We spent a lazy day at home! Albin got all his work done, then played computer and watched Pink Panther cartoons. Elise and Joy did their work, too. We decided that for math Joy could start Key To Algebra while she's here. It may not be anything for new for her, as the beginning of the curriculum reviews multiplication and factoring, but we like telling her she's smart enough to start algebra.

The girls made waffles and whipped cream for their daily chore. Yum yum! They were up early again today, too. Albin is going through another growth spurt because he's eating and sleeping more than usual, but they don't seem to have that issue!

We are reading The Legend of Luke out loud, and as soon as Nova is over, we'll have to get another chapter or two in.

Check out Albin's sunburn on his arms. Ouch! He and Karl went on a long bike ride midday on Sunday, and he missed quite a bit of his arms, knees and feet when putting his sunscreen on. Now it's getting to the itching stage...

Our Week

I wish I had taken a 'before' picture of the basement before we started cleaning this week. Imagine, if you will, piles of yarn, fabric, and basketry supplies scattered among mounds of old phone bills and other paperwork. There were actually paths through it to get to the doorway of the canning cellar. Now, the floor is clear--clear, mind you! There is a seating area with a futon, rug and lamp. Things are stacked neatly on shelves, and I almost remember where I put it all, too. Aaaahhh! Yay, hot weather and Albin to keep me company in the basement while I worked. One room down, and two to go...for the next heatwave.

Albin is taking me to Tuvalu today for iced coffee and card games. He owes me for cleaning the cat box and cat sick when he was petsitting : ). It's been a great, quiet week with just the two of us all day. We didn't even drive in to the big town all week. (I needed a few things for some sewing projects, but I found everything here. Gotta love local vintage stores!)

Over the last two days, I made a handbag out of vintage fabric (the first time I was able to cut up something from my stash), a puppet theater and two sock puppets. I'm really pleased with how well the puppet theater turned out! It's from Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. The handbag was from her book as well, and I'm planning to make at least two or three other projects from her book. It's great! I had intended to give the puppet theater to my youngest niece, but I think we need to play with it for awhile : ). I will make a second one for us because with taller kids, I think it needs to be longer.

We made one batch of strawberry jam--the kind with more sugar than berries, and planned to do another with a flat of berries from our CSA. We had extra children over last night (for the other parents' date night), and we made large strawberry shakes for all of us instead and used most of the berries. Yummmm! I will make raspberry jam when they are ripe.

birthday!

As of today, we are all in our double-digits in this household. Sigh!

We were farm-sitting for a friend this weekend, so we went over this morning to pick eggs, feed animals (including pigs!), jump on the trampoline, play on the zipline and spend an hour in the strawberry patch. Oof! I don't know how Grandma managed to pick strawberries into her early 80s--my knees and back were killing me.

Elise opened her gifts, we finished packing her up for camp, and I delivered her there this afternoon. She certainly loves being at camp! Oh, and we had Candy Bar Bar Cookies for her birthday dessert (instead of breakfast, today). Wow, those are good. We'll make another batch at my parents' house when we stop by this coming weekend.

Oh, and look how tall Elise's peas are--over five feet! She picked a small bowl to eat on her way to camp today, her first harvest of the season.

These are the only two pictures I have of Albin's summer camp--I should've sent a camera to David's house! We hired the oldest son of a good friend as a private tutor-type summer camp. David is also homeschooler, but on his way to college this fall. Albin spent three days building various projects out of Backyard Ballistics with David and David's youngest brother, a good friend of Albin's. This is the stomp rocket. They also made a catapult, fire kite, water rocket...and maybe a few other things as well. I think this camp was a great success.

The North Shore