Summertime, Socially Distanced of Course

Our summer is quickly coming to an end with schools starting soon.  Our oldest goes back to college in two weeks!  The youngest goes in three weeks and our middle goes in 4.  Three kids at 3 different schools is fun, really.  I am thankful they are all in-state.  We are 1 hour and 15 minutes from two of the schools and 1 hour 30 minutes from the other.  They are just far enough away that coming home is possible but not likely to happen too often.  For the first month, they will stay put and we will come to them if they need anything.  The semester will go quickly as they will all be home for 8 weeks the end of  November.  Already looking forward to it! 

Monday our state becomes a masked state.  I know it is a controversy, especially if you have clinical reasons not to wear a mask.  I just wear mine and go about my life.  Hopefully, this trial will ease some soon. 

We did manage to get up to Lake Michigan for a day trip on Jeff's staycation week.  We were able to avoid the crowded beach.  We had a yummy lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.  We walked up a dune trail.  We sat on the beach and read books while Grace produced a lovely watercolor.  I never want to take for granted again these times with my kids at the beach.  I was tempted to despair a little.  I wanted a week at the beach, not 3 hours!  But I realized that 3 hours was more than some get so I needed to be thankful for them.  

We have been riding our bikes, playing disc golf, walking to the little park when the weather is not unbearable. We were going to go camping but the weather turned super hot and humid so we have put that on hold for September and October.  I am looking forward to camping this fall, something Jeff and I can do together without children.  

Speaking of the empty nest, since the kids have been home since March, I am ready to send them off!  It is time for them to be working towards something productive. Yes, I will miss the daily interactions.  I will probably not hear from the oldest very often.  I will eagerly await any and all text messages.  Thankfully, I have been down this road a couple times now and I am prepared for the emotional toll.  I am actually looking forward to a few of the perks of the empty nest, especially, less food to buy and fewer dishes to wash.  It has been 22 years since Jeff and I lived alone.  

Summertime freedom is almost over but there is still a lot of summer left to enjoy! 

Late Fall Menu Planning

When I sit down each week to menu plan, I like to look back over the past few weeks to visualize what we have had previously and strive for some diversity.  I tend to repeat favorites on a regular basis, although those favorites change over time.  Below is a look at my menus from October.  Note we had 2 birthdays, an anniversary and we were on vacation one week! We ate out a ton more than usual. During the warm weather season, we grill once a week.  Now it is time to start making soup once a week, if not more. We will also have baked potatoes more often. 

Sn 10/1  Grilled brats, chicken, or hamburgers (making extra for tomorrow's lunch and dinner)
M  10/2  Grilled chicken salad (used leftover grilled chicken)
T   10/3  Roasted chicken (chicken was on sale!) with potatoes, onions, carrots
W  10/4 Tacos
TH 10/5 Make your own flatbread pizzas, spinach salad
F  10/6   Chicken Tetrazinni, with zucchini noodles
S  10/7 Out with family

Sn  10/8  Out for our 23rd anniversary
M  10/9 Chicken enchilada casserole, salad
T  10/10 Italian Beef, salad, rolls 
W 10/11 Meatloaf, sweet potatoes, broccoli
TH  10/12 Baked Cod, Brussel sprouts, brown rice
F  10/13 Out for pizza with visiting family
S  10/14 Chicken Alfredo pasta, spinach salad

Sn  10/15 Out with family 
M 10/16 Chili with all the trimmings, salad
T 10/17 Grilled steak on big salads
W 10/18 Fish Tacos
TH 10/19 Out for my birthday
F  10/20 Pork tenderloin, roasted vegetables
S 10/21 Leftovers

Sn 10/22 Chicken and noodles, corn, green beans, biscuits
M 10/23 Oven fried chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese, broccoli
T 10/24 Lemonthyme chicken thighs, fried okra, cornbread
W 10/25 Beef roast, carrots, brown rice
TH 10/26 Roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberries
F  10/27 Leftovers
S 10/28  Chili and all the trimmings (freeze leftovers), salad

Sn 10/29  Pizza for Trevor's birthday party
M 10/30  Tuna cakes, cauliflower with cheese 
T 10/31 Turkey and rice soup (from homemade stock)
W  11/1 Italian Slow Cooker Chicken, "smashed" potatoes, green beans
TH 11/2  Naan bread pizza
F 11/3 Zuppa Toscana, winter salad
S 11/4 Cheeseburgers, salad

Sn 11/5 Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
M 11/6 Baked Potato bar with leftover chili, salad
T  11/7 Meatloaf, sweet potatoes, salad

Other Cool Weather Favorites:
Chicken Pot Pie
Cheeseburger Soup
Lasagna
Burrito Bowls
Quiche

Early August Blessings

August has begun and life is full.  I feel so blessed!  And it is just starting.  School for our oldest is going well.  The younger two start this week.  We are looking forward to a return to the children's ministries at church later this month.  Youth group activities will begin soon as well.  Summer vacation has been wonderful, now it is time to get back to it.

