Now if only animals would stop eating it...

All the photos from garden-getting-in-day look entirely too chipper to accurately represent our feelings at the end of the day.  Probably because I only had the idea to snap photos within the first hour of working.  

But the end of the day, ain't nobody was about to ask for a free hug from me...

That's exhaustion, not rage.

Putting in the garden never takes just one day- more like a week.  And it happened to be the hottest, driest week (and month to follow) of any spring I can remember.  Very few (if any) seedlings even sprouted.  I never got to plant potatoes, instead opting for a profuse (Lord willing) pumpkin patch.  I think I will have to rely on storebought corn this year which leaves a large chunk of the garden useless at this point, but planting corn three times is a bit much.  (I might though.)  My cutting flower gardens may wind up just being weeds and already animals have eaten the tops off of almost all of my pepper plants and some of my tomatoes.  (Turns out, having a dog cuts down on the wildlife.  I knew it!)

Ah, the trials and triumphs of garden season.  And, of course, the oft-needed reminder that even our best efforts to grow and flourish things are still entirely contingent upon the Lord's will and good graces.  It is HE who makes the harvest and not we ourselves.  

It was awfully cute seeing Moses pushing around Matt's childhood wheelbarrow and thinking on how the Lord made a harvest of children from one little towheaded, wheelbarrow pushin' country boy, many years ago.

Speaking of Moses- he asked if he could have a piece of paper in order to write his name and I, being the distracted and busy, hastily shoved the companion planting reference paper at him, knowing he would likely scribble the thing to bits.  "Great idea, Moses!  Go for it!"  I had too much to do to care (gardening Mothers understand) and zero expectations of him forming a single letter on his own as he hadn't ever done so in the past.

And then a bit later he showed me the paper with perfectly formed letters that he had written out himself (and remembered the spelling order!) and boy howdy was I surprised!  What a little genius!  He doesn't even need a homeschool mother!  :-)

Procrastination is Key (and an Evening Stroll)

This week is the finish line for the homeschool year.  Portfolios must be done by Monday and paperwork submitted by the end of next week.  My goal every year, of course, is to set things aside for the portfolio as the year progresses.  Wouldn't that make things so much easier?  Why yes, yes it would.  A novel idea, for sure.  AND YET, never have I ever done that.

So, like the haze left from the Canadian wildfires, I search through the smog of this past year for proof that this was a year full of learning and growing, knowledge and maturation.  (I don't remember what I did last week, let alone last year sooooooo....)

It only makes sense, then, that I procrastinate from this very  necessary (and fast approaching) deadline by blogging photos of an evening stroll.  Incidentally, I didn't want to do that either- (I was so tired.  It was a long day.  I just wanted ice cream. And to put my feet up.) but I was better for it in the end.  

Maybe portfolios are like that too?

WHO taught him that trick?

(Oh, he thinks he is SOOOOOO hilarious.)

The Month that Was: May

As pretty as the baskets are on the porch (the whole point of this picture), I can't stop seeing the limp, hanging screen in the top window.  It just happens that I just rescreened that window last year- after years of having a ripped screen in it.  Gah!  MOSES!!

Memorial Day brownie pizza- despite it's appearance, it isn't burnt to a crisp.  :-)

First bouquet of the season!  It was slim-pickings in the flower circle, but hopefully enough to brighten the spirit of one whose spirit needed brightening.

A Cousin Campout at the Lake: in which Littles swim incessantly and Mamas do a lot of yawning.  Still have not figured out the secret to actually SLEEPING at a campout.  Or how Little people can keep chugging along without it.

Beautiful Adele' came along to the campout even though she wasn't feeling super hot.  Here she is looking all lovely and cheerful despite the fact that she would be sicker than a dog just an hour later.

She went home to sleep (and puke) in the comfort of her own home.   I bet she slept better than I did.

A spent bouquet of lilacs, dying gracefully

sourdough Naan

(never thought to use the table that way...)

...still not writing...

We have Gary and Linda (Matt's parents) over for supper every Thursday night.  

We've nicknamed it GLupper Night (get it?!)... 

and this Glupper night we invited other family over for a secret birthday celebration for Gary.

Minus one grandchild 

Ineke is a poet and she didn't even know it.  ;-)

a birthday lunch date with my Mom and sister

Judah's most recent pen-pal envelope art made ME want to be his pen-pal.

Another apt title for this blogpost would be "The Way to this Woman's Heart"

or possibly,

"Let me introduce you to Corynn's Fella"

He was, after all, the man behind all those amazing hanging baskets smattered throughout this blog post.  He surprised me (blew my mind, really) with FOUR of the largest, most beautiful, extravagant hanging baskets for the porch on the day before Mother's Day.  As he brought them to the porch, the rocking chair area was positively swallowed up with blooms!

Didn't he know I already really liked him?!  ;-)  

Seriously though, it was such a thoughtful and sweet gesture... he would have won me over even if I had a heart of stone.

So that handsome guy attached to Corynn's hip is Kemuel and I suspect you'll be seeing more of him.

The day after Mother's Day was my birthday and Matt and the children made it so special for me.  Lots of beautiful lilac bouquets (my children know me well), a pint of my own ice cream, some wonderful presents- INCLUDING a DANCE PARTY LIGHT!!!! ('Cuz I'm down like that.)

And four, count 'em FOUR of the sweetest cards/notes in ONE DAY in the mail for me from sweet friends and family (you know who you are) who really cannot know how special they made me feel.  It has been ages since I received something noteworthy in the mail- and four at once blew my mind. (Bills, while they may come in fours, DEFINITELY do not count.)

All in all, May will be a hard month to beat!

And now that the month on the calendar coincides with the month on the blog, I hope I can manage to squeak out more than a single blog post each month.  

No promises... but lots of hope and plenty of intentions!