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What a week! It started with a flat tire. Simple enough to deal with, right? Oh man, it turned into a fiasco. We tried to remove the tire so we could put on the spare and drive to the mechanic, but it would.not.budge. For two days, we tried everything, bought a few supplies to lift the SUV better, watched all the tips and tricks on Youtube, but to no avail. We ended up calling a tow truck (to the tune of $100) and having to replace the one tire since it was too big of a hole to patch. Since we were at the mechanic anyway, we decided to get Mark’s car inspected and were told that he needed all new brake pads to pass. Later in the week, I checked our propane levels on a whim, only to discover that it was muuuuch lower than we thought and had to quickly make an appointment to fill the tank. Money’s just flying out the window at this point.
Other than that, it was a flurry of final school planning and project finishing as we prepare for our school year to begin on August 17. The kids won’t admit it, but I think we’re all ready for a little more structure in our days. I’m especially praying for a smooth transition as we begin – I’ve got five students, from 8th all the way down to K this year!
I’m always on a mission to prolong the lifespan of our clothing, so I’ve been doing a little mothproofing research. (This article from Martha Stewart was helpful.) I’m still on the lookout for hanging red cedar boards, but I did manage to find an etsy shop that sells lavender sachets to add to my closet. Reasonably priced, cute fabrics and a wonderful seller. Highly recommend.
On the nightstand: Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola and Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard. My reading has slowed way down these past few weeks as I can only read a few pages at bedtime before I start nodding off.
For this week’s baking day, I made a new batch of granola and two loaves of banana bread. Tried and true, this is our favorite recipe:
Banana Bread
1 cup sugar
½ cup oil (sometimes I use coconut oil, sometimes unsweetened applesauce)
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
½ cup oil (sometimes I use coconut oil, sometimes unsweetened applesauce)
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
(you could also add in a cup of chopped nuts too)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
(you could also add in a cup of chopped nuts too)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter the inside of a loaf pan and set aside.
Add all of the ingredients one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. I typically bake mine for 45 minutes and then tent with foil for the last 5-10.
Good luck with your first day of homeschooling today! We have our first day on Wednesday, and I sure hope it all goes well…I just have the one starting kindergarten (so a much easier load than yours!), but I have no experience homeschooling and all my educational experience was teaching teenagers, so…should be interesting 🙂
I hope you start up your homeschooling weekly series again so I can get some fresh ideas!
Thank you and same to you! Homeschooling is HARD but fulfilling work – the memories we've made as a family over the years are what keep me going.
That quilt is great and Lucy looks so grown up!
We were just saying that she's lost all of her "puppy-ness" and looks so old now. Goes by fast!
Your blanket is incredible.