This and That Saturday...

1. Our Internet connection has been working for about 10 minutes straight so I am going to attempt a quick post. I have been able to periodically check on your blogs, but then it cuts off and it won't work again for about three hours. Hopefully the insurance check will come in next week and we can purchase the equipment we need.

2. On the other hand, I have gotten soooo much done without the computer working as it should. I am sure there is a lesson to be learned there.

3. My Abbie is leaving Monday for summer camp, without me. This is one of the big decisions we had to make over the past few weeks. To say I am sad is an understatement, but to say she is super-excited would be just about right. We have been washing and packing and making lists for the past couple of days. She is such a people-person and extrovert and a whole week surrounded by new people is almost too much for her.

4. We are moving along with school this summer. My big kids are old enough to keep on with their bookwork without too much supervision from me. I have been planning for fall when we start back to co-op and Community Bible Study and seeing how we can fit all that in also.

James wants to learn how to read, and when you have a four year old who cries at night because he can't read in bed like his big brothers do, you know its time to start teaching him. I guess we will start Tuesday, as I will be gone all day Monday getting Ab off to camp. I love to teach my children to read, its just though first couple of days/weeks of the slow sounding-out and blending that plays havoc on my nerves. Just to be an honest homeschooling mom here-someone please tell me I'm not the only one...

5. Our garden is doing so-so this year. Lots of cucumbers-which we don't really need, and very little tomatoes. Which I need big-time. The corn looks well and it looks like we should get plenty of green beans. The peppers were a big fail, which is so unusual. Usually we have peppers galore. We got lots of blackberries and I have already made some jam, and oh my goodness, at the blueberries. I made a pie with some, we have smoothies several mornings a week, and I am freezing them for this winter's smoothies and pies/desserts. We got about 10 strawberries this spring, which we expected, but we have lots of runners for next year so we will probably have more then. We got our first ripe fig yesterday and Matt found a pear last night that was soft enough to eat. Did you know that all the pears on a tree ripen on exactly the same day? Not really, but it sure seems that way when I am trying to peel, slice, and can them.

6. Goat pen construction came to a halt, but should resume shortly. I am on the lookout for the perfect mommy and baby goat combo that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

7. We got our dryer fixed, but I am still using and loving the clothesline. I call it my Clothesline-Bicep workout. I would be killing two birds with one stone, but as I never really workout in real life I don't think I can say that.

8. Okay, this short post has turned into a long one. Hopefully it won't be so long between postings next time and at the end of July I am planning on having a Three-Year Blog Anniversary Giveaway so I hope you won't desert me!

Oh, you should go check out Rachel at Grasping for Objectivity-its on my sidebar-I'm afraid to link because it might cut off. She has made Alabama Bloggers proud! Congrats Rachel-I tried to leave you a comment and got cut off!