It’s the last day of August. Where did the summer go? I know we always ask that question each year, but this year I’m asking it in a different way as I’m sure you are as well.

This will be our fourth week of homeschooling. We are off to a good start and I’m thankful. We’re still adding subjects in, but we’re solidly into most of them. I’m going to write a separate post about our curriculum choices and plans for this year. One thing we’re utilizing that we hadn’t really used up to this point is our membership at Schoolhouse Teachers. (We get a free membership because David is the designer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.)

I had looked at Schoolhouse Teachers a few years back and it wasn’t a good fit for us at the time. I decided to take a look at it again this summer as we are very much in a “make the most of what you have” type mode as a family. I was amazed at how much more is there since the last time I looked! I found quite a few things that will work for us this year so I’m going through all it has to offer and deciding what to incorporate into our plans. Since I plan as I go through the year, this works well for me. I’ll share more details about that in the curriculum post.

This week we are getting firewood delivered. We don’t heat with firewood, but do use quite a bit for enjoying fires all fall and winter. It also serves as a back-up heat source so we try to keep enough around that if we need it, we have it in a pinch. The weather has turned seasonably comfortable this week so it will be excellent weather for David to clean up the area, stack the new wood, and restack what we still have.

We’ll also be cleaning windows and blinds this week, jumping into our fall cleaning before we get out the autumn decorations.

Caroline has a birthday coming up at the end of next month so I asked her for a birthday wish list last week. I’m noticing that deliveries are starting to slow down again. Have you noticed that? In the middle of summer, everything was coming pretty quickly and normally. Now things are slowing down and showing up as not available again. I’ve noticed in discussions online that many people have already been purchasing everything they need for Thanksgiving and Christmas that they possibly can. I haven’t started on Christmas shopping, but it is in the back of my mind.

This week Caroline and I will be finishing up By the Shores of Silver Lake and will move on to The Long Winter. I told her that after we read about what the Ingalls endured with The Long Winter, it will make the pandemic shutdown seem a lot more enjoyable. LOL! Not to make light of what we are all dealing with regarding the pandemic (and now social unrest), but I’ve been trying to find the bright spots. Last week was kind of a low week for us. I had conversations with others and heard the same thing. People feel like their emotional and mental reserves are low. Not only their own but also their children’s.

Because we were all feeling kind of low, I didn’t do much writing last week. I didn’t make any videos either. I wasn’t lacking for ideas. Just energy. Hopefully this week will be better. I refuse to give in to the forces at work to break our spirit in the midst of all that is happening. I’ve mentioned before that much of this that we’re dealing with as a nation is a mental and spiritual battle. I put the Trump-Pence flag in my sidebar because I refuse to be silenced. I want others who come here to be encouraged they are not alone. We must all speak up in whatever way we can.

Lastly, I’ve now redesigned the cover of the A Quiet Simple Life Planner & Guidebook four times this summer (see below). LOL! I think this is the final cover for now. If you purchased it when it was Creating Your Cozy Life Planner & Guidebook, I sent you an email in July with a code so you could download the new version for free. If you received the email and didn’t follow through, please email me (sallie at sallieborrink dot com) and let me know. I want you to have the updated version and will send you another code.

What is happening in your home right now? I hope you’ll leave a comment below.

Artwork: “Dinner Time” by Edmund Blair Leighton