Prompt: Do you have a favourite colour? What does your favourite colour make you think of and what makes it special?

My oh my... did this prompt ever cause tension in my home today!!! "That's really three questions.. that's not fair!" "It's a silly question", "Who cares", " That's too much writing!"

aye yi yi!!

I was personally looking forward to it although choosing only one colour was too much of a task!
I like different colours for different reasons! I've also always felt that different days of the week lend themselves in my mind to a different colour.... (I know I'm going off the deep end now)

Red makes me think of accomplishing things. Mondays... beginning of the new week, great intentions and plans... a rush of excitement of starting a fresh week with grand goals. Anything is possible with a red Monday! Red is confidence, importance and prosperity. Red is berries, apples, sweet smelling roses, fast cars and tomato soup.

Blue is my Tuesday colour. I like blue. It is refreshing and soothing. I likely need a more relaxing day and colour after my build up of red Monday.
I have tried for many years to convince people that I have a blue theme in my kitchen... but who am I kidding... the walls are a gorgeous yellow/orange and I have wooden cabinets and I've picked out a charcoal counter top... No blue in sight... the washcloths and tea towels are blue... and the cups in the cupboard used to all be blue.. now I have a whole rainbow in there.
Blue is still productive and steady, but peaceful. It is confident and conservative, trustworthy and truth. Blue is skies, water, the wind, my bluebirds and ink.

Yellow is Wednesday's colour.... It's calm. By now the house should be clean and the week running smoothly *lol* but the week is halfway by know as well and I have a sense of how the rest of the week is going and how much I'll really be accomplishing this week and it's a happy day. No stress, I've made it this far and if it isn't going well I can still change for the better but if it is going well... then smooth sailing ahead... Just a happy colour! Yellow is hope and courage. Yellow is childhood smiling and laughter. Yellow is a banana, a sunrise, daffodils, ducklings and chicks, a baby blanket and corn on the cob.

Green is a Thursday colour. It's almost a lazy day around here. No normal meetings scheduled or extra lessons of any kind... a kick back and enjoy nature kind of day. Green is renewing, healthful, stable and balancing. It is responsible without having to stress too much. Green is a new plant, a fresh vegetable, the grass when I remember to water it, a park, a shade tree, mints and lime sherbert!

Orange is Friday... but it's not a halloween orange... it's a burnt orange, rustic orange a BEAUTIFUL colour... it's warm and inviting, it's restful and relaxing... OK.. so orange is really up there as one of my favourite colours. Why Friday? Because the week is done and we're going to enjoy the weekend. Patrick would argue that the work is just beginning. But now I feel like it's not the mundane anymore, it's the fun, the projects, the things I just can't let myself get sidetracked by all week long and yet I want done or to be doing! It's a beautiful colour... like a gorgeous sunset! Orange is stimulating mentally and emotionally. Orange suggests staying home and family, a fun game or a good book. Orange is a warm fire, a pumpkin pie, apple cider, autumn leaves and crisp mornings.

Brown is like an accent colour. On it's own it struggles, but with other colours the brown is what is so alluring. Brown is my weekend. Brown pulls it all together, keeps me constant and going. Many shades of brown work... Some weekends are taupe and just sort of happen.. others are a deep chocolate brown, full and rich in activity and excitement! Weekends can be almost any colour because it's based on what we've got going on.. but always it's accented with a great brown! Brown is honest, dependable and wholesome. Brown is hot chocolate, a garden bed, fresh baked goods, cardboard boxes waiting to be turned into a house or a car, big brown eyes, brown paper packages and UPS.

My olympic event!

I'm going for the gold. The event... well it's not an Olympic event... yet!... maybe one day...
But it really is appropriate for the Beijing games. I refer to it as the Chinese holiday. I've been referring to it this way for some time.... The gist of it is based on a story.. I always thought the story was a Chinese proverb... but boy was I wrong... it is a Jewish folktale... but China likely has a similar one... the point is... it's my Olympic event, anyway... here is the story It could be Worse!

Once there was a poor Jewish man who had come to the end of his rope.

So he went to his Rabbi for advice.

