Snippets of September

When I'm not blogging (which is the majority of the time, obviously), here's what we've been doing:

*reading Shakespeare.  Today Finn disappeared into his room with one of our Shakespeare retellings; he resurfaced an hour later and reported that he'd read "Romeo and Juliet."  Watching Shakespeare, reading Shakespeare, playing Shakespeare.....we're a little obsessed.

*Slowly decorating the house with autumnal things. Painting the brown terra cotta pot where the fern lives. (It's white now.)  Buying white and orange pumpkins.

*Some of us have been watching football.  I'm not included.

*Throwing a Japenese-themed tea party, just for the children, last Friday.

*Quizzing each other on the countries of the world and their capitals (Finn is an autodidact and is becoming a master at this).

*Spending long minutes and sometimes hours each morning down the lane at my aunt and uncle's house.  They're on vacation and we're in charge of the morning shift for their dog and three cats.  We walk down after breakfast.  My aunt left toys on the enclosed porch--loads of old Barbies and accessories from the 1980s, a toy grill with tons of food, and books!  So I sit and read while the children play.  Sometimes I play, too.

*Feeling cranky over a lawnmower that will never run again.   (It's only 5 years old! We've had it repaired multiple times!  Friends, do not, under any circumstances, purchase an Ariens mower.)

*Drawing a Marimekko pattern onto white denim with a Sharpie....I'm going to turn it into a pillow for Finn's room.

*So much Yorkshire Gold tea.

*Enjoying the first two sessions of our tiny Charlotte Mason co-op, where we do nature study, drawing, cartography/geography, recitation, hymns, Shakespeare, and for the older students, Plutarch--all in a neat three-hour afternoon with six other families.  By the end of it I am ravenously hungry and need a nap, but it's uplifting and enjoyable.  Today I recited Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice."

*Sewing a bright yellow jersey jacket for autumn.  I'm not sure how I look in bright yellow--but it was 100% cotton, on clearance at the fabric store, and I wanted to test the Alabama Chanin jacket pattern, so I couldn't resist.  Next up: a purple ensemble.

*Watching "Pride and Prejudice."  Annie says things like "capital!  oh, capital!" and "make haste!" There is much speculation about whether Elizabeth Bennet will marry Mr. Darcy.  There is much disdain for Mr. Bingley's sisters.  Every time I watch the series, I pick up on more humor, nuances, and bits I hadn't noticed before; I flat-out love it.

*Practicing piano.

*Taking care of our new cat, Alice.  She's very snuggly.  And she sheds.

*Spending wide open hot days at the pool, where we're the only family around until after school lets out, and even then it's not at all crowded.  Having an entire pool to yourself is quite delightful.

*Reading lots of books. Right now alone I'm juggling The Alchemist, A Room with a View, a couple of parenting/homeschooling books, The Adventure of Living, Anne of Ingleside and Shakespeare After All.  I have different books for different situations: the thin book that fits nicely into the pool bag or purse, then book on kindle that is perfect for reading after everyone is in bed and the house is dark, the hefty book I read with a highlighter on the sofa in the afternoon........there's a book for every occasion.

*And last but not least--praying.  The need is great right now.