what a weekend!

It was hot on the deck. Sonja K. and Camille were taking a break from playing down near the creek.

down by the creek...

Miss Sonja K....with the still-broken hot tub in the background.

Sonja's siblings call her, "Ginger". Mirielle calls her, "Miss Ginge".

Outside on the swings with a baggie of Life cereal.

Charlotte Claire

Our garden is planted, in the foreground...butternut squash and lots of lettuces and melons and green beans...Paul is in the back tilling up more garden space. We planted some asparagus, grapevines, and ten rasberry bushes. We will put in peppers and tomatoes in a few weeks.

Paul

Me. It was really nice and relaxing to be out back in the sunshine, with just Paul and Rosie, while the kids played in the creek and on the swings...they had rainboots on, and cleaning gloves on so they could make their fort without getting their hands muddy...then the inevitable happened, they got muddy. Really super muddy. It started with one child flinging mud at another. We sent them to wash up under the hose. Oh, so relaxing.

Margaret didn't mind grilling the burgers, but she doesn't like to smell like smoke.

This one is a little blurry, but I love how Jonathan loves Abigail so much...she was here for dinner last night, along with Mali Rose. Emily had to work.

So we had a weekend in the sunshine. Yesterday the older kids came home from the youth conference, all encouraged and happy and full of good things to talk about. We ate our lunch out on the deck. Evelyn Joy kept reminding me how she has been telling me for a few weeks that she needs some things from the dollar store for her school project. Since I knew we were almost out of milk and bread and bananas...I said I would take her. (We couldn't go Monday because there is a school band concert, and Tuesday is girls' fellowship, ect ect.) So we went. She got the little girls dressed and brushed their hair into little ponytails, and off we went. I think I am the only lady in the world who can spend $82 at the dollar store. Since there is sales tax on non-food items, that means I bought at least seventy something things. Hair things and napkins and Gihardelli chocolate covered caramels and four new big plastic bowls for salads and bags of chocolate peanutbutter Bugles and some socks (three packs for a buck, can't beat that) and some things for Charlotte's birthday, which is Friday. Even for me, that was a lot!

Abigail and I went for a nice long walk before dinner, after putting away the groceries. Mali had already taken Jonathan and Rosie on a walk (with Jon riding his bike, he LOVED that), so I didn't have to feel guilty for not bringing Dum-Dum with me. It was so beautiful out, still sunny and mild and so green and pretty.

So now it is Monday again. The house is in it's usual Monday state. My mother-in-law is back from Florida now, and has yet to come visit us, so I had better get cleaning. I love her to pieces, but she seems to have this radar that guides her to drop in when the house is at it's messiest. I have already washed up breakfast dishes and put some laundry in, and straightened up a bit. blah, I don't like cleaning the house. I am not cut out for this job.

Tonight is the school band concert. Camille and I are excited about it. She wants to wear a pretty dress.

I am so tired today. Not just usual Monday morning tired, either. I had coffee after our walk yesterday afternoon, perhaps too late in the afternoon. I could not fall asleep after such a busy day...I tossed and turned. Then I woke up from a terrible dream in which I found a tiny newborn baby that probably wouldn't live...I tossed and turned some more, then as I dozed off, I got a phone call...no one there. Again, almost asleep, another phone call...no one there. Then it was 6:30, and time to get up. blah! I could SO have slept then, when I couldn't. blah. I could fall asleep right now, with Miss Cuddly herself snuggled up to me wearing her warm pink princess Snuggie...hmm, maybe I would...that would mean my mother-in-law would come over for sure....