Grasshopper Days and Testosterzone Summer

Grasshopper Days

For today, Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Outside my window...  warm sunshine - hallelujah,

but there's a hint of fall in the air.

The mornings are cool and dewy,

and the days are noticeably shorter.

But instead of photos of today,

how about these from last month?

We were at my parents' beach with friends,

and the boys got to go tubing!

Two of mine, plus a friend.

Hearing...  the neighbor's motorcycle has squeaky brakes.

Pondering...  I think my brain has gotten rusty!

I'm trying to do some reading,

and realize that I need a Bible and pen and paper

right next to me

to get the value out of some of these books!

Praying...  for the boys :D

* Wyatt *

needs a direction, a goal.

Yes, the immediate goal is to finish his AA in December.

And then?

* Tate *

has registered for twenty credits fall quarter.

And has a job.

And is working on a promotion at CAP.

And is finishing up a CERT class.

(Community Emergency Response Team.)

* Gunnar *

is adjusting to a much fuller schedule as well.

He's also taking the CERT class,

taking three classes at the high school,

three at home,

and continuing to advance at CAP.

And we'll pick up the violin lessons again

when CERT finishes.

WHEW!

I'm everyone's manager.

Pray for me!

Thankful...  Kerry continues to have work :D

While Gunnar is still frustrated by the amount of work he has,

he's doing it more cheerfully.

Wearing...  blue jean shorts and a teal t-shirt.

Because I am all that and a bag of chips ;D

Creating... new plans, new goals, new rhythms,

for this new season of life.

Going...  to bed early tonight!

Reading...  just finished Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow,

(that's not the one I need a pen and paper for!)

and starting a Nancy Pearcey book.

Looking forward to...  moving the furniture around.

I know, it's a thrill a minute over here!

In the kitchen...  lasagna for dinner tonight.

From a box.

Because my three-day headache is (I hope?) finally abating.

In the learning rooms...  Gunnar,

working diligently on his Biology

review of the first chapter.

Test tomorrow!

He already had his first history test - 95% :D

Good job, Gunnar!

Around the house...  dust.

Wyatt and Tate are doing some digging under the house,

and somehow the dust works its way into the house.

*sigh*

Noticing that...  oh!

Gunnar just told me that the "substitute" for his Spanish class

is now the all-year-teacher.

All righty then.

Works for me,

because he really likes this teacher :D

Something to remember for later...  see the photo below,

CAP is doing good things for my boys :D

Gunnar just promoted to Master Sergeant,

and Tate gave the monthly Safety Briefing,

completely off-the-cuff

and did well :D

The Mother Load...

Oh.

Let's not go there right now.

Not until the headache is truly gone.

Something fun to share...  driving the boys to their Thursday night CERT class

means a chance to hang out with my friend Sara :D

(Her oldest two are also in the class.)

A favorite quote for today...  

If your goal is purity of heart,

be prepared to be thought very odd.

Elisabeth Elliot

One of my favorite things...

warm, breezy, sunny fall days with hardly any flies :D

A Bible verse...

Psalm 111:2

Great are the works of the Lord,

studied by all who delight in them.

Full of splendor and majesty is His work,

and His righteousness endures forever.

Now isn't that a great reason to homeschool?

We study the works of the Lord because we delight in them,

and in Him.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

gee, now that the week is half gone...

* keep Gunnar on track with his school work

* make sure Tate and Wyatt have everything they need to start school

(we bought Tate's books today)

* hang out with my friend Sara tomorrow evening

* check out Bible Study Fellowship tomorrow morning

* get full use out of the minions before they're busy with school work

(i.e. make them do chores)

A peek into my world...

somebody forgot to check their pockets

and sent some tissues through the laundry.

(It was me.)

Yellow Aster Butte

When Tate chose a cel phone to buy,

he wanted it to have a good camera.

He chose well :D

My iPhone takes great close ups,

but doesn't do well with distance.

These photos of Tate's look like they were taken with an SLR!

Nope.

Tate, Wyatt, and their cousin Ben took a day-hike up to Yellow Aster Butte.

And boy did they pick the right day!

While it's not a long hike,

(seven or eight miles round trip?)

the significant elevation gain

 - about 3000' - 

provides amazing views of the surrounding peaks,

both in Washington and Canada!

Amazing.

That's Mt. Baker,

by the way.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains -

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip -

He who watches over you

will not slumber;

indeed,

He who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you -

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm -

He will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forever more.

