Five Things

1. Early release afternoons spent at the bookshop aren’t bad. I love having Cate with me. She organized all the sticker books and then the coloring books. I had her make sure each rack held 8-10 coloring books. She was all over it. Cate is actually very good at math. Now she is curled up in a chair reading…2. Last Sunday afternoon the girls and I took George on a nature hike in Watershed Park. In preparation they came home from church and made “nature hike” necklaces and bracelets (see photos). Cate also made a homemade pair of binoculars out of toilet paper rolls and Jane carried around a plastic bag with a pen, paper and sunglasses. She stopped every few feet on our hike to write down what she saw on the trail – a bug! water! dirt! butterfly!

3. This last week or so has been epic in terms of reading. I actually had a weekend off, nice weather, girls that play well together – all of this means I can read. Anna gifted me this Secret Garden illustrated by Lauren Child awhile back and I finally read it. It’s been at least twenty years since I read. Whoa, still packs a punch. I can’t wait to read this out loud to the girls…Also finished Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evens and The Folded Clock by Heidi Julavits. Both of which are completely worth picking up if it all looks like your thing. I needed both in different ways. Also, finished Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou, a chicken book, and a parenting book.

4. I am pleased to report that I am finished collecting the Penguin Drop Cap Series. How beautiful is this? Both girls are practicing the alphabet by owning these so, basically, this is an educational purchase. Can I write this off somewhere?

5. We moved the chicken coop a few weeks ago and it’s so much better where it is now. But the moving. Picture the coop on a litter – princess style –  and the three other people manning the litter are six feet tall. And I am the fourth person at 5 ‘2 on a good day – I round up confidently. I was so the weakest link. But we successfully moved the coop – even over two fences. We have loved having chickens for the last two years but right next to the patio table? Maybe not the most intelligent thing Telfer and I have ever done. Turns out, chickens poop. A lot. It’s nice to have them a space away from our outdoor dining table. I can see them now from my kitchen window and from my bedroom window, scratching around, making chicken noises. Pretty wonderful.

The birch trees are leafing out which makes me so happy. Telfer is working this weekend here and there. We are planting our garden tomorrow and I think Mother’s Day will happen on Sunday. Looking forward to a couple days outside with my trio. The girls and I have already made beaded necklaces outside and it’s only Friday evening so I am feeling like I am starting off the weekend exactly right.