I’ve had a good long break here at the Parsonage. After the craziness of tech week, I deemed us all in need of a real break. So we took the first few days of April off from school. This is the beauty of homeschooling. We are on track to be done with school at the end of May, so we could use the week off before we run to the finish line. I always know it was a good choice when my kids are chomping at the bit to get back to school.
Tuesday, April 1
Our second day off this week is turning out to be a lazy around-the-house day. We had to go get groceries yesterday, so I don’t really count that as relaxing, but it was good and necessary. I have a few prankster kids that try so earnestly on April Fools day. This time one of my boys tried to put salt in our water dispenser, not realizing that the filter would filter out anything he put into it. Poor guy. I give them points for creativity, even if their pranks never turn out.
I spend most of my day in and out of my art space. I begin by taking photos of my next (and final) suit of cards for my 100DayProject challenge. I’m a little sad about this coming to an end so soon. I also make a good beginning to some Artist Trading Cards I’m sending off to Poiema Visual Arts. They are trying to collect 200 ATCs for their bi-annual conference. It’s a good exercise for me to work small, trying to distill the essence of my style as an artist to 2.5” x 3.5” . I also make progress on my newest large canvas piece by painting some facial elements that are to be attached to the canvas later.
Wednesday, April 2
I run a kid out to the dentist this morning. I drop my ATCs off at the post office, hoping they get there unscathed. Home by 10:30 and then another around the house day. I keep playing with the elements of my art piece, but I’m not feeling very satisfied.
I finished Gifts by Urula Le Guin. I picked this up off the 10 cents shelf at a local library. I’ve always wanted to read some Le Guin and I am impressed. I’m not dying to read more in the series, but I was certainly swept off and away into the imaginary world of this book. Great writing.
Thursday, April 3
The weather continues to be uninspiring. I am thankful that the rain has been holding off till later in the morning so I can still get my walk in, but it’s hard to continue seeing gray skies every day. Also, not being able to hang up my laundry makes me grim and grumpy.
My mom, my daughters, and I all head off for a girls’ day getting haircuts. I’ve already been in the car today to go get my Azure order, a two-hour round trip drive. Now I have a similar roundtrip for haircuts. I confess, I like staying home far more than running around. Oh well, I guess I needed a day out of the house. Sort of.
Friday, April 4
I spend the morning working around the house and prepping for next week’s school. I also go out to our shed and finally store the dried herbs I strung up there last November. My hands smell pleasantly of rosemary and oregano when I’m done.
I work some more on my canvas piece but I recognize I’m pretty stuck. I have a self-imposed deadline of April 15 for this, but I’m not at all certain I can make it. I decide to start work on a piece that is a remake of an earlier piece. I like its message a lot, but I was terribly disappointed by how little fabric it has in it. I consider myself a mixed-media fabric collage artist, and fabric is almost always my base layer. But this piece I began on a regular store-bought canvas and is mostly paint and collage. I wanted to remake it as a circular quilted piece. It excites me to start something new, and I know the tangle of my other piece will slowly unwork itself while it sits on the back burner.
Saturday, April 5
We all attend a birthday party for a little 1-year-old friend in the afternoon. She’s overcome some major hurdles in her short life. I don’t have to cook dinner tonight as we all go to an appreciation dinner for the workers of the buckwheat breakfasts. We sit and visit with friends here, too. The day feels full of community and friendship.
Monday, April 7
The girls and I take a shopping day. We hit a couple of thrift stores and Target. We are mostly shopping for the upcoming Calendar Party, a women’s ministry fundraiser event. I’m hosting a table and need some supplies. We consider our time out very successful. I come home to realize that I have some kids struggling with illness. I feel a sense of dread, not knowing how long or how bad this bug is going to be.
Tuesday, April 8
Back to normal school day routine today. It feels good to get back to school, even if some kids are starting to have cold symptoms. Thankfully, it seems that this is just a normal cold and not a big deal.
I lead the discussion at our ladies’ Bible study in the evening. I am so thankful to be in a community that has enough women to have a bible study. After a decade of not having it, I count my blessings. I love to see this group of ladies that have such long-standing relationships show up every week. Part of me wishes that I knew all their history and stories, and part of me is content to learn them as they unfold quietly around me the longer we live here.
Wednesday, April 9
I serve the world’s easiest lunch today: fresh-made sourdough with choose-your-own toppings. I had been craving good bread for a while, so I was pretty happy with this lunch. The kids and I polish off two small loaves in one go. I have two more round loaves for the rest of the week.
After school today I sit and read aloud to my little guys. We are a reading family, with books everywhere in the house. As life gets busy, it’s easy for me to forgoe reading aloud, especially as my kids get bigger, but I’m determined to read aloud, even when I have a house full of teenagers. You never outgrow a good story.
Speaking of which, I finished O, Pioneers by Willa Cather this evening. This was
next book. We read Death Comes For The Archbishop together a few years back, so I already knew I liked Cather’s writing. This was a short and snappy read, not as good as her later writing, I think, but still quite a good and poignantly written novel.
Thursday, April 10
We host a ministry partner at lunch today. Potato soup and more sourdough is on the menu. I had leftover diced potatoes from breakfast a few days ago, and these added to chicken broth, onions, and garlic make a tasty soup in a very short amount of time. I love having people in and getting to know them.
Many women think that being a stay-at-home mom means never seeing people, and that can be true in certain seasons. But when I open our home and say yes to hosting people, I bless them with hospitality, and I bless myself with adult conversation and new experiences. It also shows my kids that hospitality doesn’t have to be a big deal, but we do still need to pick up all the shoes and board games before people walk into our house.
Friday, April 11
I’ve officially succumbed to the bug that has been going through the ranks. I limp through school so I can rest in the afternoon. I did take some time to paint in my nature journal, which is refreshing, even when I’m sick. It’s been rainy and cold so I could only do a quick sketch outdoors and then come inside to finish my entry. I’m a fan of Inktense pencils, using them to draw the main lines of whatever object I’m drawing and then activating them with water to achieve a watercolor effect. Early to bed.
Saturday, April 12
Today is Poiema Visual Arts Annual Benefit Auction. I donated my piece titled Dream A Little Dream. This piece began as an art journal entry when I knew we’d be moving, but we didn’t know where or when. It was all a dream and an adventure with an unknown destination. I replicated and enlarged this piece onto a store-bought canvas when we moved here. It could be emotional to give this piece away as it’s the first complete piece of art I made when we moved here, but I’d like a chance to redo this piece again with more fabric and a looser shape. It feels good to support this ministry and to let go of some of my work.
Sunday, April 13
Today was a stacked day. Church in the morning, with four of six kids performing in the children’s choir. A hurried lunch of chicken noodle soup to boost our immune systems as we recover from illness. Then the girls and I are off to a baby shower in the afternoon. We come home and eat leftovers for dinner, and then the big kids rush off to youth group for an hour. I have an hour to do the dishes, and then we are all off to the baptism service at church. This church only has a baptism service once a year on Palm Sunday, which is an interesting tradition. I come home from all that and collapse early in bed.
Tuesday, April 15
I post my last suit of cards for my 100dayproject this morning. It feels great to have successfully participated in this challenge for another year. Even when I don’t do all 100 days, as in this case, I completed my project and that’s what matters to me.
As the month progresses, I look forward to the Easter sunrise service. The breakfast after the service is one of the best fellowship times we have here. Even though it feels like we are running full force into our days, I still look forward to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection and triumph over death. Because of his sacrifice, we are able to be in a personal relationship with God the Almighty. It’s truly staggering to think about. And humbling.
I hope the rest of your month is a blessing!