Hooray!
We’re back in Washington.
I still have lot’s of lovely places & sites to share from our 3 weeks of life on the road. Hopefully in time, I’ll get around to showing you the rest of our trip (which included stopping at fresh lavender stand & buying a bouquet).
Right now, my brain is in a whirl. Joseph goes to basic training next week. The reality of it all is beginning to sink in.
Last night, after the kids were in bed we laid on the couch together we watched the last bit of Anne of Green Gables. You know, where Gilbert & Anne are on the bridge (Why can’t we all live on Prince Edward Island?) & they are finally honest & declare their love for each other? I couldn’t help but get a little weepy about it. Especially under the circumstances. Joseph & I will be celebrating 8 years of marriage next week, followed by 3 1/2 months apart.
A lot of decisions have been made recently. Here are some:
1a) For sure, I am staying in Washington with kids & living with parents so kids can have family support, & so we can save money to buy a used car with cash once we move down there.
1b) Since we’ll soon be making income & have a steady cash flow, I am beyond thrilled to tackle debt, get some 3-6 months savings, & start saving for retirement. I’m so ready to live a debt-free lifestyle. Since living the last 4 years on a meager income, supplemented with debt (thank you, $100K in student loans), I have grown tired of looking at zeros in my checking account. Now, I will no longer get depressed when I log into mint.com.
2) I’ve decided to home school. At least until we move to San Antonio in December. This a.m., I went to an orientation meeting for a k-12 homeschooling cooperative that gets funding from Washington state. I get $1200 to buy curriculum & educational resources for Hyrum & Asher. I’m thrilled (a lot) & nervous (a lot). A friend here is also doing it, so I have great comfort in knowing that I won’t be doing this alone. Am I crazy? Yes. But I already knew that.
Oh yes, it’s Monday, isn’t it?
About time for another edition of Marvelous Mondays, since last week I spent my Monday in the Redwoods.
I really love MM because it gives me an opportunity to share all the tid bits I find during the week that I want to share with you or talk about, but don’t quite fit in my other posts.
Here we go: lots of randomness, a few links I want to share, & a some controversy.
Here’s how you do it:
Gather your hair into a ponytail, leaving some bangs or hair from the front of your hair out, as well as a small chunk of hair near the base of your ponytail.
Put your hair into a messy bun. Wrap the spare piece of back hair around the bun & secure with a bobby pin or two.
Using a small barrel curling iron, wrap medium chunks of hair around iron, taking care to leave very bottom of the strands out from the iron. Pin your strands loosely. The idea is loose, with an element of control.
♥ Boys & Reading
You know I’ve talked about boys & reading before. It’s a subject dear to my heart, naturally, since God saw it fit to give me two strapping boys.
My friend Mercedes, a contributing journalist for the Desert News, contacted me for an article she was writing about boys & literacy. She asked some questions, I said a few things, she quoted me (& lots of really smart people). If you have boys, I highly recommend reading the article. You can find it here.
♥ Julia Child
If she were still alive, she’d be celebrating 100 years this month. People are celebrating her life. (Diane Jacobs remembers, & an article from USA Today)
What do you think of her? I hated Julia & Julia (love Meryl Streep, but the main character is a person I for whom I cannot respect & did not like), & French cooking is not my thing (snails, cream, butter?, I’ll pass, but thanks), but Julia Child, as a person, as a character, fascinates me. She was unabashed, defined, resolute, attributes that I can, & do respect.
♥ Vegetarian vs. vegan
Char, a blogging friend, did a recent post on how she no longer is vegan, but vegetarian. This stoked some critics (all vegan), who accused her of being selfish & others who said that a vegetarian diet was unhealthy. I found the discussion interesting, & it made me think about why it is that many vegans are so critical of others, particularly of those who are on their side (ie. vegetarians). What do you think?
♥ Eating disorders & vegetarians
Gena, from Choosing Raw, reviews some recent research about the links between vegetarianism & eating disorders. Worth the read.
♥ To pin:
This summer squash & corn orzo recipe.
Scenes of cobbled London & rolling hills of Tuscany,
that will make your traveling soul swoon.
Banana split popsicles, oh yes.
& my recipes from the last week: grain -free granola,
oatmeal breakfast bar,
Thai basil tomato salad,
raspberry black forest brownies,
raspberry cashew ice cream.
♥♥♥
Thanks for coming to Bring Joy today! Did you know I’m also on Twitter & Facebook? Have a question for me, or just want to say hello, send me an email, I always love hearing from you.
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