Outside My Window... It is raining off and on, and a cool 59 degrees! We're supposed to have rain and cooler temperatures through tomorrow, and then back up to the 80's by the end of the week.
Things I'm Thinking About.... Planning ahead a little for fall. We're going to try REAL writing programs to help streamline things... The Boy will be doing a ten-week test run of Writing With Skill level 1, and The Girl will either be using Writing With Ease level 2, OR Writing Skills Book A. I'm also trying to decide of The Boy's desired math (a combo of Life of Fred and Jousting Armadillos) is really thorough enough, or if we should stick with Saxon.
In My Garden... Our tomatoes are starting to ripen! Whooo hooo! We all are huge fans of fresh tomatoes, and I am so tired of slightly insipid ones from the grocery store. I've been shelling out a little more money recently for the heirloom ones, but it will be wonderful to have our own. Nothing quite like a fresh tomato sandwich, preferably on good sourdough bread! I like to tuck a little fresh basil in there too, which is also growing like crazy! I bought a pot of live basil from Trader Joe's, and it turned out there were 3 plants in there, all of which are getting immense. Our corn is about 3 feet tall now, we have baby squash, and the chard is finally really taking off!
Around the House.... Next week we start Operation Overhaul! (see "Other" here) We are very much looking forward to reducing the sheer volume of what we own. For the longest time, I have been reluctant to get rid of books, and (hanging my head in shame) baby and toddler clothes. I have already packed up a box for each child with the special outfits in them, and the rest will go. As far as books, we have an excellent library system, and so I don't need to own every book under the sun! The children have been talking a lot about getting rid of all the "baby toys" and "baby books" (we'll be keeping the classics to hand down though!), so this will be good for all of us.
Food, and the Cooking Thereof..... The vegetarian experiment? Well, not such a success. Honestly, we missed grilled meat. We are eating more veggies, and more fruit though, so in that it was a success! I made a big pot of very simple, and super delicious, chicken tortilla soup last night, using my new "secret" ingredient, which gave it the depth of flavor usually missing from a quick pot of such soup. M was happy that, even with two bowls apiece last night, there was enough to fill the new thermos The Girl gave him, so he has a hot lunch for his lunch break today. Tonight, and tomorrow, will also be good nights for such comforting foods, then as the weather turns sunny and warm again, we'll be back to grilling!
Creating & Reading..... The children and I are reading a lot, as always (see my sidebar). I did find an intriguing new book at the library, The Kashmir Shawl. I am only a couple of chapters in, and am really enjoying it! As for creating, not such much at the moment.
Plans For the Week Ahead..... Finish work for now! We have a couple of books we still haven't finished, and we plan to read
Have a great week!
Thanks for the link:). Can't believe you already have tomatoes! Ours are so slow this year.
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