Summer Break ~ Week One

In this moment ~ Right now, I am listening to the teapot steaming. The rest of the house is quiet as the children are still asleep. My constant companion, Boomer the dog, sits next to me, hoping that I will drop some bagel crumbs for him.

Outside my window ~ The sun is shining and it looks like it will be a lovely day.

I am reading ~ $2.00 a Day - Living on Almost Nothing in America. What a thought-provoking book. If you need a gratitude boost or want to think about how America can become kind again and how to empower the poorest of the poor to survive, this book may be for you.

I am creating ~ I am creating an atmosphere filled with love and kindness in my home. I am teaching my children to take that love and kindness out into the world. My son is creating his mural. My daughter is creating her summer exercise schedule.

Mural work continues

It will be a monster looking over a mountain with a hot air balloon going by.

I am thankful for ~ I am thankful that communication with my children is strong. They still talk to me and share their joys, concerns, sorrows and dreams. They still seek guidance from me. There was a situation just this past week that resulted in a friend of theirs having a breakdown requiring hospitalization. Even though many friends were concerned for this person's safety, only a small handful -- including my two -- turned to a parent. I am very thankful for that.

I am going ~ Dance classes at their regular studio have finished for the summer, so we were home much more than usual. We did some shopping, went to an art class, power walked at the mall and took a walk at the Botanical Gardens.

I am watching ~ Death in Paradise and Victorian Slum.

I am hoping ~ I am hoping to drastically reduce our belongings this summer. We are really finding our house and land to be too much for our lifestyle. We are on-the-go people who are rarely home and should probably live in a 1200 square foot or under house or condo with very limited land to maintain. Instead, we are living in a 2000+ square foot home with an outbuilding and almost an acre of weed/tree/vine-infested yard that we inherited with this foreclosure. I believe that, if we could drastically reduce our belongings, we would be able to more easily clean our home and concentrate more on the yard work. Moving is an impossibility right now. Since the housing market is so tight and expensive, we can't even afford to downsize.

Around the house ~ I am busily taking things to consignment shops, selling on eBay and making a mountainous pile for a yard sale. I think it is going to get messier before it gets cleaner.

I am praying for ~ A few friends that are going through very difficult times, our world, our country (which I feel is very much on the wrong path currently), and my family.

I am looking forward to ~ Celebrating my 19th wedding anniversary with  my husband next week and another productive week at home.

A picture to share ~ 

Blessings, Dawn