No-Bake Friday

While the temperatures are blazing away like an oven outside, we're staying in and keepng cool on this Friday in August, our last before I officially start school with Holly and Maggie on Monday.  Normally I would not start this early in August.  I mean, the public and private schools don't even open their doors for a couple more weeks.  It's just that we took so much time off in the spring after Caleb came home.  We need to start back before these girls forget what a math problem looks like.

So maybe you're wondering what everyone does around here on a lazy Friday.  OK, probably not.  (But hey, I do have a few people who tell me they stalk my blog and are really disappointed when I haven't posted anything new.  Hi, Hannah!)

Maggie got out the watercolor pencils and did a little creative painting.  You dip the pencils in water and then draw on watercolor-weight paper.  Here's my little leftie concentrating on her masterpiece.  She's really into sunset scenes right now.

Lacy, my high schooler, opted to start her schoolwork this past Monday.  She's pretty much independent with her work, so it's her prerogative when she wants to start.  Studying American literature, she is listening to an audio of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, whilst reading along on her Kindle.  Gotta love school in the 21st Century.  Bella had her cast removed on Tuesday and is putting a little weight on her foot again.   We're so happy that the seven weeks in a full leg cast are over.

Caleb loves to look at books.  He loves to talk to them.  He loves to talk to you about them.  And he loves you to read them to him.  He's a bibliophile if there ever was one.  Here he is with an all-time favorite from my childhood, Barney Beagle.

Holly is right at home in the kitchen.  I got the idea to bake cookies today before I realized were were out of...horrors...flour.  You have to be pretty creative to come up with a cookie that doesn't require flour, but, alas, that is what I get paid to do...be creative.  Remember that old stove top recipe your grandma made with oatmeal, peanut butter,  and chocolate?  Yep.  That recipe saved the day.  Holly put these together in no time flat, and cleaned up all the mess, naturally.

Thought I'd show you the littles' favorite play spot these days.  I come into the living room and find all sorts of toys stashed behind the chair in the corner.  Today it was blocks and cars and a few stuffed animals thrown in for good measure.  Some days there are about six blankets draped at odd angles creating a fort where much drama and acting out of life and death stories takes place.  It takes every ounce of will power on Holly's part to not clean up the toys when Maggie and Caleb are finished playing.  They come in and out several times a day, playing for an hour or more each time.  We hardly use the living room anyway, so why not let them at least keep the floor dusted with their little bottoms?

Works for me!

Cookies are ready now!

After I munch down a couple of these, I plan to haul out the school books and take a  look-see at what we have in store for Monday.  I'm actually very excited to start back.  We've done some reading over the summer, but we have a whole pile of wonderful books just waiting for us, plus a great math program, and the most fabulous phonics and spelling out there.

There is no place I'd rather be than at home with these treasures God has blessed us with.

Enjoy your weekend!

Love,