September Trail Keepers

So, on Tuesday last week (I know, I am super behind) we went and did this months Trail Keepers. This time the trail was busy with lots of folks with the weather cooling down people are eager to get back outside. The Cooks didn't make it this time, and there weren't a lot of interesting things happening on the trail other than all the folks walking, running, and biking...

Here is Kalib and Jason Bray climbing the rocks to get a plastic bag that was stuck up the hill. If more people used reusable bags when shopping, there would be so many fewer plastic bags on the roads and in the landfill. One simple step to remember your bags when you go to the store. It is empowering to have your own bags and walk out of a store without plastic bags and it does make a difference!

Hail, Hail Good ol' Earth Camp

My latest piece. Many of you have seen it, but I couldn't post it until I had given it to its rightful owner. I made this one in trade for the kids attending EarthCamp last year. It took me a year to get the right design and make it. I tried a few different times to make this quilt before I actually got one I liked enough to give it to someone and now, I'm really glad I didn't rush myself and that Pam was very patient with me. The house and the tree are my interpretation of the EarthCamp logo and I added the kids holding hands around because kids are what EarthCamp is. Pam Blanchard is the woman behind EarthCamp. It is her baby. She brings all these kids together in the woods for an experience they will never forget. They play in mud, they play in the rain, they play in the river, they catch insects and snakes and frogs and turtles, they make art, they sing, and did I mention they play in mud and it is all on the most beautiful 100 acres of woods just outside of Athens at EarthSong. Kids need to get back to nature and be in touch with it. They need to watch less television and play less video games and be and experience life and the infinite possibilities of play in the woods. I remember as a kid playing in the trees in my back yard was one of my most favorite things to do. I was always encouraged to play outside (thanks mom and dad). My dad had this compost bin (he gardened then - we ate all homegrown veggies when I was coming up). I would take it apart and build a fort under this tree behind his garden, but in front of the giant field behind our house and there I would read and imagine stories and play, and I think it really helped me to be in touch with myself now and have a much deeper appreciation of nature. Pam provides this for kids. She provides the adult supervision and lets the kids be wild and be themselves. There are few rules at EarthCamp and using your imagination is one of them. She brings kids who spend most of their days in school or in the city out and it is just beautiful to watch the kids and how they relate to the woods there and the relationships they create with the environment. It is close to my heart, as I feel it is of the highest importance that kids be exposed to real nature and be allowed to participate IN ITrather than being afraid of getting dirty or of touching things in nature. Most everything out there won't hurt you and dirt is actually good for us. It helps to build our immunity, so as the song goes... Hail Hail Good Ol' Earth Camp, Hail Hail Dear Ol' Dirt Camp!

Here's the close up of the EarthHouse. In real life it is made of cob and looks just like a hobbit hole. (Cob is a mixture or red mud, sand, straw a WHOLE lot of hard work).

Detail shot of the tree. I stiched knots into the wood when I quilted it.

Detail shot of the kids.

I gave the quilt to Pam on Saturday at the Folk Festival. I think she was pretty happy with it.

folk festival

Saturday was the folk festival at Sandy Creek. Our day started out with the setting up of quilt frames for the cotton patch quilters guild display. There is just something about watching the quilts sway in the wind.

Here's our little man blowing up a balloon. In the kids corner Pam Blanchard had drums to make by stretching a balloon over a cup filled with glitter and other things, Kalib opted to not make a drum but took a balloon to make screeching noises with...

Here's India doing some sort of scheming with some friends she reconnected with during the festival. The funnest thing about the festival is the space is small enough that the kids can just run around and play with other kids the whole time. We almost don't see our kids while we are there because they are so busy playing and having fun, but because the area isn't huge it isn't hard to find them. They also check in with us every now and then to let us know they are having fun or to get money from us for drinks and snacks or to bring us something they made. There are all kinds of folky demonstrations going on. There was basket weaving, quilting, a black smith, someone making walking sticks and many others. I didn't manage to see everything because I was busy watching all the great music and hanging out with my own friends.

Here's the girly checking in with me...

