Weeding and Dreaming

I don't know what it is, but lately I've been feeling absolutely starved to do something creative. I'm even considering learning to weave - something I've wanted to do for a long time. I even went to our local weaving store and checked out the looms. Maybe someday I'll get a used table loom and make some delicious handwovens. It looks like the best place to start with that is to take a beginning weaving class at that store, but I don't think that'll be possible until next fall.

So, for the time being, I'm going to try to do more sewing. The truth is I have so little time for anything that being creative feels more like what I do in my thoughts and dreams. And anyway, it's spring which means any free moment goes into the garden, my "weed garden" as Yogi referred to it. And to mowing and edging. Anyway, that's what I've been up to: weeding and dreaming.

All Sorts of Experiences

We just got back from another week at the cabin. The weather was actually lovely for a change and the boys spent hours and hours simply playing outside in their boots in the fields and the stream. I love that just two hours north of our big city we can be in a place where you can still hear frogs and coyotes at night, where osprey and bald eagles and great blue herons cruise across the sky, where you can watch the comings and goings of the clouds over the snow-capped peaks in the distance, where there are moments of stillness, of silence. I feel so inspired there and sometimes I try to put my finger on exactly why. Is it the open spaces, the simplicity, the lack of TV and computer, the air, the quiet, the big sky? All of it together?

One day we went to the farm auction in a nearby town. It's held twice a month in a dedicated old wooden building where they have a little lunch counter which only opens for the auction.

The auction started, the first animals came out, the auctioneer started his patter, and the kids looked so surprised by the whole scene.


Beach play.


And even a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. This is Skoona, the sea turtle.

Desert Girl

Chris is still working on our trip photos, but I grabbed a few of sweet Ember Jane. Just couldn't help myself!

Britains Got Talent

Have you seen this? I hadn't even heard of it so it was a fun surprise! Here's to living your dreams!

Too much to do!

Spring is my least favorite of seasons.The weather is usually disappointing, the birds wake me up too early, but mostly it's because of the weeds. The weeds that are prolific in a few of my beds, the weeds that I spent several hours pulling out from around the roses yesterday. And I'm not finished!

Speaking of yesterday, I was in the (typical for spring) I-need-to-get-something-done! mode all day. Finally at almost 5 pm I came in and sat down on the couch to read with Beck. After the first book I was suddenly overcome with fatigue and I told Beck I needed to take a break for a few minutes and then I didn't lay down as much as tipped over onto the couch and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up when Chris came home from work and Beck was snoring next to me.At least Yogi and Ember were in their beds! The silent house felt strange at that time of day.

Easter

My wonderful niece, Margaret, spent the night with us to help with all the Easter preparations. She even volunteered to get up at 4:30 am to hide the eggs - the hard-boiled, hand-dyed eggs inside, and the chocolate filled plastic eggs outside. She set an alarm, had a flashlight and did it all beautifully.

But a few hours later when the boys woke up and looked outside, we noticed that the plastic eggs were opened - split apart like bright butterflies around the yard. Chris tried to tell us that maybe it was an air pressure problem or that the temperature change caused it, but I took one look and thought: squirrels or raccoons. Upon closer inspection we saw that next to each egg was a little pile of crumbs and some foil wrapper -definitely not the result of air pressure or temperature issues! - so there's probably a raccoon hiding under a bush somewhere nearby with a very bad stomach ache!

And what did we do? Just collected and cleaned up the plastic eggs, had the kids help us refill them with the remaining chocolate and Margaret hid them all again - this time in the basement. It's funny that they never asked us why we happened to have the open bags of chocolate candy on hand.
Yogi insisted on using his Halloween pumpkin to collect his eggs!

My Bloggy World

Last year I started this blog because of all the information and help I got from reading other people's adoption blogs. It was on various blogs, not from our agency, that we learned what to really expect: wait times, referral process, travel information... And, of course, it was fun to connect with others going through the same thing, to see their photos and hear their stories. Now that our adoption is complete and I've moved on to our next big project (homeschooling), I find that my blog reading interests have shifted as well.

Now I'm looking for information about homeschooling - how families are approaching it, what they're reading, where their inspiration comes from, what projects they're doing, what their lives are like. And once again, I've found some great sites! I've also started a homeschooling blog of my own called the organic learning project. I know it's crazy considering how little time I have for blogging at all, but I just can't help myself!

Here are some of my new favorites:

Camp Creek Blog
Mama-Om
noticing project
and from one of the noticing project photographers: Mayfly
Cherrio Road

Over the past several days...

Well, it's finally turned into spring around here. Last week it snowed and now it's in the low 70's. Yesterday we were at the zoo and spent some time in the meadow area where I just laid on my back with my face in the sun letting it soak in, getting a little sun drunk while the kids ran around me. It was nice!

Over the past several days we've had out of town relatives visiting, I turned 40, and now we're back to our regular swim / preschool schedule. Turning 40 was uneventful - except for the fact that I spent several hours in a walk-in medical clinic because Ember came down with pink eye. I did think about it more than any other birthday I can remember. It doesn't seem old - well, at least I don't feel old, but it's definitely not young. So here I am in the middle, middle aged.

I'm getting a little impatient to be done with preschool now. I like the school and the teachers very much, but with the weather getting nicer, I'd rather be doing other things with the boys - or just having more freedom in our schedule to hit the road, go to the cabin, have a picnic on the beach. It'll happen soon enough.

Homeschooling

Last night I attended my first "Parents' Night Out" with the Seattle Homeschooling Group. I was a little nervous not knowing anyone else there and wondering if I'd fit in, feel comfortable or welcomed. Sometimes I feel like I don't really belong in any group - a bit more liberal than mainstream, but then among very liberal folks I'm sure I seem pretty mainstream.

Anyway, it was a surprisingly good time! I was able to connect with a few other moms, conversation was easy and fun, I felt like I fit in just fine. I felt like I found "my people". And it also happened to be the last day to register Beck to attend our local school which I didn't do. So, we've officially made our decision. We're homeschooling and happy about it!