what a week!

I can't believe it is Monday already! After a very rough week with G's cold and bad asthma, he is feeling a lot better (well, we all are) and energy will hopefully be returning to normal. Though we spent last week to ourselves taking care of our sick little guy, we also had a nice snuggly family goodness in the kitchen kind of week.


My husband worked ridiculous hours during all this, so A, G and I spent much of the week curled up together, painting, baking, crafting, picking raspberries, reading, and, whenever G could handle it, going outside for some fresh air and sunshine.


Of course for me, having a week without much sleep, not much relief, and a lot of caretaking, meant that I have had tons of creative ideas. Funny how that works, eh?


So, I have plans and sketches for the fall for quilts, photography projects, painting, knitting and more. I wrote it all down, including sketches in my journal, so I know I will even remember it all! ;)

A few ideas are already being worked on, and I can't wait to share.

Happy Monday!

in the garden.

In the garden - a little of everything...

What are you harvesting this week?

let it fly!

The boys woke up this morning with a cold, which for G means asthma attacks, the nebulizer, inhalers, and being home. So, today we were all about being pretty still, but having fun. After baking some cookies, the boys were ready to fold some paper airplanes!


We spent hours folding designs from our paper airplane books (we just picked up a new one over the weekend), reading diagrams, testing, re-folding, and working on getting the best flight from our planes.


Paper airplanes were launched down stairs, from on top of the couch or any other elevation in the house...distances measured, tricks compared.


Definitely a fun way to spend a not-feeling-so hot kind of day. And tomorrow? I think the boys might just have a few more ideas and design tweaks...



Want to make some paper airplanes??

Fold and Play Paper Planes, Dean Mackey

Super Simple Paper Airplanes: Step-By-Step Instructions to Make Planes That Really Fly From a Tri-Plane to a Jet Fighter, Nick Robinson

Cut and Fold Paper Spaceships that Fly, Michael Grater

hooping sunday.

Oh, Sundays. After a busy weekend we found ourselves trying
something new...going to a local hooping event!


Hoops, colorful lights, rhythmic music...
We love finding fun things we can do together.


All four of us danced and hooped and had a blast
(not to mention a nice workout!) - yes, even my husband!


Definitely going to do that again! Whee!

inside and out.

G sprained his knee, so we have been close to home for a few days trying to take it easy. It is hard for a spunky 5 year old to remember that his knee will hurt if he ... jumps, kneels, twists, bends, runs. So we go up and down, with a lot of ice, books, board games, snuggling, and craftiness in between.


It is getting better, and last night he even went on a 3 mile bike ride with his dad & brother (he was on a third wheel, so didn't have to pedal too much)! Being close to home is good, though, as the weather was gloriously cool and cloudy yesterday - and breezy enough at times in the past few days for me to venture into the garden without wearing battle gear to ward off the mosquitoes. I could even get close to the raspberry patch, which is good, because...


...they are here!!! Looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of red raspberries from our small 4' x 8' patch! While I am still only getting around a pint or so a day right now, there are so many raspberries still ripening --- can't wait!

Happy Wednesday!

breezy.

After weeks of really hot, really humid, really wet, and really bad mosquitoes yesterday was LOVELY. Sunny, warm, and breezy. We headed out to fly one of our kites.



Standing in a green field, under an intensely blue sky, watching your kite get smaller and smaller...oh, summer.



We have a trick kite that is fun - but it requires a few people to get it going and a bit of effort. Yesterday was perfect for the old-fashioned triangle with a loooong tail kind of kite (with 500 feet of line :)). Relaxing and fun - great for the perfect summer day.

You will find truth more quickly through delight than gravity.
Let out a little more string on your kite.
~Alan Cohen

butterflies.

A few weeks back we found tiny caterpillars in our garden - we have hatched a few before, so we knew they were black swallowtail butterflies. We brought them inside, and fed them dill and parsley until they formed their chrysalises.



