Happy last week of July! I’m not sure where the month went. It’s been a blur of work primarily around our home. Normally I look forward to the end of July (because of the heat and humidity), but this year feels like it’s all moving a bit too quickly even for me!
I have been focusing more on taking care of myself physically, something that always seems to be a very last priority. I’ve started walking again on the treadmill which works well for me. My goal is just 20 minutes a day. I watch a video podcast on my Kindle and the time goes pretty quickly. I definitely can tell a difference when I take the time to do this. I have a goal for October 1 that involves my clothes. We’ll see if I make it.
I’ve also been trying to focus on working a greater variety of foods into my diet. Trying to determine which foods work well for my EoE in the midst of perimenopause/menopause the past few years has been a laugh. Anyone who has gone through this stage of life as a woman understands how much your entire body changes, including everything related to your digestive system. But, again, I’m trying to make this a priority. Partially for myself and partially to set a good example to Caroline.
My No-Poo adventure is going just fine. It’s been a few weeks now. I wish I had tried it years ago.
As I think about autumn and winter, I’ve been tweaking my office. My office is where I work and where Caroline and I do our homeschooling together. It is a 10×12 room with two large, tall windows in the corner. In my ideal world, I would like to put a small fireplace and chair in here. But the room already has three bookscases, a four drawer file cabinet, a large corner desk, and a six foot table. And two rolly carts. It probably sounds crowded, but it’s actually quite cozy.
I would like an inexpensive little fireplace or little stove that plugs in. The chair is probably a no-go unless I am willing to part with two bookcases or a bookcase and the filing cabinet. But I could part with one bookcase and have a little fireplace/stove. But then I have to get rid of a bookcase. A bookcase! I know. First world problems. But considering I spend many hours a day in this room, I like it to be as cozy and enjoyable as possible both for me and Caroline.
I’ve thought about taking the doors off the closet and using it as part of the room. I’ve seen many photos over the years of rooms where people have done that. But I haven’t figured out how it would help me achieve my goal of a chair and fireplace so it doesn’t seem worth the hassle of removing and storing them. If I’m going to do something outside the box, it has to be worth the trouble.
So we’ll see where all that goes.
I’ve been working on the new website with my brother (Grand Solar Minimum Living). He makes videos faster than I can get them up. LOL! That’s a good problem though. He has to make them now when things are happening on his farm. So I’ve been focusing on that part of the website. Hopefully I get to my own parts of it soon. I have added more resources and such if you haven’t peeked at it in a week or so.
David has been working very long days the past six weeks. It’s the month he puts together the quarterly The Old Schoolhouse Magazine which is a fair amount of work. He’s also been working on a large contract project that has now entered the sixth week. He was one of 30ish graphic designers hired to work on it which gives you an idea of the scope of the project. It’s for a textbook publishing company and they have kept him busy. It was supposed to be for 4+ weeks so it’s gone beyond the initial expectation. Every week it continues is a great blessing. It has felt a bit like all work and no play this summer, but Caroline and I are grateful he has so much work. We did take a few hours two days last week for a couple of family shopping outings to buy some things we needed. It was a good break for all of us.
Mostly I focus on being grateful for how blessed I am with a husband, daughter, and home. I have food to eat, work to do, music to listen to, books to read, and people like you to interact with each day. I imagine many people would consider my life small and uninteresting. But I am very blessed and I recognize that every day.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Psalm 16:6 ESV
That’s all for me this week. What’s going on in your home? I hope you’ll leave a comment and share!
Art: Signing the Marriage Contract by George Sheridan Knowles
Living A Life Of Faithfulness Before God
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Sleeping has not been going well this week, and I’ve been out of the house a lot, but I did a Money Job morning with the children, and they got a long list of things done.
Hi Peggy,
Oh, I like that idea. Money Job morning. Money is the almost universal motivator, isn’t it? LOL!
Sallie
We have been busy with things around the house. We bought a new rug for the dining room. Waiting for a cool day to lay the rug. We had our electricity off for two hours so repair jobs could be done on the entire block. We purchased two lamps that run by battery. We have a lot of trouble in our area with the lights going out. We just had a load of groceries delivered. We do all our shopping on line,since we do not have a car. Have a good week. God Bless.
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
It sounds like you all have been busy around your home. I can imagine the new rug is a nice addition to your dining room. That’s a great idea to have lamps that run by battery. I can imagine they will come in handy more than a few times in the coming years.
Sallie
We are moving! My husband got the job at the university in Ohio, so we are moving from Indiana to Ohio. Our closing on our current house is tentatively set for next week. We have a UHaul truck reserved for next week to get as much moved over to store in husband’s temporary housing apartment as possible. So, I am packing up our house! We are moving all the boxes and small things, and the movers will pick up all the large furniture on August 17. We still have not found a house to move to, so everything will go into storage. It adds another layer of decisions when you have to figure out what can go into mover’s warehouse storage (with no access), what needs to go to local storage (with some access), what should go to temporary housing with husband, and what will need to stay with Elizabeth and I at my parents while we wait to find a house to purchase in Ohio and clean out their house for future sale listing. It’s an exciting time! 🙂
Hi Amanda,
Congratulations on the new job and move! How exciting. Hopefully by now you have closed on the house.
I’ll be curious to hear how Ohio differs from Indiana. All Midwest, but each state definitely has its own flavor.
Sallie
Hi, Sallie. I just started reading your blog recently and I’m really enjoying it. We were a homeschooling family for 16 years and I enjoyed it immensely.
I have a “studio” space downstairs that we used as our homeschooling room for all those years. It’s a walk-out basement space with lots of windows but it always seems chillier than the rest of the house. We purchased an electric fireplace from Sam’s Club for less than $100 and it made a huge difference. The room always feels cozier when it’s running.
Thanks for sharing and providing lots of inspiration for simple living.
Hi Stacy,
Welcome! It’s nice to meet you! Feel free to jump in and offer homeschooling insights when you feel led. It’s always nice to learn from those who have gone before.
I can see how a small fireplace like that would make a difference in a walk-out basement. Plus it would make everything so cozy!
Sallie
Hi Sallie, I always intend to respond to your letters, but never seem to get around to it. I am determined to write a bit tonight. July has been a banner month. My husband and I visited with our grandchildren whom we hadn’t seen since February 2020. They had grown so much, and we enjoyed playing and being with them, We arrived with a lovely bakery cake decorated in the tradition of our wedding cake of fifty years ago. I wanted them to share in our celebration of our fiftieth wedding anniversary that had taken place a few weeks prior to our visit (June 26th). It was a visual and tasty memory that I wanted to create with them. An additional blessing was the decluttering of two rooms that had held the toys, games, books, and clothes that I had collected and was finally able to deliver in person (Oh, many packages had been mailed throughout our long separation.) but these we delivered in person amidst hugs and kisses.
I too feel so blessed. I have a home that I appreciate so much, a new knee that is enabling me to walk for exercise with my sweet neighbor, a flower and a vegetable garden (and I am so new at this) , birds (like pets) that we feed and watch daily, a wonderful library full of books that I love, a precious kitty cat, a loving husband , and two sons who live close by. Another blessing will take place in September: my siblings will visit and we will all be under one roof laughing and remembering.
I so appreciate your website and your celebration of simple living. I agree and commend you for your thoughts and inspiration.
Hi Melinda,
It’s nice to hear from you! Thank you for taking the time to leave a response. I’m sorry it has taken me so many days to respond.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! That is fantastic. Fifty years. We will be half way there in January! I’m glad you were able to celebrate with your family.
I hope everything goes well and you can enjoy that time with your siblings. That will be a tremendous blessing.
Sallie