Summer Reading

We love books!

Summer, especially, is a great time to relax with a good read.

Ellie with Reagan & me in the background

On a recent trip to the library, we ran into friend Becky and two of her girls.  Becky was ready with her camera and caught us in action.  I never think to bring my camera along on such mundane errands. :) Thank the Lord for friends who come prepared!

Andrew, trying to decide on just the right book

Andrew has been busy reading books by Beverly Cleary this summer:  Ralph S. Mouse, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Ribsy.

Marian's already made her choices

 Marian is a book juggler.  She keeps three or four books going all the time.  This summer, she has been reading books in the series, "Little House, The Rose Years", as well as Nancy Drew books, and some classics like Where the Red Fern Grows, Red Sails to Capri, The Cay, More Stories from Grandma's Attic, Black Beauty, and the list goes on.

Ellie, absorbed.  Me, "Huh?"

Ellie thinks she needs to be just like Mar (that's another blog post entirely!), so she has multiple books in the works as well.  Currently, she is reading Chrissa, an American Girl book; Open Windows, a reader from A Beka; and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a fun story just right for Ellie.  If your child has not read this one, I recommend it!
All of the kids also enjoy reading picture books to each other.  And at lunch time, I usually read aloud to them: Archimedes and the Door of Science, Farmer Boy, The Bronze Bow.

So... what are you reading this summer?

Here we go a-canning

This, my friends, is what we like to call a good day's work!

This past Saturday morning, Dwayne and I and the kids hit the garden just after 6:00.

We picked over 200 ears of corn!!

After breakfast, we all helped shuck and silk, then I cut the kernels off the cobs while Dwayne prepared the jars and canners.

We filled jars and filled jars and filled jars!

By the end of the day (which was nearly 1:00am!), we had 36 pints of cream-style corn, 21 quarts of whole kernel, and 12 quarts of green beans, which had been picked the previous day.

Phew!

Like I said, that's a good day's work!