it has been unseasonably warm for the last few days...

"it has been unseasonably warm for the last few days...and today again, a romantic sunrise, clouds edged in crimson just before the sun rose between two banks of soft gray. now at half past nine the sea is that ineffably calm satin blue and the clouds have vanished. purity and peace." may sarton the house by the sea

i needed a break from reading book after book about the same subject matter(the south, slavery, hatred, violence, oppression, etc...).

the title of this autobiography caught my eye at the used bookstore & for 25 cents i figured why not? it is a journal of the author's east coast move from her inland new hampshire home to a house on the seacoast of maine. thru this journey of solitude & self discovery she re-awakens her creative passion & spirit.  

a light summer read, some of my fave subjects

& i miss the east coast (that i love!).

i'm enjoying it so far.

the beginning of this quote is especially true in that it has been crazy hot the last couple of weeks.

the brownsugars & i have started transitioning into our new homeschool year & we are off to a great start so far.

but there is still quite a bit of summer left in us that we just cannot let go of yet ;)

farm notes {summer in our backyard}

wed we got so brain-fried with next years planning, impossible (over)scheduling, e-mails, deadlines, commitments...blah blah blah. so, the brownsugars & i decided to take our tent, books, art supplies, pillows & snugglies & move out of the house for the rest of summer! 

our summer weather here in socal has been so pleasant that it much nicer to be out in it than inside anyway.

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

*btw- yard sales & estate sales are a great places to get outdoor/camping gear already in kid-friendly condition. i bought this tent & the checkered sleeping bag from a neighbors yard sale for $5 about 3-4 years ago. at that price i could care less about the spills & stains, the dirt, the torn screens etc from my tomboys & dogs...no worries.

{one & vintage love}

at one time this skirt & this bike were both new.
don't think i would have loved them as much then.

i'm attempting a couple of photo challenges on Instagram for the month of august. today's prompt was one.

vintage wrap skirt $1 at my fave thrift store.
vintage bike $5 at local estate sale.
brownsugarhoney on IG.

*not liking the IG to blogger size formatting, but still fun!

our own little private summer world

"Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps.  It is not something to do if you can squeeze time in.  It is what God gave you time for.” -Rachel Jankovic

we're still here. still doing stuff. 
trying to enjoy the last bits of our summer.
we've been busy in a kicked back yet crazy kinda way.
beach.
lots & lots of reading.
a tie dye party with friends.
a crazy fun family reunion weekend.
a night time party with our homeschool co-op.
a sitter & a winery date night.
catching up with pets, friends & neighbors.
turning 7 for one of us in particular.
horseback lessons,technology camp, library activities.
crafting, playing, board games, movie marathons, junk food, daydreaming etc.
a smidge of summer schooling mixed in (nothing big).
planning & getting some necessary things done.
bits of all sorts of other summer busy.
lots of much needed hanging out & the art of doing nothing.
most of all...taking a distraction free
& mostly {unplugged summer} break.
this has been my highlight. 
for the remainder of this summer, i logged out of FB, i rarely tweet anyway, kicked back on Pinterest & have even been taking a little blog break.
(partly because i left my laptop cord out of town. Grrr!).
i must confess, i really do love my IG. i cant help it.

i really needed  a break from everything to clear my head & just focus on enjoying my little fam for what little is left of our precious-but-already-almost-gone-way-too-short summer.
all of which i've kinda selfishly kept all to ourselves.
to be honest, i'm liking our own private little summer world.
Maybe even a little too much.
this post was such an inspiration (as are many on this site)

with this upcoming year jammed packed with homeschooling & other activities, there will plenty to blog, update my status, tweet, etc about soon enough. i may pop in & say hello sporadically, but until then...

HAPPY SUMMER...what's left of it anyway ;)

easiest yardsale ever

7 am                         9 am

this was how my saturday morning went. day 4 of a nasty migraine & was not feeling our neighborhood block sale at all.

changed my sign, piled everything in the driveway, went inside & made snow cones with the girlies.

the free sign totally worked. got rid of tons of junk i never ever want to see again & i made $5.  

water weekend.day 2.

lake cuyamaca 6.30.2012

water weekend day 1 at the beach was abs perfect & day 2 was a hit too! one of the things i love about where we live is that we can be in many different types of environments in just a short drive (lake, mountains, beach, snow, city...etc...)

saturday we got up at 530 am & hit the mountains headed for the lake!

usually i let Daddy/Daughter fishing day be their alone time. But this time, last minute, i took the fam up on their invitation. even though i am the anti-fishing girl, i decided to go hang out & see what the lake biz was all about. i packed a bag full of reading & art materials, a pillow, a blanket, a chair & a big sunhat & hopped into the truck.

it was an lovely drive thru the mountains & an beautiful sunny day out. the pretty lake, clear skies, mountains, trees, boats, rocks, ducks, critters all of it. my faves were the bright orange dragon flies. peace & quiet & beautiful nature all around.

ok. but it completely amazes me how many hours & hours my brownsugars (or anyone else) can sit quietly & wait for a catch. any other time they cannot sit still, but this time i was the problem. (funny because i can sit on the beach quietly & watch the waves roll in & out for hours)

i snacked. i sat. i watch. i sat some more...well as long as i could anyway. then my oldest brownsugar told me i was talking way too much. so we packed up the lawn chairs & left the shore. they rented a boat & hit the lake with their fishing poles. it got pretty hot so i took my bag of goodies to the truck (parked in the shade) & read for hours & hours. (oh & snacked & napped a little too). 

the fam was so excited they caught 6 fish, saw friends out on the lake & got in their precious Daddy/Daughter time. i got to kick back, finish almost all my reading (way more than i would have if i would have stayed home & read like i planned) & i got my precious me time. it was a good trip for us all & still maybe my fave weekend of this summer yet.

*ps lake cuyamaca does have hiking trails which i planned to do but should have right when we arrived 1) it got too hot later in the day 2) i didn't feel safe going alone while the fam was out on the lake on the boat. live & learn...plan better next time!

water weekend .day 1.

watery deep to watery deep is calling at the sound of your waterspouts.

all your breakers and your waves-over me they have passed. - Psalms 42:7 

(my new fave scripture, even though the Psalmist was referring to his thirst for the Living God (v.2), 

it reminds me of that same thirst i have yes, but also my thirst for the beach!!!)

*brownsugar honey on Instagram*

friday 6.29.12 oceanside jetty

last weekend ended up being a weekend of water.

& maybe one of my faves so far this summer.

two days, two different places & two different types of water.

after being cooped up in the house most of the week the brownsugars & i needed to get out. at the last minute we put on our flippies, & swimsuits, loaded up the car & met friends 20 mins away at the nearest beach.

hours of friends, warm california sunshine & beach.

doesn't get too much better than that.

HAPPY SUMMER!!! 

*weekend of water day 2