My friends also got into the festival and a few of us ended up with Hair wraps.

it's not just for

The ramp isn't just good for skate boarding. It turns out, it is also good for jumping rope. Since we don't have a paved driveway and most of our yard is wooded, it turns out the ramp is good for practicing jumping rope. India has fully discovered the joys of jumping rope at ACE. We have tried before here, but having a smooth surface starting out makes it much easier (a lot like riding a bicycle - they had to learn to do that on gravel - no easy task.) India gravitates towards most physical activities and she gets the most beautiful smile on her face when she jumps. Jason and I turn the rope for her and I just love how she laughs belly laughs at how exciting it is for her. I remember jumping rope in school - it was always so much fun with all the rhymes and the different games and double dutch. I tried to run in with India and Kalib turning the rope, but the rope is too short for me (believe it or not) and India and Kalib had a hard time keeping it steady, so we are going to invest in a longer rope somewhere along the way to see if I really remember how to jump in. The kids have been practicing running in and they are beginning to get it. I didn't manage to get a picture of Kalib before it got too dark, but here is India getting her hair out of her face before jumping on her own.

I know I'm her mom and I'm biased, but she is just so beautiful... Her smile lights up her whole face and body.

Here she is going to town.

we're adding on

After a little consideration of where both kids are in their skating and the enjoyment they have gotten out of the launch ramp we decided to add on two smaller ramps on the flat bottom. We already had all the wood with the exception of a few 2x4's. Both of the kids are loving skating and it definately brings the family out of the house and together, so the ramp just continues to be an investment that keeps on giving back. On Saturday of last week, Kalib and Jason went to our friends Wesley's home to skate on his half pipe. Turns out Kalib learned some new tricks and was back to dropping in like crazy. Big news! He's going to be tearing it up before too much longer and showing his dad up. His dedication to skating is impressive to say the least. He falls down and then he gets right back up to try and try again. So, this new addition to our ramp will hopefully help him practice his tricks and get the hang of them before he takes them up to the bigger ramp. Same with India. She's been practicing a few tricks on the launch ramp, but now when they roll down off of it, they will have somewhere to go. Jason is also going to make the launch ramp wider, but everything in time. He has the wood for it, now he just has to be able to make the time. He's been so busy building he hasn't had much time to skate.

Putting in the last of the screws...

it's back to work (again)

As of yesterday, I am back to working in the office in the afternoons everyday except Tuesdays because we have Spanish on Tuesdays - was Wednesdays now it's back to Tuesdays. I'm feeling pretty hopeful about it because it will mean that my working time will be more focused and more productive where as when I am at home working I'm easily distracted and interrupted and then I end up working all day. My hope is that by working in the office again I will have a very small amount of work that I have to do at home and will be free for more family time in the evenings. So, On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I will be in the office from 1:00 until I finish for the day. Could be anywhere between 3:30 and 5 depending on my workload that day, so it's not too bad. India and Kalib are coming with me on Mondays and Fridays. They read, play outside (if the weather permits), draw, and sometimes they get to help if I have time and they want to. On Wednesdays and Thursdays they will be with my mom. (Have I mentioned how happy I am that she is retired and we can lean on her a lot.)

I have been really stressed with my working situation. It has been taking up so much of my days and I feel like all I have said to my kids is I can't, I have to work, or let me work and then I will. WORK WORK WORK... I don't want my life to be like that if I can help it, so they may not like having to go into the office 2 days a week, but it is a very small trade off for mommy to have way more free time for us to play games and do crafts and go on adventures. Thankfully, because I set my own schedule, we can still do things if I plan in advance for them - anyone up for a field trip?

So, why am I writing a blog about this? It's a time of transition in our home and we need love and prayers coming our way as we adjust. It is very hard for me to let go of my attachment to being with the kids everyday. It is very hard for me to let my mom take the reins two days a week, but if we are going to homeschool and have me work (which I have to do) we all have to adjust (including me) and I'm excited and feel good about it, but with the more support we have from our friends and family the better off we will all be in the long run. I feel very lucky to have such a supportive family and one that is willing to help us out as much as they can.

Falling behind

Now that we are back in the rhythm of homeschooling I'm finding fewer and fewer times to sit down and actually write a blog. So, what has changed since the summer? NOTHING! So why can't I find time? I'm busy working and cleaning and I'm back to making quilts after many months of being in a creative slump. I would rather be at my sewing machine or reading these days rather than typing on the computer, but my hope is that you guys have mostly subscribed to my feed so you know will know when I update. I'm going to try to be better about posting, but I was starting to feel like you could only see so many skate boarding photos and swimming photos before they start making you sick!