Fall Favorites

Fall just oozes coziness from the cooler days to the smells of pumpkin pie.  This fall has been especially wonderful.  I thought I would share some of my favorite things about this fall, here.



My youngest son has developed a love of decaf coffee this fall.  We have decided to stop our school work at 10 o'clock and enjoy a cup while watching a Bob Ross video, another of his obsessions.  These little breaks are very special to me.  He is 14 and growing up so fast.  I am honored that he wants to spend this time together.

We have had warm enough weather to ride our bikes this fall, which is one of the best things I know.  We get to ride around our neighborhood for half an hour, enjoying the fresh air as we go. The wind can be brisk, but we are bundled up and cozy.

Another fall favorite has been curling up on the sofa of the evening with a plush blanket while watching classic TV shows like Emergency.  We are currently enjoying a made up game of Emergency Bingo, a game that my 16-year-old daughter invented after discovering a love for that show.

We have reawakened our love for baking.  Who does not enjoy the smell of pumpkin pie spice wafting through the air?  My daughter is an accomplished baker and we enjoy her efforts most of all in the fall when ice cream no longer seems as interesting.

It has been the fall of apples, so many apples. I set out to try as many new apples as possible this year.  I have been blessed to live near a really nice orchard.  I think we have tried more apple varieties than ever before.  So far my favorites have been the Jonagold and Pink Ladies.

Fall is a time of preparing for winter, as I see it.  Preparing our hearts for the cold to come.  This certainly has been a fall to remember!

A Surprise

My aunt's pretty country home

Grandpa's homemade feeder

Oneida's Katrina pattern retired in 1994

Family is important to me.  That is why I make every effort to make my extended family a priority.  My mom, aunt, uncle and kids set aside time to have a monthly lunch at a restaurant that is kind of in the middle of our three cities.  We have done this for the last two years since Grandma passed away.

This week, my precious aunt brought me a surprise, Grandma's stainless and Grandpa's bird feeder!   Grandma's stainless is something that I really needed, as mine is either lost or we just never have enough spoons for five people to have soup and ice cream, for example.  The feeder is a total blessing as I was recently looking for a feeder and even considered making one out of a milk jug. My birds will be well fed this winter.

I love spending time with my family. I am thankful when they chose to bless me with their unwanted items, too!

Well, There You Have It

Our dishwasher died.  I knew it was only a matter of time. It always seemed to be working hard and making odd sounds.  I am really surprised that it lasted almost a whole year, since we use the dishwasher every day, always more than one load a day, too. When we bought the house, we knew the old dishwasher was going to get a workout, and it might not be up to the challenge given that it was not a top of the line model.

So now begins our journey into hand washing dishes.  The kids have never had to do such a thing.  My husband never had a dishwasher growing up. I had 3 years without one as a young girl who was old enough to wash dishes, which made quite an impression, as in I did not enjoy the chore!

A working dishwasher is certainly a luxury, and eventually we will get it either fixed or replaced, but not for awhile.  We have other goals at the moment.  Until then, I will relive my girlhood, one dish at a time!  Perhaps I will daydream that I am washing up in my old farmhouse, as surely it will not have such a modern convenience.  And, my kids will get a chance to try a new chore while having a happy heart, like their mom.

UPDATE:  Jeff got it to work, but it is on light duty. Not sure it is 100%.

I ♡ Antique Malls

I think I've mentioned before that I do not enjoy shopping.  Recently I rediscovered that isn't exactly true. I had forgotten how much I enjoy antique malls.

One lovely fall day, we spent 3 hours walking around, looking at and remembering things we had long ago. Oh, if only I knew way back then that my unwanted junk would be worth so much now!

We did bring home a few treasures. We found an upholstered ottoman,  4 mugs to match our 70's Correll,  and a couple Christmas tree ornaments. My 12 year old son used birthday money to buy a knife. And, many of the vendors gave a 30% discount for cash!

 This particular mall is 40 minutes away, near a favoriye park, making it a good day trip stop. We will be back! I have my eye on a Pyrex bowl set!

A Simple Summer

The herb garden is quite lush right now.  

