Our hummingbirds are back! Last weekend I hung a feeder and bought a colorful hanging plant for the back porch, trying to give the hummers a better chance of finding the feeder. The next morning, I got buzzed when I took Lacy outside, and this week I’ve seen them coming and going, even while I’m out on the porch. I know we have both males and females already. When I see them coming more frequently, or males starting their fighting, I’ll hang another feeder, too.

Pigs really do fly. Our bird feeder is evidence of this fact. Our piggy birdies eat every bit of seed in our feeder in just a few days. The house finches have been back in full force; one day we counted at least seven on the feeder at once.

Birds we’ve seen at our feeder this month include:

• house finches
• cardinals
• eastern towhees (they sing, “Drink your tea!” so I love them especially!)
• goldfinches, now wearing their bright summer coats
• downy woodpeckers and red-bellied woodpeckers
• chickadees and titmice (or is it titmouses?)
• chipping sparrows
• white-breasted nuthatches

One little nuthatch had a bit TOO close of an encounter with the bird feeder. Ken re-filled it yesterday {again!}, and found a nuthatch inside the feeder — a little too eager to get at the seed! It was okay, and must not have been there long, but I’m glad we didn’t wait days to refill it or the little thing might’ve died in there.

Didn’t Kathryn do a lovely job on her nature notebook page this week?

I said I wouldn’t allow any games on my iPad (because it’s mine, all mine!) but I did make a few exceptions for educational games. Kathryn loooooves Stack the States, a geography game I found by recommendation from Tricia (aka HodgePodge Mom).

This week we finished up all of our history readings for the school year, including The Story of Inventions by Frank Bachman. Our last two chapters were on the invention of the computer, and the history of space travel. I loved this quote by Dr. Wernher von Braun, the scientist who headed up the development of the U.S. space program:

In our modern world, people seem to feel that science has somehow made “religious ideas” seem old-fashioned. Nevertheless, I think science has a real surprise for the skeptics. Science, for instance, tells us that nothing in nature, not even the tiniest particle, can disappear without a trace. Think about that for a moment. Nature does not know extinction, only change. Now if God applies this fundamental principle to the most tiny and humble parts of the universe, does it not make sense to assume that He also applies it to the masterpiece of His creation — the human soul?

Yep.

Guess what? We have completed our 180 required days of school! Kathryn keeps trying to tell me that means she’s a middle-schooler now {breathe in, breathe out}, but I’m totally in denial and told her she’s absolutely not a 6th grader til we start the new school year.

We will keep on at a very relaxed “unofficial” pace through the summer to finish up math, and do the few remaining states in our U.S. States notebook. But for Lindsey, I need to get BUSY making plans for her homeschool year, because we’ll have to start it this summer in order to do all that she needs to get done.

Our church only does GA’s (Girls in Action) through 5th grade, so Wednesday was Kathryn’s last night ever! The 5th graders get charms instead of badges, so they received the charms they earned for the year and celebrated with ice cream sundaes.

PHOTOS IN COLLAGE: 1) Ready for hummingbirds; 2) Geography on the iPad; 3) GA’s charms in lieu of badges; 4) I take too many photos of Lacy sleeping; 5) helping Brandon and Diane address and seal wedding invitations; 6) Kathryn working at the soup kitchen.

I’M INSPIRED BY… serving again at the soup kitchen. There is some craziness in my life right now, and this is a reality check I need. I hope as we continue working there, we’ll find ways to be more useful and figure out more specific ways we might serve or bless the people who come for a meal. Want more inspiration? Read some of the posts from the Compassion bloggers who have been in Tanzania all week.

A PHOTO TO SHARE:
I have a new ‘do. I like my hair LONG or SHORT (not at all in-between), and since it takes entirely too long to get it long, I decided to just go short again. Really short. 😉

(Reminded why I don’t like self-portraits: lens angle makes my nose look HUGE!)

—> HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, all you sweet mama-friends! {hugs}

Linking today with:
– iHN’s Homeschool Mother’s Journal
– Kris’ Weekly Wrap-Up
– Mary’s Collage Friday
– Dawn’s Camera Phone Friday

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »