Tea Party

I walked into my bedroom last night, and saw that there was a tea party going on...I love kids with some imagination.

Whaaa?? Summer is Over??

I just realized that next week is my last week to prepare for the school year! Talk about stress inducing! This is what my office looked like AFTER I cleaned:



Obviously I don't yet have it all together...school is still being planned and books are still being corralled, last minute curriculum decisions are still being made. The view from the spot on the floor where I sit shows my monstrous binders of instructor's guides and student's work ready to be plowed through, as well as the hefty To-Do List I'm trying to make my way through.



Yes, my mad procrastination skills have been put to good use, (you should see the stack of books I still need to schedule and pre-read!) but at least my aquarium got set up in the process:



Now I just need to convince my procrastination skills to give way to my organization skills, and all will be well. And if I can add some discipline and schedules into the mix, I'll be all set!

Upon Our Return

I thought I'd provide a snapshot of our garden on returning from our vacation. It fared remarkably better than it did last year, (though in need of some TLC) with the only casualty being the butternut squash:



We didn't arrive too late to harvest tomatoes, and we ended up pulling the corn off the stalks because they looked like they were dying...funny looking little things:



Our bell peppers and melons are still growing, though they are small.



It's been a great first gardening year. We've discovered that we need to plant much more than we did in order to get the harvest we were thinking of. Also, a drip system would be fabulous. I'm ready to start planning my fall garden!

Good Things to Fill the Time

Our time in Tahoe is coming to an end, and there is still so much I want to do! Everyone else is about ready to get on with life, though. Timothy misses his friends, Andrew misses his computer, Melinda misses her hamster.

I have loved being able to organize the house and finish a great many projects, such as adapting some of my skirts to fit the girls, and making pillows.






I even taught Audrey how to sew! She is an incredibly fast learner, and is already doing every step (including the ironing) by herself.






We took the kids to the Amador County Fair, site of JoshuaFest 2010, and enjoyed the horses, alpacas (?) and hand crafts.









(where are my boys in all these pictures?? They are much less enthusiastic photography subjects.)

In a few short days we will be back in So.Cal. and ready to be done with driving for a while...unless it's to head back up here!

Very Much, Thank You

We ARE enjoying Tahoe! The summers here just can't be beat: warm in the sun, cool in the shade; cool star-filled nights; startling blue skies and animated clouds; refreshing afternoon thunderstorms; constant wildlife sightings; streams, lakes, trees and mountains; and the blissful absence of sirens. There is something magical about these mountains.

Exploratorium

It has to be the busiest week at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, but is that any reason not to go? We made a detour on our way to Tahoe, allowing Chris to attend a business meeting and the kids the experience the Exploratorium. It had been YEARS since we'd been, but it was still the educational, engrossing, exhausting day I remembered.

The drive wasn't so bad (don't let the grumpy face fool you.)








Melinda was thrilled with The Palace Hotel and the free jam that came with breakfast (even though the room service guy was convinced she was speaking a different language.)




Once we got to the exploratorium, the kids were instantly hooked.




They discovered a new use for a traffic cone.




They even did some things all together.




They all enjoyed the exhibits, even if the crowds were stressful at times. Andrew especially was hungry to see and understand everything. We contributed to SF rush hour traffic, but still made it home (to Tahoe) before 10:30 or so. Feels so good to be home!

Left Behind

Tomorrow we go on vacation for two weeks or so. Here's a peek at what we are leaving behind:

Not quit ready heirloom tomatoes:





Roma tomatoes: (some of those are coming along with us)




Cantaloupe:




Watermelon:




Butternut Squash:




Cucumber:




Corn:




Bell Peppers:




Basil that has valiantly withstood the grasshoppers:




What will we have when we get back? I don't know, but hopefully more than we have now. We'll see!