A Glimpse of Ordinary Time

:: I'm enjoying the boys prayer flags they made at VBS.  Our church did the Mount Everest Themed VBS by Group Publishing.  I did all the Bible teaching for the week.  (I veered from the curriculum quite a bit; I was disappointed that it was theme and not narrative driven.)  It was a fun and very tiring week.

 :: Finally our chicken coop is very usable.  We still have a couple little things to finish up before I give you all the grand tour, but now that the run is attached the girls can get fresh air all day.  Until now we had to be here to check on them as they ran about the yard.

:: Hopefully we won't need much more paint as we finish up the coop.  Baby was crawling around while we were attaching the run and...

 

:: The garden is so much fun this year.  It isn't winning any ribbons, but we're daily bringing something for our table.  My favorite addition for the year is my fig tree (lower right corner of the photo).  We potted it so it won't grow into a massive tree.  There are already figs growing and I'm excited to have fresh figs!

:: My wildflowers didn't get replanted this year, but some of last years reseeded themselves.  The funny thing is, that while we've had a variety of types pop up, all the flowers have been yellow. 

:: Our best crops this year (carrots, beans, chard) didn't come up last year.  And the summer squash that was so abundant last summer was replanted twice and still hasn't taken off.

 :: Grandparents in town for the fourth took the boys to the book store.  Encouraged to pick something for Athan, I grabbed this year's Caldacott.  It is cute and the boys are really enjoying it (Mr. 3 is a big fan), but I'm a bit surprised it won.  Maybe it will grow on me; it is a really fun book and I have yet to read any speeches or articles on why it was chosen.

 :: Playing in the Hose, Swimming at the YMCA and a little water-table have led to wet boys all the time.  Snuggling in towels is a new normal on these hot days of summer.

:: I've been finding my way to the sewing machine these past couple weeks (it has been awhile!) and have been working my way through the mending/ unfinished project basket.  PJ pants that only needed elastic to finish them, a pair of shorts for baby, three pairs of trousers that lasted through three boys before getting holes in the knees were made into shorts, some hemming and taking in... my basket is down to one shirt Isaac requested this spring that is half finished in the basket.  

       
:: And just in time for no one in our immediate family's birthday... A birthday banner I began when we were living in Texas and packed up before the move.  One of the a's was lost in the move and then I couldn't find the fabric... and then the fabric paint... but finally, I've finished it!

:This is the first summer in ten years where we haven't moved or had a new baby (or both).  I actually feel like I might get a bit organized and tick off some projects.  (And hopefully be in this space a bit more!)