full days...

 

 

Last week was our last free week of summer. I know the official start of fall is not until mid-September, but the start of school almost always signals fall in my mind.

However, today is in the mid-80's. We just finished up an awesome first day of school after a deliciously full summer of fun and experiences. We were so blessed to be able to view the eclipse (80-90% coverage here in Western Pennsylvania) this afternoon, and we are all looking forward to our upcoming annual trip to Maine.

And as we ease back into the routine of studying and learning, I'm also going to keep a bit of a hold on these summer days. They slip by so quickly, yet there is so much about them that fills me up. The days are still long (though I've noticed the shifting sun setting earlier every day now), but I can feel myself shifting into a different mode now. I recognize it because it happens every year.

The last two weeks of freedom were full. Hanging out with friends. Walking the dirt paths through the fairgrounds. Seeing Crowder perform from literally fifteen feet away. Spending time bringing in the harvest from the backyard gardens. Learning new skills. Spending an evening canning and preserving as a family. Spending precious, precious one-on-one time with the kids. Early morning walks with a friend.

It's been full and wonderful and life-giving.

in the kitchen together

In all honesty, I'm a true procrastinator at heart. I work much better, much more efficiently when I have a clear and looming deadline. I'm the type of person that finds setting a timer for thirty minutes helps me to stay more focused on tasks and chores because I push myself to work hard to get as much done as I can in that short period of time. It's the way God wired me, I suppose. Sometimes it drives Brad a little crazy, but I always get things done and get them done well. And the looming deadline invigorates me a bit and pushes me to do my best.

However, this procrastination also carries over into the kitchen and meal-making. I would get an "F" in meal-planning if I was graded. Oh gosh. And this is the one area where I find my procrastinating spirit to lead to a bit of stress. All I can say is thank goodness for the auto defrost option on my microwave! 

So one of my goals this coming fall (and coming school year) is to start meal-planning again. I have always enjoyed the mental freedom that has come from having a plan when it comes to meals. I suppose I just haven't disciplined myself enough to actually make it a habit. However, it's such a WONDERFUL feeling at 4:00 p.m. on a weekday to know that dinner is already planned and probably already started or even in the crock pot almost ready to be eaten. 

My kids, at ages 13 and 10, love to cook and bake. It's something that they've always seen me do, and I've let them have reigns in the kitchen since an early age. In my mind, it's one of the most important life skills I can pass on to my kids ~ the skill of feeding oneself. And not only feeding oneself, but feeding oneself good, wholesome, home-cooked meals. 

My problem as a kitchen procrastinator, though, is that when I've waited until the last possible minute to start a dinner that I'm not even sure what it's going to be, I don't have the patience for the kids in the kitchen with me. I want to get in there, have all the room to move around, and crank out whatever I'm making. And sometimes I don't even know what I'm making until it hits the kitchen table and is done. 

But, I'm totally robbing my kids and myself of some special, very productive time together as well as some really awesome learning experiences approaching meal-time this way. And it's all because I'm too lazy to do a little planning ahead of time. 

This past Saturday, Ian and I went to the garden together and picked a bunch of veggies to use to make dinner. The kids and I then husked the corn together and spent an hour chopping, mixing, sauteing, and prepping our dinner. When we pulled the stuffed green peppers out of the oven two hours later, there was a great satisfaction felt around the table that night. We had worked together from start to finish. And on top of that, most of the food was from our garden. 

I was reflecting on this later that evening. We had so much fun together. The kids kept saying how much they loved cooking with me and how they want to do it more often. And, I really do swear, that food tasted so much better knowing that we made it together. 

So this is one of my goals this new school year. I'm going to work on disciplining myself to meal-plan again, and I'm going to work more group cooking sessions into our schedule. Not only does this enable some really great quality time with my kids, but it's also equipping them for their future when they leave home.

progress and a pause

 We finished the living room to the point where we could get the furniture all put back in place. We still need to attend to a few details such as face plates, wall decor, and curtains, but I'm giving the paint another day or so to cure. I've learned that lesson the hard way in the past. 


We were going to start the kitchen and dining area over the weekend, but we decided to take a much-needed family break and spend some time resting and playing. This week is going to be broken up a bit due to some traveling, so we're going to hit the kitchen hard next week and tackle everything at one time. I'm currently hem-hawing around regarding the paint color of our kitchen cabinets, so I want to at least have that finalized by the end of this week. 

The plan for the kitchen is to paint the ceilings and the walls. I'm going to paint the cabinets either a shade of white or possibly a light gray. We bought butcherblock countertop and a white ceramic farmhouse sink (I'm sooooo happy about both of those purchases.) I'm having Brad remove one of the upper sections of cabinets from one side of the kitchen window so we can put open shelving there. And we will be installing a white subway tile back splash. 

The weather was perfect over the weekend. We spent time outside. We picked and ate many blueberries straight from the bushes. We spent time weeding the raised beds. We visited with family who were in from Texas. We played with our animals, and the kids visited and played with their cousins and spent lots of time in the pool. We made sushi. I listed a bunch of homeschool material online. I spent some time knitting my shawl and spinning some merino. It was very unusually laid back for a summer weekend.