What makes up a successful day?  Recently, this question has often been on my mind.  You see, this summer, unlike any other that I can recall, has been rather simple.  There have been more quiet days at home than usual.  We have not ran around very much.  We have spent whole afternoons reading, building with Legos, watching old movies, or playing board games.  Not a lot of heavy housework has been done either.  And recently, the heatwave has kept us inside more than I would care to be.  All this downtime has been wonderfully restoring to me personally.  We did spend a crazy week at VBS last week, but other than that we have stayed mostly quiet.

I have fought the temptation to feel as if we are being unproductive.  Quite  the opposite is true.  I think we are being wise.  A busy school year is fast approaching and we will need to be rested and ready.  We will need to be good and ready!

So, the other day, I asked myself what makes a successful summer day?  I came up with a baseline for myself.  If these things happen, then I can look back and say that I have been productive enough.

My morning routine...

• Make and have breakfast with my husband
• Enjoy my coffee 
• Read my Bible and pray
• Clean up breakfast
• Feed the wild birds, change their bird bath water
• Water the outside plants
• Take a short walk
• Shower
• Swish and swipe the bathroom (Flylady style)
• Make our bed
• Start a load of clothes
• Empty the dishwasher
• Plan dinner 
• Computer time 

The afternoon is pretty loose.  I make sure laundry is getting done, the dishes and kitchen are being kept up, and dinner is ready when my darling comes home from his hard work day.  We do spend some time cleaning in the afternoons, but we do it mostly when there are people coming over.  Otherwise, we have free afternoons to work on things we want to work on or go swimming if invited.  

These simple days of summer will be over in less than a month.  I am hanging on to each one, feeling satisfied that we are making the most of them, right here at home.  

Feeling Blah Today

I woke up feeling a little down today, not to mention having some tummy trouble due to eating off my program yesterday.  I decided the best way to combat these blues was to write a gratitude list.

Cataract Falls, Upper Falls

I am thankful for...

• A beautiful summer morning with sunshine, cooler temps, birds singing, and time to enjoy being outside on my hammock, praying for myself and others. 
• My husband who is working hard today for us.  He wanted to take the day off, but decided it was best to go into his office and work.  
• My children, who are safe and at home with me today. I am thankful for their creativity.   
• Another chance to eat right today.
• A slower paced day. 
• Leftover food from yesterday!  Now I won't have to cook tonight.  
• My family who came over yesterday and celebrated Independence Day with us.  
• Friends who are praying for me.  

June 2013 Garden Update

This summer, my gardening is limited to herbs and flowers.  I decided not to try to grow vegetables this year because we really have too much shade and after last year's drought, I lost the desire as well!  Plus, as I said before, my plant budget was eaten up by a certain hungry rescue cat.  So, this is what we came up with for about $30.

These Coleus perk up the shaded front walk.

I have written  many times about my grandpa's geranium, but here it is again.   I hope it makes it this summer.  I noticed a bug eating the leaves.

I bought two little pots of geraniums for the back deck.  I enjoy looking out my windows and seeing a little pop of color.  I was hoping to attract humming birds, as I have in the past, but sadly, the hummers are not coming like the last few years.

These lilies were a gift from my daughter last year.  They and the mint are thriving.  Next to the mint, in the back, you can just see the chives.  There is also lavender and basil in this area.

 In the baby pool, I planted some free Morning Glory seeds.  I will put up a tripod soon.  There is also cilantro in the pool.

 Lastly, here is the catnip that we got from the farm market.  It is loving its location.  And my kitties are loving the fresh leaves.  We will dry some for over the winter.

I would have loved to have planted some tomatoes, but these plants are truly enough.  My daughter is so kind to water each plant every morning, unless we have had rain.

Remembering the Good Old Days

Lately,I've been reading my grandmother's journals from the late 1980's.  I am so thankful for these gems!  She wrote every day for years.  When I read them, I can hear her voice.  I am transported back to her wonderful, humble home.  I can almost smell the smells when she writes of the cake she baked or bread that Grandpa made!  

She's now 90 with dementia, wheelchair bound, too, living in a nursing home.  I know that I am blessed to have her here, still living.  However, her mind is, well, pleasantly confused at best.  She doesn't carry on a conversation.  For awhile, I was feeling as if I had lost her already.    

These journals are quite simple.  She tells of the people she talked to.  She writes of what she ate and did.  She will sometimes comment on current events.  She mentions the weather.  These are all very simple things. Yet, they are so interesting!  It's hard to read only a few days at a time.  

