Bag Ladies

My mom, Hannah, and I worked on a little sewing project last week. Being new to this sewing thing, it was a great beginner project for me. All of us were pleased with the final products, but mostly it was just fun to do together.

I found this shoulder bag tutorial at tiny happy several months ago and filed it away for a summer day. We did tweak with her measurements, feeling that the bag wasn't deep enough. And I have to have a bag that easy carries my moleskine planner.

Hannah's bag (she picked out the fabric)


My mom and I used the same fabric - fine wale red corduroy for fall.

Mom's... (she got a little fancy with the tucks by the button)

My bag...

And with the extra fabric, I made a slouchy sack like bag for library trips/shopping/etc. I needed the extra practice.

August Days : 1000 Gifts

Stopping to sit for a few moments and find, under this pile on my desk, my journal and the list of gifts scribbled over the past couple weeks.

In everything, giving thanks. The gift list continues...

0521
Family vacations.

0522
An afternoon at the outlet mall with my mom.

0523
My dad's dinners... All-day smoked chicken and ribs. Grilled local shrimp and herbed polenta. I could go on and on...

0524
Perfectly ripe tomatoes.

0525
Sweet iced tea.

0526
Coming home with bags full of clean, folded laundry.

0527
My mom.

0528
Ripe mangoes. Picked from a family friend's mango tree! Oh, to have one of those....

0529
No damage following a powerful storm. Big limbs falling in safe places.

0530
A gracious friend who came in and cleaned out our fridge and melted ice-cream covered freezer after a long power outage.

0531
And the fresh milk, eggs, and butter he replenished, greeting us when we arrived home.

0532
Not having to go right to the store after 12 hours in the car.

0533
A 40th birthday party.

0534
Our favorite babysitter.

0535
Adoption. Little Julianna finally at home with her family.

0536
To do lists... and the means to do the things on it.

0537
Getting up early.

0538
Time to pray and be still.

0539
Knowing He is a big God.

Florida Vacation

We're back home! We all spent two weeks in Florida with my parents. I just love vacation.

12 long hours on I-95. The kids are great on long trips. We help the day along with lots of junky snacks from gas stations. It's the kids' day to pick what they eat (except, of course, the healthy sandwiches brought from home). Let's just say... lots of Cheetos.

Right away we had some fun cousin time (my sister's kids). Peter was too grumpy to be photographed.


My little sis, Allison.


A little local touring... the St. Augustine Lighthouse.


Peter was too short to be allowed up. Maybe next time.


More local fun... The Alligator Farm.
A little freaky.


This woman has a crazy job. The kids loved this alligator feeding show.


We got to meet a new little friend, Abigail. So beautiful!


Angie and I got to spend a day together. It was so nice to have time to catch up with longtime friends. And to have them over to my parents' house... just like we are back in 7th grade, except now our kids swim together while we chat.


Certain things are must dos when I am home... I must eat fried shrimp in a place that looks like this. This is actually the spot of my parents' first date.

We took the kids to mini-golf at the beach. It was unbearably hot, but all three of them keep reporting to friends that it was a highlight of our trip.

And we went back to Sea World. Another way-too-hot day. (Did I really grow up in that heat?) The misters were a big hit. I think we spent $40 on bottled water.


We ended our day in Orlando with the Redds. It was great to be with Scott and Jenn and the girls, eat a good meal, and cool off before heading back to my parents'. I think the heat had gone to my head... I didn't even take my camera in their house.

Big news! Peter is now officially a swimmer! The kids are in and out of the pool all day when we're there. It's a big relief to have them all swimming on their own.

A day at the beach with the Faisons. Peter was less sure about the ocean.

These three never got out of it.


Mowing the lawn with Grandpa. Always big fun.


Speaking of my dad, he spend a lot of time by the grill. We eat very well down there.
My dad and I love to cook together. A new favorite recipe that we made twice is Barefoot Contessa's Grilled Panzanella. Amazing!

My mom and I worked on a sewing project (I'll post photos soon). I'm learning. It's getting easier... well, especially when my mom is right there.

We had a great time away! Lots of being together, rest, reading, catch-up time, touring around, time in the water, and playing.

Now it's time for me to finish some summer projects and do some serious school planning. Summer goes by so quickly....

Not Back-to-School Blog Hop

It's that time of year again! And Darcy's blog hop has moved to Heart of the Matter this year.

I like to think of it as a little homeschool pep rally. Happy August!



This week is Curriculum Week.

I posted our plans earlier in the summer: Our Homeschool - Year 3

Will be posting more again very soon... just enjoying these lazy, hazy days of summer with my family.

This and That

This week is not really going the way I had planned. When does it ever? The boys are sick, so we're here at home and I'm just flitting from laundry to reading to school planning to cleaning to organizing photos. This post feels a little like my brain lately... all over the place.

**************

Edward Hopper is one of my favorite American painters, so I was thrilled to find this book. It's beautiful and written at Hannah's level. A great summer artist study.

**************

I finally purchased something on Etsy! I have been wanting a chalk board in the kitchen for over a year now... for verses, fun messages, school stuff. It was a great shopping experience. And I love that it's not from Pottery Barn.

"Delicious Summer" is a message to 3 kids that are less than enthusiastic about the amount of new-to-us vegetables on their dinner plates this summer. Hannah asked the other night if we had to get a CSA share every summer or could this please be the only one. They will thank me later.

**************

Nailing the chalk board on the wall led to this backyard fun. A board, a hammer, and some nails is serious fun for Peter.

**************

We are praying today for this little girl, and for her family boarding a plane to China, eager to hold her and bring her home. Her much older brother is a dear friend of ours.

**************

And just to bless you...
(I love this song)

Much Anticipated

Some parents say it is toy guns that make boys warlike.
But give a boy a rubber duck and he will seize its neck
like the butt of a pistol and shout "Bang!"

-George F. Will

Will has been talking about getting a Nerf Gun for months. All of his friends have them. I just wanted to wait as long as possible before these particular guns entered the house. All my excuses were used up. Last week, I caved and told him he could buy one with his own money. We shopped online together and he chose a good one, then ordered it from Amazon.

It was a long week of waiting. He talked about it constantly.

Yesterday, it came. I have never seen him so thrilled to receive a toy. I must say, it is rather fun.

And, yes, last night after the kids were in bed, my husband and I shot at each other's books while we read. It is that fun.

(My husband's current read, on the other hand, is a little depressing.)

Savoring Summer : 1000 Gifts

Savoring these slow summer days, I add more gifts to the list...

0501
Happy little marigolds.

0502
Backyard flowers brought inside.


0503
Mother-daughter bathroom pedicures.

0504
Big laughs together. The boys wondering what's so funny.

0505
Daddy wrestling matches.

0506
My first earthquake. An exciting 5 a.m. wake-up call.

0507
New recipes. Creamy Corn Salad... yum.

0508
A long conversation with a faraway friend.



0509
Vacation Bible School.

0510
Enthusiastic volunteers.

0511
News of pregnancy. A sweet family expanding.

0512
A bag of plums from a church member's tree.

0513
Thunderstorms.

0514
Lightening that fills dark rooms.

0515
Sleeping in their sleeping bags on top of their beds.

0516
Peter made Rice Krispies Treats.


0517
Little boy haircuts.

0518
Sleeping in braids.

0519
Their backyard forts in the bushes.


0520
The Jesus Storybook Bible. Reading it again and again.