and choice of toppings.

Feeling ... pleasantly busy. We're getting into a comfortable routine which is lovely for routine loving me.

Loving ... the nice rain shower we got. It's still quite dry here, but  we're so thankful for every drop of rain we received.

Playing ... today it was a game that Steven invented that involves a ball. He happened to think of it this morning and we played several rounds. He thought it was as much fun as he had remembered it to be, which is a nice thing. So often the things from our younger childhood seem to change as we grow older, but this game is standing the test of time.

Today ... I had an appointment to go to this morning.  I was driving through the part of town that has its speed limit posted at 15 MPH, I was half way chomping at the bit, because it always feels so painstakingly slow, but I kept it at 15.  Then I noticed an older gentleman walking on the sidewalk. He tripped on something and went stumble running, arms flailing, right out onto the road where he collapsed in front of my horrified eyes. I quickly stopped, very thankful I hadn't been driving any faster. 

Another lady had seen it happen too and also came running to help.  Other than a skinned elbow and knee he assured us he's fine. Once he was safely back on the sidewalk I continued on my way.

I'm thinking it will be a little while before that section of driving 15 MPH irritates me like it used to.

Earliest Church Memory

     Sitting comfortably in Mom's lap I was much more entertained by watching the squirming miserable little boy who had had enough of the long church service and was trying to escape his mother's lap, than by the little toy I was holding in my hands. 
    Mom took pity on both mother and son and reached into the satchel she always carried to church filled with things for me and produced a board book and handed it to the protesting tot. 
    He settled right down as his mother helped him look at all the different barnyard scenes. Her attention drifted from her now quiet child back to the sermon.
    Meanwhile I was completely interested in the goings on next to me and watched as he started picking at the red cloth binding that was holding the wooden pages of the book together. He managed to loosen a thread and kept pulling and picking. By the time church service was over for the day there was no longer a book. Only thin pieces of wood covered in pretty barnyard scenes.
    Mom tucked them back into the satchel and told Dad about it on the way home. He was quite indignant that another child had destroyed my book, but I felt quite indifferent about it. I had never been that fond of the book anyway, much preferring the ones Mom read to me at home instead of this "special" one that was saved for church.
    

Currently

Reading ... in the Bible I'm finishing up the Proverbs. In other books I am rereading the Anne of Green Gables series for the I don't know how many-eth time. It is so delightfully comfortable and sweet. It feels as if I were catching up with some dear old friend and I've been enjoying every minute of it.

Writing ... I've been writing out lesson plans for our new school year which will be starting on Monday. I'm getting exited about it. 

Watching ... mostly cooking shows, but earlier this week we got Gourmet Detective from the library and watched an episode. The first half we were ready to ditch it, but stuck it out and we ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

Listening ... we're at that point of the summer when the sound of singing birds, rustling leaves, and all the other nature-y sounds I love so much are drowned out by the sound of our window AC unit. In this heat I am very grateful for it even if it is all I hear.

Baking ... Sharon has been whipping up delectable treats in the kitchen when ever she is off work. Earlier this year she decided to try her hand at sourdough and the amount of beautiful tasty things she has produced has been appreciated by all of us. This week that happened to be sourdough hotdog buns and sourdough smores cookies. Both so, so good!

Cooking ... tonight it was only LV, Steven and I at home so I simply made up a batch of sloppy joe and served it on left over sourdough hot dog buns from yesterday. 

Feeling ... filled with anticipation for the kickoff of the new school year.

Disliking ... how dry it is becoming. Our waterfall has been reduced to barely a trickle and the grass in the yard hasn't need to be mowed for two weeks.

Loving ... late evening hikes. It's been too warm to go on long walks or hikes during the day, but when I suggested a quick hike at 9:00 last evening LV was happy to join me and we enjoyed a nice summer evening outing amid the fireflies.

Playing ... cornhole. I'm not very good at it, but that doesn't mean it's not fun. I shared this snap about it earlier today.

Cleaning ... I deep cleaned the bathroom earlier this week and today I took care of the desk in the school room. Rosie Mae is in the process of going through and packing all her things. The book shelf she used to have in her room is now empty and I'm looking forward to doing some rearranging in the school room and having it moved in there.

Stuff Shuffler

      I have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I am a stuff shuffler. Over the past few years I have given a lot of things away, but somehow there's still a lot of stuff in our house that I shuffle from place to place.

    Back in 2010 we lived as extreme minimalists for six months, and I loved it. There was so much freedom, so much time for life and what we truly enjoyed, so much less work. 

     Coming back home and seeing all our things was great, but I went from having all this time to do life to having to spend a lot of time cleaning, taking care of things, shuffling things from one area of the house to the other.

    Part of me really wants to have the courage to embrace the minimalist life, because I know how it feels and I'm tired of being a stuff shuffler. But, I'm torn because there's another part of me who really likes our things.

    This week I've been shuffling stuff again, but this time a lot of it has been being shuffled out the door. I don't see myself becoming an extreme minimalist again, but I'm looking forward to having less things and more freedom.

    In the course of letting things go I have been taking some pictures of the stuff that has memories attached, including a big stack of impractical yarn potholders.

    On our annual trip to Canada to visit Grandma and the aunts when I was twelve or so, aunt Ella sat down and taught me how to make yarn potholders on a little loom she had. I was thrilled to learn and at the end of the visit she sent the loom home with me and over the next years I made countless sets of them to sell in my parents store.  But for all these years I had kept that first set I had made.

 

    Next up was a set made by my youngest brother when he was but a wee lad. My mom had helped him make the fancier version. It always sent warm fuzzies around my heart everytime I saw them, but being impractical I never used them. Simply shuffled them from here to there during spring and fall housecleaning and reorganizations.

    The girls were fascinated with these particular creations when they were younger and I pulled out my old loom and taught them how to make them and then also demonstrated the step to take them further to the fancier pom-pom like version. It was a fun time for all of us, and seeing these brought back those memories, but it's time they go. I've shuffled them long enough.