What have we been up to this week? We had Spanish on Wednesday, then I took the kids on out to my moms house for the day where they spent the night with their Meme so they could go to the ACE (Athens cooperative experience). It's a homeschooling group with classes. I think I've mentioned it before. This time they are learning plant ID which of course we all love and this past week they played games. Jennifer is supposed to be uploading a video of them doing a wheelbarrow race, so when she does, I'll get the code and post it here for our family to see as well. The kids love ACE. All their friends go and they get to talk and hang out and learn stuff.

Thursday night we went to the $2 movie to see IronMan! We have been wanting to see it because we had heard it was a pretty great movie. I didn't think it was all that. I love Robert Downey Jr and I thought he was great and the overall movie was pretty great, but Jeff Bridges as the villain just didn't do anything for me and I am not a huge fan of action movies, so..... Jason and Kalib loved it and India and I thought it was so so.

Friday Kalib went to Gaga and Gobby's to help Gobby with his wood working. This was the first time they have ever hung out just the two of them. I'm super excited about it! They both had fun and they got a lot done. My hope is that they will continue to have days like this where Gobby will teach Kalib wood working. He loves to build stuff - he spends most days in his room with his Lego's, so getting real world experience building with his great grandfather is just the best. He had so much fun. He is a child of few words and getting him to tell us what all the did wasn't exactly easy, but we finally found out most of what they did and he can't wait to go back and talk about a great thing to learn that he wouldn't learn if he were in school.

India spent Friday with my Grandma helping her work out some technical difficulties with her television. It amazes me that she is only 9 and is better able to figure these things out than I am and I consider myself pretty savvy at technology.

Well, that catches the week up...mostly....there's more to come about the rest of the weekend, but I have to give myself something to post tomorrow!

A little quiet reading

On Friday we had breakfast with my mom and then we ran over to Target to pick up a few household things we needed. My mom decided to come with us. Kalib brought all his birthday money with him to spend and ended up with a bunch of Bokugan game pieces and some new Pokeman cards. As we were walking past the books, we decided to see what they had to offer. My mom and I are both avid readers, so passing books by is always a difficult task. I have looked many times at these little lamps that clasp on to your book so that I can tuck the kids into bed and be off duty and they can enjoy reading in their beds while I enjoy some peace and quiet and time for myself. My mom decided to buy them for the kids and they are already being very well used. Both kids love them. In fact, yesterday, Kalib finished his first chapter book from beginning to end read all by himself ever. Here are pictures of the kids on Saturday night in the living room reading books after Jason and I have tucked them into bed. They are both reading Ripley's Believe It or Not books. They love those crazy stories and trying to figure out whether they are true or not.

india drops in

Yesterday the kids spent the day skating. Big surprise right? Jason built a launch ramp for he and Kalib to take with them when they do street skating, but it ended up being just perfect for the kids to use for dropping in and learning to do tricks. By the end of the day, India was dropping in off of it and Kalib has graduated back up to the 1/2 pipe to drop in. Kalib figured out how to do a rock to fakey and can do a full kick turn now and India is dropping in like crazy and is learning to do a rock to fakey as well as a kick turn. We have now decided to add a smaller ramps on both sides of the 1/2 pipe for the kids to try to keep it a little safer, plus I think it will make the ramp more fun in the long run for everyone. Anyhow, here's a video of the kids skating off the launch ramp. This is before India got the hang of it all by herself. Sorry the video is sideways I don't know why it uploaded this way.

Spanish at the Zoo

On Tuesday, we met at Bear Hollow Zoo to have Spanish class. This was our first official Spanish field trip. Dalcy (their Spanish teacher) came with sheets that had the animal names in Spanish and as we looked at animals, they had to figure out which one it was on the list. Some were easy to figure out and others were not so easy. They also had to answer questions in Spanish that Dalcy as them. It was really cool to listen to them communicating easily in Spanish. I learned a lot and we got super lucky that Hubb came along and spent the day with us.

Here's the group looking for the otters. They were not out and about.

