Just as the month of May is overwhelmingly full for many of us with school aged children, so is this blog post. For some reason, May sneaks up on me every time. I always seem to forget how crazy things get!
But first, I want to revisit camping…
I am so thankful for all of your advice and encouragement! Vacations aren’t in our budget, so if we want to get away together for more than a day trip, camping is our best option. We enjoy nature and being outdoors so I think it’s a good fit for us. Jonny has been taking our kids on small camping trips for years and they all love it. The issue is really me figuring out how to make it work for myself, and all of us learning how to prepare for longer trips. We have a lot to learn in general, but my first priority is being able to sleep! I feel terrible when I don’t sleep, so this is very important to me. You all made lots of recommendations for different bedding options (amongst lots of other helpful tips) and I am exploring those. I sat down with my planner/journal and went through all your comments and wrote your suggestions down. Thank you!!!
Something that I didn’t mention, because that camping post was meant to be silly and lighthearted, is that I was pretty unwell for much of the six months leading up to that camping trip. We had illness after illness through the fall and the winter and I found myself feeling worse and worse even during periods when we weren’t acutely ill. Unfortunately, I wrongly attributed it to my Hashimoto’s and put off going to the doctor, when in fact I was very anemic. It’s really crazy how seriously that can affect your life! Camping certainly wouldn’t have been an option even just a couple of weeks before we took that trip. Part of the reason that camping trip was so special to me (besides it being my first and despite being cold and not sleeping) was that it was the first time I had felt up to leaving home for anything non-essential in many months. I am so very grateful to be feeling better and to have the energy to manage life! I’m hoping to return to Back Creek later this summer and I will report back on how it goes.
Back to May events: Mabel ran in a children’s race and had a great time! We signed her up because one of her best friends was running and they wanted to do it together. Her friend ended up being sick so Mabel ran on her own. She was very brave and had a great attitude about the whole thing. I have pictures of her nearing the end of the race, running with a huge smile on her face. We almost left after the race without checking the results and it turned out that Mabel placed fifth and received a trophy!
(There was a woman dressed up in a silly costume who started each race and Ambrose did not know what to think of her. This is him wondering what was going on with her.)
Ambrose is obsessed with taking care of the chickens and heads outside to gather up supplies when he thinks it’s time. He will put on whatever pair of boots he finds, no matter how enormous they are on him.
(Playing “night night.”)
This must have been one of the most special nights of my life. Beatrix was confirmed, and Silas and Job had the privilege of serving with our bishop emeritus at the confirmation Mass. I was tasked with taking photos of the event, so I was able to document the night.
Silas turned twelve at the end of May! He is still my darling boy, but he sure is growing up fast. His interests are fishing, skateboarding, and art so we bought him art supplies and new skate shoes. He has enough fishing stuff already! (Here’s an affiliate link to the blank comic books in the photo.)
I brought home four baby mice in May, with the intention of them joining me in the high school biology class I’m teaching this fall (names: Clover, Sassafras, Hazel, and Holly). They are so much fun and we all love them (especially the cats-so they have a heavy duty lid and are no longer on the floor). Of all the rodent pets we have had over the years, I think these little (female) mice are my favorite. They were hand raised and are friendly and adorable. But, I had no idea how bad they would stink! So be warned, if you ever consider pet mice, their cuteness might not outweigh their smelliness for you.
(Francis doesn’t mind the smell.)
The flowers have been awfully amazing this year. Every year I try to grow a few more perennials from seed to add to my flower garden and I am getting to a point where I have lots of reseeding annuals and biennials as well. My gardens might be full of weeds, but I can go outside and cut a nice bouquet every few days. I am terrible at arranging flowers though, so I typically ask for Larkspur’s help. She has natural flower arranging abilities that I lack entirely.
After all that talk about camping, Jonny and I got away for a couple of nights a few weeks ago and we stayed at a very fancy hotel! This trip came about because Jonny had a business retreat and I was able to join him. We’ve been married for nearly twenty-five years and had never left our children for a single night before this trip! I don’t recommend that. If you can get away, you should! It has just never been something we felt like we could do before. We drove a rental car down to South Carolina (the drive was part of the fun!) and while Jonny was in meetings, I explored Charleston by myself. This was my second time in Charleston and I was a bit nostalgic for the last time I was there.
I wandered the streets, went to daily Mass at the cathedral, and attended a concert at this beautiful church that was next to our hotel. They played Mozart and it was all very lovely.
I worked on my knitting during the concert. For months I lost all interest in knitting, but it came back as (I presume) my iron levels came back up! That means I have knitting to talk about soon!
(If you look closely, you can see a bust of Abraham Lincoln in this photo.)
The trip was pretty exciting, but we were glad to return home to all of our family and this little guy who was very happy to see his mommy.
p.s. My shop is sold out of soap at the moment and will be for a little while, but Olivia has a limited amount of my soap available if you need some! I made a nice salve for her shop as well!
And if you are looking for chrism salve, I have marked down my remaining stock of that. And, I will have chrism soap later this summer!
