that perfect day...

Today is a perfect day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and Evelyn is here at home because she isn't going on the senior trip. I went on my walk, making it the full week, yay me. But all isn't sunshine and roses, I am not in the best shape. I walk my way through it, but the aches and pains are certainly there.

Paul doesn't have to work today, it's his Saturday because he is on Singapore time, readying for his trip there next month, and working with the office there. His schedule has changed to going to work for the afternoon evening, but his mornings are still filled with work calls.

Our pool is getting cleaner, it just needs to warm up and get hot again. We've had a few beautiful days. Yesterday, Charlotte Claire, Camille, and I went to the grocery store for some basics, like bananas and lettuce and chicken and eggs. We went into Kohl's really quickly, and the girls found a few super-clearanced things, with an extra 15% off. Then to Ollies, which I do love. They have things like brand name snacks, Perugina chocolate bars for $1.29. The big yummy one. I had to get a base for the new deck umbrella. Oh, that was a disaster, the new umbrella. I have been wanting one for a few years, but the deck shades over in the afternoon, so it wasn't a necessity, but I wanted one for if anyone wants/needs shade earlier. So, I was at Target, and the really nice one was on sale for 65, and the one I chose was $40. Well, two days after I put it up, I forgot to fold it down in the evening, and the wind picked up, and tipped the table over, and oops, all the new plants we had just gotten from the dollar store, whoopee all over the deck.

I cheaped out and didn't get the base, thought we could just use a pail of sand or something, but hadn't gotten to it yet. I decided to just bite the bullet and go buy a base, Ollie's had one for $6.99. Well, those were all gone, so I had to buy the $17 one. And Paul repaired the bent umbrella for me, he had to cut the bottom off because it was so badly bent. Lesson: remember to fold up your umbrella at night, and perhaps opt for the better one next time.

At Ollie's, I also bought two strings of solar lights for the deck, they looked awesome last night. I tangled them up good trying to put them on, there are 200 lights in each string.

By the time I got home, Paul had left for work, and I felt kind of bad. But today I plan to stay home:)

The kids are finishing up their school year, the three high school girls, and the homeschool kids. Evelyn is graduating! A few of them are planning to work this summer, which is going to be interesting, because I don't particularly want to spend my summer shuttling girls to and from jobs, but they don't exactly have cars. We have the one extra minivan, with no air conditioning, so we will have to work out details.

Anyway. Life is busy but good, not without trials, but trials either bring one closer to God, or make one angry and bitter and dissatisfied with life.