Since then we have been watching and waiting - our first hatched overnight on Tuesday, and was ready to fly in the morning. We released it yesterday and it flew away immediately, as G waved and yelled goodbye, crying to see it go so fast.

This morning as we were all chatting at the table we saw that the second chrysalis had hatched. We watched for awhile as the wings unfurled and straightened. We wanted to take the butterfly outside before it got too hot, so we went out to the deck. The butterfly was not quite ready to fly yet, so it sat on our fingers.


G held his hand out for so long, giggling as it tickled his fingers, and when the butterfly jumped up onto his head, he was in heaven. He blushed and smiled his shy smile, and sat so still.



After a bit the butterfly went down to the pot of flowers we had on the deck waiting for it. This time the goodbye was long and happy. That butterfly sat on the flower for a long while, gently airing it wings...and then it took off, flying high and far, as my two boys watched and waved.


G said to me some things never get old or boring, no matter how many times you do them. I agree.

to tuesday.

"If you never did you should.
These things are fun and fun is good."
— Dr. Seuss

weekending.

Ahhh, we are home from a staycation weekend. Having an angora rabbit, a cat and a fully loaded garden makes it tough for us to get out of town for more than a night (and we just enjoy being home). So, we like to get away to a local hotel every once in awhile - close enough to still come check often on the spunky huffy rabbit, feed the cat, and water all of the pots while we get out of the house for a few days!

The boys decided last week that we had to get away!! They looked online with me and we narrowed down the hotels and called to ask about pool temperatures. From there they wanted a 'tour' so we went to visit the top four hotel picks close to us to see the lobby, dining, and most importantly, the pool. They made their final decision on Thursday and we made a reservation for Friday.


Even though we stay only a few miles from home, it feels like a special vacation. We go out to eat, spend a lot of time in the pool, hang out in the hot tub, play board games on the bed, and watch a movie in the room.


In our few days at the hotel, A spent hours in the pool swimming and snorkeling and even started diving down to collect things on the bottom (!). G and I swam a bit and spent time in the hot tub (ahhh). Just what they wanted. Lots of fun and a nice little break.



Of course the best thing is that no matter where we go or how long we are gone, we really love coming HOME!

colors of summer.

It is that time of year - canning, drying, freezing, saving. I love when the summer fruit starts showing up - so sweet, so colorful, so fragrant. While fruit season doesn't last long, we try to preserve enough fruit at peak time to last the rest of the year. There is nothing like frozen fruit for smoothies in January, or dried berries for home made granola when the snow is piled high outside. It is a busy time in the kitchen, but it is worth it for all the months we get to enjoy our labor!

It is a busy time with CSA boxes, garden veggies, and recipes at my food blog, cook.eat.think. I'm starting a few things over there - photo challenges, canning, dehydrating, giveaway...all coming soon!

on the water.

I know from experience that some of the strongest memories can be from the smallest moments. For me the thoughts of summer evenings brings memories ... of car windows down in the dark and music on the radio ... the smell of campfires and sparks that swirl up into the air ... and probably most strongly, of pink and orange sunsets reflected in water. I have always lived near water and have been drawn to it.

After a very fun but whirlwind week the boys were just done - tired and irritable, bickering, worn out. So we decided to head out for a sunset drive in the hot summer air to get something cold and creamy - and find the water.


We drove, listening to loud music with the windows down, the hot steamy air blowing in, the insects chirping so loudly. As we drove we had glimpses of an orange ball peeking through the trees.


We pulled over into a tiny parking lot, and the boys ran down the hill to see what was down there...we entered a little woodsy opening and came out on an orange beach right as the sun was setting.


The whole lake shimmered in orange and pink and purple. The boys threw rocks, and watched the sun set.



As soon as the sun dipped, clouds of mosquitoes seemed to rise from the ground and surround us, so we held hands and sprinted back up the hill, giggling and racing, to head home - feeling much more grounded and together again. Ready for the week.

G told me, "Some things we remember forever, even if they are little." I agree.