Next Project...

All throughout my childhood, I spent hours each day dreaming, planning, and scheming. I wanted to put on plays and concerts. I wanted to host my own Olympics. I wanted to organize a summer camp. My mother would just smile and say, 'That's nice, dear.' She allowed me to plan away.

Not much has changed. I still plan, dream, and scheme. Now that I'm an adult, however, I have the choice to actually follow through. I don't always do so, but the choice is there.

Is there a dream from your childhood you've made come true in your adulthood? Or hope to in the future? I have two friends who spent their childhoods dreaming of horses. Both friends have taken riding lessons as an adult.

When we first looked at our current house to consider purchasing it, I took one look at an awkward, purposeless porch on the side and knew it was meant to be a stage. An amphitheater. I immediately imagined an orchestra pit, a ticket booth, an audience in the grass, the works.

If you look at the picture above, the narrow pathway sneaks to the left of the front porch, leading to the future theater. Right now it is a useless and unfinished porch, though it was originally the location of the front door before the previous owners remodeled. It is currently used as a convenient dumping ground. The house needs to be painted...lots of things on the to-do list.

Every amphitheater needs a center aisle leading to the stage, yes? How about a gentle slope of green grass leading up to a fire pit? Check.
This next photo is the view from the stage. The lower lawn to the left is the swinging area under the willow tree.
Oh, look, a sweet boy is bringing the diva a bouquet of flowers. Lovely. Roots and all. Don't you think that old shed should be painted and turned into a dressing room?
This is the orchestra pit. Come on. Use your imaginations!
See the old trellis. It screams 'ticket booth' to me. Isn't that just what you were thinking?
There you have it: my July project. Yes, I'm perfectly aware that it isn't yet July. Seeing that I've been behind on all my other projects, I thought I would get a head start on this one. Do dreaming, planning, and scheming count as a head start?

Buying Books

Amazon Prime is a dangerous thing for me. No driving and shopping, no minimums, no shipping, two day arrival... Yes, I love books. I love buying books. I love having books. I love seeing the boys read or look at books. I love reading out loud or to myself.


I found a new source. (Okay, I know it isn't new, and I am once again the last to figure it out.) Goodwill. All of these books for $12. It is a good thing I can't make it there very often (shopping for books isn't fun with three little boys), and who knows how long it will take them to replenish the good stuff (I'm picky), but I'll be remembering to go there again in the future!


Don't forget to check thrift stores for great deals on quality children's books, but not if you live in my town. Grin.

No Place Like It

HOME

In the gorgeous Willamette Valley, in the lovely countryside, a mile from my parents and childhood home, 20 minutes from my sisters, near family and friends, a couple miles from town, less than an hour from three large cities, an hour or two from the coast, mountains, and desert... I don't think it gets any better than that.

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.

~Charles Dickens

Hello, Sunshine

Complaining about our unseasonable weather paid off. The sun came out to play today. When we got home from church, the boys raced inside to throw on their swimming trunks.

Guess who is riding his bike without training wheels! One broke off on his 4th birthday. I promised him that Daddy would fix it. Two days later at his birthday party, Daddy fixed it by taking the training wheels off completely. He got on and rode away. That was about it. What an exciting birthday gift.
Without being on the to-do list today, we spontaneously planted our garden (better late than never). Levi helped with the labeling.

Not only did we plant up carrots, tomatoes, and a variety of other things, Russ suddenly decided to make me a fence so the deer wouldn't help themselves to our veggies. (I'm sure they'll get the idea and jump the fence...)

We put landscape lining down between the boxes so that we wouldn't have to worry about mowing or weeds. Maybe we'll cover it with something one of these days. Maybe not.

I wasn't sure how I was going to get in and out of the garden, but Russ produced a perfect metal gate that was left behind by the previous owners. I thought it needed a little something so I quickly spray painted an old rusty star with a little lime green.

Now, you avid gardeners and perfectionists, please go easy on me. Someday we'll have a huge, amazing garden. We have to start somewhere...
After a while the bikes were abandoned and the boys found other things to do.

Cardboard boxes are always nice, but nothing beats a cardboard box in tall grass. You'd think my poor boys had no toys.
We then had the weekly garbage can pilgrimage.
After eating a lovely dinner on our front porch and playing in the cool evening grass with the boys, I felt great about all we had accomplished today. Until I went inside.
Looks like I'll be up for a while.

Just Another Saturday

We headed out for our Saturday morning trek to Farmer's Market. We scored some free strawberry shortcake, listened to a silly local performer, picked up a few tomato plants, and decided to purchase some honeycomb for the kids to taste test.
Then it was off to the library. Russ picked out a couple books and attempted to play chess with Levi. I piled up a stack of books and DVDs while trying to prevent Leif from escaping.
Unfortunately, the most picture-worthy scene happened next in Costco where I was, of course, without my camera. All 3 boys had grabbed a book and were stuffed in one cart, reading and oblivious to the world around them. Russ and I didn't know what to do with ourselves as we are used to spending the entire shopping trip keeping the boys corralled.

We headed home for ham and cheese sandwiches and honeycomb for dessert. Mmmmmm.
Do you notice the boys wearing jackets? Again! We have had a cold, wet, miserable spring. Other than the two days of 95 degree weather. What is up with that? It feels like March. This is getting ridiculous!

