The Start of Summer ~ The End of Another School Year

Oh my goodness... so much has happened since this last post and Anna coming home from China on June 1st. 

We soaked it in - our girl home - we sure did! 

But it was also a crazy full two weeks. 

Since then we have: 

• I have ended my teaching (back to the classroom 7th year) (16 total years in the classroom teaching) 
• Finishing teaching for the year is oh so much! Because you just want to 'do it right'. You've fallen in love with those kids in your class and you want to make those last 2 weeks count
• Closing up a classroom - it goes from really full to really empty and put away all in one night  
• Doing the last day of school - that is a doozy - wonderful, emotional, hard, glorious all wrapped into one. I am still not over saying goodbye and thinking about the sweetness of the last day of school 
• Unpacked with Anna almost 6 months of living in China - lots of piles - lots of laundry - lots of wonderful stories
• Scott (middle school principal) closed up his year - a wild ride for him for sure
• Abigail finished up her junior year of high school
• Anna turned 21 and we celebrated her
• And so much more in-between there 

So that's what has been going on. I am slowly going to catch up on this blog of mine. 

We are right now basking in the 'doneness' of school and the first day of summer. 

We are tired. 

And we have a to do list a mile long that we just kept adding to throughout the spring. But we will get it done eventually. We have the whole summer ahead of us! 

First of all... the amount of flowers I brought home on the last day of school was amazing! Wonderful notes, letters, gift cards galore but these flowers! Oh my goodness! 

These are all of the plants from my classroom that are home for the summer! 

What other profession in the world are you loved this much!? 

I love this photo of us -- the last day of school after finishing up a wonderful dinner and just talking talking talking on the porch. My favorite place to be with my favorite people on the planet. 

Today is the first day of summer break and we started our reading on the couch as we always do all every summer since Anna was 3. 

Yes, we are off to a wonderful start -- summer is the best! 

I Could Never Get Tired of This

A thunderstorm rolled in this afternoon. It got dark and windy. We were reading and all I noticed was I needed to turn on the lights. But then it started pouring. (best day ever) And I noticed this

and it's true. In forever I could never get tired of seeing this. 

Yesterday I ran into a student from this year while shopping with Abigail. I was so excited to see her (it's hard to go from seeing them every single day all day to not at all). I hugged and hugged her and we chatted. And her Mom said to Abigail something like "your Mom is a great teacher. She really got Sia to read!" And Abigail said, "yeah, that's her thing." 

So true. It's my thing. 

And I'll always love an afternoon reading.  

Ordinary Days are the Best Days

I've been home from traveling for a whole week (M-F) and it had felt wonnnnnderful I tell you, just wonderful. 

I love traveling and exploring and summertime is the really the only time that our teaching family can get away so much and see the things that we really want to so we have to fit it in the summer. 

But my heart loves home and making this place comfy cozy is one of my favorite things in the world. So this past week has filled me up to the core. 

I've been back to drinking my homemade green juice, overnight oats, salad for lunch, sensible dinners, and that feels amazing as well! 

I've also been back to fluffing, decorating, organizing, and even dreaming about how I want to decorate for the fall. 

But mostly my summer days consist of: 

6am (yeah, not 5 am like the school year) green juice, strength, cardio, abs, helping Anna get out the door (gosh! I wish I took a few pictures of her this week, she looked adorable every day going off to her summer job that she loves so much), breakfast

7:30 Rosary and morning prayer, shower and ready for the day

8:30 breakfast for Abigail 

Then we spend our morning at home. (Anna has my car and I actually love it to pieces because I am home!) So all morning I do home things. Abigail practices viola and relaxes. 

12:45 Anna gets home and we all have lunch together then we read on the couch 

In the afternoon I finish up some things around the house and then Scott is home... yeah! 

Our evenings are simple and lovely. Most of the time we just talk, talk, talk after dinner until it's late. Usually out of the porch. Then it's showers and off to bed. Nothing beats all going to bed at the same time. I love tucking my girls in and giving them hugs and kisses. During the school year of course Anna is away at college and Abigail is always up late with Scott doing homework, so summertime is a real treat for this mama. 

Yes, simple days are the best days and I'm loving every one of them so much. 

Summer Rhythms, Routines, and Rituals

"Plan and practice regular rhythms in your home to care for what and whom you most value." Sally Clarkson

I so admire Sally Clarkson and totally believe what she said in that above quote. I didn't know it way back then when I was developing rhythms in our home. I just knew we needed time and a place (especially in the summertime) to brought us closer. Some might think with a 20 and 16 year old those old days of time at home together doing things is long past. I actually think it can be even more important to have those set times that say to my girls

💛We are a family

💛This is what we do

💛We make time for each other regularly

When these regular things are already set and in place, nothing takes their place.  Here are just a few of ours. 

Reading on the Couch

Started this way way way back when Abigail was napping in her crib as a baby and toddler Anna and I had some time together in the afternoon. Way back then I made a "nest" (yes, we called it a nest). I put a blanket on the floor in our bedroom and some pillows from the bed. She cozied on that blanket. I piled up books for her to 'read' (I clearly remember Fancy Nancy). She couldn't read the words yet but had memorized the stories and would out loud 'read' the book to herself. I remember a pile of camera/photography books I read back then as I was trying to teach myself how to use my camera. 

It was glorious day after day. And it instantly became a tradition. Every day. Every summer. Every year since then. 