Looking back down,

you can see the trail down to the right,

but they started waaaaay down in the valley.

Love those smiles up at the top!

Blakely Island

We're so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world...

God's own country ;D

Green all year,

mountains,

lakes,

salt water...

... and friends with boats!

"Captain Dave" took Kerry and the boys on a day-trip out to Blakely Island.

Kerry had a fabulous time.

Leaving Bellingham,

the WWU campus is up on the hill above the tug.

Those brick buildings you see (up, to the left)

are dorms.

I'm kind of envious of their view!

Captain Dave

That's the old Bellingham City Hall in the background,

now a museum.

Everybody got to drive the boat,

and didn't they have a gorgeous day for it?

Visiting tall ships.

That's the Lady Washington in front,

don't know the other one.

If the Lady Washington looks a little bit familiar,

you may be a Pirates of the Caribbean fan.

(She was the HMS Interceptor.)

Go, Gunnar, Go!

On the return trip

they met up with a local freight train...

Perfect way to spend a summer day,

right, Tate?

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Outside my window...  cool and cloudy today.

Smells carry so much better in damp air.

Today, the sweet smell of falling alder and maple leaves.

But since I don't have any photos of that,

how about some from our July - August birthday party,

for Wyatt, Kerry, and Mike?

The beginnings of Moo-wiches for our July/August birthday celebration

Hearing...  a quiet house.

My not-so-new room faces the street,

but there's not much traffic.

Just kids chattering as they walk to school :D

Pondering...  ordering my mornings, now that Gunnar is off to school!

So far, so good.

Went for a walk (by myself),

had breakfast with Gunnar,

had quiet time after a shower,

started a load of laundry,

and here I am...

A perfect day... to go to the lake :D

Praying...  for my boys, of course :D

Gunnar launched into high school,
going part-time like his brothers did.
We're having a "rolling start" to our school year,
since we have/had a lot going on.
More about that later...

Praying for Kerry's clients to pay promptly.

For my dad's knee,
two friends with cancer,
and for all September's new beginnings.


Thankful...  Kerry continues to have plenty of work - hallelujah!
Because, honestly, my mental well-being is all tied up in him working
and money coming in and bills getting paid.
And I know - I KNOW - I should be trusting Jesus with all of that,
rather than Kerry (no offense to him),
but I get completely stressed out by money issues.
Enough said about that.
I'm THANKFUL he has a bunch of work right now.

And oh so thankful that Gunnar really likes his English class,
due to the fact that he really likes his English teacher.
Can't wait to meet her at back-to--school night!
See, Gunnar has his GPS down solid.
(GPS - Grammar, punctuation, and spelling.)
But he really doesn't like a lot of writing.
Especially when he has to come up with the ideas for it.
So having a teacher that neither of his brothers had
(no comparisons)
is a big deal.

And, on the flip side,
he got the same math teacher both his brothers had,
and that's a great deal too!

Anyway, I'm thankful for a good beginning for him :D

I know, it's not an amazing photo of Gunnar and Tate,
but I love that it shows how clean and clear the water is.
Something else to be VERY thankful for!

Wearing...  a turquoise t-shirt and old blue jeans that are new again,
thanks to an experiment in dyeing.

Indigo STINKS.
It was fun :D

That's a story for another day.


Creating...  plans for ME.

September is always time for a new start,
am I right?
The kids are starting a new school year.
Our schedule is different.
My responsibilities are different.

It's time for a change :D

One of the birthday boys - my cousin's husband Mike.
Does that make him a cousin-in-law?
Whatever.  We love him.

Going...  to have a couple friends over to lunch today :D

I almost said "for" lunch,
but that would be wrong.
Very, very wrong.
It's an important little preposition, yah?


Reading...  I've been reading through a couple books Tate (and I) bought
at the end of Worldview Academy.
Just finished The Deadliest Monster by Jeff Baldwin,
and am nearly done with Rethinking Worldview by Mark Bertrand.
I found Baldwin's book more easily "accessible" -
an analogy or how monster stories (Frankenstein vs Jekyll and Hyde)
demonstrate worldview.
Tate says that Mark Bertrand was his favorite speaker at camp.
HIs book requires a lot more processing.
Not sure if that's just because he's obviously wired differently than I am
(different learning/teaching style)
or maybe his book shouldn't be bedtime reading when I'm kind of tired!
And now I'm curious if Tate liked him best because he thinks the same way,
or because the guy was just a more interesting speaker...

