Several weeks in review...

Life has been moving forward in a bit of a blur. We having been continuing school with Heart of Dakota and two of my girls finished up their guides at the end of the year. That hasn't happened in ages! The third has a few more units to go and then all three will begin afresh for the next year. 

In between all of that we have been occupying our time with outdoor play, teaching virtual piano lessons, a social distanced virtual piano recital, French, time with grandparents, online church recording, and more, although I can't remember much about what that more is right now. We watched the countdown to the space launch...twice. 

We are enjoying the beauty of the nature around us. We normally do, but even more so now.... 

bluebirds nesting...

a full moon...

 daisies blooming in all their glory...

I'm also tending my herb garden, harvesting, drying, and sharing some amazingly gorgeous herbs! 

As we enter into a much different summer than usual I'm reading more. I'm currently re-reading the Hangenheim series from Melanie Dickerson. These are some of my favorite stories. I'm also sketching some. 

I'm spending a fair amount of time working on editing family photos again. It's a long project, but something I'm passionate about.  

The girls have discovered a new way to play board games online with their cousins and friends. We also have 3 new games we are enjoying as a family: Patchwork Doodle, Lowdown Dice, and MadGab. We continue to play some of our favorites like 7 Wonders, Azul, and Lowdown (original cards). 

I'm also sharing my love for old movies with the girls. We are watching classics that I can find on our Roku. Some are on Amazon Prime and others on TCM. Some have been excellent, other flops. We also have several DVDs and currently are loving the Abbott and Costello films. 

Things we are missing: 
Clogging
This one is really tough
Hugs at church
Sigh...
In-person piano lessons
Virtual is a great blessing but I miss my students
Summer mornings at the pool
I really took this for granted in the past!
Trip to an amusment park
 The girls saved their own money for tickets

Having friends over
Our city hasn't yet lifted the SAH orders
Shopping
Grace is really the only one who misses this! 

Things are not so bad for us and I remind myself and my girls of this consistently. It doesn't mean we can't miss those blessings we are used to. It doesn't mean we can't lament the losses. We should however, keep things in perspective as we know others are sick and grieving in addition to the turmoil in our nation. 

Like many others I've been spending time in prayer for our country. I'm praying for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. I'm praying all the events that seem to be overwhelming us in 2020 will lead to a new openness to the gospel and therefore revival. I'm praying to understand and hear truth in the midst of the noise of a constant news cycle which thrives off drama, intrigue, and demise. 

I'm also avoiding social media. I have some responsibilities on social media for groups I monitor for homeschooling and scrapbooking so I am not completely off. However, I am rather quiet and definitely not spending as much time as usual in those spaces. It's refreshing to say the least. 

I've encouraged our girls to journal these last few months. I'm documenting our life through photographs and will include it in our family scrapbook. Life is weird. We rarely know for certain what day it is. 

Yet...this too shall pass.

What are you doing with the time?
For me, staying busy helps my mind to focus on the good.