Country Spa Treatment

When I need a little break (and when do I not?), I step outside by myself, pinch off a frilly branch of this luscious lavender plant in the herb garden. I close my eyes and inhale. Lovely. I just imagine that I'm being pampered in a clean, quiet spa full of adults who never argue with each other or spill things. Ahhhh.

But then, the spell is broken when I must open my eyes to check the ground nearby, because I simply cannot forget that at the base of this pretty purple plant I found this guy lurking. I guess it's not exactly a true spa moment, but I'll take what I can get.

Sunday Singing

Sing On

Carrie M. Wilson and Jno. R. Sweney

Sing on, ye joyful pilgrims,
Nor think the moments long;
My faith is heav'nward rising
With every tuneful song;
Lo! on the mount of blessing,
The glorious mount I stand;
And looking over Jordan, 
I see the promised land.


Sing on, O blissful music! 
With every note you raise
My heart is filled with rapture,
My soul is lost in praise;


Sing on, O blissful music! 
With every note you raise
My heart is filled with rapture, 
My soul is lost in praise. 

Can you guess what we are building at Pecan Bluff?

There's lots of measuring...

...lots of marking...

...lots of using our muscles.

Then there is more measuring...

...and lots of learning from Dad, Project Manager.

The heat and humidity calls for lemonade by the gallon.

"And I'm the cheering section!"

Do You Workbox?

I've been bitten by the bug. I don't usually pay any attention to fads and trends in home schooling~ I've found that paying too much attention to what everyone else is doing can really get a mom off-track and mess with her budget. So, I'm generally slow to make a big change. But Sue Patrick's Workbox System caught my eye a long time ago, and I've been mulling it since.

The concept involves clear plastic boxes that mom can use to divide up a child's school work into small chunks. Each child has his own set of boxes handy to his school desk. Each box contains every item needed to complete that task, along with any instructions. The child physically removes the work, completes it, then puts it in a "Done" basket. This allows the student to watch her boxes become empty as she works, feel her progress and see her accomplishments as she moves through her school day. It's a great visual and hands-on system that fosters self-motivation and orderliness for each student. Besides that, it looks way cool. And who doesn't love a nice, neat, organized school room?

Now that we've taken the plunge and decided workboxes can work for us, the kids and I are spending this week reorganizing the school room, sifting through resources, tweaking my online planner, and setting things up. We are still a happy Charlotte Mason family, so the tasks in our workboxes will still follow that methodology. And we will have one set of workboxes that will organize the many subjects we all do together, just like always.

I'll have some pictures up soon to show you the changes we've made and why the kids are so excited!

Do you workbox?

Eat What You Grow - Weeks Five, Six, and Seven

The pears are doing great

The peaches are loaded

Sadly, there are only a few apples 

We are doing great on our challenge the past few weeks. The garden is producing well, and the family is still being good sports. Even the cook is managing to stay fairly well caught up and is still happy. We are saving big bucks on our grocery bill~ we've saved $100 this week alone!

Our biggest crops right now are all kinds of squash, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes. We've had a few strawberries to snack on, and enough onions to use when we need them. We are still digging potatoes as we want them, and I'm finishing using up the very last of the cabbage this week. 

We have a fairly good stash of frozen grated veggies to use in pasta sauces and soups this winter, and I love to see that stack of ziplocs when I open the freezer. We shared a big basket of goodies with church family, but we still have our work cut out for us tomorrow to try to catch up with all the veggies picked this weekend. A big thank you goes to Gram and DaddyDon for keeping up with the watering and weeding so well ~ this bounty really blesses our family, and we couldn't do it without their willing hands. 

Our latest favorite standby is Granny's special cucumbers. Mike remembers these with fondness from his childhood. He loves them, and now the boys are both big fans, too. 

Granny's Refrigerator Cucumbers

Peel and slice lots of cucumbers.

 Mix about equal parts of cold water and apple cider vinegar.

 Mix in sugar to sweeten to taste.

 Fill a mason jar with the cucumber slices

 and pour the mixture over it.

 Store in the refrigerator. 

I've been making these yummy cukes 3 quarts at a time, and they disappear quickly every time. Thanks, Granny. 

Some Things Grow Even Faster Than Children

Remember these little cuties?

Here they are today.

'Tis the Season...

... for sidewalk chalk.