Fall at Home

 We finally got out the fall decorations today, and the kids really enjoyed that.  The Halloween tic-tac-toe game my mom made for us a long time ago is still a hit.

The boys were happy to paint these new decorations.  Emry did the fox, and of course Gyunay did the turkey:

Lydia preferred to paint ghosts on gourds.  She named the gourd "Larry".  She also picked the three mini pumpkins I grew and added them to the mantle.  

Also, yesterday the boys repotted their herbs.  They have been pretty excited about watching them grow, and they are completely in charge of watering them, so they have to keep them alive on their own.  

So far, so good!

Last week

 

Nathaniel helped Lydia dye the front strands of her hair.  Here is the bleached step, which she only had for a day and a half.  Now those blond strands are dark purple, and much less noticeable.  I'll have to get a picture in good lighting.

All three younger kids went to the History Center last Saturday morning with me for the large amount of hands-on activities.  Here they are punching their names with a metal letter puncher.  They also saw a mule, hearth cooking, butter making, weaving on a loom (by a 92-year-old man who has been weaving since he was 4!), thread making, wood carving, various metal tools and kitchen appliances, and probably a few more things I've left out.  They had a great time, of course.  

Right now, we are all staying home, since Nathaniel tested positive for Covid, and now Lydia and I are not well, either.  I made a charcuterie dinner for us, which was a fun change from the usual:

Nathaniel is already doing a bit better, so hopefully we will all be well soon.  It did adjust a lot of plans, including my last iron infusion, but we were able to reschedule quickly, so that is good.  Now I will have my last one next week, just a few days later than planned.  Nathaniel and I were looking forward to a weekend away, but that has been postponed to some future time.  

Family Camp

 Last Saturday, we went to Catholic Family Camp just for the day.  Two years ago, we went for the weekend, all 8 of us, and we had such a great time.  The kids were eager to go again, but I'm not up for a whole weekend these days, so we just went for the day.

This time, we only had the three younger kids, but all had a great time.

Lydia and Emry attacked the rock wall.  This year, Lydia made it all the way to the top.  Emry got onto the wall, and was at least a third of the way up.

Gyunay joined in the fun when it was time for the high swing.  All three kids took a swinging turn.

It's a bit of a production to get them on, but then they are raised and swung.

They also had fun in the pool.  Although it was cool, they were excited for the chance to swim.

They also tried the circuits course.  Two spotters were required for each event.

Even Dad got in on the fun.

Lastly, the kids taught Nathaniel how to play gaga ball.  Nathaniel promptly beat all three of them!

Book Review - He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox

 

Relationships take center stage in this contemporary novel, but unlike most books about relationships, it is not a romance.  Instead, it focuses on family relationships and how they impact our lives.  The main characters, Beck and Callie, both develop and grow throughout the novel.  The novel deals with mental illness in a realistic yet hopeful way.  Side characters like Fern give depth and interest to the story without sidetracking anything.  I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction.

I received this book from the publisher, Revell, and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own.

My Girl

 

We went to the park to eat dinner last week.  It was really nice out, and the boys enjoyed playing on the playground after eating.  

When Lydia was a baby, her eyes were green most of the time.  Now, they are usually hazel, but that night, I noticed that they were really green.  Here she is trying to show the green for the camera:

It didn't show up as well as real life, but still. 

Yesterday, we had a park day with friends.  Lydia got this inflatable ball at a yard sale a long time ago, and we took it to the park.  Unfortunately, each individual pentagon has to be inflated, and after working on it for close to an hour, Nathaniel called it quits.  Then we brought it home, where he had a better pump, and he did inflate it.  

Lydia and Emry tried it out.  It wasn't nearly as cool as we'd hoped it would be.  

But then again, it was like $5 at a yard sale, so oh well.

August Harvest Totals

 The eggs really picked up this month.  We have 1 dozen hens, 2 roosters, and 4 chicks.  Plus Harry, of course.

Beans, Blue Lake - 9.2 oz

Beans, Crescent - 14.5 oz

Beans, Dragon - 2.2 lbs

Chicken (extra roosters) -4.8 lbs

Cucumbers, green - 2

Eggs - 200

Kale - 3 bunches

Radish - 2

Tomatoes, Black Krim - 4

Tomatoes, Emmy - 3

Tomatoes, San Marzano - 3

Turnips - 1

Plus herbs - basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, and some cherry tomatoes

As you can see, this is the most pathetic tomato harvest I've ever had.

In better news, Malachi and Pilot came home last night.  They were only here briefly before running out with friends, but Malachi plans to stay until Monday.  Pilot is heading back today.