Awnings

I'm guessing that by now you all are thinking that the creative decorator side of me has dropped off the face of the earth. It isn't so, but I don't have any proof. I've promised a few times previously that a Project Heidi post is coming soon and one hasn't shown up yet, so I'm not promising this time around (even though more are on the way).

Until then, I want to show you one of the things I miss the most about my old house:

I often lamented over the lack of character our starter house had. No great features or architecture. No moldings. Plain, flat doors. Boring. In an effort to add charm and character, I decided to make awnings for the four windows in the front room. It was the best decorating scheme I cooked up over there.
For each pair of windows, I purchased 3 decorative metal plant hangers. I might have spray painted them black if they weren't already. The hooks for the top bar were simple hooks purchased at Target. The rods were made out of metal pipe cut to size at Home Depot and spray painted black.

Once I had the hardware up, I measured and cut squares of fabric. I used the sewing machine to edge, make narrow pockets for the rods, and even managed a box pleat in the center of each awning. Voila! I can imagine making the fabric part more simply, maybe just tacking it on rather than sewing pockets for the rods.

These awnings accomplished exactly what I wanted them to do. I loved the feeling they gave the front room. A little architecture. A little softness. A little personality.

Had we stayed in that house any longer, I might have experimented with other fabrics. The fabric above is a small tan and white pinstripe, but I would have loved to have a fabric for each season, particularly a bold awning stripe.

Thoughts and Inspiration

I've have two blogs I would like to share with you today.

Dana at Principled Discovery always has intelligent and often profound things to say about homeschooling, life, faith, and family. I am constantly impressed with her clear-headed thoughts on education. It is refreshing to have someone address news articles and controversies surrounding homeschooling with intellectual insight. Excellent reading.

Susan at Short on Words shares stunning photography, beautiful quotes and verses, and life with three boys in Southern California (including homeschooling). I always leave her blog cheerful and inspired. Excellent viewing.

Georgia

Reading:

Viewing:
Georgia O'Keefe Gallery

(We printed off a favorite painting and placed it in our circle time notebook.)

Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. ~Georgia O'Keefe

Leif's Obsession

Leif has decided that pushing something down the driveway is a great past-time. He doesn't quite have the skill to ride a trike or bike, but he doesn't seem to mind just pushing one around. He is like a man on a mission once he gets started.

It doesn't have to be a vehicle, though. Anything with wheels will do. How about Dad's lawn edger?

He is like a miniature guy. A guy with a(n unplugged) power tool. Doesn't he look tough?
Oh, but he still has a baby face:
Check out the enthusiasm:
This look slays me:
It takes a considerable amount of talent to push around this trike. He has to stand out quite a distance to clear the huge rear tires. He certainly has the steering thing down, too:

Occasionally, he'll take a seat. When he needs to rest for a few minutes.
Uh, Mom? Could you give a guy a push, here?
Apparently Mom is too busy snapping photos to push you up the driveway, Leif. You're on your own, kid.

Picketing

Levi came into the house asking for paper and glue. I knew he was up to something. He's always up to something. A short while later I noticed him walking up and down the driveway with an old board from a picket fence. It looked like something was attatched. Later I found this on the front porch:
I don't know how well this will show up, so let me translate for you: "Stop, Naoo, Plez." (Stop Now, Please.) The picture shows a house with an X through it. See, Levi wants the house building to stop or soon we will no longer live in the country. Hmmm. Gives new life to the term 'picketing.'

Favorites~Highbrow Version

Favorite Broadway Musical: Les Miserables (edit: sorry about the video not working. Not sure what is going on there. I added the link directly to the YouTube video. It is one of my favorites!!)

Favorite Ballet: Carmina Burana

Favorite Opera: La Boheme (admittedly the only one I've seen, but it was live at the Met in NYC and made a great impression)

Favorite Instrument of the Orchestra: French Horn

Favorite Piece of Classical Music: 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky

Favorite Poem: The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Tennyson

Favorite Literary Movie: Pride and Prejudice, North and South, and Anne of Green Gables for a three-way tie

Favorite Novel: The Count of Monte Cristo

Favorite Dessert: Creme Brulee or Flourless Chocolate Cake
Favorite Travel Destination: France What are your favorites? Lest anyone think me snobbish, my lowbrow favorites are still to come...

Traveling

It has been a nice change around here to have new books to choose from now that we've been visiting the library regularly. Other than our history studies, we haven't been doing much in the way of geography lately, much to my disappointment. I am going to try to add something new into our repertoire. Each week or two, I'll be picking out a picture book relating to a country, such as our book this week, Planting the Trees of Kenya.

My most exciting find at the library, however, is a gold mine in the video section. The library has recently acquired the whole set of Countries Around the World DVDs from Schlessinger Media. Covering 52 countries, the videos are targeted for elementary aged students. I'll be borrowing the DVD to correspond with our picture book. We'll read the book, watch the DVD, and locate the country on the map.

We'll continue to listen to Geography Songs, add to our Around the World landmark cards, and use the maps in our Story of the World Activity Guide. I think that about covers geography!

Camp Luke

We celebrated Luke's birthday with family and friends. It was a camping theme this time around. Goodie bags with gummy worms and fish, BBQ dinner, camping coolers full of drinks, and a s'more cake. Daddy even set up the tent in the yard and slept out with the boys last night. What a party! Luke received his own camping gear to take on his first father-son camping trip this summer now that he is old enough to participate.