Wearing:
Athletic wear. Does this make me an athlete? You decide. (pssst...no)
From the kitchen:
Kitchen-ing has been a challenge with local food shortages. I have just begun curbside pickup at Walmart and it is a game changer. SO much more efficient to sit here and "shop" then send someone to quickly grab the order outside the store. No crowds. No lines. Also not much meat yesterday, however.
Tess made her first yeast rolls this past weekend. There were pumpkin muffins with mini chocolate chips using our old favorite recipe below. Geesh. If the condition of those notes is any indication, we have used this one an awful lot.
Creating:
The girls pushed me way out of my comfort zone. They were determined to sew with knits. My sewing experiments have been hit or miss over the years. They pushed forward despite my reservations and purchased four different knit fabrics. I tapped a friend's brain and we jumped in. As it turns out old dogs can learn new tricks. Our first efforts were successful and I am inspired to try more. Highly recommend this tutorial. It included all the templates and instructions we needed.
From the learning room:
Textbooks are getting finished and I am shifting emphasis back to our morning basket reads. We are taking this time to brush up on logical argument and the rules of debate. A few resources I have enjoyed:
How to Evaluate an Argument (video)
How to Spot Bias Excellent discussion with helpful illustrations. I have printed and posted these at home. Well worth our consideration! We also discussed control of media and censorship because those are real too. We shouldn't check our brains at the door though. Thoroughly vet all sources of info.
and these wonderful Logical Fallacy graphics here
In other news it is delightful chatting with my sons around the kitchen island late in the night. They don't all read voraciously but at least are familiar with things they ought to read. We were teasing one boy a bit for confusing The Inferno with a popular modern work. Another son dug out the book and showed him an illustration of the rings of hell. The conversation eventually morphed into the river Styx, the goddess Styx, and the rock band Styx. And that might be all you need to know about how things work around here lol.
Watching:
All the Jane Austen adaptations we can get our hands on. I am SO thrilled my second set of daughters are willing and interested in exploring Jane. I am convinced her novels are excellent preparation for adult life. In the past week or so we have enjoyed BBC's Sense and Sensibility series immensely and the Kate Beckinsdale version of Emma. We finally viewed the newest Emma and while it was amusing at times (hurray for Miranda Hart) it was largely a spoof and a disappointing one.
Listening:
The guitar. Tess and Asher play often though never enough for me. I love it! The guitar is a rental from the school and will be returned soon. A new one will need to be sourced. The ukulele had a fatal accident, having been left on the floor near the sofa one movie night. A new one is en route. We are looking at some crafty repurpose projects for the old instrument.
Towards wellness:
The boys have been holding their workouts in the garage and now out onto the turf field since the weather has warmed. They were doing sprints out in the culdesac the other day. Oh, what the neighbors must think.
Should I be out there with them?
Yes.
Am I sitting here typing?
Also yes.
Around the house:
This time at home has furnished me with the opportunity to tackle some big organization projects. The oomph was not easily come by. I needed a lot of prodding. Truly it can be overwhelming to sort years of family memorabilia as well as figure out new systems for things we use daily. I found my organization books and frequently refer back for inspiration. Favorites right now -
Beautifully Organized by Nikki Boyd (website here)
The Complete Book of Home Organization
Asher is making progress sanding down the old patio table.
Big thought:
When you find your heart growing sad, divert yourself without a moment’s delay;
make a visit, enter into conversation with those around you, read some amusing book, take a walk, sing, do something, it matters not what, provided you close the door of your heart against this terrible enemy.
As the sound of a trumpet gives the signal for a combat, so sad thoughts apprise the devil that a favorable moment has come for him to attack us. - St Francis de Sales
Diversion is especially essential during times of crisis when we are prone to obsessing over things. We do best to figure out the next right thing and not to overthink dark possibilities. People will encourage us to do that. Try to resist. It is better to keep busy, be peacefully productive, and to turn the focus off others (that's never fruitful) and onto improving ourselves, our children, or our home in some way.
