barefoot in the garden, simple joy

 

The jungle of tomatoes...

squashes...

...that morning sun on the pool!

A little baby watermelon...

The days go by too fast.  Yesterday, I decided to rearrange the kitchen/dining area, so that involved cleaning and vacuuming and sorting, and the day was getting away from me.  The sun taunting, the pool out there sparkling.  I had to leave at two to bring Paul to the airport, he's in Colorado for the week for work.  

As it got closer to one o'clock, I decided I NEEDED to swim a bit, it's necessary, right?  All by myself, out there doing my exercises...then floating around, ahhhh.  Paul joined me for a bit before we had to get dressed and leave.  You think that summer is just endless opportunity for fun, and shh, it kind of is, but you have to make sure you stop and smell the roses.

Camille went with us, and after dropping Paul off, of course we had to go to Target.  We tried on a few things, her dress was too big, mine was too small, and the jeans I tried on:  wishful thinking, and a bit sad. I didn't look bad standing up, but I sat down on the little red stool in the change room, and the muffin top, well, I didn't start complaining loudly about it, ha, but the waistband was so snug, it hurt, so they were a NO, even though they were clearanced to $8.99.  I want to be comfortable, and not look 9 months pregnant, is that too much to ask?  

But life is more than how you look, thank goodness.  

Camille hobbled her way through the store, we bought kettle corn for the microwave, a few 35 cent notebooks, a few clearances toys for grandkids, and spent $19.  The grocery store next door, we bought the 8 pack of fried chicken, it's so terrible and so good, and so easy, and you smell it all the way home, and you're happy because you're singing, I don't have to make dinner, I don't have to make dinner!

We had so much salad stuff left from the day before, it was such an easy dinner, and so yummy.  

This morning, I cubed up some chicken breast, and marinated it in lemon juice and ginger.  I'll make orange chicken with it later.  I also put some pork chops in a lemon juice/garlic/rosemary marinade for tomorrow.  

I do tend to stay up too late when Paul's not home.  We watched too many episodes of a stupid show last night, but these days with my girls are so precious, and we laugh and pick apart the plot, it's worth being tired.  

Camille has physical therapy today, then we're thinking of going to the thrift store to drop some things off, and of course look around for anything we really need, ha.  

Jonathan is leaving next week for Norway, then he's going to Germany for a year, a church youth program.   I am happy for him (he's so excited!), but sad for me.  I do not want him gone for so long, but I would never tell him that, you have to let them go.  It'll be so very good for him, he'll make lifelong friends and have fantastic adventures.

Wreaths:  I ordered a beautiful wreath for the front door from Joann Fabrics, for $14.99.  I thought the order didn't go through because I didn't get a confirmation email, so the next day, I ordered two more.   Then, the first one I ordered arrived, then the second two, oops.  One on the front door, one on the deck door, and one for Margaret, it worked out fine!  (I always say:  when a package comes when Paul's not home, it's a good day:))

When Margaret and I went to the beach the other day, we saw a young beautiful mom just reaming out her three kids...I came to the beach to visit, not to run you back to the car every five minutes, blah blah blah...she was pointing her finger in their faces and doing that quiet yelling thing that moms are so good at.  I commiserated with her, I am her, I just want to do what I want to do with no one bugging me.  But.  When you have kids, life turns upside down, and your own happiness comes from being a sacrifice to make them happy, to an extent, anyway.  You have to find a happy medium, where they respect your need to relax a bit, respect your need to maybe take a nap, but momming is frustrating when you're constantly trying to have things your own way.  The kids need to be respected too, and treated as the precious gifts they are, straight from heaven.  We all get frustrated and impatient, but we are not debtors to the flesh, and we do not have to give in to it.  When we fight against all that sin in our own selves, then our kids don't have to suffer because of OUR OWN issues.  Goodness can come instead.  THAT is the good fight, and God blesses it, strengthens us in it.  

Yes, the first ingredient in a good life is patience.  Most of us don't have enough of it, and we need to suffer though our impatience to get more of it, but it's so worth it.

Anyway, can you tell that there are no young children here today?  We've had grandchildren living here since April, now they're all moved out and it's quiet here...so I'm a-bloggin' away, sorry!!!!