Lots to think about either way!

If you thought all dogs could swim...
you would be wrong.

Learning...  I need structure to be successful.
Well, no surprise there, right?

So I"m trying to build it in...


Looking forward to...  lunch out with my mom and a mutual friend later this week :D

Wyatt, Tate, Gunnar and cousin Raelynn... aaahhhhhhh!

In the kitchen...  Tuesday is pizza day!
Thawing a pork roast for tomorrow, though.


In the learning rooms...  change, change, change.

* Wyatt has one more quarter to go at WCC.
ONE MORE QUARTER.
And then...     ?????

* Tate is starting a two-year program at BTC.
I know, he took a class last spring -
a pre-requistie for his program -
but this feels like the beginning.
He's really starting college!

* Gunnar is doing the p/t plan his brothers did.
He goes to high school in the morning for
English, Algebra, and Spanish,
then comes home for
Biology, World History, and Logic.

Seems like just yesterday they were like this...

Homeschool lunch program

Homeschool recess - the beginnings of Dino-oplis, The Cone Age

Around the house...  we've been so outside-focused through the sunny summer days,
that it's time to take a good look around.
I'm sure there's some cleaning that needs to be done!
And as the nights get cooler,
some houseplants that need to move back inside.
It's time for candles :D


Noticing that...  I'm really enjoying the stage the boys are at.
Independent in so many ways,
but still happy to all be here together.

The best part of summer!
And I was right behind her :D

Something to remember for later...
I'm not trying to keep them little,
but you know what we all did last night?
All five of us watched
The Emperor's New Groove
and enjoyed it :D


The Mother Load...  oh boy.
Prepare to be amazed and jealous at my exciting life...

* re-sort my dresser and closet (changing seasons)
* vacuum and dust
* clean out the fridge
* figure out what's really in all the kitchen cabinets
* make a plan to USE what's there
* clean upstairs windows with my fabulous new cleaning cloth
* cull files
* go though coat closet with all three boys at the same time
* get Tate to BTC to buy books
* fill out online registration forms for oral surgeon
(poor Tate, he has wisdom teeth)
* sort years and years of neglected photos
(this is an all-year project)
* start thinking (don't hate me) about Christmas gifts,
because we have some hard-to-shop-for people
What do you do for your hard-to-shop for relatives?

And there's more.
But that's more than plenty for now.
And next week.
And next month.

You're never too old for the lake.
NOT THAT GRANDMA GRASSHOPPER IS OLD.
I'm just saying.  :D

Something fun to share...
now that Gunnar is going to public high school
he actually wanted to go school shopping for clothes.
Because he wanted some plain shirts.
That don't have stuff printed on them.
And then wore one of his (printed on) CAP shirts for the first day.
Love that kid.


A favorite quote for today...

It ain't those parts of the Bible
that I can't understand
that bother me,
it is the parts
that I do understand.

Mark Twain

For those of you in other climates,
this is a SCORCHING day in Washington.
Just so you know.

One of my favorite things...

the view from my parents' deck.
Ahhhhhhh :D

A Bible verse...

Psalm 18:30-33

This God - His way is perfect;
the Word of the Lord proves true;
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.
For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a Rock, except our God? -
the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.

Ah, the sunset :D

A peek into my world...
yes, an August sunset.

Goodbye Lazy Summer Days

I'm a stay-home home-schooling mom,

who is slowly but surely working herself out of a job.

With Wyatt and Tate both in college (starting in a couple weeks),

and Gunnar going part-time to the high school,

you'd think I'd have all the free time in the world

Not so much!

And this is the time of year to be busy and productive...

new beginnings, fresh start, lots to do!

I'm going to miss the lazy summer days :D

Nearly every day in the summer

I spend some time with my neighbors.

Who are also my cousins.

Aren't they cute?

Ralph is a retired fireman.

Bea worked and raised two boys.

They tell me,

"Getting old ain't for sissies."

And they know what they're talking about.

Bea knits and quilts.

She has made and donated about a million kids' quilts.

(No, I never exaggerate.

What makes you ask?)

;D

She donates a LOT.

And she gives me fabric and yarn and treats :D

And we reciprocate,

recently with berries the boys picked.

I just love having the kind of neighbors that don't mind

(in fact they actually like it)

when I have to send a boy over at 8am to borrow an egg or a cup of flour.

Wishing you warm and friendly neighbors across your back fence.