photo update on all manner of things

Well!  Sorry about that!  I did not mean to leave such a big gap in the writing--certainly not leave any cliff hangers.  So let me try to sum up the past couple of weeks:

--I confess I pretty much clocked out after Spring Break, and we've just coasted until the end of the school year, which was officially over this past Thursday. We had "easy" school these past weeks--and some of it resulted in the best homeschooling I think we have done all year.  We were schooling closer to my ideal--no curriculum, no tedium, but LOTS of fun educational moments, and kids eagerly owning their own learning.  Seriously--such a good reminder that excellent homeschool is not following along what someone else says to do, but figuring things out for ourselves and putting the knowledge into action. 

We also had to test Merry on running a mile and other P.E. things--a requirement of all 5th graders in the state--so we met up with my good friend Ali who also has a fifth grader and who shares my wonderful school liaison, Terry.  We all participated and did all the trials, even the moms! Ali documented the occasion with her camera, and I just loved how we took something that was seriously un-fun in nature and made it SUPER fun for everyone. Again, that's what homeschooling is about!

Upper left, Terry surrounded by her little school charges.

Running the mile. Some of them while holding hands.  I walked most of the mile, but actually RAN for about 1/8th of it.  The most I have run when not chasing a toddler, probably since college.  Hence the Chariots of Fire finish, upper right.

--We had good friends pack up and leave town--my friend Sara and her husband and 5 kids.  After a summer spent visiting family all the way across the country in MA, they are likely re-locating permanently to Oregon. So, we managed to fit in lots of quality time during their last month, with a big sleepover (their house of course!), park dates, a good-by party, and then I got to help with a little cleaning before they drove away. I didn't help that much, because Sara was so efficient and quick in getting them out, but I hope she felt loved and supported!  And now I am so glad for Facebook, because she updated where they were all across the country on their road trip, which was fun to share in, but also eased my mind for their continued safety.

Sara holding the newborn Elisabeth and me holding the newborn Smiley, back in Fall of 2008. I can't believe how young we look!  (She is about 10 years younger than I, however. : )

Sara and me May 2014.

Some of the Vintage homeschool kids playing together at the goodbye potluck for Sara's family

Our friend Ali was being the photographer again--this is the best family pic we have taken for a while

Then, the day Sara and her family drove away, I got totally sick--fortunately after she didn't need me anymore, since that was the last day we tried to have kids played while we did last minute cleaning.  But I came down with some nasty winter-season crud, here during our most beautiful summery weather.  And let me tell you, it really knocked me out--fever, chills, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, cough--the works.  And it really hung on too--today is day 10, and as of today I can say I am no longer feeling sick. My sinuses are still draining, and I'm still coughing a little, but otherwise I feel fine--except I am like a limp noodle.  Absolutely no energy.  Ah, that's ok--I'm just so glad this came at the perfect time of year so I could rest and not be missing important things.

The kids got sick too this past week, but thank the Lord not the really bad way I got it--just runny noses and coughs, but not bad enough to keep them laid up. We still took it easy last week, skipping what few classes we had left in the year, but otherwise finishing up school well and in good spirits.  Miraculously, DH did not get sick at all.


--We did not end up having any guests come to visit us since I last wrote, which worked out so well considering the whole sickness thing. That and DH has been working a lot because of a big, important project coming due at work, so he really did not have time to work on house projects with his dad.  He even has to work tonight for some product launch or something. (Because he works with websites and data for the military/government, they always do their system updates/installations, etc. when the fewest people will be trying to use it, which usually means Sat. nights to wee hours of Sunday mornings! Good thing that does not happen too often.)

And now the timing should work out perfectly that we should all be perfectly healthy when we go to visit Chico later this week, to see DH's parents and grandma (for the first time since Christmas), and even see DH's sister Auntie N as well as Uncle S and their girls Spice and Sweetness, who are visiting from Colorado and whom we have not seen for a year now.  It should be a really good visit, and the perfect way to see MIL again after this time apart.  I still need to remember all the things God's been showing me and growing in me, though, because it could always turn badly--but it will only be a bad visit if I enable it to be, so I am going to trust and pray that God gives me BOLD LOVE for my MIL and we end up connecting in some way so we leave the time together feeling positive about our relationship.


--DH being so busy of course means we have not been working on house projects at all. But unfortunately--or fortunately, depending upon how you want to look at it--a few days ago the crappy door knob on our front door stopped working all of a sudden, and no manner of oiling or re-assembly could revive it.  Can you believe we had *just* talked about replacing that being one of the projects for this summer, and so I had *just* ordered new front door entrance hardware!  I'm really excited about it, because I found a set I really like:

by Weslock

I LOVE the antique texture on them, and they look even better in person than in the pic.  They were also rated online as being well-made and durable.  When we hold them up to the door they look like they belong on it.  So now this weekend DH is trying to put the new hardware in.  It's tricker than it seems, because he has to first build out the door depth with new redwood (which I'll be staining to try to match the old wood as best I can) and then router out holes in the door and doorframe for the new bolts (we think we can use the old hole for the deadbolt at the top, but the latch at the bottom will need new holes cut). Then he has to actually install the door handles.  There are a lot of steps to this project, and a lot that could potentially go wrong--but again, the timing of this is great, since he has a 3 day weekend to work on it.  Hopefully it is done when we are planning to head up to Chico, however--otherwise we will have no way of securing that door when we leave!  (at the moment we can only latch it from the inside with a small bolt.)

I have absolutely loathed that old, cheap junk doorknob since we moved into this house, so this unexpected project makes me happy. : )


OK, so I think that is about it for now!  All is good here, and writing this out today made me so aware of our blessings of friends and life support.  God has always been so good to us, and we are so well provided for!  May you all be blessed in your seasons right now. : )