What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Monday, July 08, 2013

Rasperries, waterbugs and plenty to do

We were wading along, minding our own business, when what did the creek carry downstream?  


A little waterbug. 

We decided to keep him for a pet.


 

 









It's been more than a bit hot here lately.  We have sought out water to splash every single day and in any form we can find it.

Buckets?  Okay.  
Lakes?  Of course.
The creek?  Yes!
The hose?  Okay.  But only for a few minutes, lest the well run dry.
Rain, in the occasional downpour?  Lucky!
Baby pools turned into swamp habitat and filled with brother-caught frogs and salamanders?   Hey.  We aren't picky around here.






We went foraging for wild berries this morning.  And bee balm for the table.  And mint for tea.  We went in pants and muckboots to the creek and came back soaked from head to toe.  (So much for muckboots.)

It was a complete waste of a morning- so, so good.  Not enough berries to do anything with except eat and make raspberry mint lemonade but still, totally worth it.

Summer busyness has already set in and I am trying (with no success so far) to keep up.  Here is a list at my week, from what I can plan.

Monday- Matt is out of town.  sweep dining room.  (check.)  Spend hours creek walking and berry picking in morning.  (check.) Blog pictures.  (check.) Fold the many loads of laundry that are ready and waiting for me.  Dye yarn and fabric for projects later this week.  Write at least THREE letters.  Harvest lavender.  Stake the last remaining tomatoes.  Read A Dangerous Journey to eager ears.  Read Little Heathens to myself (again) in bed with the fan blowing cool night breeze on me (because this Mama likes it.  The book AND the fan.) Stay up until wee small hours of morning doing work because I can never sleep when the Mister is away.

Tuesday- Animals chores in am and pm.  All day VBS for  childer three and KNIT DAY at the library for me and Judahbear.  Pick up feed for Penny.  Make summer reading list.  (No, I still haven't.)  Summer review plan.  (this either.)  Summer "bucket list".  (Yes.  All three.)  Pay bills. Crochet more flowers.  Blog garden pictures  Read some more to myself and my littles.  Paw through this book every chance I get and dream about the day Penny starts giving us milk.  Finish cleaning out/reorganizing school room and put last years' work away for the summer.  Look for that library book that is due and missing!  Sort and store or donate winter pile of clothes in closet and Matt's pile of clothes.  Stay up until all hours of night again.

Wednesday- Animal chores in am and pm.  Thin beets.  Plant more lettuce and spinach.  Hang more laundry.  Blog wedding sneak peek.  Go to Smiths' house.  Finish plying my homespun yarn and return her wheel to her.  Start embroidering my dyed fabric.  Make more granola.  Harvest cauliflower and basil.  Do some mending.  Email a picture to Anna.  Start planning the Hopestead Renaissance Faire.  Take boxes of yard sale books/clothes and storables to Granary.  Set aside a date to have a library luncheon. Set a date for the Newman Family Christmas in July picnic- start planning.  Decide on a frozen yogurt recipe and MAKE IT.  Matt comes home finally. Kiss him good.

Thursday and Friday- Matt is off work!  Yay!  My only hope for these two days is to replace three windows.  And a date night-but we will see.  Maybe a trip to the PickAChick too, if Andrew has his way.

Saturday- go to the Amish auction house and MAYBE the antique booths at T.D. if Matt can watch the childer.  Look for butter paddles and molds.  And enamelware.  Bake communion bread. Give baths, all around.  Finish mulching the last of the garden.

Sunday- a sabbath rest.  A beautiful thing.

Hope you are all enjoying summer in your neck of the woods!

6 comments:

Julian said...

I too am a busy moma! Blessings on you, strength for the labor, light for the way. Grace for the trials, help from above. His unfailing sympathy, and undying love.
Christina

Bonnie said...

YOu find the best things on that land of yours, so cute too : )

Sounds like a busy week, rain rain rain here, but the garden is bushing out, I have tomatoes and peppers coming soon, and my beans have blooms!

I just so happen to be free saturday, so maybe I will come join you auctioning and antiquing. But then again maybe not since we like the same things and I would hate to have out first in-real-life meeting include bloody noses and a fist fight.

I got a date yesterday! For lunch. It was unplanned and circumstances made it not that fun, but I'll take what I can get, even if it means calling B. home because I was to sick to drive to the dentist. (where there was fortunately, not the abscessed tooth I was certain of. Just nasty nasty sinus pressure. Nasty)

Anyway. Wonderful newsy post, and heres hoping for treasures at the auction.

BajaManna said...

I'm so glad you took the time to post photos - they are always breathtakingly beautiful. It's been a loooong time since I've seen bee balm, and I do love it so! And what a blessing to have a creek to play in!

beth said...

oh my -- second photo -- there are no words to adequately convey the cuteness of your bear.

Abigail said...

-Is that WILD bee balm?! Lucky duck!

-I love that photo of Judah sitting in the road. It (and he!) is perfect.

-We didn't find many raspberries this year, but the blackcaps were plump and abundant. I bet the girls ate a couple of pound before I even got my hands on any. You should have taken another daytrip to this hill. :) (Yes, ANOTHER one.)

Abigail said...

a coupl of poun