Signs of home, my most favorite place on Earth

 
























Thrifted

 



Books. Movies. Wet suit. $4.50
Beeswax candle making kit (unopened). Cones. Books. $17

Amusement

 We did a little something that isn't anything that I would usually choose.  Amusement parks.  We studied roller coasters with our 4-H club all year and took a final trip to an amusement park. Know what? It was actually pretty fun! Took barely any pics...




I think this one had the most fun: 



No Mow May

 The kids worked together on this little project and got along the whole time. It's for 4-H/the fair. All this cooperation deserves to be remembered.


Speaking of 4-H, the kids have enjoyed 4-H summer virtual learning.  Audra took Fiber Arts, Adrian took Watercolor Painting, Adrian and Audra did Nature Journaling and all three did the Virtual Touch Tank. Anna-Kate loves that she can finally be involved. She basically keeps her hand up the whole time, hoping someone will call on her so she can talk and talk and talk. God bless her kindergarten teacher (me).  



Re-usable paper towels.

 

This post may paint me as being a little weird, but I suppose you know what to expect by now! 

I have a system. Flannel sheets until they aren't so fluffy. Buy new sheets (lately have found like new flannels at the thrift store). Repurpose the old.  I then cut  the old flannels apart to 12.5 inch blocks, double layer, stitch together and they are our reusable papertowels until they fall apart. Haven't bought paper towels in a decade. Every couple of years I make a fresh batch. This set of twin sheets gave me 20 reusable papertowels. It's a great way of being a little bit more self sustainable. 

Haying

 Haying captures the attention of Adrian,

Anna-Kate 
And Copper and Holly. 

Butterflies

My husband would confirm that I often exclaim, "LOOK!  There goes ___ with a butterfly net!"

I regularly say that a summer kid with a butterfly net in hand, sprinting to the location needing said net or meandering looking where to use the net are some of my most favorite parts of the summer.  I always stop in my tracks and take in that moment. All three of mine regularly use the butterfly nets and I just love it.

Today Adrian caught a White Admiral with his net and gently put it into the butterfly 'house'!  He's never caught one before and was most impressed I knew what it was without needing a field guide. 

It was a catch, admire, release, record it in the nature journal sort of moment. 

The underside markings are so detailed. 
Love my little nature lovers and the nature they find.


In the garden

 It's been hot, hot, hot in Maine.  6am I'm out there in the gardens and then after the kids go to bed I try to sneak in a bit of time before the mosquitoes drive me away. 

My day today...

6am I started to put chardboard down, mulch and make some wire protectors for my five new apple trees. 

Picked squash bug eggs on my hugelkultur garden (Dug trench, put in logs, sticks, leaves, chicken manure, compose and wood chips).  This is the first year of a hugel garden and it's bursting. I direct seeded all these pumpkins and squash. 

Side view.

Size comparison.  I foresee more of these! 
Peaches are starting to ripen.  They are SO good! Been bringing them in and eating them.

I watered, weeded, pinched back some flowers and picked these.
I made all this, much of it with things I picked in the garden. Anna-Kate illustrated.
I saw some of my favorite friends at work, planned to have a picnic and dip at the beach but the thunder showers rolled through (skipping us, but were at the beach.  Read to the kids. Laundry and cleaning until too late. 1am bed and up again tomorrow morning to do it all over.  Such a busy, but fulfilling time of year.


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