Summer sum up…

Ahh, those saddest of words… summer is over. And so it is, for the most part. Tomorrow will find me at work again, beginning another year as a teacher.

So, has the summer been a success? Yes and no.

On the plus side:

Family visited with.

Bathroom redone.

Boys birthdays celebrated with slumber parties and checked off before school began.

Garden grew well.

New pond built and very much enjoyed.

Books read.

Sewing done.

Things made for church festival this Dec.

House cleaned.

Back to school supplies procured.

Exercise taken and enjoyed.

Time spent with boys.

Enjoyed swimming in our pond.

Enjoyed getting together with friends.

Enjoyed watching the Olympics

On the regret side:

No traveling or camping for me this summer…

Weeds still in some flower beds

Would have liked to spend more time in pond, sewing, with boys, knitting, getting projects done, visiting with friends.. the list is so much longer than the minutes available.

No weight lost…but I do think it has moved around a bit.

Freezer full of berries and tomato sauce but not of prepared meals so weekday cooking is easier.. just too hot lately to make a bunch of casseroles.

Spent so much time preparing lessons.. which will hopefully make the year go easier, but still….

Still have not managed to get my haircut.

The thing I need to remember, is that life does not end because work begins again. I need to carve out time for myself, and for gardening and family and so forth all year long. There are certainly seasons where that is easier, both throughout the year, and in terms of a long life. With three boys, 2 of whom are now teens, the balance is shifting. Their activities keep us going, but less time is spent with them, in contrast to when they were very small, and we were their all. In those days, I longed for an afternoon to myself. Now, when they are all gone fishing and mowing others lawns,etc… I have that long afternoon, and wish they were around!

So there are seasons to life, just as there are seasons to the year, and it is my hope to really try to live in and enjoy the season I am in presently, and not always be wishing myself forward, or wanting to go back. That is my hope and goal for the new school year.

So, the new season in my life:

• Son in High school. I am sure this will bring interesting challenges and hopefully proud moments as well.. but I am looking forward to enjoying the boy turning into a man over the course of the next four years, helping him find his direction and dreams as he prepares to go out into the world.

• Son in middle school. He will be facing new and different challenges as well… and encouraging his interests as he begins to expand into teen hood should bring forward plenty of lovely chats and shared time walking/running and exploring local natural areas.

• Youngest son. He is continuing down his learning to read journey, and it will be fun to watch him expand his abilities.
• My own 40+ body needs more care than previous. I hope to continue with the walking and exercise from this summer, enjoying the return of flexibility and strength that I lost over the past year of “recovery” from my big surgery last August. And finding a new level of health over all.. care of skin and hair and feet and so forth. Finding the time to take care of me so I can last long enough to get my to do list done!

And the new season of the year:

• A new group of students to educate… hoping to reach them all, and have a successful fall semester. Challenged with a new course, hoping to make that a success.
• Get the garden tidied and put to bed as fall really arrives.
• Get my Cardigan finished before the snow flies (HA HA, since we have had several snowless years, lol)
• Continue to try and balance my domestic duties with teaching.

So, some last day of summer vacation ponderings.

Off to enjoy the rest of the day!

A day in my Life….

The 14th of August is a special day here at the croft…so I will deal with my post in an unusual way, to reflect the thoughts I normally have on this day each year. It is also a special day for Little Jenny Wren who started A Day In My Life, as it is her birthday… be sure to send her wishes for a happy day!

As for why it is special in my life, take a trip with me down memory lane.

18 years ago today: I was 11 days away from getting married to the boy who had lived next door to me since I was 14. The wedding dress was sewn by me of linen and lace, and most of the details had been taken care of. We were defying the convention of big elaborate bank busting weddings. I had been in several in recent years, and was appalled by the cost of the dresses alone. We wanted something simple and less circus like. We did manage the simple, but the largeness was hard to get rid of, both coming from large families and being the eldest grandchildren to get married. Even though it was simple, there was plenty to be doing, so we were ticking things off lists and getting ready to start married life.

