Patio Project

 

It doesn’t look like much, but this is Luke’s and my potted herb garden! (Leif also helped with much of the planting.) It needs to do an awful lot of growing and we should add more herbs. So far we have basil, thyme, parsley, chocolate mint, lemon balm, strawberries, several different kinds of lavender, and honeysuckle (along with some mosses and creepers).

I’m serious when I say I don’t garden (all you avid gardeners and patio people are laughing). And I’m praying that the deer stay away from our plants. But I sure love the way this looks compared to how disastrous it was a few days ago! This summer I hope to reclaim one abandoned spot at a time. Maybe the outside of our house will look half decent by September.

[This spot is the half of the back porch that extends to the right of the house and is visible from the front. I’ll share more pictures as we finish projects around the house.]

Hi, Friends!

Has your summer begun? We’re heading into more than a week of 85-90+ degree weather! That’s hot for early June in our neck of the woods!

The boys finished the last of their testing for the charter school this week and then had their end-of-the-year park celebration.

I’ve been so lazy lately. Against all odds, I found some motivation today and did a huge gardening/outside project! If you know me, you know that’s news-worthy. [grin] I’ll take some pictures after Russ does a few extra things to the area this weekend.

Luke and I also made our first batch of lavender soap. All things considered, melt-and-pour soap is a fun, easy, clean, quick, and satisfying project to do with kids! [That combination is hard to come by!] We purchased a block of Shea Butter Glycerin Melt and Pour Soap Base, cut it into chunks, melted it in the microwave, added some lavender buds and lavender essential oil, and poured into a mini bar mold. It set up quickly. Luke’s ready to experiment with different colors and oils.

The little bars make great gifts.

 

In other news, some of you have been asking if I am on Instagram. You can now find me there as mthopeheidi. Come say hello!

And remember, you can always find me on Facebook, as well.

Classical Conversations Challenge Program Spring Protocol

I again had the privilege of photographing our local Classical Conversations Challenge Program Spring Protocol. Just as they did last year, the students in Challenge I, II, and III attended a formal dinner at the home of one of our community families (who graciously also offered their whole family to cook and serve, even though they do not have older Challenge students). And I was again reminded why we are part of this community. The sight of all these parents coming together to create something wonderful for the students was incredible, each person serving according to their strengths and passions. I love these people!

The food was delicious! There was a soup course, a salad course, the main dish (a choice between pork, chicken, and vegetarian), a sorbet, and dessert (chocolate or strawberry).

These twenty students were joined by an additional nine students from another campus for a few hours of dancing at a lovely venue.

What an outstanding group of high school students!

The Best of Mt. Hope Chronicles ~ Camp Avonlea

In honor of the passing of Jonathan Crombie, it is only fitting that I re-publish this post from the archives. I first shared pictures from my sister Shannon’s Camp Avonlea back in August 2008. Shannon now lives at Camp Avonlea and has a daughter named Rilla.  

Shannon, you do know that I fully expect you to re-create this for Lola, Rilla, and baby girl, right?!

 

~Camp Avonlea~

Artistic Camp for Young Ladies

You've all seen what Boy Camp looks like in our lives. Drake (my nephew) has tagged along for the last two years. This time, it was his sister's turn. Ilex was one of four girls attending Camp Avonlea this week. (Heather's daughter was also in attendance!)

I've bragged about my sister Shannon before. Her shop. Her entertaining. Her home. She's done it again, hostessing the camp she wishes she could have attended as a young lady (and as an Anne of Green Gables-obsessed, artistic/creative girl).

Camping (4 days) in a large white tent, nestled in the garden. Poet's Garden, reinvented. Shannon as camp counselor. Dreamy, is it not?

I swear, I wish I was 12 again! (Who in their right mind would wish that?!)

While the original music score from the Anne of Green Gables movie played through outdoor speakers, the girls chose camp names for themselves: all characters from the Anne of Green Gables books. [P.S. If you’ve never seen the first two movies (Anne of Green Gables and the sequel), stop whatever you are doing and watch them. They are my most favorite movies of all time.]

And what to do for four days? Why, art, of course: living an artful life. Multiple classes each day including watercolor, scrap booking, jewelry making, gardening, and flower arranging. A nature hike at McDowell Creek Park providing collections for nature art. The girls created cards in the first few hours of their first day at camp, invitations sent to their mothers for a tea party on the last day of camp. Artful baking, decorating, and hostessing.

What do you think of the art room?

You might well ask what *I* had to do with any of this. (Particularly with a house-full of boys.) Other than the fact that I am a girl who is starting to feel that side of me ebb slowly from existence...... I (you may call me Miss Stacy) was asked to teach a two-hour photography class on the first afternoon of camp.

We sat on a quilt in the garden discussing photography tips. We then hunted through magazines (Victoria and Real Simple), cutting out pictures that inspired us. After that, we were ready to practice taking pictures!

What do you do at Poet's when you want to take a picture from a new perspective? Climb a tree!

I had just as much fun taking pictures as the girls did!

 

Ilex, above, snacked on an apple off the tree as she practiced her photography. The girls, below, intent on their watercoloring:

A couple snapshots of the end of camp tea party. The girls created place cards and party favor bouquets. They picked wild plums and blackberries to add to a fruit salad, cherry tomatoes from the garden, and herbs to flavor the cucumber sandwiches. Lavender lemonade was delightfully refreshing. The girls served scones with Devonshire cream and blueberry tea for dessert. We ate while they recited The Lady of Shallot. (They each chose portions to memorize.)

The art work created during camp (watercolors, scrapbook notebooks, and jewelry) was on display in the art room.

I think the girls had a wonderful time!

A Family of 3 [for just a little while longer]

Stay tuned for baby pictures!!

 

P.S. I kinda love my family.