Herding Grasshoppers: March 2016

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Yay, Spring!

I know, I know.

It's a photo of my laundry.

(How mundane can I get?)

But laundry on the line, in the sunshine... makes me happy :D

Monday, March 28, 2016

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, March 28, 2016

Chocolate doughnut with sprinkles - happy, much?

Outside my window.. sunshine!

Naomi and Wyatt - she was so happy to see him!

Hearing... a blessedly quiet house.

We had Naomi (my 3yo niece) with us for the last few days, and it was wonderful.

We love it when she comes, and then we love it when she goes ;D

Gunnar and I are having the afternoon OFF.

* happy sigh*

So I'm including a ton of pics of her so my bro and SIL can see what she was up to :D

She was very excited about her Happy Meal toy -
a little mirror (no actual makeup) -
and was inspecting the "owie" on her lip.

Pondering... one more week of school, and then spring break.

Sort of.

Wyatt is on break this week (from the community college),

but he's house-sitting for Kerry's bro and SIL, so not around much.

Tate gets next week off from the high school,

but he'll be starting his class at the Tech College that week.

Gunnar and I will take that week as our spring break.

Confusing?

Yah.

Reading stories with Tate.

Praying... to make good use of my time. Seems like there's so much to do! And right now, my body and brain are a wee bit tired. Blame it on the 3yo ;D

We dyed Easter eggs.
And there had to be LOTS OF PINK.

Thankful... we had a wonderful Easter weekend,

though it was a smaller family group than usual.

I'm so very thankful for my family.

And thankful that Tate and Gunnar are getting over their colds.

Still a bit of coughing, but not like before.

Gunnar is her very special buddy.

Wearing... like anyone cares! Sweats :D

Very proud of her Easter eggs.
Don't you love that face that preschoolers make
when you ask them to smile?!

Creating... getting things back in order, after an unusual weekend.

Naomi's eggs.

Going... kind of getting the itch to do some quilting again.

Spring break projects?

And... my eggs.

Reading... I got a bit bogged down in The Silmarillion. It may be one of those books that I need to make a list of the main characters and their relationships. But then I say to myself,

This is a fictional history behind a fictional series of stories.

How much do I really care?

These are Gunnar's favorites, with the hemlock impressions.

Learning... from Gunnar's (school) reading.

Tuberculosis infects probably one third of the world's population.

I had no idea.

A walk in the park.

Looking forward to... Spring Break :D

The creek is running high - normal for spring.

In the kitchen... chicken for dinner.

Have not thought further ahead!

I want to go back and take this photo again,
focused on the bridge,
or the water...
not the twig in the foreground.
Arrrrgh.

In the learning room... which was temporarily Naomi's bedroom...

need to organize what we need to finish before break,

and then Crank It Out!

Love this photo, even though Gunnar isn't smiling.
He really was having a good time :D

Around the house...

We've picked up most of the "Naomi debris" - like the many forts she and Gunnar made!

The Mother Load...

um, yah, about that.

I'll be making my Spring Break Blitz list soon.

Naomi found a fort,
and NO she's not doing what you might think she's doing ;D

Noticing that... the house sure feels different with Wyatt gone.

Naomi, ready for church,
holding the picture she colored for Pastor Bert.

Something to remember for later...

Naomi has a thing for Pastor Bert.

She's intrigued by him.

It's like being near a celebrity.

Now, to be fair,

one really shouldn't photograph people while they're eating.

It just isn't nice!

But I couldn't pass up this moment at our Easter Brunch.

Pastor Bert gave her his undivided attention and she was loving it.

So, Pastor Bert, forgive me for taking your picture when you were eating, okay?!

And thank you for your tender friendship with your little admirer :D

Chat-Chat-Chat-Chat-Chat...

Something fun to share...

while she was waiting for the Easter egg hunt, Naomi talked Aunty Tami and Tate into going up into the treehouse with her,

and look what they found!

Little Brown Bat

Sorry it's blurry - too dark to focus properly.

And just today Doug Hibbard shared a link with me about treating White-Nose Syndrome in bats, here. We had learned about the problem on a cave tour in Arkansas last year, here.

We were happy to teach Naomi that bats are our friends. Little Brown Bats can eat 600-100 mosquitoes every hour. We're happy to see them swooping around on summer evenings!

Up in the treehouse Grandpa made.

A favorite quote for today...

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

The beginning of the much-anticipated Easter egg hunt.
And let me just point out that this is the PNW,
where you hunt Easter eggs in your rain boots ;D

One of my favorite things...

I love when Naomi comes to visit,

and then I love when she goes home ;D

A Bible verse...

He is not here,

He is risen,

just as He said...

Matthew 28:6

She ran right past Tate SEVERAL TIMES before she noticed the egg...

... right between his feet!

There's a good reason she's blurry... always in motion!

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

complete our pre-break homeschool work,

Gunnar's violin lesson,

CAP,

dentist appointments for Tate and Gunnar,

and I think Kerry and a couple of the boys are

going to the Seattle Museum of Flight on Saturday.

