So today’s post is a little food, a little family, a little homeschool, a little chicken drama, and a lot of June-at-home life.

It’s a quiet morning right now. David is traveling for work, but will be home later today. The girls and I had a girls night last night, something we take advantage of if he’s away for a day. We finished Murder on the Orient Express, ate steak salads, knocked out their cat sitting duties (summer is their busy season), then ate ice cream, piled into my bed (Finley, too!), passed around the red light therapy mask, and watched the movie.

We all agreed the book was better, as we didn’t like the changes they made at the end of the movie, but we did like the actor’s performance who played Poirot. Movie review aside, these nights always feel fun and special! And another thing we all agreed on? Moose Tracks is better than Turtle Tracks. IYKYK.

Still loving our Read Aloud Journal

We are now somehow into JUNE and the longer days are so welcomed. I’m grateful that somehow I lucked out with the love of seasons being wired into my makeup because I’m always refreshed by the new season when it arrives. Right now the days are long and sunny, without the oppressive humidity that descends in late July. We’re in a sweet spot.

With a looser daily structure, my pockets of writing time feel a little harder to find. That’s okay; it’s truly just the literal season I’m in. I keep a long list of topics I want to write about in my phone notes, but for today, how about a good old-fashioned catch-up?

FOOD

I’ve been making less recipes and more “what do we have on hand” kind of meals. This is a seasonal thing, too. Not only did we just fill the freezer with another half cow, my favorite local organic farm is offering weekly custom orders. They send out the price list of what they are harvesting, I email them my preferences, then pick it up on Wednesday from just down the street.

From there, I turn it into our suppers, so many of those lately are consisting of a protein, veggies, and potatoes, pasta, or bread (Jen’s sourdough lately). Simple and delicious.

My friend came over a couple weeks ago to teach me to use my electric canner and I am OBSESSED. I love canned chicken, but the quality stuff is so expensive. She taught me to make my own and each jar holds about 1.15 lb of chicken. I’ve been using a jar weekly to make chicken salad for lunches and it’s the perfect texture for that. Between chicken salad and my omega-3 focused mackerel, lunches have been good.

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FAMILY

The girls are both doing basketball skills sessions and playing around with the idea of leaning more into basketball this fall. I LOVE watching basketball, so this thrills me, but the commitment level intimidates me. We’ll see what shakes out.

David’s work schedule is a little crazy this month. It ebbs and flows, and we’re in a FLOW season. Luckily he’s at the tail end of many of his home projects he’s been working on, so that does help lighten his load.

Finley at age 4 is living her best life. Her days right now consist of trail hikes, going nose to nose with Earl through the chicken fence, getting zoomies every time she’s with me in the garden (me, too, Finley, me, too), and then alternating naps between the sunny spot on the floor and her favorite old cave bed. I found a local natural pet shop that offers a wide variety of raw food options and she’s really enjoying me switching things up.

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HOME & FARM

We are knocking out outdoor projects left and right! The garden is in full swing. David organized the shed and built some shelves that are ready for me to fill with garden and chicken supplies. The chicken area has the fence and I’ve planted fresh herbs alongside it. The sauna is 95% done and functioning! We’ve been saunaing at least 4 times a week and I’m still in disbelief that David built it. I owe you a full post on it all, but I have to nail him down long enough for him to share all the specifics.

David also finished hanging the swing. It’s a sweet full circle moment for us, since this was the swing we had at the old house that the kids always loved so much. Spoiler alert: they still love it. I’m so happy to have it up!

There is constant chicken drama. Between going back and forth everyday on whether we should keep Earl, getting a saddle to put on Wednesday because of her feather loss on her back, and deciding what to do with Bellatrix and Buttons who appear to have gone broody, I feel like I’m constantly googling and texting friends about chicken stuff. Still love them? Absolutely. But David teases me that maybe I love them (watch them?) too closely and I don’t need to be googling every loose stool episode.

The inside of the house is fairly settled, but the slow drip of personalization continues. Hailey and I have been hitting up antique/thrift stores as often as possible looking for items we love to add. I also am very tempted to get some help making a few rooms feel more finished. I have all the basics just how I want them, but I would love some help with some finishing touches. If you know of anyone in the Greenville area who helps with finishing touches like that, I’d love a recommendation!

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TRAVEL

This year we’ve enjoyed our ski trip to Switzerland, my special mom daughter getaway to Canyon Ranch, and a week at the beach. Now from here on out, things are staying more local for us. Well, David and I do have a quick fall getaway planned to one of my dream spots- Blackberry Farm!

We wanted to stay home for fall to ease into high school schedule, allow for a heavier sports/activity commitment, and (yes, I admit it), enjoy college football, our favorite season.

However, we have some travel ideas brewing for the start of 2027 (which yes I know sounds so far away, but that’s how you have to plan these things, right?).

HOMESCHOOL

We are in summer schedule! That consists of morning time (read aloud, history, crafts) and math. David works with Hailey on Algebra 1 and I work with Kaitlyn on Saxon 7/6. It’s a gentle two hours in the morning and the kids would tell you they enjoy it, too (well, they tolerate the math). However, I pointed out to them that on their recent end of year testing that they both actually scored the highest in the math section, so whether they like it or not, it’s working for them.

I shared our high school homeschool plan here and probably owe you a post on Kaitlyn’s plan. She’s also joining a two day a week co-op and I think she’s really going to enjoy the increased time with friends.

When we start our 9th and 6th grade years in the fall (let’s be honest, more like late July), we’ll be adding a more structured art and music study to our morning times. It’s from one of my favorite curriculum sources, Beautiful Feet, and I am super excited about!

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BEHIND THE BLOG

I’m just over here treading water. Some behind the scenes things I’ve been doing: switching my ad network (happening tomorrow, so will there be glitches? I hope not!). I also switched my weekly newsletter from a service called KIT to Substack. Kit kept getting pricier and it offered a lot of tools that I don’t really use.

I still have SO much to learn on Substack, but I love that it’s free, feels like old school blogging, and it’s easier to discover new people you might enjoy reading. You can follow me by clicking here, where I send out a newsletter every Monday (it will go to your inbox). It consists of a personal life updates, meals I’m making, recent blog posts, what we’re loving lately, and more. I enjoy writing it so much and just published my 100th newsletter! You can read that here and comment for a chance to enter my giveaway of some of my favorites things.

Well… I knew this would be long winded, but it sure is nice to just catch up a bit. I’d love to hear what’s going on in your world. How is summer (I know it’s not really summer yet, but it feels like that) going? Do you feel more relaxed or somehow busier? Do you have any fun plans? Hobbies you’re enjoying or learning?

I hope your June has started on a happy note; thanks for swinging by!