Just checking in . . .

The weather outside . . .
is autumn perfect. Sunny and 71 degrees. Trees are turning colors. It's a magical time of year.

I'm listening to . . . 
Mace playing in his bedroom. I just love that his imaginary play is vibrant and enthusiastic. He loves to play with his animals, house, barn, blocks, cars, etc. Precious.

Around the house and garden . . .
the garden needs some attention! There is a lot to do out there. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be nice and then after that the rain and cold weather are back. So today the two littles and I hit the garden. We got all the garlic in while the boys worked on math and writing assignments.

The house is just being . . . a house. Hopefully this Saturday we can get a few chores done around here.

Learning, learning, all the time . . . 
Where to start . . . learning on all fronts. We are loving our anatomy and physiology text this year. The kids are digging it, as am I. It tickles me to hear Nutmeg talk about her "cranium" in regular conversation. We are enjoying memorizing and delving into "Romeo and Juliet." One benefit of learning Shakespeare is that the kids run across some Shakespearean quotes elsewhere in life and they recognize the quote and know the story behind it. We've seen this a couple of times and it is thrilling.

We are reading . . .
Nutmeg and I are reading Pinocchio.  Sage is reading The Hobbit and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Basil is reading Lord of the Rings and The Song of Roland. We are all listening to The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett in the car.

I'm finishing up Emma and quickly need to find some more fiction to put me to bed at night. I'm also reading Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination.  I highly recommend this book for parents, grandparents, teachers, whoever. It's a keeper!

In the kitchen . . .
Still cooking from the garden: yay!! We did finish off our garlic, onion, and carrot supply. I have a second batch of carrots that might just get big enough to eat. We'll probably be eating kale and broccoli from the garden for a while. There is another side of green beans out there that I need to pick. Oh and lettuce, we have lettuce from a second crop. But the big news is that it is squash time. So our meals are filled with pumpkin, butternut squash, and acorn squash.

This morning I tried a new breakfast recipe. A keeper!!  Wahoo!!  Healthy, pretty easy, and a hit with the kids (and myself).  Win! No refined sugar, no flour. Pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, flax meal, etc. I'm quite pleased with this new addition to our routine.
Try em out! Link HERE. 

Mace's new antics . . . 

I'm sure I could come up with a handful of whoppers but I'm typing as fast as I can because I gotta get these lunch dishes done and onto the next thing . . .  So anywho, Mace is well into his two's and almost three's. He's got an opinion. Last week he starting casting books aside that I had chosen for him at the pre-naptime read.  He's tells me this one is "boring" and that one is "annoying."  Oh dear! A toddler with older siblings. *eyeroll*  So now he mostly picks out his own books.

Alrighty, gotta go!  Love you!!

And a few more pics for good measure . . .