Happiness is...

Sunshine breaking over the tree tops in the morning. I water the garden before work while sipping coffee! It is a lovely time of day, very fresh, all the birds singing...

Finally being happy with loosely knit plans for the upcoming year!

The chickens clucking away in their hutch/yard. We've gotten 5 eggs so far, and Cassia is truly delighted her chicken lays turquoise eggs! Some Ameracaunas lay ivory eggs instead. Sometimes we just stand by the fence and watch them peck about... a friend of mine last night compared it to the simple pleasure of just watching a newborn, and I could instantly connect with that idea!

Checking the garden each day for new surprises. We have baby squash and tomatoes everywhere! My epazote has doubled in size, the corn is getting very tall, and the cantaloupe plant is blooming like crazy.

Watching Cassia at roller derby practice. She is gaining confidence and skill every week!

Reading. The kids and I are enjoying our plethora of books (see my sidebar). I re-read The Relaxed Homeschool by Mary Hood, and felt... well, relaxed! I read and really liked The Girl Who Chased the Moon. Of course I have this list to read through still, but there is plenty of time for that.

Relaxed afternoons - no lessons to hurry through, few places to go. We've been watching movies, enjoying the hatching of a couple of caterpillars we collected, playing with the microscope, playing board games, and so forth. Today we'll be checking out the transit of Venus! We have a telescope (to be used for projecting, not viewing through with this), and a homemade pinhole projector.

Hugs, giggles, tickling, laughing together.