16 years ago today we were driving to NC in a moving truck with our one car towed behind. The cat in its basket mewed the entire trip from Texas. The man about the place had decided to seek his masters degree and we were headed for a new life. We had a small townhouse waiting for us, and I had the phone in my lap. When we arrived I would plug it into the wall (cell phones were not common place then) and start calling the schools that I had sent my resume to. After all, I needed a job to support us while he was in school. I got 2 job offers the day we arrived, and the next day I ran around getting a drivers license and buying groceries and trying to get my new life set up, because the day after that, I started work!

15 years ago today I awoke at 5am to go to the bathroom. I was tired, having stayed up late walking through a local rose garden, watching for Perseid meteors. So I was a bit bleary eyed and did not immediately realize that my water broke. And once I did realize that, I wasn’t immediately aware of what it meant. I was seriously overdue with my first baby, the doctor was threatening induction on me, and here, finally, signs that something was about to happen. At 5pm that day, after a textbook 12 hour first labor, my oldest son was born. Tall and thin from the start, and looking like his dad. Not much has changed these last 15 years, except he is no longer 22 inches tall, he is now 5 foot 10+.

This boy loves fishing

14 years ago today we celebrated his first birthday. By then he was running everywhere. He had started running at 10 months…. way earlier than planned. He was a sweet and easy baby and child, and was ready to go on any adventure. He did not talk much, but he did proudly hold up his “one” finger all day on his birthday, as he was one year old. We had a friend over to celebrate, a little girl from across the street, born just a couple of weeks after him.

Me and my guys

12 years ago today we were celebrating his third birthday with the same friend. Only this time they drove an hour to the new town where we had just moved. I was heavily pregnant and due with my second son at any moment (he was born on the 19th), but we had a nice little tea party out under the trees. It was the first of many homegrown parties, always involving just a few friends, some homemade treats and games. My little boy was still a very sweet and easy child, very fun to be with. He would become a wonderful older brother, and would start nursery school at a Waldorf home nursery 2 mornings a week, where he was loved by teacher and friends.

For his 4th birthday, friends came over for a slip n slide birthday party. For his 6th we went to the beach with his aunt and uncle and enjoyed a weekend exploring Kitty Hawk. By then he had traveled to Sweden and London. And he was in the Waldorf Kindergarten. By his 8th birthday he had another younger brother. By his ninth, his dyslexia was confirmed and we were taking steps to help him learn to read and write. For his 11th birthday, we had an Olympics party at our home… with relay races and canoe races and grapevine wreaths and medals. He was headed to 5th grade, where they would attend a Waldorf olympics, and the Athens Olympics were on the telly that summer.. so it was a fitting way to celebrate. And here we are, 4 years later, turning 15 with a couple of friends coming over to “hang out” and sleep over in the barn. He will begin High School in a couple of weeks, and a new and exciting adventure is in front of him.

Canoe race at Olympic party

He is an active boy scout, and worked as an intern this summer at boy scout camp for 2 weeks. He runs his own “lawn care/dog sitting” company, and has fixed a broken down riding lawn mower. He drives the tractors and mows and weed eats. He is strong and wiry. He loves fishing and eating and learning, but not school so much.

He volunteered to play at a cousin's wedding...the theme from the Lord of the Rings movie.

15 years have gone by incredibly fast, and soon it will be 18 and then 20 and someday a family of his own. But I will always remember best those first few moments of pure bliss, holding my new baby, finally being a mother, counting his 10 fingers and toes and praying for a good and healthy long life for him. That is what will be on my mind all day.

And pictures from this day, to add to the memory bank:

Traditional birthday table setting.. we march the boy across the bridge at the meal to signify another year of the journey.. at 15, this is done mostly for mom...and little brother, who still believes its magic.

Mom took the boys to a favorite local fishing spot, at the birthday boy's request

Not to busy to help younger brother over the log...

Boy crosses bridge and cake is served.. ice cream cake from the local dairy.

