Fair Week! (August 11-16)

"Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'...."

I "heart" pictures of ridiculously happy children living it up on kiddie rides.

Are these two babies the essence of cute or what?

Flying Fish

I love swim lessons. Year after year, those two weeks at Teacher Linda's provide me the opportunity to just sit poolside and do nothing other than watch my children. Sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate but more often than not, the sun smiles on us. Once Kai realized swimming does involve getting one's head wet (though, ahem, some of us manage to avoid that), he had a blast flying into the water.

Kayak Camping

Hans and Jan went kayaking for a couple of days in celebration of Jan's recent birthday. ("Recent" is relative when one has a farm and five boys...) The weather was ideal and I was more than a bit envious of their island encounters. Although I doubt I would have had the stamina and courage to keep up with the two of them. In typical Hans fashion, this was no beginner's outing, although it was first time either of them had gone sea kayaking. They covered some serious territory and thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. My firstborn babe is indeed growing up.

Summer Scenes

the best boardwalk, ever

"How to Really Enjoy a Low Tide"

We had a full week with two Ugandan orphans; the crew of seven boys made the most of it. Trivia: The ship in the back, Lady Washington, starred in Pirates of the Caribbean.

where ski meets sea

creating veggie critters at the food co-op's community partyYeah for family-friendly races!Jan took charge of the vegetable garden this year and has an eager assistant in Kai.

'tis the season

Box o' books!
Jan & Per earn their keep.
pasture-ized

Four Down!

Earlier this summer Rafe became the fourth brother of the band of five to make his way through this book ~ as evidenced by its tattered appearance. One more to go...how time flies!

This Old House

My house. It has what real estate agents refer to as "charm" and "character". It's warm and inviting, but has a myriad of issues not noticeable to the casual visitor. Big stuff like plumbing, foundation, insulation. Stuff that needs attention. Stuff that, like Scarlett, I tell myself I'll think about...tomorrow.

The front living room is my haven. I was a bit hesitant about going with these wall colors, but I think they look great. To the right there's a big picture window that looks past the farm across the street to the Canadian coastal range in the distance. A window that, like many in this house, doesn't open. But let's not talk about that, shall we? : )
After twelve years, I've still not come up with a better name for this area than "The Wood Stove Room". Note the door on the right. It opens directly into the bathroom. Nothing says "Welcome!" to a guest more than sitting on the throne with only a flimsy plywood door between you and your hosts.
This IKEA table has served us well over the years. The only table in the house, it's the gathering place for all meals (other than those consumed outdoors) and doubles as the school table. I like to think of the surface as "well loved".
There's something to be said for a postage stamp-sized kitchen. I can use a hand mixer, attend to the stove, take something out of the fridge, and grab the dishrag from the sink all without taking so much as a step. Believe it or not, these 60s-era cupboards actually looked better when offset by the avocado fridge that died a number of years back. This space is smack dab in the center of the house, which is why it has no windows. Very odd layout. But it does mean I'm central to all activity while in there. The greatest thing about my kitchen is that it provides us with clean, running water, which is not to be taken for granted in this world.
Bedrooms are for beds. Which is good, because that's just about all that fits in ours.
Sure, these bathrooms barely allow enough room for turning around! The better to keep you thinking thin! There used to be gold and cream striped wallpaper in the bath above. The walls are in horrid condition, but I can tolerate bad, white walls better than I can walls covered in regal gold stripes.

The bath below, on the other hand, sports a Brady Bunch theme. In fact, I often find myself crying, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" while standing in front of the mustard sink.
This ends today's home tour. I think I'll take my blog on a walk around the farm in the next few days.

Lake Life

As a teenager, I spent a ridiculous number of hours laying on a dock, at this lake, listening to Journey and soaking up rays. My best friends lived there, and one of them now lives just a bit down the lake from where they grew up. We had a good time hanging with them this past weekend.
Twenty-five years in the making...Linda & Lori (can you tell they're identical twins?) and I are quarter-century friends.