Let’s Catch Up!

Well, hello! It has been over a week since I’ve posted and it’s been quite a while since I’ve skipped out on my blog like that. We are all okay! I have continued to hoard my opportunities for sleep which has drastically slashed the time I spend at my computer in the mornings. Also, it’s been extra hot this week and that adds a level of grumpiness to my life that is not conducive to making connections with others. But I’m here today with a quick recap of what I wanted to share with all of you. It’s full of books and stitching — the best kind of post, in my opinion!

What I’ve been focused on this week:

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This week has been full of school! We had a more relaxed schooling schedule through the summer and focused on the basics – reading, writing, and math. Bronwyn began her Torchlight Kindergarten curriculum in July and has been learning about different countries each week, which kept us pretty busy! But now we’re including our full science and history curricula, as well as more formal poetry, writing, and art studies thanks to the fourth level of Torchlight. So week 1 has finished and we’re already “behind!” But I have a plan for next week that I hope will help us fall into a rhythm that we can enjoy and savor. I’ve said it a million times on this blog: Torchlight is the perfect combination of rigor and beauty for our family. I searched high and low for a secular literature based program and feel so lucky to have stumbled upon this one!

Also: I am learning the importance of planning ahead now that I am nurturing two children through their own curricula. After we finish school for the day, I spend a good hour getting ready for the next day. So I would welcome your favorite crockpot recipes in the comments!!

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Reading:

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This is the stack of finished books that I wanted to share with you on Wednesday. I won’t try to write about them all today but will say that Bronwyn and I met a new American Girl this week: Molly! Molly’s books are set in Illinois in the 1940s. Her father is a doctor in the military and has been stationed in England. Her family misses him terribly and they’re doing all they can to support the war efforts at home. We are nearly finished with the second book in the series and I cannot believe we’re on our last American Girl. We started this series in October 2021 and have kept at it for the last two years. Just amazing. And how lucky are we that we were able to borrow all these books from the library?!

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I’m currently rereading The Secret History for the third time. Karen is hosting a readalong that’s been a lot of fun to follow on Discord! We had a big discussion about themes before starting the book and I’ve been colorcoding my tabs, which has been a lot of nerdy fun. Matthew has engaged in quite a bit of eye-rolling at my antics and I love it when I can annoy him like that!

I read a big chunk last night during a massive thunderstorm and it was the perfect way to spend a Friday evening. I think this book is being added to my yearly Fall reading list, along with Thornyhold. It’s just perfect for the season. I have about 100 pages left and am hoping for another thunderstorm tonight as I finish it off! Up next:

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The River We Remember (the newest from William Kent Krueger) and The Bee Sting (from the Booker longlist). I cannot wait to get to both of these!

Stitching:

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I’ve been plugging away on my latest sock (my Ravelry page for the details) and it’s almost ready to be bound off. I love this colorway and am ready to slide these on when the weather finally cools down!

And I had to pick the time carefully, but I finally cast on for the Tessellated Vest this week. That was no small feat! And this little hem may not look like much, but it’s 284 stitches with size 2 needles and it has been a haul. I have a little less than half an inch left before I can switch to larger needles and the stitch pattern — I cannot wait! I should have shown you the swatch but this post is already heavy on images. I’m sure the swatch will make it’s way into my posts at some point! But it’s gorgeous and I’m excited to see all of the different yarns comes together.

(I’ve done a bit of cross stitching too but that will have to be shared at another time.)

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Friends, I owe emails! Discord messages! Texts! Blog comments and responses! Thank you for all the check-ins over the last week or so and I apologize for my lack of communication. I have really kept my head down this week and focused on things here at home and reenergized myself with a little bit of reading and stitching. But I think I’m ready to begin branching back out and reconnecting with the wider world! I have several blog drafts started and hope to get them out to you next week. Until then – take good care!