Cool!

Some of Naomi's eggs had candy,
some had notes.
Grandpa is reading one,
telling her where to look for a present.

Found it!

A peek into my world...

Not five minutes after our Easter egg hunt, the clouds broke open...

... rain, hail, and the temp dropped about ten degrees.

Perfect timing, or what?

We nailed it ;D

And this is today, waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to come and take her home.

Maybe she's part cat ;D

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Monday, March 21, 2016

For today, Monday, March 21, 2016.

Outside my window... that photo above? Total wishful thinking. Yah. I probably took that in May (a couple years ago - before the window broke ;D)

The reality is closer to this pic I took out in the county...

Rain here, and snow above. Spring? *sigh*

Hearing... a very, very quiet house. Gunnar is coughing :o( We've all passed a cold around, and he's the most recent victim.

Pondering... we're going to switch the school room and my office... wondering if we should wait until summer, or do it over spring break. (Because it's all the Big Issues In Life, you know?)

Praying... Wyatt has finals - two today, and a take-home final due on Wednesday. He believes he's doing well in two of his classes, but seems to have no idea about the third. And, in spite of my suggestions, he did NOT want to simply ask the teacher. Denial??? Arrgh.

Always praying for lots of work for Kerry, and good 'focus' so he can do it all :D

And for health in our house, and for my dad's continued healing. He's been out on his tractor already.

Thankful... Kerry does have a bunch of work, my dad is getting better (slowly), and none of our maladies are "scary sick". And this is Holy Week... so much to be thankful for!

Going... to make hot soup for lunch, because I'm cold!

Looking forward to... Gunnar is really looking forward to having Naomi with us for the weekend :D

In the kitchen... hmmm, feeling in a rut. I should thaw and cook another turkey soon!

In the learning rooms... Gunnar is multiplying and dividing fractions with variables (factoring polynomials), writing about Out of the Dust, and reading about Cam Townsend. Tate is reviewing some difficult chemistry concepts (trying to decide if we should call in reinforcements, or he can master this on his own, because I surely can NOT help him), and working through his economics course.

Around the house... time to do a deep, spring-cleaning, but we don't all have spring break together! Wyatt gets his next week, but he'll be house-sitting for his aunt and uncle. Tate gets his the following week, but he'll be "off" from high school and homeschool, but starting his class at the Tech College - no real break for him! And Gunnar and I will just take what we can. I miss the days of having them all three off at the same time, when I "owned" them until lunch. ;D

The Mother Load... well, yes, the aforementioned spring cleaning. MUCH NEEDED!

Something fun to share... in my neighbor's yard...

a trillium. There are different varieties, but these bloom white and slowly turn purple.

A favorite quote for today...

My mother had a great deal of trouble with me,

but I think she enjoyed it.

- Mark Twain

One of my favorite things... flannel sheets :D

A Bible verse...

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

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

* Monday - other than picking Tate up from school, I don't have to go anywhere ;D

* Tuesday - school, Gunnar's violin lesson, take Tate to Tech College for appointment with the accessibility coordinator (don't know if he'll need any accommodations, but best to be "on their radar" before a need arises), boys to CAP

* Wednesday - school, and dentist appointments (oh! fun! not)

* Thursday - school, Tate works, and the chapel's Maundy Thursday soup and bread dinner - one of my favorite traditions :D Maybe this year I'll remember my muffin tin!

Pro-tip: for a soup potluck, bring a muffin tin. Try a little bit of LOTS of soups :D

* Friday - Naomi arrives, and we have her until Monday

* Saturday - Gunnar has Big Plans for all the Thing We Need To Do With Naomi. Hope we have time ;D

* Sunday - EASTER :D Church, brunch, family gathering... all good.

* Monday - because we'll still have Naomi, it feels like part of this week, instead of starting the new week.

A peek into my day... spring is trying to come. Love the "tulip trees".

Even though they're PINK.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Almost Spring

And that means:

There's a bit more light for our morning walks (especially when we're kind of slow to get going ;D)

The lawn got its first mow (love that smell)

And... we have colds.

This is what happens when three boys share a bedroom, and one of them is coughing so much he's keeping his brothers awake. Of course, he can't hear a thing. But he's graciously "camping" in the family room for a few nights.

Since it's Friday (no homeschool work scheduled),

Gunnar and I were in no big hurry to rush through our walk and get on to our school work.

And it was such a glorious morning!

Once the trees leaf out, this view goes away.

But this remains open year-round.

That's Lummi Island on the left, and Orcas Island on the right.

In the woods, we saw plenty of evidence of the recent windstorms. Lots of trees on their sides with the roots standing up on end. Also, lots of trees starting to lean, but still kind-of-sort-of anchored.

We love how this one seems to make a little cave or den underneath.

Sorry it's so blurry - it's a lot darker in the woods than the photo would make you think.