Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!!!! I hope all of you Americans out there have a happy day celebrating our country! Our kids can't wait for the parade (and the candy throwing!). I'm looking forward to enjoying small town America, time with family, iced coffee and gluten-free donuts, a picnic lunch, the blueberry pie and strawberry-rhubarb pie I know will be there, and watching the kids have fun!

Mondays are for Grace

"Empty time is not a vacuum to be filled.

It is the thing that enables the other things on your mind to be creatively rearranged,

like the empty square on the 4x4 puzzle

that makes it possible to move the other 15 squares around."

-- In Praise of Slowness

Happy Days

As Mrs. Blackwood always used to say, "There's no rest for the weary." Isn't that the truth! Life just goes from one thing to the next.

John and Laura had lots of fun at potty camp this week. One of them graduated, the other's mother is still deciding what to do.......

4-H deadlines are looming and I'm trying to prod the children into finishing their projects. I'm thinking we'll be putting in hours and hours and hours this next week. Rachel finished her knitting project this week, which is good.

Potty Camp treat store was run by the boys one morning.

Sunday lunches with friends are always highlights of life. Speaking of food, did I mention I had my first Pampered Chef party this week? It was a wonderful evening and I loved all the food we made (herb butters, fruit pizza, watermelon salad, and salsa and guacamole).

The kids and I spent a lovely day with my Dad recently. We toured Oldfields and had a picnic in the grounds.

We all stayed carefully by the bench because every tree in sight had poison ivy growing thickly around its trunk!

The kids attended an evening VBS with our neighbors a few weeks ago. Our kids love VBS!

Laura loves her little rocker that I found at a garage sale.

My two girls make me so happy. They love each other!!!!

We made it to the Farmer's Market last Saturday! It is always fun to look around. 

Christina and Rachel got their knitting done during Potty Camp.

The other thing we did this week was host a 5-Day Bible Club! It was great fun and all the kids enjoyed it so much! The Child Evangelism Fellowship volunteers showed up each day and ran the club. All I had to do was provide snacks! We will definitely be doing this next year!

And now I am somewhat weary, and trying not to think about school planning and just how will I fit everyone's subject matter into a week......at least tomorrow is a day of rest.

Words and Wool

Here I am sitting on the floor in the kitchen during Potty Camp. Cousin John and Laura have been attending "Potty Camp" each morning this week. John is a star pupil. Laura, it has been decided, is not ready for potty training yet. This is sad news since I have a very pressing use for the diaper budget money. It looks like I'll be finding another creative solution other than the diaper money.......

Here and there I get time to continue work on my crochet afghan. I do love the colors and the crochet is very soothing. I finished another little knitting project this week but the photo will have to wait to be revealed at a later date. I'm still working on the white shawl as I find a chance.

Rachel is hard at work on her knitting for 4H as well as her embroidered Lord of the Rings quilt.

In the reading world I have begun a new author. Have any of you read Rosamunde Pilcher before? A friend recommended her to me and loaned me several books.
Coming Home is the book I have begun with. I was initially leery of beginning a 700-page book but am already 10% of the way through. Coming Home is set in England beginning in the 1930's and right now the book is about a young girl left in England at boarding school while her parents are working in India. I'm loving the book so far with its cozy descriptions of England and little things that make me feel at home in the story. Hopefully I'll just keep on loving it!

Do let me know if you have read any of her books or which ones you recommend. Thanks!

You can find more inspiration over at Ginny's Yarn Along.

Please note: this post contains affiliate links.

Mondays are for Grace

"A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,...."

Proverbs 13:19

This weekend our family received news that the sabbatical grant our church applied for has been granted! This means we are to be given an all-expense-paid trip to Scotland next summer for six weeks! Can you believe it?! We hardly can. This is a dream come true, something we could never have done on our own. I'm so glad we have a year to think about and plan for this special trip.

Diamond Jubilee Tea Party

We finally had our Diamond Jubilee celebration this week, in the form of a tea party.

I dressed the part, in an outfit I happened to find last weekend at Salvation Army!

Christina brought over all her roses and made magnificent arrangements for the party.

Here are all the fabulous tea cozies!

Some of the yummy treats........

Chocolate cake was a must, complete with bunting!

The table looked so pretty with all the china and glassware.

I managed to find a picture of the Queen.

Christina brought over her Union Jack pillow.

And I pulled out the pillow cover I had found years ago in Scotland for probably less than a dollar. It took me months to figure out that the pillow was for George VI's coronation in 1937. The four countries of the UK are present with their flower.

The punch table greeted guests as they came in the door.

More of Christina's lovely flower arranging!

I just love my tea trolley!!! I'm so thankful to have it!

The bunting made everything look festive.

 Christina made her fascinator. She also spent two days helping me get ready.

This is my favorite picture of all!!! I love it that everyone was in red, white or blue and look at all the hats!!!!!!!

Having people around the table is one of my biggest passions.

We spent the time visiting and chatting all about the Queen -- everyone brought a few facts to share.

Everyone also brought a box or bag of tea and at the end we went around the table and each person chose a package.

Check out these lovely tea tins!!!!

It was a delightful afternoon and we are all looking forward to the Queen continuing her long reign!

Words and Wool

This week on the wool front I've been working hard on my crochet afghan. I do love the colors I'm using and it is relaxing work. 

I also received a surprise package in the mail from Scotland! My friend sent over a beautiful cardigan she knitted for Laura -- isn't it gorgeous!!!! And a ruffly scarf she knitted for me! How exciting. 

And here is the nightstand in its current state. Christina put me onto Nella Last's Peace: The Post-War Diaries Of Housewife, 49 . There are several books in the series and this is the first one I have access to. I love how Nella writes of her everyday life in Post-War Britain.

The only teen fiction books I have ever gotten into are the Flavia de Luce novels by Alan Bradley. This one, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows: A Flavia de Luce Novel, has been rather disappointing so far, mostly because the customary murder did not take place until half way through the book?!! Otherwise, I have gobbled up Bradley's books in the past. (They are set in post-war Britain as well -- um, maybe post WWI?)

Michael is away this week. As usual there is too much to do -- everything I don't get done in the winter I want to get done in the summer, as well as find time to relax. :) But we did just have our Diamond Jubilee celebration and I will post more on that later this week. Now I'm off to begin the task of planning for the next school year.

For more book and knitting ideas hop over to Ginny's for the Yarn Along.

Note: this post contains affiliate links.