friday friday friday!!!

The weather here in central New York state has been gorgeous. Absolutely perfect. Sunny skies, breezy, in the seventies. I spent too much time outside yesterday with Mirielle and Kathryn,and swimming with Jonathan. I never did take that walk, but I swam and did lots of stuff around the house....

And, I made cookies. Chocolate chip. The girls were going to a gathering, to say goodbye to their cousin Claire who is getting married tomorrow to an Aussie. She will be living in Australia, and since that's not around the corner, we won't be seeing much of her, sniff sniff. So I wanted to make a special snack for this gathering, instead of just telling Margaret to take a package of Keebler Elf cookies from the cupboard. Now, Camille is spoiled, and doesn't like chocolate chips, so before I added them, I put some dough in a different bowl and added whole oats and some white chocolate chips. I LOVE oatmeal cookies. I love them. And these were just right. Anyway, it took me almost two hours from start to finish, and it was after cooking and serving dinner, so I was ready to sit down and put my 48 year old feet up. Only my feet are that old btw, the rest of me is like...29. No, 16. Anyway. I put two of those oatmeal cookies aside for when I sat down. I had a few tastes (like four) of the dough, and yes, it was good. Then I was done, washed the bowls, packed and plated the cookies, wrapped some up for lunches....then looked at the two cookies. I broke off a piece of one, it was yum. Then I came to my senses, and sat down and put my feet up...without the cookies. I did not really need those cookies.

I know, I know, some of you normal people are like, "What the heck! It's only a couple of cookies! Just eat them already, and stop yapping about it!"

Lots of different things are going on around here. Mirielle took Mali on a trip to Cape Cod, last minute, to celebrate her graduation from Nursing School. Kathryn and Suzanne also got to go. Mali called me last night as they were entering Massachusetts, laughing her head off because all this time she thought they were going to Maine. I didn't see the humor in it like she did, but all four of them were howling about it, so I guess they were having fun.

Margaret is done with school except for tests, so she didn't have to go in today. So after the gathering last night, she came home and watched some episodes of, "Psych" with Jonathan.

She volunteered to get up with the girls this morning, too. I got to sleep in! Well, I didn't. I woke up, and tried to fall back to sleep...I heard the first bus come....I got up and looked out the window to make sure the girls were getting on it...and nope. Dang it, they didn't get up! I got dressed speedy fast, and drove Evelyn and Sonja K. to school, so they didn't miss tests today. Thankfully Margaret was getting the girls ready!

Never a dull moment, I tell you.

I need to go to the store today, we are having a get-together here on Sunday. And, we are almost out of milk and butter and bananas and half and half. Only 12 of us here now, but we still run out of things left and right.

Samuel texted me yesterday, said he is starting his fitness training next week. He is rooming with a guy who has been to the fitness place, and he helped Sam do 200 push ups yesterday. So he will be fine. When he graduates is still up in the air, he might be at FTU for a week, maybe two...as soon as he passes a PT test, he will be good to go, and will be able to come home for a week. It's not easy for me to not know more details, I want to plan! Not knowing when I am taking a 19 hour trip to Georgia...well, that means I don't know which older kids will be able to help me drive, or what will be going on around here. Next weekend is a youth camping trip to Pennsylvania, so I am sort of glad he probably won't be ready to come home yet then. Ah well, it will all work out.

These things that seem so big and important will fade into distant memories. Sam has said a few times that though all this is hard for him, he knows in a few years he will barely remember it.

Wise words from an 18 year old kid.

Well, the drudgery of housework calls me, once again. I do not like to clean, but I do like the house to be clean. I try to console myself sometimes with things like, At Least I Can Walk, At Least We Have A House, and At Least We Have Running Water, ect. It doesn't make me love sweeping and mopping, but it does make me see how gross it is to complain. I mean, this is my JOB. Paul has his job, he would much rather be out in his garden, or taking the kids on a bike ride. But he doesn't complain. He says he is glad to have a job. I have been given too much to grumble about it all....