Otter in Spanish is La nutria

Eagle is El aguila

BobCat - el gato salvage (this is a fat bobcat - they look so sweet it is hard to believe this cat could kill you if it needed to.)

trying to figure out bears which is El oso (I couldn't get a picture of the bears, they were in their homes)

Crocodile (this is actually an alligator, but Dalcy wasn't sure which the zoo had, so we learned crocodile) is El cocodrilo
My favorite at the zoo other than the otters, the groundhog or woodchuck is call El Torcas
La tortugas basking in the sun
El Pato

Labor Day

On Monday we had a few folks over. Nothing big, mostly skating and chilling with yummy wine. On Sunday, Jason picked up a skateboard for Austin. (It was used). He painted it and fixed it up for him and gave it to him on Monday when they came over. At first, when Austin climbed up on the ramp, he was just going to grab any board up there to skate on, but as Ashley and I waited patiently (impatiently is more like it), Jason finally gave him the board he fixed up for him. It was super sweet (in typical Jason fashion). Austin wasn't 100% sure it was his until he saw that Jason had painted his name on it. And then, he was really excited. He spent the whole day practicing rolling around on the ramp and it paid off to have Chad (as always) to help him learn to pump. He really started figuring out how to bend his legs to keep himself moving and he'll be tearing it up before long. I hope you've got decent insurance Ashley. Anyhow, here are a few pics from Monday...The Cooks brought along Hoodi... and that pig can squeal. Kalib didn't do any skating until everyone left. I guess it's too much pressure to skate when there is an audience and his bud Elijah was here to hang out with too. Did I mention that the food was just... amazing?! I made potatoes, Sarah also made potatoes and beans and Salmon, I also made chicken and squash, Kris Cook brought a london broil that he had fixed up and a salad, Chad and Susan brought Scuppernongs (or muscadines - depends on who you ask). We had wine and chips and some seriously good humus... mmmmm... makes my mouth water. Checking out that it really is his name on the board. This kid has got serious focus!Hoodi's getting bigger and man can she squeal - she does NOT like to be held or touched beyond giving her a bottle.Hubb getting ready to drop in And finally a picture of Chad - This is actually the beginning of a video I shot of him. He's got a torn rotator cuff, so those sweet wives that were all here razzed him all day about being safe while skateboarding, but the truth is, you can not stop them from skating if we wanted to. It is so deeply ingrained in who they are - it is their way of life and they pay for it from time to time, but they always get back up and do it again... I admire this about skate boarders who are truly in love with the life!

An early birthday party

Yesterday we celebrated Gobby's birthday early. His actual birthday is in November, so it was a big surprise for him when everyone slowing showed up. He had no idea why. We celebrated early this year because he will be out of town in November during his birthday, so why not celebrate it at the end of August? Sandy, Jason's great aunt organized everyone to contribute money to buy Gobby a new grill - you can see his old one in the background of the picture below - the handle was barely hanging on. Now he has a new one with a burner on the side and he's ready to do some grilling. Now, I have to tell you all that Jason's grandfather is easily one of my favorite people in this world. He's wonderfully old fashioned and set in his ways, but not in a threatening way, he is just simple. He is kind hearted and compassionate and when he's around, you know he's glad to see you. It's just something about the way he welcomes you. He is funny and makes jokes and loves to see everyone happy. Since the first time I met him I have really like him and enjoyed his company and when I became one of the family, he welcomed me with open arms. I cannot possibly tell you how wonderful that was for me. Two years ago, he drew my name at Christmas, and anyone who knows me, knows how much I appreciate thoughtful gifts - gifts that are given from the heart. I don't know if that was really Gobby's intention or not, but he bought me little diamond studs that year, he said he could have bought me sewing stuff or life stuff, but he wanted to give me something I would never buy for myself. I put those earrings in that day and I've only taken them out to clean them. I wear them everyday. They were easily one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received and they were certainly not something I would have ever bought for myself.


Yesterday, when we gave Gobby his grill I was excited. He works hard at supporting his family and there is nothing more that he looks forward to (as far as I can tell) than having the whole family over and cooking out. He says the kids are too noisy and get into too much and all of us parents need to get them into shape, but I think he loves it. He loves the noise and the energy of having everyone around. I wish we were better at getting over there, but time gets away from us and months have passed before we realize it. So, anyhow, off my soapbox of how great Jason's grandfather is... Here he is looking at his new grill - totally surprised. (that's Jason's Aunt Sandy in the background for those of you who have never met Hubb's family)

Here's Gobby's cake - he's going to be 66 in November and he loves tractors - I mean who doesn't like big tractors right?

Here he is laughing at the absurdity of celebrating his birthday in August, but loving every minute of it - he even started his own happy birthday song!

Lastly, here's the whole family minus Noah (Rod and Tracey's son) he was at the lake with a friend.