- We have discovered Man vs. Wild and are eating up all of the TiVoed episodes. Educating, amusing, breathtaking- I recommend it. For a person like me who dreams of seeing every inch of this amazing Earth (forget luxury cars and huge mansions- I'd travel the world!), it further puts me in awe of God's creation. So diverse, so beautiful. It makes me wonder, though, if I would be willing to do all that this man does to survive. Specifically, the eating and drinking of things that are less than wonderful. But, even the cliff jumping or rock climbing without ropes. Yikes. I'd better not get stranded somewhere. Especially somewhere where there are snakes, or bears, or saltwater crocs, or... let's be realistic, I kind of don't want to camp in a tent ever again. On the other hand, it inspires a person to see how far they could push themselves if they had to. Like when Eric and I watched EcoChallenge a few years ago- it made me want to run a marathon or do a crazy long hike to combat the cushy/ insulated life I lead. You know, the life I like... really, its quite an internal conflict. ;-)
- There's been swimming at the YMCA.
Grant is swimming solo, kind of. He does the dog paddle, and isn't a strong swimmer, but he's able to go without flotation device without me worrying about him. I still wouldn't allow him out of my sight, but I'm in the water already due to Lael and Dean (I won't be the mom lounging on the side of the pool for quite some time!). The younger two wear their floaties and do very well in the shallow section. Neither have much fear and don't mind going under with their heads, so I expect them to do well with lessons when we begin. If I can get them swimming earlier than Grant has, it will give me a bit of freedom, and it would make them happier, too.- School starts in 1 month. That went quickly. I'm now trying to do review with Grant everyday so that he is ready for 2nd grade in public school. This is a new phase for us. I got a bit anxious the other night thinking about handing my "baby" over every day. But, I've had a good prayer session about it, and the Lord has taken my fears and nervousness. I know this is the right thing for our son this year, and it is time to walk in peace and trust- even excitement over all the good that is to come!
- My garden ended up being rather pitiful. But, the lemon balm is going crazy and we have enough for, probably, 30 gallons of yummy iced tea or mojitos. Well, 30 gallons of mojitos aren't good for anyone. :-) And, my bell peppers are trying to grow, but Lael keeps "harvesting" the tiny peppers before they can mature.
(that's a penny for scale- now you see my problem)- A tiny project turned into a bigger project this past week. I was going to paint the back door. the paint was actually peeling, rather than just being faded, so I started to scrape off the crumbly bits, intending to sand the rest a bit to rough it up, and then paint a new coat over the whole thing. Scraping revealed a bit of wood rot, which led to ripping off the molding and re-framing the door, which led to discovering a smidge more wood rot on the transition piece, which led to a whole new transition plate. I felt bad for Eric because he got involved in a project that I wanted to do entirely by myself while he relaxed. He ended up sawing metal, nailing, and overseeing the whole thing in 90+ heat and humidity. We worked as a nice team, though, and I'm proud of us for tackling it together rather quickly.
Now the only thing left is the actual painting, which I can do! I've picked a deep charcoal gray that should look sharp against the black and white striped awning and the light gray siding.- The flooring project is nearing some resolve. I'm still awaiting one sample. This is going to be a LOT of work but will transform the entire space. I think we're excited and nervous all at once.
- I've embraced another homemaking task. Its a bit crazy, but I'm enjoying it for now- I'm hanging clothes on a line. Like, drying them OUTSIDE. Motivated by saving energy, keeping the hot dryer from running during the summer, and unnecessarily burdening the environment- we thought that the "old school" method for drying clothes was worth a go. We purchased an umbrella style line on Amazon and it is fully removable (you just have a tiny hole in the ground when its not up). It takes a bit of extra time to hang the clothes (15 min.), but I like it so far. In fact, it allows me some time to get caught up in a bit of reflection and prayer while doing a chore. It is gentler on garments and encourages me to fold the items as they come off the line, rather than dumping them in a heap and folding the overwhelming "mountain" all at once (like we do as load after load comes out of the dryer).
Of course, maybe its just the novelty that I'm enjoying right now, but time will tell if it becomes a warm weather routine.- Fourth of July was simple and nice. I didn't take many photos, and we didn't see a fireworks show. But, good friends, loads of kids (only two families and we have that many children?!), great food, a crazy convoluted game of Scrabble (it seems ridiculous that we played that way now....), and chatting with neighbors in the warm summer night made me a thankful woman. Oh, and thank you Amy for introducing us to grilled corn- we've already used that technique again this week!
Yum.
5 comments:
I'd like to see more of your clothes line. I don't think we're allowed to have them here and I wasn't interested in it at our previous house, even though we already had the poles. Working full time almost necessitates drying inside. You know thinking back to younger days, I used to actually enjoy hanging the clothes out and bringing them back in. It was a sort of escape from the regular chores indoors. I used to love the feel of the still wet sheets slapping against me while hanging them in the heat of summer. Good memories. I suppose Eric remembers digging the clothesline poles out of our yard at our previous house. Mighty big chunk of concrete he pulled out of the ground that day.
I didn't know Eric uprooted them at the old house. Ha. As far as home owner's association bylaws- I'm not sure we're supposed to have it (most associations don't like the look of them). But, with a fence, and it being something that is only up an hour or two every so often, I don't think it harms anyone. Unless someone entered our back yard, they wouldn't know. Although, if there are ever any objections, I will gladly remove it. I think it was this one that we bought: http://www.amazon.com/Lehigh-Capacity-Parallel-Clothes-LA84P-1/dp/B0009WG6O8/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3515966-7372910?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1184094196&sr=8-1 But, I'm not sure. It was $50 at the time, so it looks like its on sale. Again, what's nice is that only a 1" hole remains when not in use.
My mother hung our clothes on the line when we were growing up and I love the smell and feel of them. I have wanted a line for a long time and now I think I will purchase one. I like watching that show as well. I told the hubby, "there could be something on there that would save our life." We are going to Pike's Peak for vaca.
When I was little, my parents planted a garden and there were lots and lots of tomatoes. I guess I picked them regularly and they were always very green. One day, my dad told me I had to eat the next one I picked. It was green. He made me eat it. I don't really remember it-I have just heard the story a few times. The experience didn't scar me-I like tomatoes. I just thought of that when you mentioned Lael picking the bell peppers-not that you should make her eat them, but my garden experience. Kids just love to pick vegetables/fruit!
Hey - tell Eric happy birthday from Rick & the rest of us :) :)
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