"Holy Rabbi!" he cried. "Things are in a bad way with me, and are getting worse all the time! We are poor, so poor, that my wife, my six children, my in-laws and I have to live in a one room hut. We get in each other's way all the time. Our nerves are frayed and, because we have plenty of troubles, we quarrel. Believe me--my home is awful and I'd sooner die than continue living this way!"

The Rabbi pondered the matter gravely. "My son," he said ,"promise to do as I tell you and your condition will improve."

"I promise, Rabbi," answered the troubled man. "I'll do anything you say"

"Tell me--what animals do you own?"

"I have a cow, a goat, and some chickens."

"Very well! Go home now and take all these animals in your house to live with you."

The poor man was dumbfounded, but since he had promised the Rabbi, he went home and brought all the animals into his house.

The following day the poor man returned to the Rabbi and cried, "Rabbi, what misfortune you have brought upon me! I did as you told me and brought the animals into the house. And now what have I got? Things are worse than ever! The house has turned into a barn! Save me, Rabbi--help me!"

"My son," replied the rabbi serenely, "go home and take the chickens out of your house. God will help you."

So the poor man went home and and took the chickens out of the house. But it was not long before he again came running to the rabbi.

"Holy Rabbi!" he wailed. "Help me, save me! The goat is smashing everything in the house--she's turning my life into a nightmare."

"Go home," said the rabbi gently, and take the goat out of the house. God will help you!"

The poor man returned to his house and removed the goat. But it wasn't long before he again came running to the rabbi, lamenting loudly, "What a misfortune you've brought upon my head, Rabbi! The cow turned my house into a stable! How can you expect a human being to live side by side with an animal?"

"You're right--a hundred times right!" agreed the rabbi. "Go straight home and take the cow out of your house!"

And now the poor unfortunate man hastened home and took the cow out of his house.

Not a day had passed before he came running again to the rabbi. "Rabbi!" cried the poor man, his face beaming. "You've made life sweet again for me. With all the animals out, the house is so quiet, so roomy, and so clean! What a pleasure!"

THE END

So... my version for the purpose of the Olympics is, have as many vacations as you can... do as many projects as you can... have as many house guests as you can... still try to keep up with the crazy life you already live.... and do it all within one summer ... by the end of the Olympics when you are done traveling and everyone extra has gone home you are pleasantly surprised with how calm and simple your own life truly is!.... for as long as that feeling lasts.....

Prompt --- What we like about September

Our school this year has a journal prompt for each day. The kids thought it only fair that I write along with them. I didn't bother explaining my philosophy on fair again.. or that I have already learned to write and this is their activity... if me writing with them makes them write then write I will... I will title the ones I blog as Prompt.. (then the prompt) to identify them as school assignments... I may include their responses as well... since some are fabulous!

Interestingly... What do you like about September assumes that you've given some thought to which months you like... and I suppose... 'don't' like... I had to consider if I did or not. I think I prefer September as a fresh beginning almost more so than January's New Years'.... the weather is not so hot as it was in the summer and it's nice to be able to do things outdoors. The school year is beginning and although my children are still at home, we are getting back into the groove of doing school after a fun summer of playing and visiting. The garden is finally proving it's worth after all the work... fresh tomatoes daily and zucchini that I can't keep up with... This year I had success with my onions even.... I look so forward to next year when I actually plant my whole garden... This year was spent making my whimsical brick beds, and moving dirt and planning the garden.... organizing the garden shed and getting ready for a garden, but I did manage to plant my squash and tomatoes.

September brings back old favourites in the wardrobe for me... sweaters and boots, an excuse for hot cocoa or apple cider, soups and bread baking... last year it brought apples by the bucket non stop for 20 days.... (this year the trees weren't as laden... and I'm finding a blessing in that)

September finds all the neighbourhood children back at school and us at home in peace, and I somehow find that after a hectic summer that it is a time to reconnect with my own children and not have the constant distractions and albeit fun interruptions of summer.

So if nothing else... this September finds me at home... At home with my children, at home with my choices, at home and happy. Yes... I do like September... I think I like it a lot!