I love this post. Anemia is awful. I have to take floravital (sp) for mine, my body deals with it better than the pills.
This post is the best! The flowers, the several children, the confirmation, and the camping story… That photo of you and your husband is heart-melting; thank you for sharing it.
I’m so glad you were able to figure out the anemia and to already feel better. I hope there will be lots of happy camping in your future. God bless you all. <3
Hi Ginny;
Nice hearing from you. You have really taken to camping.
Way to go Mabel Congratulations on completing the run. Wishing Silas A Happy Birthday year full of happiness and blessings. Beatrix you looked lovely on your Confirmation day. We had a red sash to wear on our outfit. Have a safe and happy summer.
Marion
Happy to receive your latest post. You and your family sure are kept busy. Beatrix looks so lovely in her Confirmation photos. Glad Silas had a nice birthday. He should have a lot of fun with those blank comics. Good for Mabel for participating in the race. Have a good week.
Joan
Hi Ginny, It was nice hearing from you. Congratulations to Mabel on finishing her race. Wishing Silas a year of happiness and blessings. Happy Belated Birthday Silas. God Bless. Congratulations to Beatrix on making her Confirmation. What name did she choose? Looking forward to your next post. God Bless.
Marilyn
Having traveled to all 50 U.S. states and visited most cities throughout our years of travel, Charleston is my favorite. When working, I was fortunate to attend an annual multi-day conference there for seven or eight years and often extended that over the weekend. Since retirement, we have returned a few times when traveling in our RV. It is a great size for exploring on foot, the restaurants and cuisine are world class, the history that took place there is worth visiting, the open air market has local treasures for sale, and the neighboring islands with awesome beaches to stroll make for a perfect place to get away with your spouse…or alone…or with a friend…or I am so happy that you had the opportunity to visit Charleston!
Confirmation looked beautiful! How special that the boys served I love how the confirmandi were wearing red robes!
I somehow missed your camping posts. I was sick myself for at least a couple of months this winter, and oh! How it takes it out of you. The Confirmation photos are lovely, and I have never before seen altar servers with a humeral veil… What was that about? Were they actually carrying the Sacred Chrism?
Oh it was so nice to read about your family life once again. I miss hearing about the older kids who were so much part of your blog for so many years. As to camping, no matter how you camp, it’s good to be prepared for all kinds of weather. Staying warm and dry is so important. There are low, foldable cots available that might help you have a better night’s sleep. The memories of family camping will live forever with your kids. Have a wonderful summer.
Beautiful flowers Ginny! I haven’t made it down to Charleston yet but I feel like I should, it’s a doable drive for us and we know people who love it there. Glad you could get away alone. 💗
I love reading your blog and seeing your beautiful photographs. Its great to get a sneaky peak into someone else’s life in a place very different to your own (I’m from the UK). I’ve also had reoccurring bouts of anaemia – it really sneaks up on you! You can buy online testing kits, which might help keeping an eye on it. Thank you x
When my kids were young, I was sooo sick–constant sinus infections that morphed into bronchitis, pneumonia, flu-like symptoms–couldn’t sleep, was crying all the time with exhaustion and frustration…
Amazing what a few grains of chelated iron could do. I was a new woman within 2 weeks!
You were absolutely correct about getting away with your husband. When my children were young and very active and I had grandparents willing, my husband and I tried to grab a weekend each season of the year. We rarely succeeded EACH season but did usually get at least two weekends a year. Usually just a bed and breakfast a few hours drive away. But it was SO wonderful to just be the two-of-us again. One year we even got 10 days to see the colors of Autumn on the East Coast and eat lobster every night! That was unforgettable. My dear, wonderful, humorous husband of 52 years passed away very suddenly in Feb. and now I realize that all we have in the end is memories. So go make them!
Beautiful family and wonderful days you are having! Anemia is no fun and so glad to hear you are feeling better. I did want to say something about camping: We do a lot of it here in Colorado/Utah. It gets cold at night and we use a down featherbed with a cover on top of camping pads and then down sleeping bags or down duvet with cover in warmer months. We really like to car camp (we have an older suburban) and also tent camp. I sleep much, much better in the car. When we tent camp, I like to have others near us—our family, friends or other campers. I feel so much more secure when we are not off by ourselves in the “middle of nowhere”. ❤️
Saint Mary of the Annunciation! That is my very favorite church. Charleston is the best place to visit!
I love your photos. They capture the essence so beautifully. Beatrix looks very happy. I especially like Ambrose playing night-night! Blessings to all the family. I’m thankful that your anemia is under control once again.
Love your posts, they are always so fun and reflect “a real life.” Bea looks beautiful in her Confirmation attire. (I had forgotten about confirmation, mine was so long ago. I do remember how my family celebrated each of our confirmations.) As always, your pictures are amazing! Glad you have your anemia under control.
Isn’t it nice to have a season when all of the crazy-busy is for happy reasons!?
I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Ginny! I’ve been anemic in the past and it is no joke …