Watching sailboats on the river at sunset with Miss 22.
This has been a week of cooler weather and rain, so we spent some time ‘spring cleaning’ our house.
We went through all the kitchen cupboards and they look beautiful. I’ve been opening the doors over and over just to admire them. Does anyone else do that? We also reorganized parts of our basement, our linen cupboard, and the school supplies. Then we started on the games but ended up playing them instead, which is exactly what should be happening.
So I’ve been wandering through the house, peering into doors and rooms and corners just to admire what we’ve done, but the best part has been seeing Miss 15 and Miss 12 playing Stock Ticker, and a group of children on the couch in our neat rec room watching Donald Duck, a gift from Mr. 20.
As my husband uncomplainingly dealt with two water supply emergencies this week, I thought of all he has done this summer: he has reroofed the barn, built a new fence, protected us from wild parsnip, taken down dead trees and diseased bushes, maintained the vehicles, and taught the kids new skills. Because our lawnmowers are no long entirely safe, he has not allowed us to mow the lawn, doing most of that himself, too. All these things he has done on top of his busy work schedule and his other family commitments. I am very grateful for the husband God has given me!
Other things this week: We have given away a lot of plums, raspberries, cherry plums, and summer apples and have eaten a lot too. We spent time with friends and family, relaxed under our butternut trees (although it really was too cold), went to medical appointments, took one dog for a rabies shot, weeded for the neighbors, thought about the last school year, started planning next school year, went to soccer, played games, dejunked a bit, walked, and maintained the gardens.
For the third time I watched The Drop Box (this time for a print review), and it was as moving as ever. Although The Drop Box is not suitable for children, Focus on the Family has a new Adventures in Odyssey audio drama, also called The Drop Box (definitely worthwhile), with an accompanying story about adoption that neither Miss 12 nor I wanted to listen to after the first few minutes.
My husband and I watched a funny movie with beautiful scenery and a lethal message: the handsome hero, a ‘harmless’ and well-meaning guy who also happens to be a thieving compulsive liar, proclaims disarmingly that love and marriage cannot go together. After giving hubby a second chance the heroine shows up at the hero’s doorstep after all. No wonder so many people believe the myths Shaunti Feldhahn debunks in The Good News About Marriage!
Personal reading this week: Side by Side by Ed Welch (very good, review coming up), Disciplines of a Godly Woman, and 1 Kings. Reading with the family: Journey through the Night, Favorite Poems Old and New (our favorite poetry book, although my husband does prefer Kipling), Proverbs, and John. My review of Mysteries of Time and Creation is up on The Curriculum Choice, and Bonding with Your Child Through Boundaries is up as well; I will be reviewing its companion Bonding with Your Teen Through Boundaries sometime this fall.
How is your summer going? Is it almost over or are you still looking forward to a few weeks?
Sounds like a good week for you and the family. We tend to play more games in the fall and winter than summer. I’m sure we’ll start up again soon. 🙂