One layer double chocolate, the other cookie dough, with oreos in the middle, at the birthday boys request.

A wonderful day with wonderful wishes for a wonderful new year.

Thinking of winter….

The nice thing about where we live is that there are 4 true seasons, but most years, none of them are ever over long or severe. So, while it is summer, and most days are hot, there are also pockets where the dew point drops and 89 degrees doesn’t feel so hot. And some days, like today, it was mid 80s… pleasant breeze, no humidity, comfortable to be outside.

And when that summer day falls on a weekend, it means only one thing… time to get the wood done.

The man about the place

We heat the house with the wood stove for the most part. And that requires a lot of seasoned wood. Which requires a season to season, if you know what I mean. You must always be looking to the future with wood. So when someone is clearing wood for development, or because they are afraid the trees may come down in a storm on the house, or whatever other reason, my father in law, and the man about the place, are likely to ask if they want the wood. Which is how dumptruck loads of logs often find their way to our field.

From there, the man about the place saw them up with the chainsaws… we have several, of different sizes. And then we split the wood… sometimes the old fashioned way. The older 2 boys are also able to do this… but when there is a huge quantity, we do it with the splitter.

Oldest and youngest

The youngest always gets to run the splitter, sending it up and down as needed. The oldest gets to be in charge of splitting the logs.

The middle son is gofer… he rolls the logs for dad to saw, or brings the logs for brothers to split, or stacks the logs on the trailer to be driven to the wood pile. I am another gofer when I am A) not taking photos or B) not bringing cool drinks or snacks or C) working on lesson plans in the house.

And that is how this:

Soon becomes this:

They actually got farther than this.. but I went in and worked on lessons after giving them 45 minutes.

Our reward, watching the Olympics. We are not a TV watching family. But we are also not TVless. We just choose to watch consciously. Last night we went out for Chinese food with friends, then came home and gathered around the set to watch the Opening Ceremony. WOW.. what a spectacle… and what interesting conversations about geography and history and ethics and war,… a real learning experience.

So tonight there will be more…. sportsmanship, endurance, perseverance… and simply enjoyment after a hard working day.

Last few days of summer break….

Unfortunately, teachers really do not have “summers off”. I have attended some early meetings this past week, plus I am spending several hours every day like this:

Knee deep in geometry. :)

But before you get all weepy for me, I have had time for some of this:

Leaf Lace Socks, all done

I finished my Leaf Lace Socks, by Evelyn Clark (Fibertrends) They are scrumptious, and I cannot wait for the NC autumn to roar in with some cooler weather. Okay, I am prepared to wait until Aug 18th, but not a day later. Details are on Ravelry.

And some more fun sock photos, just because I felt like it…

Up close, in the flower bed

The middle son's pond garden has flourished this summer!

Frolicking with the ferns...

Okay, that is all the time I have for that… because, look what is waiting for me….

Not the same photo from the other day.. new tomatoes from the garden...

Lovely and big...

I grow tomatoes every year, but they still fascinate me. And this year, despite the recent weeks absent of rain, they have been large and very meaty…very few seeds. They are making into some lovely sauce.

But before the sauce making, and before getting back to the books:

Small brioche...jam and butter. Yumm.

Abundance….

Summer abundance, filling the counter.

Lovely large lemon tomatoes.

Roasting some tomatoes. (Before)

Roasted tomatoes, sweet and perfect for french bread...(After)

Lovely dough from the bread machine.

Mmmm..... perfect.

Abundance of garden onions, sauteing....

Onions meet tomatoes for a lovely pasta sauce...the yellow and red tomatoes will blend together, but here they are lovely swirled side by side.

Abundance of trimmings for the biddies... they will love a cool tomato bite on this hot day!

Chickens are grateful for such treats, and reward us with an abundance of eggs..these are destined to be deviled.

Extra eggs also means pound cake... flavored with almond. Served with berries.

SO many berries also means a gingerbready blueberry snack cake...

