This weekend brought us into situations where we could enjoy relationships with so many friends, some of whom we haven't seen in years. It was fabulous. Three families came to our place yesterday. Sharing our home with others is exactly what we want to do so we were thrilled that it all worked out.
This week's plan? I want to work on the next stage of school planning. We will start this year when Pieman goes to Uganda and Kenya in August, that way getting a head start for when his parents come visit in September and we take time off. I would love to say at the end of this week that I am ready to start!
(Considering my day today, I'm not sure that will happen! It's been a good day. Just different from what I imagined would happen.)


A sampling of shots from around the house:

the corn behind the mailbox across the street

our chickens--not all are giving us eggs--we haven't figured out who yet

some apple mint given me by a friend last night and still unplanted

wasps building a nest in our sump pump pipe

nasturtium in the garden

Two things are holding me back right now.

1. The belt on my vacuum cleaner is broken and I don't know if I can fix it....that is to say I have not looked at the machine to see if I can figure out how to change the belt. I have the new one.




2. The cabinet that I want to move is too heavy for me. There is also a chain of furniture that will need to be moved before I can move the cabinet I want to move--each shuffled along until it finds its proper spot to make my home run more smoothly.

And so instead I check email and my favourite blogs and websites. I consider putting the coffee on and eating a brownie. I could just ask Pieman to help me but he's behind in his work and not recovered fully from the flu that laid him low this weekend. He won't want to move a heavy cabinet. From my computer I can see the general untidyiness that I had wanted to address but that brings me back to the vacuum cleaner. And so I start again! Better change my thoughts and come up with something different to do. I'm sure the laundry is ready to be hung out. And then I'll take a cup of coffee to Pieman. By then I'll be outside and able to enjoy the day and my garden. Isn't distraction a useful parenting technique?

Not my garden. Pretty, non?

My friend came.
We talked.
She advised on the remodelling of my home, hitting some of the sticky spots we've been struggling with, she laid out her plan for a greenhouse and invited me to get in on the fun at our place, she made financial recommendations, she identified many of my plants that were heretofore unidentified. Turns out my Costa Rican "lechuga" is simply a mustard green.
She loved my house and was glad that she has a friend who also takes on big projects.
Our children played together.
We ate together.
It was a good day.

I am content.
We are expecting good friends for the day tomorrow.
I've spent good time in the garden today, transplanting and weeding.
I've been blessed to hear my family chattering and working alongside me on their projects and play.
I have accomplished much today and crossed things off my week's list.
I have loved and been loved.

Well, after a whole week of my "little" ones away at camp, my house is once again filled with the joyous sounds of children.

"Mommy, can you read me a story?",
"Mommy, may I have a snack?",
"I think it will take me a little bit to get back into the routine of
home."

Everything is back in its place; my life feels right again.

While I worked my way through loads of wet, sandy laundry, I took time to repot some ground cherries and replant a couple of watermelon seeds and dillweed. Just in case it amounts to anything--none of the others grew but it was colder then. I decided not to bother replanting peas. There's no point in attracting all the rabbits in the county. Besides, I already planted all my seeds for their feast. Perhaps they'd like some lettuce?

My friend wants to post this picture of my first attempt at watercolour. I figured I should get it up too. She and I were just two of a group of Canadians who drove or flew to North Carolina to attend a Charlotte Mason conference at the Gardner Webb University. I was invigorated by the ideas that flowed, envelopped and pulled me to new levels of knowledge to apply to our homeschool. OK, it was a time when us CM geeks got to yak to our hearts' content on the finer and minute details of a Charlotte Mason education. I love the results in our home.

Anyway, one of the sessions that I did not attend but my friend did was on nature study and watercolour painting. She taught me the technique and we spent an evening working on our flowers. She has, of course, come home and taught it to her children and they have all done wonderful paintings of pansies. I have yet to have this privilege. Others from the group have involved their children in learning poetry and also in painting. Each of us has sensed the growing momentum of a group of people keen on learning more. There was even a teacher from Korea in attendance!