In my life this week…
This was the week of the thunderstorm! Day after day after day. So the river is deep, and we put on our life jackets and went floating down it several times. Now the current is so fast that it is no longer a safe thing to do, especially for little people like Miss 10.
Mr. 18 has gone for his first wilderness canoe camping trip, and I worry about bears and hypothermia. But my husband points out that the whole group will be fine.
In our homeschool …
HOLIDAYS! We did wrap up some of the scribblers and papers from the past year, and we did start our summer learning, but still, we were on holidays.
And, my son finished his homeschool career. What an accomplishment for both of us. I’m so grateful God has blessed our family to make this possible.
In our garden…
We weeded whenever it was not too wet.
We finished the asparagus and are eating chives, Japanese greens, radishes, spinach, strawberries, salad greens, red currants, and downy serviceberries (the eastern version of Saskatoon berries).
Our primroses are just beginning to bloom, and the roses, peonies, and poppies are beautiful. Yard work this week has involved mowing, trimming some low branches in the orchard, and pouring the extra rainwater out of our petunia planters.
In the kitchen… A scrumptious sweet potato stew that my husband made yesterday when I was still recovering from various stressful events, including being hacked (or something). Jalapeno garlic mushrooms, also by my husband. Service berries with whipping cream. French toast. Pizza. Home-grown salads. Corn pancakes. Watermelon, raspberry-tofu smoothie, homemade yoghurt, flax bread. All gluten free, of course.
Some of my favorite things were…
- Slipping my son’s final high school records into an envelope. Finished!
- Not homeschooling.
- My husband’s stew.
- Floating down the river.
- Reading Stealing the Preacher while sipping club soda and lemon juice.
Questions/thoughts I have… I’m having so much fun planning our Canadian History year! There will be many, many books to get from interlibrary loan or online, but we also have many on our bookshelves already.
Fitness… What with the garden, swimming, shopping, and walking up the river in order to float down it, I’ve been exercising a lot. My steps average to about 10,000 a day, I suspect, although I did not wear my pedometer when I was walking upriver.
Things I’ve been working on…
- Mending the zipper on my husband’s top-quality (i.e. thoroughly-stitched) rain gear. It was hard because there were snaps right where the zipper fabric needed to be.
- Planning next year’s homeschooling.
- Gardening and yard work.
- Feeding my family.
- Organizing my Pinterest boards. Come check them out!
We’re watching…
We watched Tarzan and finished Cheaper by the Dozen.
I’m reading… Psalms. I finished Pinterest Power and Stealing the Preacher. Next I will finish Cooked, and Mathematics: Is God Silent? and then I hope to begin Saving Leonardo and Captivating.
Reading Aloud… We’re reading 2 Chronicles and have almost completed Madame Curie. We’ve also started Cartier: Finder of the St Lawrence by Ronald Syme and are continuing In De Zoete Suikerbol #2, our delightful Dutch story.
When my husband is home for meals we read Matthew, but he is much too busy at work these days. I can’t wait until things slow down a bit.
I’m grateful for …. God’s goodness. Benadryl for allergic reactions. Helpful technical support for my blog. The stew my husband made which saves me two supper preparations. Time off.
Quote or link to share…. Nope. No links for you this week! Time for us all to get off the computer and go play outside!
This post is linked to Kris’s Weekly Wrap Up , This Week In Review, and HomeSchool High.
That sweet potato stew sounds good. Could you share the recipe?
Sounds like a great week. I hope your son has fun on that trip,sounds good. Congrats on him finishing school too. 🙂
Oh, Sarah, my husband makes up his own recipes! This is what he said:
chop and slowly cook in water several pounds of onions, a pound of parsnip, a medium rutababga, two sweet potatoes, two pounds of carrots, and garlic to taste
cube and brown in a lot of olive oil: a few pounds of stewing beef or inexpensive steak, with salt, Italian seasoning, pepper, and 1/3 bottle of red wine.
After simmering both for a few hours, drain the vegetable liquid (we freeze it for soup stock) and add the vegetables to the meat. Thicken with cornstarch (or flour if you’re not gluten free).
Sorry I can’t be more exact in measurements etc! I think the trick is in the long slow simmering.
Thanks, JoAnn. The camping trip was fun–lots of good memories.
Many congratulations to you and your son!!! Yay for holidays! Glad you are being careful with the river. It’s been rainy here, too. The only summer learning happening here is reading and math. I am loving the break.
Thanks, Jenn! Yes, we all need a break. I’m so glad it’s Canada Day here. We ladies have been puttering and the men-folk are doing yard work. They’ve both been much too busy this spring, and our yard was a disaster; now it’s looking nice again.