An abundance of boys means the squares are disappearing rapidly.. you should see it now!

Feeding boys keeps them happy and willing... willing to go pick more berries...geesh. What to do with this lot?

And more cukes and tomatoes and basil have already come in to clutter the counter...again.

So, that was my morning.

Grateful for Abundance….What has been abundant in your life today?

Me and my new friend….

So, I have been spending some daytime hours writing lessons and wrangling with produce, and trying to knock off thousands of phone calls and such that needed to be done. (setting up eye appt, dealing with insurance, payments to ortho, info needed on competitive rates, etc…lots of quick but time consuming phone calls)

So, last evening I needed a break. I closed myself off in my office with my new best friend and began some quick work with scraps on things for the church fund raising project this winter. Here is an excerpt about it from the parish newsletter:

A century and a half ago, the women of St. ***** came together and formed the Ladies’ Sewing Society to raise the funds for much of the architectural additions and furnishings we see in our church today. Over the course of 40 years, with the products of their hands, they paid not only for the organ, but also for extensive renovations to the church building. With the ladies as our model, we are coming together to raise money, this time not for our own parish, but for aid in our community, our country, and the world. We’re asking parishioners and friends of St. Matthew’s (female and male, old and young) to use their hands and their creativity to support this effort. With the somewhat cumbersome title St. **** Festival of the Society Tree we’re hoping the “FeST” will become an annual tradition – a way not only to fund worthy projects, but also to come together as a community to celebrate our creativity, our talents, and our heritage.

So, what to make?I had tried to make pincushions, ala Heather Bailey, from a magazine I bought in the spring. But mine did not come out all cute and puffy as hers did, and it took some time…and I am a pretty skilled sewer. Part of it was learning the speed of the new machine, and part was probably rushing through, but I was not pleased with how wonky mine looked. I decided this was something I would try again when I was feeling the sewing mojo flowing and not feeling the need for instant gratification.

Edges are wonky... just not quite right

Maybe it was the colors I chose.. the lack of ribbon for the trim..

So, I turned to some other tutorials I had seen, for something quick and easy and that would use up scraps…

First, I made a kleenex cover using a tutorial from Stardust Shoes. This was quick and easy, and worked well.

Washed out color because it was late at night and I am no photographer....

Now, I might make more of these, but maybe they need some embellishment to make them look special. Will have to think about my scraps of lace and such…and last night, I wanted foolproof and thinkproof.

So it was back to pincushions, and something I had seen while going through my bloglines read with my daily tea break. My sister and I had made coasters like these many moons ago, out of Christmas fabrics, as gifts. So I already knew the process. What I liked was the innovation to pincushion… so I tried my hand at it, thanks to the lovely tutorial here at Pondered in My Heart.

Quick, easy, puffy and cute with vintage buttons to boot....

In the search for the buttons suitable for the pincushions, I came across some tiny doll buttons which my grandmother and mother had used when making our doll and barbie clothes. There was a discussion about Barbie at Little Jenny Wren the other day, and it was fun to find these relics in my grandmother’s button box.

30 cents for a card of teeny buttons....one set is yellow, the other white.

And for a better idea of scale, here are some larger buttons.. the largest are size 7/16ths… just about 1/2 inch.

7/16ths on far right

Sorry the pictures are not better. My camera has been held hostage by other members of the family during the daylight hours, so I knew it was take the shot at night, or not at all. And again, I am no photographer, or I might have been able to light these better.

In any case, my grandmothers treasure trove has some oddments in it, that I don’t fully understand.

Some glitter from Nana's button box.

See the round button by the baby buttons… there are 5 of them in the box. They are covered on top with rhinestones or something, and they are large.. and heavy..round spheres, which is not immediately obvious in the picture here. They must stand a good 3/4 inch high, and I believe she told me one time they were on a fancy jacket. The other thing that is shiny, has a rhinestone chain attached. There are actually 2 rows next to each other, which come apart as if to make a button hole at intervals along the chain. However, the shiny button on the end does not fit through it, so not sure what this was, or what it went on, but it sure glitters.

