Tag: summer

Caitlyn, homeschooling, Seasons

Summer Retrospective: Sword-Play

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Corrugated cardboard. Glue gun. Spray paint. Bling. Caitlyn and I have been (slowly) working our way through Craftsy‘s Costume Box class. I always seem to think we’ll have more time over the summer than we actually do. Fortunately, Craftsy’s classes don’t come with specific time limitations so we can watch the class lessons whenever we have time. At the rate we’re going, we’ll maybe get one more project done before Halloween. Starting with the sword was Caitlyn’s choice. Of course, she also wants wings, crowns, cloaks, wands, a fairy skirt, armor and boot covers. I expect she’ll try to wear …

Seasons

To be sure of hitting the target

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Shoot first, and call whatever you hit the target. I wasn’t slacking for all of August when it came to posting here, I was taking a break. Well, I didn’t realize I was “taking a break” until someone else posted that they were taking a break as part of a formal challenge. (I suppose it’s not the break-taking itself that is the challenge but the feeling-ok-about-the-break-taking.) August is gone, a break was taken, and here we are stepping into September, fall, second grade. I’ve a list of things to post about from the last month (blueberries, swords, our vacation, pears) …

in the kitchen, Seasons

What to do with even more cherries?

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So, the cherry tree has out-done itself this year. I’ve gotten all kinds of comments from neighbors this year. There were so many cherries that if the tree wore a blinking neon sign, it couldn’t have drawn anymore attention to itself. What does one do with about 20 pound of homegrown cherries? Well, I put a bunch in the freezer for crisps and such. I made a batch of brandied cherries, since they sounded good. (They are!) And I made a batch of “Holiday Cherries”, which are basically an alcohol-free version of the brandied cherries, with warm spices instead. Prepping …

in the kitchen, Seasons

Summer Journal: Cherry Preserving

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A few years back, I put some Bing cherries in our dehydrator – you know, for science – and I’ve been drying cherries ever since. Uber-yumminess! They make great snacks, easy to grab on the way through the kitchen. I put them in granola and gorp, too. This is the first year that Caitlyn has gotten involved in the madness that is prepping 20 pounds of cherries for the dehydrator. That may have a lot to do with this being the first year that the box of cherries arrived at the house before dinner-time. Using the cherry pitter, naturally, was …

homesteading, in the kitchen, Seasons

Summer Journal: Strawberries

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Some people (I’m looking at you, elsie marley) can take a camera when they go strawberry picking and somehow get fun pictures of their kids picking/eating strawberries without (I assume) making a mess of the camera with their own strawberry-covered fingers. I know this is a skill I don’t have, so I didn’t bother with the camera. You’ll just have to imagine: A day that was forecast for rain and then didn’t… A field of strawberry plants, just to the right of the teeny tiny Christmas trees… Caitlyn and her friend actually filling their buckets, instead of bringing us 4 …

Caitlyn, quilts

Summer Journal: Hexies at Swimming Lessons

 

Caitlyn is kicking off her summer break with swimming lessons. For years, she insisted that she already knew how to swim. This spring, she admitted that she didn’t know really, but ducklings do “as soon as they’re born” and therefore young humans should be jealous. The half-hour she has in the pool for her lessons is the current highlight of her day. The pool is warm, the community center welcoming. Waiting parents get these nifty bleachers to watch from. Or, in my case, to work on a quilt block with some English paper pieced hexagons. I’m enjoying the portability of …