end-of-summer summary

The children are back in school and I love having a routine again although I miss the slow mornings. It seems like no matter how hard I try, I can’t manage to have everybody’s stuff sorted the night before so that the morning can run smoothly(okay so maybe I could try a little harder. I can’t help it that I LOVE to relax with Rob at night and I am not really a morning bird if you know what I mean.) It is always something.   Maddalena can’t find her shoes ( and if you saw my shoe bin, you’d know why) or Augustine  is missing a  folder. One day last week, Basil came home from school with a scowl because his sister was in such a rush to make the bus that she packed him a bread sandwich, as in only two slices of bread with nothing in between. My great intention of making sack lunches has already waned and we have only been at this two weeks so far! All I hear about is how wonderful the school lunches are and I have to admit PB and J with carrot sticks and pretzels doesn’t hold a candle to barbeque ribs and chocolate mousse. 

Check out the cool pictures of my dashing lumberjack  husband cutting down some trees with our awesome neighbors, The Passmores, who, by the way, have the world’s coolest hydraulic equipment! 

There is also a picture of Basil’s sixth birthday (notice the recycled #2 candle  from Frankie’s birthday..see, I am green. If you look close you can see the four single candles, that when added to two makes six!) . We  also really enjoyed sitting around this huge bonfire with our friends, the Spindens. We have told the little Spindens to start collecting more sticks so we can do it again soon…this time without the fireworks display.

Today we spent the day with our friends, the Jones’ on their farm. They use old fashioned farming technique of drying the corn by building “shocks” (teepee- like structures made of stalks of corn). The kids and I helped pick up the leftover corn that fell on the ground. They use the corn to feed the chickens and pigs the rest of the year, while the stalks go to the cattle. Anselm’s gives the corn the two thumbs up for both presentation and accessibility!