Anyway, back to my first wonky pincushion. I used it throughout the evening, because in spite of its lack of prettiness, it is functional. And as I used it, I thought of the coaster I use for my tea when I am working back here. It came from a box of lace and fabric and knitting needles an aunt gave me for Christmas one year. I may have blogged about it before. As an object, it was clearly someone’s very homemade embroidery practice.. young or old, who knows. It is double sided, and quite charming, in an unattractive sort of way. And very usable, just like my pincushion.

3inX4in, brown and pink thread, dingy muslin, with stiches from other side coming through this side..

Other side of coaster, orangy, pink and green...handstitched around edge, with some sort of cotton wadding in between.

New friends and old friends and soon to be better friends…. and a nice quiet evening sewing for a good cause.

A new “old” friend..

Upstairs in the barn we have stored a sewing machine that a friend left us. We had a dear friend, Annika, who was living here for a couple of years, working at the same comapny as my husband. She was from Sweden. And we helped her set up her apartment and find furniture she could use while she was here. This included going to tag sales and yard sales and hauling home her finds. One of these was an old sewing machine which she used for the 2 years she was here.

Unfortunately, it was found that she had cancer, and she began treatment here. When it began to look like treatment was not going to work, it was time for her to go home to be with family and get further care and treatment. We spoke to her by phone the day she died. We miss her very much.

When she moved, she left me a gorgeous azalea, which I planted in my front garden (it had been on her balcony at her apartment and she loved the colorful flowers) and some odds and ends she did not want to pack and move across the sea. Some of the yard sale furniture she left with us to resell, which we did. But she also left me the sewing machine, in case I wanted to use it.

It has been upstairs in the barn because I thought I might sew up there while the boys played. But that did not really work that way. I prefer to work in my small office/sewing room, and the sewing area of the barn really was needed for my husband’s office. But the sewing machine just stayed up there for several years. I have a sewing machine in the house already, so it was not really needed.

But with the barn clean out , I decided to get it out and clean it up and play with it again. It is very much like the one I learned on, that my grandmother gave me, but my mother claimed as hers and still has at her house. It is so sturdily built, and runs well, that I think I will use it for the time being.

A lovely blue Singer sewing machine...circa 1967

The color of the machine matches the new paint on my stash cupboard, coincidentally enough.

I used the machine last night and tried some small things.. I made some bread bags for storing our homemade bread in. These were simply made by stitching nice tea towels together.

And I tried to use some scraps to make some small items for our church’s Christmas Tree this December.. an old style fund raiser I will have to tell you about some time. Not sure I like how these items came out, but I was trying to learn the machine and some days your sewing mojo is just “off” I find.

This is really not very large… about 1.5 inches square… and it has a clasp on the back so it can be worn on a coat as a homemade broach. Also made a pincushion, but cannot find the picture I took. Hmmm.

Anyway, it was nice to get in touch with this old friend and I will enjoy using it. And I enjoyed thinking of Annika and the joy she put into life, and all the joy she shared with us.

A gorgeous moth….

We saw this moth on the stairs of our barn. I had decided it was time for the upper room of the barn to be cleared out… it is the boys playroom and my husbands office, and .. well you know.. out of sight, out of mind. But it was time for a clear out and clean up. Baby toys down to the yard sale pile, dust bunnies rounded up, reorganized and tidied.. that sort of thing that mothers do best.

And on our way up, we saw this huge moth. I have no idea what kind it is.. must dig around a see if I can name it. (Updated to add a link: It is a moth from the Saturniidae family, called an Imperial moth! ) But the younger 2 boys were very enamoured of it, and took lots of photos with their digital cameras. Actually, they also took them with mine as well… remind me to tell you about the Lego project this week, and why the cameras have all been maxed out! But I digress…

Middle brothers hand on left, youngest on right.

