Our Weeks in Review (July 6-19th) Camping, Quilting, and Graduation!

Last week our camper repair was finished up and we went camping again!  It was wonderful to be back at the lake.  It was very hot!! We spent the mornings and evenings outside and watched a movie in the afternoon when it was the hottest part of the day.  Nick and Alex had to work part of the time so they were not able to be out there with us the whole time but we were close enough that they could get back and forth to work easily and take care of the animals.

The girls were so cute.  There was a strip of land across from where we were.  They packed a picnic lunch, put it in a Walmart sack, and swam it across on their tubes do they could have their own picnic.  They saw several different  kinds of birds, a family of rabbits, deer, and a turtle nest. We also saw our baby geese that we have been watching over the last few months all grown up.  It was very exciting!

We came home on Sunday.  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday Lily had a 4 H Quilt Workshop!  It was her first 4 H activity since March (Christian went to the very first activity since March a few days before, a Wildlife Workshop.)  There were 6 girls participating.  They set up sewing stations more then 6 feet apart, took everyone's temperatures on the way in and asked that if you were going to be close to someone that you wear a mask.  They made their quilt tops and back pieces and after the quilts are back from being quilted they will meet again to put the bindings on the quilt.

I stayed with Lily each day even though she didn't need me she wanted me to stay.  I embroidered names on aprons for another workshop to pass the time.

The girls had their music lesson on Tuesday.  They recorded This is the Day for today's Offertory to be played over the radio.

Wednesday afternoon we picked up our new Netherland Dwarf rabbits.  We got a senior buck and a junior doe.  We have another senior doe coming but she had just miscarried and could not be transported for a few weeks. 

We had the babies on Thursday while Chelsea went to the airport to pick up my mom. She flew in for Nick's graduation and was here three days.  Chelsea, Liam, and Willow flew back with her to spend a week visiting my mom and dad in Florida.

My friend Julie made this little friends for the babies to take on their trip.  They LOVE them!  Liam told me he has a new friend and his name is Groot and sissy has one too!

Friday was graduation day.  This was one of those weird things to me.  Don't get me wrong, I am very glad he was able to have a graduation ceremony.  But, we are bombarded with the idea that being close to people is bad, being in groups in worse, and being in large groups is horrible right now.  But, we were allowed to have an indoor graduation ceremony with 100 graduates, each allowed to bring 8 people with no "social distancing" for those in the stands. The graduates were 6 feet apart.  We all were required to wear a mask and everyone was given hand sanitizer so I guess that meant that we were all safe from the virus.

Anyway ... it was a nice ceremony.  It wasn't until 8 o clock at night and because of the limitations of guests we left all of the children at home and only took the adults. I wanted to get a family picture before we left, but the girls were playing with water balloons and were soaking wet. Nick does not love pictures but I did get a few.

And back to the mask thing...... I do not believe that masks do anything to help prevent the spread of this illness.  I have not seen any science to prove that masks prevent the spread of this illness.  I have read several things to the contrary.  I also don't think that healthy people are responsible for the spread of this illness. Our governor passed a state wide mask mandate that begins tomorrow after first saying that local governments could decide whether or not to mandate masks (our decided against.) We now have no choice but to wear masks, which I strongly disagree with (and no that doesn't make me insensitive or uncaring.) The graduation was the first time I had to wear one and I did notice a few things.  First I could not breathe properly with it on covering my mouth and nose in an airconditioned building (I feel for those working outside that will be required to wear them) I had to have my nose peaking out.  I wasn't the only one doing this, half of the people in the arena were wearing theirs the same way.  Also, when people were speaking to each other they moved the mask down off of their mouth to talk.  And I touched my face more trying to get the mask in a comfortable position throughout the night then I would ever normally do.  I am very prone to headaches anyway and had a raging one by the time we could leave and I could remove the mask.     I saw a graphic today showing people how and why to convince their small children to wear masks and it made me incredibly sad.....I wonder when all of this will end????  We just have to accept these things as our new normal? I am praying daily for those that are sick and everyone that is working in the healthcare industry and everyone who has been affected by this pandemic and hope that it will come to an end soon.  I am thankful that we homeschool and my younger children will not have to be masked in a classroom all day.  My older boys will have to wear them at work and at the college and Art's job has mandated that starting Monday they must wear them all day even if they are the only ones in their office. 

Nick moves into his dorm in three weeks. They have delayed the start of public school two weeks but the colleges are starting a week early.  I am not sure yet when we will start at home.  I have one or two things left to order and then will start making some final plans.

My mom and Chelsea and the children landed safely in Florida.  I hope they have a great trip!

I hope you had a great week!

Happy Homeschooling!