For the last two years, I have been keeping similar journals on paper in addition to my blogging.  Even today, my kids will ask to hear what we did just two years ago.  It amazes me how in such a short time we forget all the little details.  And I am so glad that I took the time to write them down.  Actually, it doesn't take much time at at.  Usually, I have to limit myself because of space.

Perhaps one day my family will take these journals and read them to their kids.    

Random Fall Thoughts

The last ones! 

Surprise!  Most of the tomatoes have turned red sitting in the sunny southern window.  My dear husband says they are flavorful, too.  Oh, I didn't mention that he is the only tomato lover in the house?  Well, he is. I labor over the tomatoes as an act of love towards him, really.  Plus, I enjoy the challenge. 

The leaves have all of a sudden changed colors and just as quickly, fallen to the ground.  I am going to miss them.  I wish fall was a longer season, spring, too.  It seems like fall and spring are shorter each year.  Perhaps because I enjoy them so much.

A fall display I saw over the weekend. 

The "men" folk worked hard on the leaves last evening after dinner.  You would not know it by looking at the yard this morning after some rain and wind passed through.  But, they are almost all on the ground now.  Last year, I remember we were dealing with leaves well into November.  We finally stopped when it snowed!  This year is quite different.  Most likely due to the drought.  I read we are still 8 inches under normal for the entire year. 

The mill where our corn was ground. 

We added 5 pounds of corn meal, freshly stone ground, to our "larder" for the winter.  I look forward to baking muffins and corncakes.  I hope it lasts awhile.  I have to be careful not to bake too often, as our self control gets tested when I do bake!  And I do love to bake this time of the year. 

Must get to the children's lessons for the day.  Have a wonderful Tuesday! 
Jenn

This and That, Fall Edition

Quaint shops to tempt us. 

Good Day to You, Gentle Reader,

How is your fall progressing?  Twice now, we've had to cover our delicate plants.  I realize it is just putting off the inevitable, but for right now, with the bright, sunny, warm-enough days, I am attempting to prolong the growing season. 

I heart old barns. 

Just today we enjoyed a red cabbage and some cherry tomatoes in our salad.  The tomato plants are in fact, so full of green tomatoes, that I am soon planning to pick them all and attempt to ripen them in a sunny window. 

Beautiful lake we found while on a stroll. 

Fall camping is another pleasure that we are hoping to extend, although, this past weekend's trip was canceled.  We are not rugged enough to sleep in our pop up camper in temperatures in the 30's without a heater!  We have one more trip planned for my birthday in eleven days.  I am eagerly watching the low temperatures.  We can go if they stay in the 40's. 

A house that I love. 

Speaking of eleven, we purchased eleven jars of apple butter from our favorite orchard this weekend.  Their apples were destroyed by frost this past spring. Thankfully, the apples they used to make the butter were from last year's harvest.  We bought their last jars.  If I had known, I would have gone earlier.  Next year, they will have a call list, the nice lady informed us.  We'll need to get on that list! 



*Pictures are from some day trips taken this past weekend. 

Keep It Simple

Tomorrow, I host dinner for eleven of my friends, something I do just once a year for this particular group, although, one of them has me to dinner each month. I purposely stay in this group as a way to make myself more social.  Oh, I do love each and every one in this dear group, don't get me wrong, it's just that my natural bent would be to stay home, focused on my own world.  I'd be quite content, in fact!  And perhaps, I will one of these days, but right now, I am trying to stretch myself in the area of hospitality.  I've always had to make myself be social, now that I think of it! 

So, how do I keep things simple so that I do not become an anxiety ridden mess, driving my family crazy in the process?  First of all, I am keeping my menu simple. 

Chili with assorted toppings

Raw vegetable tray

Cornbread with butter and honey

Blueberry Peach Crisp with vanilla ice cream

Lemonade or decaf iced tea

Other hostesses are much more elaborate, others have had food brought in.  I finally realized that it didn't matter so much what we were eating, it was the friendly atmosphere that we all craved.  

I am also not stressing about the state of my home. Quite a few of the others in my group have large, professionally decorated homes.  My home is quite lived in as we are here learning together most every day. 

We're a diverse group.  Only one other home educates her children.  Most of the ladies work outside of the home, at least part time.  We all have our own struggles.  Yet, we all love one another and accept one another's limitations.  No one is going to care about the weeds in my flower bed along the side walk, or care that the walls of my home are still a bland white that now really need painting!  

I've been a part of this group for more than five years.  We've been through a lot together.  They are worth the effort I will make tomorrow.  And next month when I go to one of their homes, it will be all the sweeter!