December Already!

We all know that time goes faster the older you get, right?  But this is getting ridiculous! December already?  In the off chance that anyone has been wondering what happened to me, I'm still here, caught up in the whirl and blur that is life as we know it.  Our homeschool year will be finishing this week followed by a few social activities next week and then we'll slide into holiday mode.  We're holidaying at home this year which suits me just fine so long as I don't spend it all on housework.  Long days in the garden would be good.  Long days at the craft table even better.  Throw in a few long drives and balmy evenings watching the sun set in some lovely natural setting and all will perfect.  Must get the camera out of mothballs.  And 'process' or rather, edit and file, the photos on my PC that date back to March!!  Okay, so 'holidays' could be just as busy as the rest of the year has been.

It's been something of a sick winter around here.  I usually only get the one cold a year, you know the only one mums are allowed.  This year I've had a cold, followed by flu, followed by another cold and lots of allergies in between.  I guess I'm run down.  We've also slipped a little with processed food and I haven't done purposeful exercise since the first time I got sick. Naughty, naughty.  Summer should help get me back on track- warmer weather for walks, fresh salads and summer fruit.

I've just put in a big week planning our home ed program for next year.  The planning I did last year got us through the whole year so Planning Week has been a resounding success.  The boys and I have had a really enjoyable year together.  We've tapped into some community resources and made new friends.

Craft is still happening too- that pretty much goes without saying.  I love having a craft table- I can leave projects ready to go and spend 10 or 15 minutes on them at a time.  That might frustrate some people but it's how I get most things finished.  I have reading piles in most rooms of the house.  I really have to stop getting interested in new things- I envy you focused types who start and finish one thing at a time.  At them moment, I'm pre-reading The Undercover Economist that I'd like my eldest to read for school next year.  A bit of light-hearted historical fiction in Simon The Coldheart. A Charlotte Mason-inspired ebook on Habits; can't remember where I got that one so I can't link to it.  Pendennis is on my nightstand but Thackeray requires more of my brain and by the time I get to bed I'm past attempting it.

Some recent blogs I've started following:

The Blog of Bruce Bradley A former Big Food executive exposing the tactics they use to get us to eat processed foods.

The Textured Leaf Lovely craft and decorating inspiration.

Hand Embroidery From Sadalas A gorgeous mix of traditional and ethnic (to me) needle work.

And a couple of photographic blogs by people I know in real life:

{artifex} photographic media by John & Tom

Photos 4 Real