4H, Park Play, Nearby Fire

Over the weekend our daughter had a 4H event, a challenge day to complete written tests, demonstrations with friends...to learn and have fun. She had a friend stay the night and the girls stayed up until the wee hours...and our son got a sleep over with me although none of us got much sleep! Come Monday feeling not very rested up our daughter again ventured to another sleepover at a different friends house...so thankful for close friendships she has formed. She's a bit sad though because this one friend is moving very soon. Dropping her off, our son and I went to the park as the storm clouds rolled in and the winds got heavier we headed home. That eve a rain and lightning storm came. My camera just couldn't snap them quick enough...but it was as if it was right outside our window dancing. Amazing. We both watched for nearly thirty minutes at it all. This morning momma rising early with the pups I saw the field next door had bales of hay on fire..I almost thought of calling the fire department as the dogs paced the fence line and whined as it was so close since I did not see any people or vehicles near...until finally behind the corner tree and bush I did see truck lights and felt relief. What a scary initial thought of a fire being so close. Tonight brings more 4H and our daughter coming home....everyone to bed as early as is possible then recouping and relaxing tomorrow.

 5am and flames...

 By 8am they were burning much less..

A step back in Time

Usually going to the library on Friday or Saturday each week we missed it this week so we ventured there yesterday. We could not go a whole week without a trip...and there were books due...books waiting on hold. There is excitement knowing you have a long awaited book on the hold shelf ready to be picked up. Therefore, off we went to gather them up. A few Lego building books for our son, science books for both the children, a history and grammar book for our daughter, along with a few history video's - "How the States got their Shapes" and "10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America".

And then Momma got a book too. I've read it before and loved it and felt it was the right time to read it again, revisit the adventures, the hardships. A family of 3 that makes a huge decision to leave the city of New York to live their life as if in 1900 for one year, for four seasons...growing their own food, they have a horse and wagon, cooking food on the wood stove, no electricity. It is inspiring both the hard times and the joys they experience. It is inspirational to me personally to just look at our current life and simplify, to concentrate on whats most important, to find ways daily to get personal with mother nature, with hard physical work, with self sufficiency. These skills are becoming a lost trade yet so important.

 The afternoon was enjoyable...hubbie sleeping...both kids laying on the couch reading, Momma on the couch reading...pups sleeping. Quiet. Taking a break from my book I had heard of two shows on PBS, Frontier House and 1900 House and decided to check out the first episode of Frontier House. Both kids put down the reading for a bit to watch the episode. Both discussed the clothing, what they thought would be hard, what they could live without. It was a good show to open some discussions...we'll have to wait another episode or two to see if we are going to really like the 'show' though.

Daydreaming again...look at this recently found gorgeous land. 20 acres, 8 of tree's and the rest of pasture. A creek year round. Lovely and breathtaking.

May you enjoy the week ahead and concentrate on the important things in life...not the busy hustle and bustle but family and simplicity.

Chess & Crab Ceviche

Our son's favorite game has become Chess...only learning the game from Dad at the beginning of the month he has come quite a long way. Momma learned from Daddy at the same time..but out of our 4 games played last night, Momma only won 1 of them! This boy has some strategy! He's such a little thinker. So, being that we had been playing 'computer' chess..he was more than over the moon when Daddy showed up from his trip out of state with a wooden African carved small chess set for him. And of course Dad didn't forget his girls...a pair of knee high black boots for our daughter and a book for Momma - he was so thoughtful in his surprises. We are blessed to have him home with us again!

So our family evening last night consisted of Chess, a Movie- "Hook" and some Crab Ceviche & Avocado Salad for dinner...yumm...and a lot of sitting in front of the fans attempting to cool off from this heat!

Love our family evenings.

The Joy of...Farmhouses

Today we skipped out on school to take hubbie to the airport once again to travel out of state. He emailed several properties he had been looking at online...I sat going through each one...ones to rent, ones to buy, ones to rent then to purchase...so many decisions before us. We feel much comfort and faith at this time as we make these important choices. But for today....daydreaming about these pictures brought much happiness and joy...fields, farmhouses, lakes nearby, forest trees...oh the glorious beauty- the peace nature in these photo's bring is overwhelming. Old barns, loved houses, fields with so much potential!

