A story

 This is a story starring a 10 year old boy who is NOT going to go in the water, no need for a swim suit. Follow the red shirt to see the story.







I didn't say "I told you so", but I could have. 

And here are his crazy sisters, who 110% always plan on going in.




So thankful to live here.  So thankful we have learned how to catch the beach practically empty, even in the thick of tourist season. Everyday has been a beach day as of late, some days have even called for two beaches in one day. 


Backyard

I usually don't purchase things new, nor do I buy expensive things. I have been wanting one of these anti gravity chairs ever since a friend brought hers to the beach. This was a little more spendy than I usually would purchase. I told the kids not to take the tags off, I didn't know if I would keep it. My husband came home from work, tried it out and declared he liked it so much that he thinks I ought to go back and get a 2nd. Can't think of a better way (or place) to watch a summer sunset. 


Appliqued Shirts

 

Someone realized that after a quick refresher, he didn't need any help to applique shirts.  He has appliquee two Tractor Mac shirts and two John Deere shirts this week. He has a pile of others he plans on doing.  (The bird shirt he is wearing was made by me.) 

Weekend

Sanded the bathroom sheetrock, cleaned up construction and caulked. Two primed coats and two painted coats for the bathroom walls, doors and ceiling. 

Listened to my current audio book (Bernd Heinrich's The Homing Instinct...my second book from him, I really enjoy his books). 

And if that wasn't enough painting, the stairyway is painted now too. 

Watered and fertilized the garden with my homemade fertilizer. 

Picked raspberries, cherries and a few blueberries.

Made homemade blueberry pancakes. 

Made big salads with homegrowns thrown in. 

Had a surprise visit with friends (thanks for stopping!).

Nature journaled with watercolors, specifically the black tiger swallowtail caterpillar that we are keeping in a safe space on the porch for observation and enjoyment. 

Played with dogs. 

Made homemade bread to have with homemade jam. Plus scrambled up the eggs we gathered. 

Helped Adrian get started with a baking project.

Made homemade bread and calzones (big hit). 

Made a dry rub for some chicken that my husband slow cooked on the smokey joe. 

Line dried 4 loads of laundry. 

Unloaded the dishwasher a thousand times and handwashed too many dishes.

Enjoyed church online.

Set up a Calico Critter playset.

Swam in the ocean. 

Went out for ice cream.

Am thankful for our AC units.  

Went for two walks, one with the girls and Holly, one solo with Copper. Collected handfuls of nature on the walk with the girls. 

Read books to the kids. Curious George. Amelia Bedelia. Berenstain Bears. Finished "Timmy O'Dowd and the Big Ditch: A Story of the Glory Days on the Old Erie Canal" with them. (A nod to my college days, walking distance to the Erie Canal)

Finished a book that I was reading (Last Child in the Woods)  and am now off to finish another book before bed (Awaking Wonder).  

That was one heck of a weekend.  

Another dip

 This is a story of how our ocean dips go.

We get to the beach and this happens:

Then this happens.

Then this happens: 

And this one keeps running out and squealing.



It just repeats.

Until this happens.
Get comfortable, Anna-Kate.  Audra is far from ready to go.







Summer Reading

 The number of exciting events has been minimal the last year and a half.  Signing up for summer reading at the library basically felt like a holiday. We all dressed in literary apparel (of course we have literary apparel!) and are officially signed up for summer reading. Anna-Kate is wearing her 'This Little Pig Went to Market" dress. Audra has good old "Yertle the Turtle". Adrian has "Caps for Sale". I had my "Where the Wild Things" shirt (that says "I teach wild things!"). 



Seaweed Collector

This girl has always, always loved seaweed. The grosser the better. She's not shy, it can be stinky, slimy, whatever.  (Here's a post of her collecting seaweed two years ago here). 

That little purple bucket her collector bucket.  Each time it is something different. Seaweed. Snails. Shells. Rocks. Hermit crabs. She keeps going back to the seaweed. Although my three kids are all interested in nature, this little one is the most inquisitive and exploratory with all things in nature, and remembers the names of so many things to boot! (Like her mama, much?) Delighted to learn more about the world around us with her. 




Mulching

 This is the story of two wheelbarrows and one determined mama. 

The 'orchard' is now mulched. The one perfect little cloud decided to pose above it. 
My inspectors approve. Now fruit...grow.


Daily Ocean Dips

 Doesn't every kid ask for a pool?  I know I asked my parents.  My dad used to say "Absolutely not, we will not get a pool. You have the St. Lawrence river. Swim in that."  The St. Lawrence River was 7ish miles from my house growing up. We have a camp on it and there also is great beach for swimming.  My parents would not get us a pool, but in the summer, they brought us to the river just about daily when it was hot.  

Now my husband I are the parents and of course our kids have asked for a pool.  My answer?  "Absolutely not, we will not get a pool.  You have the Atlantic ocean.  Swim in that." Our home is about the same distance from the ocean as my childhood home is from the St. Lawrence river.  7ish miles. We have a resident pass and so many beaches to choose from. We will not get our kids a pool, but when they ask if we can go to the ocean, the answer is almost always yes.  We go just about daily when it's hot.  We time it to go at 'off' times, aka when the tourists have wrapped up their day and are likely getting ready for dinner. Never fails us. We almost always are some of the only people at the beach and almost always the only ones swimming.  

I almost never bring my camera, but really ought to fix that. Here is a Sunday late afternoon dip in the 











Father's Day 2021

Happy Father's Day to Justin, a dad who is never afraid to have some fun. In fact, he's the life of the pretend play party.  Kids are lucky to have a hard working, fun loving dad! 




At play

 BFFs, make believe in a different century, wearing things I made, foraging for edibles. It is what little girl dreams are made of. (Thanks for the pic, Beth!).


Warm Weather Evenings

 

Smokey Joe. Picnic dinners. Watermelon. Ice cream. Bare feet. Sunsets. Free rangers (the human kind and the feathered kind). No better place to be than home sweet home. 

Pups

 It's 10(ish) months for our Copper boy, we just love him.


Holly and Copper are BFFs.
They are living their best life. 

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...