Zak's birthday week :)

This past week held Zak's 21st birthdayHe had some pals over to play soccer...and made them some spaghetti  

Noah's first rugby game ( with cousin Jay)

Birthday boy and little buddy

Outside my window: Very, very bright sun but windy and cool.

I am thinking --  it feels like a vacation this week. T is home!

From the schoolroom: Started a new writing program (Jensen's Format Writing) with the boys. I think it was a success! ( or will be)

From the kitchen: Since there has been an abundance of low priced strawberries at the grocery store, freezer jam has made a reappearance in our lives :).

I am reading and watching:

Reading: "Cider with Rosie" by Laurie Lee

Such a poignant, funny, charming little book about a boy's life in rural England before WW 2. His father had abandoned the family and he was raised by his mother along with 6 other children. I don't think I have read vignettes that so masterfully transport you back into the past as these do. 

Watched: 

Berkeley Square

(love it, but only on Disc 1)

The Young Victoria

Absolutely gorgeous costumes and the actor who played Albert REALLY looked like him. I don't know, although it was a *nice* movie, it had a strange cadence to it.



Around the house: Working on the outside. Raking, weeding, and hopefully.....lawn cutting and weed whacking will be happening this week. Perhaps the start of a garden by next?



What we will do this week:" I was so excited to find a PAVED path close to the house today. "  Wow, we really love that path. It is just long enough that the kids don't get worn out yet I feel like I have done some exercise ( probably I should take two trips around it, but I haven't gotten the kids on board with that yet :) It is so peaceful and lovely and so close to home. It feels like our little corner of the world.

All of sudden we have an explosion of GAMES from the various sports teams everyone is on. Well, that is spring...and fall...for our family it seems. 3 soccer and 1 rugby this week. Tickets for the Macomb Ballet's production of "Cinderella" with my girls on Friday!

The glory of spring

Not exactly sure what this tree is called, but the flowers have a terrible odor. How can something so beautiful smell so bad? :)






St Francis and The BVM having a little chat. I think this was Gabriella's doing. :)

April 11, 2010

A visit to Cranberry Lake park was our grand adventure of the week
We tried to ride bikes but the paths weren't exactly bike friendly. Nevertheless, George and Jackson gave it a go.

Manny took this lovely picture of the three girls picnicing.
This shot underlines Sissy's general disposition toward the place. Everyone was creeped out by finding a chewed on , detached deer leg on the path.:)



Lovely landscape
Gorgeous farm house that is being re-done.
It seems so strange for it to be warm and barely any leaves on the trees!
You just can't be in with the "in" crowd out here unless you have a big, red barn! Sadly, we do not. The story of our lives! :)
Manny, not "IN" the dog house this time, but on it!










Outside my window: Cloudy and cool. It was 82 on Thursday and snowing by Saturday ( albeit just very light flurries...but obviously cold enough for it to happen!) Never a dull moment with Michigan weather! :)

I am thinking--about being a work-week single parent. I won't drone on about it, since A) I know there are military wives who do it ALL week EVERY week for a year or more and B) My husband has work. But I was thinking about how it is one of those things that the 90/10 principle applies to. I can either say "I can't take this!" and that is how the week will go or I can try to make it an adventure and be glad for any positives I can find. Obviously there are many negatives, but it does keep me on my toes, which can work out to be a good thing for my mothering and family life.

From the schoolroom: All I can say is that we are in "winding down the year" mode, which makes me think more about what can be done better next year. I was musing recently how this fall will usher in year 18 for homeschooling. It's funny how you can do something for so long and still have days ( weeks? months?) of feeling like you don't have a clue. :)

From the kitchen: We just had a birthday dinner for Zak, which almost always includes STEAK on the grill. Dyl took over and made most of it ( all of it? did I make anything?) It really was delicious and I am not an enormous fan of red meat.

I am reading and watching:

Reading: Sam Houston's Wife
and Homeland

I finished reading a book called "The Raven" which was about Sam Houston and his first wife, Eliza Allen. I don't know much about Sam Houston and that being the case, can't say much about him per se....it was just the premise of the novel that was interesting. IE, the two were married for all of 4 months and then she took off and went back to her parents home and NO ONE knew why or would say why (obviously those two did :) A great historical mystery.
So, that led me to be interested in Sam Houston's second marriage ( actually his third if you count his Indian wife)....which is what book A is about.

Homeland is a book about two women who were friends during the civil war. One from the South, one from the North. I think this is also an interesting premise and so far I am enjoying it.

Listening to: Angle of Repose by

This is really a lovely story of a marriage set in the late 19th century.

Watched: The latest version of "Tess of the D'ubervilles". Why I am so drawn to this gloomy Thomas Hardy novel, I don't know, but it never ceases to catch my attention. I must say I liked this one a whole lot better than the earlier version with Natasha Kinksi. Really beautiful.




Around the house: I made the usual pillows and a couple table cloths today. Our table is just long enough that regular tablecloths don't fit on it longwise. Of course the fact that the refrigerator is way over due for a cleaning doesn't keep me up at night, or that the kitchen floor could use a mop, or that there are piles of laundry that need to be put away.....but having no tablecloths that fit the table.....now there is an EMERGENCY! :)




What we will do this week: I was so excited to find a PAVED path close to the house today. Dreams of taking the little kids biking and being able to roll my stroller along smoothly have excited all sorts of plans in my brain! I don't think we have anything much out of the ordinary on tap. Maybe some new soccer practices for George, who signed up for the Y team this past weekend.

Holy Week and Easter

G helping me make garlic toast. She did pretty well!
It was even warm enough for squirt guns!
G insisted on wearing these all thru Meijer. It gave all the grandma's a smile. ;)
Coloring Easter eggs.



Happy campers!


The girls. The bluish cast around G's mouth was from an Easter Basket ring pop, not any respiratory issues. :)
Noah and Naomi....best buds. :)
Abbreviated family photo. George was sick, Al was working.
Ready for some Easter grub!



Easter egg hunt!