Sharing a few delights I came across...

Joy, Beauty, Excitement for what lies ahead for us. Faith, knowing we are in Gods hands and trust him to lead and guide us forward.

First Day of 'School'...4th & 9th Grade

We've had several friends and family ask...when are you going back to school? The answer was up to the kids and they decided today. Going 'back' merely meaning that we are slightly more structured with our studies and learning time. Our morning goes the same as in the summer or breaks or vacations...get up when you want, eat some breakfast, head outdoors to take care of the animal chores. Then we come back to sit down together, talk about our plan for our structured time, if they need my help, we may do a bit of family reading at that point or bible study then our daughter does her individual studies while I usually help our son. I'm back and forth helping to research, answer questions, providing support to each one of them. We break for lunch as I read to them out loud from our family book choice. Then our son lays on the couch reading to himself quietly while I sit and help our daughter with math. Afterwards she has free reading time while he has a quiet activity...lego play, sometimes a short time with a video game or documentary. The afternoon brings me working while they do these quiet activities then we gather again to help check on animals, fill up water dishes and tidy up a bit before feeding the dogs and feeding ourselves dinner. Anything can happen, nothing is really 'planned' although we have a wonderful family rhythm together.

Our son did decide on the first day of school every year he is going to start a tradition to 'blow' something up. What better than a traditional baking soda and vinegar volcano in the yard! Next daddy told him to build a stick house model and they would use black powder and blow that up! Oh boy! Love my boys!

So today our daughter worked on English/Lit then US History, some Math and then free reading. Our son built a volcano in the yard, we read about gross facts in American History, studied Arizona, California and Idaho state maps in a children's atlas, played Animal Monopoly- he was the banker, working on his math skills, reading the cards with interesting animal facts then had free reading as well.

We've also started Swiss Family Robinson for our family reading time.

  A peaceful start to our new school year.

Weekending

Saturday looked like rain and Sunday brought the sun and the heat. Tractors worked hard in the field next door...as we watched and the dogs barked. There's nothing better then seeing the fields get cut down and bailed up and those green tractors do their magic. That's one thing that I have always loved about our home...our kitchen window faces the fields. You can't really see other houses, the neighbors, nothing but the fields and mountains. Its almost as if we are alone, so incredible peaceful and beautiful. And we get a great view of sunsets over the mountains from our backyard as well. The weekend brought rest, reading, cleaning, cooking, playing, lego-building, story-writing, documentary watching, family time, animal time and fun.

May this weekend have found you and your family blessed as well!

 

Out of Town Husband

This week is a busy kind of week...yesterday taking a 4 hour round trip to deliver hubbie to the airport. Then an evening 4H meeting...and to bed super late. Today we took a break to venture to the lake for some needed relax and swim time and home again for momma to work and all of us to talk with dad on Skype and the kids to read, craft and rest. Hubbie spent the day out of state exploring, road tripping to several towns to help us make a huge decision for our family whether to remain in Arizona or move out of state. Sending pictures, Skyping, texting, emailing, and chatting on the phone- it was fun for him on speaker phone while I sat at home on google maps and followed him on his road trip. It helped the distance feel not so far as we all miss him being gone. Our family is praying continuously for guidance and we feel so blessed knowing this is in the Lords hands and he has a plan for our family if we only listen and follow him. Tomorrow eve we return on another 4 hour round trip to pick hubbie up, hear about his adventures and enjoy him being home with us again. Myself and my children are so blessed to have such a wonderful father and husband.

 Post Falls, Idaho & Coeur d'Alene

 Sandpoint, Idaho

Adventures.

Weekending

Weekending..

Reading

Puppy Snuggling

Grocery Shopping

Window shopping new games...laughing at Minions

Swimming

River Trip

BBQ

Family Movie Night

Library Trip

Cleaning and finding old photographs

 

Lovely weekend full of relaxing, fun and family time.