Veronica Boulden

As part of coping with our Lyme treatment, we have to take baths to help manage all the symptoms of bacteria die-off.  And since we take so many of these baths, I decided to make it easier by doing some of the prep ahead of time.  Now, we just have to grab a jar of salts already mixed with essentials oils, a bag of baking soda already measured, and the measuring cup and hydrogen peroxide.   The "recipe" for the detox bath is as follows: Fill the tub with the hottest water you can stand. Add one cup of epsom salts mixed with 10 drops of rosemary essential oil. Note: Mix the oils into the salts ahead of time so that the oil mixes into the water, doesn't just float on top, etc. Then add one cup of baking soda and one cup of hydrogen peroxide.  Soak in the tub for twenty minutes or more.

Our church has started a new sermon series through the book of James in the New Testament.  Whenever there is a new sermon series, there is usually an art show, and the church asks for artwork from members that goes along with the theme and content of the series. We always try to participate, but with the start of the homeschool year, things have been so busy, and I was uncertain as to whether we'd be able to contribute much if anything.  We had to work right up to the deadline, but we pulled it together this weekend just before the deadline tomorrow.  We worked as a family to illustrate several of the metaphors from the book of James. Here are some pictures taken over the last few days.  We are submitting these frames with drawings and paintings made with different medium all grouped together.  I'm really thankful for a church that support the arts.  As Christians who know and walk with the living God, we have so much to tell, and there just aren't enough words. We need vi

I made a smash-book spread to capture images of our recent home makeover.  The work started earlier this summer.  First, we paved the driveway that had basically been reduced to gravel after many years of rain storms and snows and ice and winter plowing.  Next, we painted the girls' bedrooms, something we had never done in all the years we have lived here. We just made the girls live with the (tolerable) colors the previous owner had chosen.  Then we added AC. (I have developed severe asthma and allergies, so this will be a life-changing blessing.)  Then we replaced the roof. It was at end of life.  Then we replaced all the windows and doors and sliders, some of which are so large, they are the size of walls! These were also at end of life.  Then we painted the outside and all the inside walls that were damaged/ affected by the work.  It was quite a project, stressful, etc. but we had great people doing the work, and we actually enjoyed getting to know them and having them around. 

While I think there's too much emphasis on self-care these days, and if we did all the self-care recommended, we'd find it impossible to do anything else including caring for anyone else, I do think it's important to have quiet time in the morning. Lately, I've been making myself pumpkin spice coffee. (Starbucks Holiday blend + sugar-free caramel syrup + two drops of pumpkin pie extract+ frothed oat milk+ a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on top = sugar and dairy free, but still delicious!) My church has a weekly Bible study for women, and that ministry is starting up again for the fall. I'm taking a study on the Names of God by Melissa Spoelstra, so that will be part of my Bible reading/ devotional time for the next several weeks.  I'm also reading through Lumen, published by Goldberry books, and doing a picture study at least one a week.  Note: Some homeschool moms might find it interesting that I am not reading this book with my kids as part of our homeschool d

 I'm teaching a class at our homeschool co-op on Pride and Prejudice. We read a portion of the novel, discuss it while drinking a pot of hot tea, then we watch scenes from the chapters we just read from different movie adaptations, comparing and contrasting them with the book and one another. It's great fun! 

We've started another year of homeschooling.  Avril is in 10th grade.  Adele's in 7th.  After more than a decade of being part of Classical Conversations, we aren't doing that this year for a multitude of reasons, but the girls are using most of the same books they would have been using if we had remained in CC's Challenge 2 and Challenge B. Since I graduated an older daughter out of high school with Classical Conversations Challenge 4 a few years ago, I already own every single book Classical Conversations uses, almost every book I could need/ want to homeschool every subject through 12th grade. So far, I find that I still like most of the resources, so I feel no need to alter my curriculum or plans much (at least not this year) even though I am free to do that now.  But being on our own schedule (and not having all the added responsibilities that directing a program put on my plate) means that we have been free to add more to our plan than we have ever felt comfortabl

It's an annual tradition we have kept, since I can't remember when.  We attend the library book sale.  Some years, we go everyday, since there are so many books, you could go every day and still not see them all or be bored.  Some years, we even go so far as to volunteer several hours and help with set-up, so that we can get buy books early, a perk for volunteers who give their time and energy to help.  This year, we only went on the last day, when you can fill a box of books for $10.  Over the years, we have found that the books we like don't tend to get taken earlier in the week. Or maybe we have such eclectic tastes that we can still manage to find what we think are downright amazing books, even on the final day of the sale when everything has been picked over.  Either way, we weren't afraid of missing out by waiting until the end.  For instance, first book a picked up was a book of essays by Wendell Berry that I haven't read yet.  The last book I picked up was a

I have started graduate school for Classical and Liberal Education at Belmont Abbey. This semester, I'm taking a class on Grammar, so I'm reading several works by Aristotle and The Trivium by Sister Miriam Jospeh as a companion. Aristotle is, by far, the hardest thing I've ever read, but  as difficult as it is, I'm already having the time of my life!