Summer Fun

It doesn't seem all that summery with no trips to the pool or other adventures, but we're still managing to keep things fun at home. 

Kitchen science!  I picked up some sprouting seeds and cheesecloth, and showed the girls how to grow sprouts.

Just a couple days into the process, I made sausage & beans for dinner.  After soaking the beans overnight, I noticed that a few of them were sprouting, so I brought this to Hannah & Katie's attention and helped them understand that beans are also seeds, like the sprout seeds in the jar. 

Unfortunately, I was way more excited about growing the sprouts than anyone was about eating the sprouts.  :sigh:  I put them on a few salads, but about half the jar went to waste. 

Yellow ribbon up again.  Sam is deployed.  Eli will be going overseas (likely next month) soon, too.

One of the fun things we received from the "at home respite" program was Big Boggle (affiliate link).  I played with Hannah, Jack, and Brianna, and we had a great time.  (Okay, I had fun because I won, lol.  I love word games.)

Bri baked cupcakes and we all decorated them.  This was mine.  I was going for shimmers around the star with the red edible glitter, but it looks more like blobs.

Katie's swirly cupcake.

Grumman has been helping me plan the coming school year.  We've got some great ideas!

Since Katie was watching a movie and didn't play Boggle with us, I played Connect 4 with her the next day.  She beat me!

This was a group project.  (And a terrible picture!  I need to get a better one.)  This wooden kit came in multiple pieces.  Jack painted the blue piece, Katie the white background piece, Hannah the red stripe pieces, and I painted the bronze frame and stand.  I got the kit from Flags of Valor.  We glued it together and left it under heavy books overnight, and it looks pretty good now. 

I have another patriotic project in mind for this little corner honoring my boys who are serving, but we'll see if I actually get around to doing it.

Despite Grumman's "assistance" I've managed to sew some more masks.  I passed 570 recently.

Demand has finally slowed to the point where I might just finish up what's already cut and donate the rest.  I imagine the schools will need them.  I sent 25 off to the Tieks mask drive. 

I spotted this bag of M&Ms with "It's gonna be a loooooong week" on it, and it made me laugh.  Any bright spot in this silly pandemic, right?

These were another gift from the respite at home program. 

They remind me of the metallic markers I had as a kid.  I ordered a black paper sketchpad (affiliate link), and I think these will be really fun on dark paper. 

Still enjoying curbside pickup at the library.  Katie's really gotten into requesting titles she hasn't read yet from various series that we have a few books from. 

While waiting for the bags of books to come out of the library (we got there early), we powered down the windows, parked under a tree, and discussed the nature that we could see.  The girls learned that leaves don't make new trees, and the word rosebuds. 

photo by Josiah

J: Mom, can I make the s'mores?

Me: yes, but be sure to get a picture for me.

I like that I'm at the stage in life where I can put graham crackers, marshmallows, and Hershey bars on the shopping list, and the teens/adult children will grasp my intention and make s'mores happen with no effort or input from me.  I'll have to try putting English muffins, sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, and sliced olives on the list, and see if they magically turn into little pizzas.