Packing it all up!

And there you have it....

 A year (or more like 2 years) of books that we have used for MFW Creation the Greeks and Rome to the Reformation. Both were incredibly rich and loved by my students. I am planning on loaning this to a friend in the Fall so I am keeping it handy and altogether.  I usually keep the read-alouds out and add them to our bookshelves.

I really am excited about doing this curriculum again in a few years when my younger ones are ready for it again at a higher level ( 6th,  and 8th)

Until then, 

goodnight friends, Romans, countrymen.

AVIARY lessons

Backyard Bird studies

Morning Doves have roosted in my pergola beams just outside our back door.

Hummingbirds too!

They are a marvel!  This is our hummingbird's nest taken at close range. It's about the size of a hen's egg  and it has two tiny eggs inside too!
The kids are tracking the birds and watching the momma and daddy come and go with food for the hatchlings.

 It's like having an aviary in our backyard.

Two eggs turned into two babies and then we went to camp for a week and they were gone. Flew the coop!  The nest is still there but the birds are bye-bye. 

Building Project - watch out PINTEREST

SO my parents from IL came to visit.  

These are hard-working, project-oriented, handy, crafty, and generous folk, my parents.

Now, just FYI, I live in southern CA so this IS a practical addition to our back patio with only a handful of rain days in a year. I suppose a tarp or rain/snow cover would be the best bet for cooler climates. It's shady under our pergola too, so there is little direct light or dust/debris ( because we have solar panels up there...more on that later)

Had a crazy dream

of a bed in my backyard

hanging swinging soft

( that was a Haiku!)

This is my mom and I staining the frame that my dad built. He used treated redwood lumber and built it to fit (with room) a twin mattress

We used MINWAX in black to stain it and it matched the pergola perfectly.

Mackenzie (10) helped with this part.

My Dad,  did I mention that he was patient - VERY patient! He taught all the kids how to drill holes and screw in the boards for the backrest.

I was the daring one up on the chair to measure ( twice) and cut the ropes for the hanging of the bed. 

Finally relaxing after two days of building

 TADA........

the finished project. It's beyond enticing to head out to the backyard 

with a book 

or a game 

or a glass of wine

 and just swing the evening away. 

It's, by far, the coolest thing we've ever made and it doubles as a guest bed to boot!

Thanks MOM and DAD for making another dream of mine come true!

"Pioneer"- ing with an inspirational author.

In case you are living under a rock. 

There is a new cook in town, Ree Drummond, she's a homeschooling mom living on a ranch in Oklahoma who cooks DEE - licious  food with some of the most mouth -watering photo spreads  in her 2 cookbooks. www.pioneerwoman.com

I love this woman's life and I'd like to think that we could be friends, what? 

with the 4 kids, the homeschooling, the cooking for the love it, 

minus the huge spread of land, the skills with a camera and the show on Food Network.  

We are so similar! 

A girl can dream.

Jill, my REAL  girlfriend, and I went to the book signing at Vroman's in Pasadena. My awesome hubby went to get tickets for me that morning when the store opened and we were in the first 75 people in a line that wrapped three city blocks down Colorado Blvd.  Ree was  fresh and chatty and had the most fabulous cowgirl boots on. Keepin it real! I can't imagine having to do that for 3+ hours and I like people.

We made a date of it and took our freshly signed copies straight to Chipotle for some tacos!