Perfect Weather for Fall Camping

Phoebe and I made yeast bread. 

With Elizabeth gone, we've got to pick up the slack on the baking.

And I do mean 'slack.' 

The above was our first attempt. It was my fault. I told Phoebe to microwave the water for, like, two minutes. And then I told her sometimes really hot water could kill yeast, but I'm sure this time it would be fine.

It was not fine. 

But the second attempt was delicious.

We carved pumpkins! 

Way too early. They are dying.

The roasted pumpkin seeds were a hit. 

I want to be sure and make the garlic ones again next year. And work on the sweet and spicy ones. They needed more salt or something.

Our pumpkins by daylight.

We said goodbye to Charlie the Beta Fish.  

He was so sad and still and wouldn't eat. But he was surprisingly alive every new morning. So we googled a humane way to put him to sleep. Now he sleeps beneath our Purple Heart plant. 

Phoebe spent hours curling her hair just because, so I had to get a picture.

And we spent this past weekend at a cabin at Paradise Canyon. 

This is our way of camping without a tent. 

We found Paradise Canyon when Liz' youth group hosted the senior's graduation party here this past year. It was such a fun cool respite and we wanted to come back. 

The water was a little cold this time of year. But it's wading friendly in a lot of spots.  And we were able to tube down it on Saturday with hardly anyone else in the water. There was a small baptism service on one end and a couple of people fishing on the other. 

The cabin was so cute and cozy! Harrison is cracking pecans.

Jonathan is our main fire starter these days. 

No S'mores for us this time! 

They were just too sweet last time we had them. So we roasted bacon and bits of canned rolls. You have to do the roll dough just right so that it will stay on the stick while you turn it and not burn it. We might try canned biscuits next time. 

We had very intermittent internet and phone service. It was so nice for all of us to get a little bored and just spend time together. We missed Liz though. 

 

It was the perfect weather. 

Seventy-one on Saturday. Cool enough at night that you want to cozy up to the fire. Absolutely a wonderful time.

October Days while Dad is Away

Phillip and Jonathan took a short trip to MO last week, and we planned plenty to keep busy while they were gone.  

They planned plenty too: Liz went to see them, Jonathan shot guns with Uncle John, Jon went to a Corn Maze with the youth group, they watched the combines harvesting....

Yellow Garden Spider ~ it's huge and it's web is big too. 

This was the only picture I got from our jaunt on the Greenway.

While Phoebe was at youth group here in San Antonio, Harrison and I did a little bit of the Salado Creek Greenway. We parked at the Voelcker Historic Homestead and scootered/skated over to Phil Hardberger Park where H could play for a bit (because the parks are open! Yay!). 

It was kind of sweet because Harrison was so worried about me falling on my skates. He said, "I can just imagine you landing splat on your face." I didn't fall once and he breathed a sigh of relief. 

Glowing coals.

We had a S'mores fire in the backyard with the neighbor kids one night. S'mores really are too sweet. But it's fun to roast the marshmallows. I need to find more things to roast that don't make you sweet-sick.

On Saturday we spent our afternoon at a Corn Maze. 

I had been planning to take Phoebe to Shakespeare's Macbeth. But they were sold out when I finally called to get tickets. I was so bummed! But they are only holding outdoor performances in which you must wear a mask the whole time (including the players ~ how did that work? Did they take off their masks to speak?). Unless you were eating or drinking. So I was going to bring a bunch of food. But then they said you couldn't bring outside food or drink, you had to buy from their people (not going to be cheap). So I was kind of glad to find out they were sold out. It made my decision easier.

So we found a local corn maze ~ a first for us. We were handed maps. Phoebe grabbed one and shot down the lane like a bull seeing red. She doesn't like the heat (and it was hot!), but she did want to conquer this corn maze. We tried to keep up while I strew my kernels of corn knowledge along to Harrison and Leila. 

The hard level maze was supposed to take 1.5 hours. But we finished it in maybe 30 minutes. We came out and I asked the crew, "What'd we do wrong? Okay, kids, we paid for this, we're going into the medium level!" 

So we rushed through the medium level and then zoomed in and out of the easy level. Then I heard the crew say, "Did you mark off all the checkpoints?" 

Checkpoints? Let me see that map! 

Yes, we had made it through the maze (with Phoebe's Master Maze skills), but we hadn't played the game. You were supposed to get all these checkpoints hole punched on your map. 

Ah well. It was hot. We were glad to be done and getting some snow-cones. 

Next time we will go when it's cooler and try to play the game.

Harrison made Phoebe a badge.

Warm October Days

It's still in the low 90's over here, but the mornings and evenings are cooler and you can feel fall is coming. 

Last year it was very cold on Halloween. Other years we've had a lot of rain. I'm interested to see what it's like this year. 

Still doing Drive-In church on Sunday mornings. 

I very much look forward to meeting in person. 

There is a bird on the tip-top of our front yard tree. 

He sings so beautifully. I think he must be a Mockingbird, but I couldn't get a good look. 

Phoebe suggested we go to Gruene Antique Store while Dad and Jon are gone to Missouri. We had ice cream, and after browsing, she bought an old-timey photo.

Harrison and the Neighbor Kids call these Legendary Crackers. 

I mean, with a name like that, who wouldn't be happy to make these any time they are requested?! Ritz, peanut butter, and honey. 

It can be so easy to please kids sometimes.

 

The Parks are Open!

 

And so we've been going to the parks. I love watching all the kids run around! 

And it's cooling down, so..... perfection.

And the neighbor cat Nina killed four of these birds (Wrens, I think) and didn't eat a one of them. She eats birds; we've witnessed that. 

Why didn't she eat these? Not hungry? Easy kills and just obeyed instinct? 

Jon and Phillip have been growing new grass in our front yard, so the birdies are now fertilizer. 

Liz is still selling cozy hats over on Instagram or Facebook!

I was listening to a podcast where a homeschool mom and writer was being interviewed (Susan Wise Bauer). She said that in the high school years, the homeschool parent becomes more of a guide and less of a teacher. The parent has to find the resources, curriculum, classes, online help that the child needs to learn his high school level material. 

I have definitely found this to be true! Firstly, high school age is ready to be more independent and in control of classes. Secondly, the mom can become an irritant ~ there needs to be some parent/child separation at that point. Thirdly, the child needs more interaction with other people and ways of doing things so they're prepared for college and bosses. 

There's still stuff we do together. We have about an hour of morning time where all the kids are eating breakfast and participating in readings, poetry, music, art...... And I'm usually reading something with my high schoolers ~ the Iliad this year, and a couple other books which Phoebe and Jon and I read together. 

But there's a lot more out of my hands in high school. I get to be the sounding board for other curricula and teachers that my high schooler is having a problem with instead of being the one he's complaining about. :-) 

I can do that.