Once many photos of the moth on the barn stairs had been taken, it was so tempting for the middle son to try and get the moth to sit on his finger, and the moth was very obliging. Once the oldest had his turn, the youngest wanted the honor as well. And carefully, older brother handed moth down to younger brother.

I love that so far, we have managed to foster in each son, the ability to love and nurture the brothers that they have. They look out for and take care of each other. I hope it remains ever so…

Once the holding was over, the moth chose to act like an accessory.

Thank you moth, for the visit.

Helter skelter….

Relatives are like fish.. after 5 days they need to be thrown out….

Or, as a saying in our family goes: a gaggle of geese, a flock of sheep, a HASSLE of relatives….

We did enjoy having my family here. But with my mom in a wheel chair, and my 87 year old grandmother… it was a lot of cooking and cleaning and adjusting of schedules…sleeping on the floor and keeping kids compliant. Fun, but glad it is over.

Sheets have been washed and hung, gardens have been gotten back to, and life has resumed its breakneck pace as we begin to see summer running out. Only about a month before I go back to work, and lots needs to be done during that time.

First though, there is a garden that needs daily work. Here is a peek at today’s gathering:

This is the tiniest corn.. something went wrong. I am sure it will taste fine, but the ears are sure tiny!!

More beets and onions.

The last of the brussel sprouts.

More cukes… these are in addition to the ones lined up on the counter in the earlier picture.

We have some lovely large heirloom tomatoes coming on, along with romas and cherry tomatoes. We also have a groundhog… so we are picking them slightly under ripe and letting them finish off on the counter.

A few potatoes.

Our youngest planted lots of sunflowers, and they have been gorgeous.. although they do shed lots of pollen on the table. They are in many different shades… I love the lemon colored ones best. These grow on large stalks, but there are 10 or 15 flowers per stalk. We also have some mammoth flowers with enormous seeds, mostly for the birds this fall.

And we are still picking blackberries and blueberries each day. This is the second blackberry pie for the week. Pure taste of summer!

Week at a glance….

Busy week here. Every surface has been dusted and cleaned, sometimes more than once. We have family arriving any moment now, so we have been getting ready.

Projects have been finished. My ‘cover up the breaker box wall hanging” has been finished and hung.

It is a smallish hall, so taking a picture was tough. But you can see in the mirror that hangs opposite how it looks.

The tea cart has also had a cleanup and spruce up:

I painted the removable trays with leftover paint from the bathroom cabinet, and then padded their bottoms with batting and fabric from my stash. The entire thing folds flat should I want to store it, but for this week will be useful for snacks on the front porch.

My stash cupboard also got a fresh coat of the same paint.

In addition, the house looks so lovely and shiny. We have rearranged the furniture to accommodate a wheelchair. We like it so much, we may leave it this way.

We have all been up since dawn, way before the visitors could be expected…nine cups of blackberries have been picked by excited small boys and tall ones as well…

And I have made our favorite version of brownies, in honor of one of our guests, who first taught me to cook (and sew, and quilt).

These are Andes mint brownies. First, you make your favorite brownie recipe.. ours has walnuts in it. Then, immediately after you pull them out of the oven, you begin to unwrap and place Andes thin mints on the surface:

Here are the first few, placed randomly on top.

Any sort of thin minty chocolate will do, but we use Andes. We cover the top with an entire package.

Once they are all on the top, they have become quite soft, and you can gently spread them out, making a thin layer of minty icing.

Once the chocolate has been spread around, the brownies are left to cool. The chocolate will then harden back up. My grandmother, who will arrive any time now, would keep a batch of these in the freezer, individually cut up already. At the end of a busy day, with the late evening news, she would serve them to us with a small glass of coke… frozen and lovely, in the Texas heat. Here at my home, they rarely survive long enough to make them to the fridge. I plan to serve them this afternoon as a treat, with a small glass of coke… or tea or whatever they fancy, as a way to remember those lovely days of my youth!

Have a good weekend. The family will be here until late next week, so I suspect I shall be scarce!