new beginnings

Today is the first day of kindergarten homeschool at our house. I woke up extra early with anticipation just like all the other "First day of school" days of my life. Jennifer, Natale, and I met on Friday to do some initial planning. I was pleasantly surprised by the intricate details of Natale's drawings as she illustrated our mind map. When it was time to leave Natale asked her mom if she could stay and start school right away. 

Fun learning ahead.

company with benefits

There is a yummy advantage to having a full-blooded Italian cook stay at your home....

Thankful

This morning I peeked back at my posts from August 2011. There were only four. The month was consumed with taking care of Lily after her run in with a piece of sheet metal that cut clean through three tendons on her right front leg. Praise Jehovah Rapha who healed her leg so she is once again as quick as lighting on her feet and tears through the yard chasing anything that moves. What a delightful companion she has been for me.

keep the old

 

While in Goshen I had the chance to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a long time...went on a  bike ride with my college friend Sandi and had a chatty visit with Jim and Eleanor.

how all y'all* doin?

I spent four days in Dallas helping Keith get his classroom ready for 22 second graders that he will meet in a little over a week. His new school has a great view of the cityscape and is just down the road from the Dallas zoo.

 

Most of our meals were "Grab something quick and get back to work" affairs but we did take time on Friday night to try out a new restaurant in the Mexican shopping strip located between Keith's school and the efficiency apartment we found for him about a mile and a half from the school. Cafe Maya had amazing food. We talked with one of the owners and he explained that the buy all their ingredients fresh each day at the local farmer's market. They even came out and made fresh guacamole at your table. Definitely a keeper.

*all y'all

pretty petals

 

 

favorite flora fotos from far far away

deer me

As Grace and I drove down Mama Donna's woodsy driveway a young deer crossed in front of us. Grace stopped the car so I could take some photos. The deer didn't seem too concerned about the car but was very interested in our peppermint smell. We had a paper towel sprinkled with peppermint oil in the car. The peppermint scent was strong and the deer kept putting it's nose in the air to get a good whiff.