Weekly Ramble 8/3/24
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Well, that week flew by. Wow. What did I even do?
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The calendar certainly had stuff on it, but some things got switched up so the week was chill and it just flew by. I guess that’s good.
I was supposed to drive to Santa Clarita today to see my mom and sister, but I woke with a headache and head congestion. Five hours in traffic roundtrip plus possible illness didn’t sound fun, so I have had a chill day at home instead.
Above is our Sunday Dinner table, as set by FishChick15. The last in our homeschool, she loves to putter and do projects with me, so she’s been helping me with our Rest Day/Sabbath Prep. Last week she did a great job making the table pretty.
Still on the hunt for proper-fitting tablecloths…. obviously.
And yes, we have a putting green! It came with the house and while we’re not “golfers”, we do use it, especially when we have guests.
While I tried to rest today, the kids did a great job getting the house ship-shape. They mopped floors, cleaned bathrooms, and vacuumed — proof that Chores & Kids do mix. Just be sure to teach them when they’re young.
If you’re playing catch-up, you’ll have to woo their minds, making a clear argument why it’s in their best interests to know how to care for their homes.
By the way, what do you think of the colored chairs? I’ve been tempted to take the red and purple out of the mix and have a range of yellow to blue. Thoughts? Please see me in the comments section to discuss.
We just renewed our lease on this house for another year — and we are thrilled! This is a great place to live for our family in its current stage of life. I know in the next six years a lot of things will be changing, so it’s such a blessing to have a good launching pad.
I wondered if we were tempting fate when we hung some pictures earlier today, but lo! It’s so pretty, I don’t even care.
One of the best parts is that he was so attentive and it was done in like 5 minutes! I’m in love.
We had the picture trays already stashed in storage, but were reminded of them last week at IKEA. They mounted them on a black wall which was very striking, though not renter-friendly. Hanging them over the keyboard pulls in the black a bit, so I think it works?
Okay, ready for the highlights of the week?
Five Favorite Things
I’m on a step streak!
It’s been a few years since I’ve been motivated enough to get on a step streak, but I’m 8 days in so we’re going to go with it.
Our vacation day reached almost 14k and a walk with a new friend from church topped it, but most days I’m just shooting for 7500 steps. This is what I’ve learned is the sweet spot for most people.
While I hate the heat and I hate the mosquitos, I dislike the treadmill in the hot garage more, so I’m braving the great outdoors and living to tell the tale.
Farmers Market Flowers
Remember Emily of the baby shower brilliance? She told me she had gotten the flowers from a certain vendor at our farmers’ market. I took a chance on finding her and Ally (that’s her name) was the only one selling flowers this week.
The bouquets are beautiful and these Gerberas were only $5/bunch! I think farmers market is going to be a regular stop in my week!
Homemade Sourdough Bread
I don’t normally bake yeast or sourdough breads during the summer heat, but I was getting tired of mediocre store bread, so I baked up a couple loaves Friday night. Sooooo good.
If you’ve not jumped into sourdough, please give it a try. That’s what I spent the bulk of 2018 learning to do, and I’m so glad I did.
Learn more –> Getting Started with Sourdough
My Wedding Dishes
We got married back in the days when people still chose a china pattern and a regular dish pattern. Anyone remember those days?
We broke the mold and just chose a regular dish pattern. I fell in love with the Nancy Calhoun Francesca pattern. Thirty years ago we started with a set for 12, but it’s dwindled over the years. I didn’t mind not having salad plates or bowls, but I did want to replenish the dinner plates.
I found a set on eBay and we’re now back to 12 plates. I’m thrilled! If you happen to see any pieces at thrift stores, I will buy them from you!
Kids Who Can Bake
FishChick15 was excited to go to Santa Clarita today. I woke her at 5 to let her know she could ignore her alarm and sleep in.
I slept in! And what a fun surprise to wake up to freshly baked scones that she made without even being asked. Sooooooo nice.
Alrighty then, that’s it for me. We just got back from a walk and the dairy-free oat milk Breyers is calling my name. 😉 Have a great Sunday, friend!
Don’t Miss This Resource
Don’t miss what’s new in the shop: Easy Summer Dinners! It’s free to members of the GCE Club in August.
Recent Posts
Have you read these recent posts? I hope you’ll leave a comment!
How was your week?
What’s up in your world? Leave a comment or a prayer request. We’re all in this together!
You work your daughter at FIVE, to tell her to sleep in! I hope she saw the humor in that 🙂
Have followed you for years. Hard to believe the nest is almost empty. Its always a sad time for moms.
Be Well,
Sona
She had an alarm set and I wanted to make sure she didn’t fully wake up.
Still five kids at home so not that empty.
AH! saw the 3 college kids so thought they were gone.
I love the chairs! Your dishes are very pretty also. We have one musician in our family. A percussionist, she is now an adult and still loves to play. Our youngest daughters are incredible artists. When our son leaves for the Army in January, we will make our spare bedroom into a hobbit hole with the door made into the wardrobe doors from Narnia. Homeschooling has really allowed us to explore very different art projects.
I hope you’re feeling better. Sickness and/or adult onset allergies are not at all fun to manage. To put my two cents in, it appears to me that all but the purple chair appear to blend with your dishes’ color scheme (my PC monitor is not the best). Perhaps you might play up or down a particular color or two with colored cloth napkins as well. In the past I’ve seen plain multi-colored cloth napkin sets on Amazon that might help with that.
I love your chairs. Would you mind sharing where you got them from? -Homeschool mom of 4 rambunctious kids that have broken all our chairs
We bought them off Craigslist over 15 years ago. A pizza parlor in Ramona was replacing theirs. Bryan refinished them and we chose the paint colors randomly from Lowes.
I love chairs and I wouldn’t change a thing!
I love the colored chairs! There’s an unexpected whimsy with all of the colors that I think wouldn’t be the same if the chairs were in the same palette. And in all the years reading your blog, I did not know you had a piano player(s) in your midst!
Thanks! And yes, whimsy was the goal. 😉 Bryan is a lifelong musician, playing guitar, base, drums, and keyboards. One of the boys had piano lessons; no one else was interested. But, since then three kids have learned guitar, two of the same have learned keyboards. A fourth kid is now starting guitar. Just one man out who’s just too busy, but has a great voice.
I am not musically inclined at all. Go figure. But I like to listen and support the efforts.