So these pictures were from our first day of summer (Monday) and it was just like no time went by from last summer! 

This was my view from the couch. We eat lunch on the porch every day (dinner too) and so when we are done all we do is take a step inside. 

Here are a few other posts on reading that are fun to look back on: 

I love this post on reading and growing into stronger texts

I love this post on the importance of bedtime stories {even when you read all day long to kids in your classroom}

I love this post on what they were reading two summers ago.

I love this post because this photo -- snapped quickly before school says so much.

I love this post because this series is long ago gone but still filled with love.

I love this post because she used to read on the 'couch' in the kitchen.

I love this post because I remember having books (by theme) in baskets all around the house.

I love this post because this was the beginning of the 'chapter book library' in our playroom which is now 5 shelves longer!

I love this post because she was a little reader way back then!

I love this post because Anna was 10.

I love this post on reading.

I love this post because of how Anna recommended a book to me and I still love it!

I love this post because of a book I had just finished reading to the girls.

I love this post because of the stack on Anna's dresser.

Read Aloud Time 

Anna is twenty. Abigail is sixteen. They both know that living here means read alouds. Forever. 

Reading aloud is calming, soothing. We go on "adventures" together. 

Once again it is a time that is set aside in our day - nothing else matters. This summer we started Prince Caspian by CS Lewis. 

A Designated No Screen Time 

There are no screens until dinner some nights and other nights no screens from dinner til bedtime. It all depends on the day. My girls are used to this. I truly believe (and it works for us, not judging any other family) that kids need to unwind their brain in the summer - to have a feeling of being bored - to then get creative - go for a walk, draw, create, find something that brings them joy. And I know for my girls a screen won't bring them joy. I snapped this picture to remember the first day we put our screens aside. 

So these traditions are our every day rhythms that help it F E E L  like summer. They are relaxing and they help us to unwind from the whirlwind of our school year days. We have plenty of fun too! We love a grand adventure in the summer and we love day trips too. But taking the time to chill (and building it in) can even be better than any adventure we have. 

Life Since Adventure

We were home on the last day of July and all unpacked by August first. Now here we are smack dab in the middle of August and I wonder what we've been up to. 

For sure after my camera has been out and going all of vacation -- and after all of that editing of photos -- and all of that blogging to make sure they are on the space I find very little photos to show you. 

What HAVE we been up to?  

Just for kicks I got out their bento boxes I used to pack lunches in ... 

I actually still really like how it forces me to have "all the parts" and it's so portioned controlled. It's adorable and I can make them in the morning and we just pull them out whenever it's lunchtime! 

One of the things I love about summer is T I M E

Time to talk, talk, talk! 

Made a yummy homemade watermelon lemonade. It was too good! 

On the feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother Mary we had a tea party and I did some teaching about the feast day. 

So much more but I'll have to save some for another post! 

Fun on the Fourth

There is just something about us being together that makes my heart sing. 

And although the Christmas season wins as my favorite part of the year. Oh goodness from November 1st through December 31st is full of magic and snow and carols and church and holiness and advent and presents and twinkle lights and getting dark early... there is just never enough of November 1-December 31st

but

this sure is good too! 

Because the days are long and we are together and I soak up every moment with my girlies. 

So on this simple day in our home there was joy in my heart (and in my smile) and we sure feast! 

We feasted on blueberry pie -- oh how I love to make a pie crust, pie filling, and watch it all come together like magic. 

Nothing prettier 💞

and I love to use my old-fashioned baking center

and when it comes out of the oven and sits on the pie cooling window -- life feels devine. 

I also made a tomato-basil pie -- and I will be making that again because it was a summery big hit in our family. 

And homemade focaccia bread so so good! 

This picture will have to be a post for another time because it was a big yard project that Scott worked on and finished the evening before the 4th! 

love my girlies oh so much 

The pie needed a bit of dressing up - now that's better ❤

We also feasted on campfire packets -- Scott was in charge of the main course and he did amazing! All individual pockets of cheesy, grilled, flavorful goodness! 

And that was it! A happy happy summer {feasting} day! 

We Plan in Fun Things in the Summer

I am a planner and I do believe that being a person who is an idealist, plans help me to put those into smaller, more achievable goals. 

But sometimes you've just gotta go with an idea. A Sundae curdite board seemed like such a good one last week that we sprinted to the store to grab these ingredients when Anna was at work. 

And even more out of character was that when she came home I said, "how about ice cream sundaes for dinner?" She was never more shocked! 

And that felt delightful...  

Anna doesn't eat chocolate - Abigail has a dairy allergy - and I don't eat sugar -- but there was something for everyone! And it was F U N !

A Quick Trip to the Berkshires

New England charm

Quint shopping

Picturesque landscape

... sure, let's go!!

Last time we were at the Red Lion Inn it was at a Christmastime years ago (back here). It's charming and so New England, all tucked into the Berkshire mountains. 

Oh this shoppe (around the corner) ... swoon!

Green wicker chairs in the sitting room part of the bathroom. 

Oh this painting, if I could have this for above our mantle in the living room. Oh I would if I could. 

A glimpse into the shoppe... 

And a walk around Stockbridge, MA

Later that night were were in Lenox, MA in a vegan restaurant - it was her first time ordering off a menu. (with allergies we always have to ask the chef to make something that she could possibly eat) A menu and a choice was amazing! 

... more coming soon!