Since it Rains Here Frequently

And I cannot use my clothesline this time of year, I bought myself a H-U-G-E clothes drying rack.
This is the one I bought:   http://www.homesteaddryingracks.com/laundry.html

This thing can hold 2 loads of laundry on it.  Seriously, it's that big.

Once, when our old dryer was broken, a repairman told me that the average dryer costs around $30 a month to run.  That's like 1/4 of our power bill.  And since my family is larger than average, I figure our savings is probably closer to $50.  That figure pretty much converted me to line/rack drying.

Another laundry quandary that I've pondered is trying to decide if it is truly frugal to make your own laundry soap.  Is it worth the money and time and does it get your clothes clean?  Oh yeah, man, it's totally worth it.  Here's what I've learned:
First, don't bother making a batch of dry detergent.  According to several plumbing websites I visited the powder-type detergent doesn't completely dissolve and can be a problem for septic systems.  Specifically, the undissolved borax can leave a residue that clogs the filters leading into the drain field.  Not good.  You've got to make a "wet" version instead.  I've always been hesitant to do this type because most recipes I found were for huge, 5 gallon buckets of the stuff.  I didn't want to make that much and end up wasting it if I found it to be an inferior product.  Where's the frugality in that, I say?  I created my own smaller volume recipe as follows:
In a saucepan filled with a few (maybe 2 or 3?) cups of water, add 1/2 bar FelsNaptha soap, grated.  Heat this until the soap is dissolved.  Then stir in 1/2 C. borax and 1/2 C. washing soda.  Pour it into a gallon size container (or a few quart jars or whatever you have) and fill the remaining space with water.  Stir well.  This will turn into a gel.  I use about 1/3 C. (that happened to be the only measuring cup I was willing to devote to this project) with each load.
I've been told you can use Dr. Bronner's soap or Zote soap.  You could also add some essential oil for a more pronounced fragrance.  Personally, I like the smell of FelsNaptha, so I just leave it as is.  Several of my family have sensitive skin and we've not had any trouble with this.

This Week, So Far

 Vadar loves to chase snowballs.  And Jon loves to throw them for Vadar.  Check out how high he's jumping!

 Sarah singing, "Away in a Manger" for the church kids' program.  Don't you want to squeeze that little girl in the pink?!

 Jon, in his new bow tie, also singing at church.

A homegrown Christmas tree.  Yes, I know it's crooked and a bit sparse on one side.  It's a second/cull tree.  We think it's lovely.

We've had a nice amount of snow since Sunday night.  Just enough to turn everything white and build a snowman, but not so much that I can't drive (if I really need to--I'm horrible scared of snow driving.) to town.  

The little kids helped make Christmas cookies last night.  Why is it that I'm the only one who completes this project?  After haphazardly mangling the dough (my mom always made us start around the edges, all tidy-like) everyone abandons me until the frosting comes out.  Then after eating/licking the better part of the bowl of frosting they all walk away and leave me to finish.  I don't even LIKE to decorate cookies!  I did, finally, find a cookie recipe that I like.  I'll post it later.

I made a super easy dinner last night too.  Shrimp and rice.  And beans.  I bought large shrimp ($16!) and marinated them in a mixture of 1/2 C. olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, juice from 2 limes, and a dash of chili powder.  Then I simply broiled them under the oven broiler for about 5 minutes.  That's it!  The rice was just a version of Spanish rice: 1 C. rice sauteed with butter, onions, and peppers, then cooked with a can of diced tomatoes and enough water to equal 2 C. liquid.  Oh, and salt and chili powder too.  

Simplicity

Isn't that just such a trendy word these days?  Everywhere you look there's a magazine article, a book, or some other media source touting the need to simplify.  Simplify what?  Evidently everything.  We're told to simplify our spending, our possessions, our wardrobe, or homes.  We need to make our meals simpler.  The time we spend just doing needs to be simplified.  Our kids need to be simplified too. Personally, I think that the word is grossly overused, but more importantly, misused.

Let me explain.  According to the dictionary, simplify means "the act of making something easier."  Well, that's a bit of a subjective idea, isn't it?  What would make something easier for me isn't necessarily what would be easier for another person, you know?  Think about laundry for a second:  Most people involved in the simplicity movement would tell you to get rid of your dryer and hang all of your laundry on a clothesline.  Is that really simpler than throwing everything in a dryer, turning the knob, and waiting for the machine to do all the work?  Heck no!  Now think about cooking:  Isn't it easier to run to the store and buy bread or soup or applesauce rather than spending the time to make it yourself?  Of course!  But here's the catch in all of it--does it really matter if a task is simpler/easier to complete if you truly enjoy the experience and process of doing it the unsimplified way better? So maybe the first thing we need to do is take a step away from Pinterest or other people's blogs that chronicle their incredibly exciting lives, and really stop and think what it is that we truly enjoy.  What makes us honest-to-goodness happy?  How do we really want to live?  Sometimes the answer will be EXACTLY what the other 99% of people are doing, but other times, we'll be alone in our choices. When you are true to yourself, everything seems simpler.

I believe that the key to living a simple life is simply to be filled with gratitude.  About everything.  I am not an optimist by nature.  In fact, I'm pretty sure the world is going to end at least once a week.  It's a habit, though, to train ourselves to see what to be thankful for in the everyday, simple things in life.  I think this is what draws us to the simplicity movement--the desire for contentedness in everything.  Have you ever known someone who was always content?  Not always happy (now THAT would be just plain annoying!), but always content with what they had.  I've known a few of those, and they are so awesome to be around!  Rather than filling our lives with more, more, more, maybe we need to be more appreciative for what we already have.

So, that's my take on the simplicity movement.  First, identify how you (not your neighbor, not your friends, not your family) really want to live.  Then, be filled with gratitude for what you have.  Always stay true to your real self in the process.

And there's nothing wrong with downsizing our home, our wardrobe, our car, our spending, our possessions, etc. in order to better live our lives.  I think those are the things most people think of when they consider simplifying.    Sometime when we have too much we can't see the joy in the simple.  There is, however, something inherently wrong with downsizing ice-cream sizes.  Did you know that many ice cream manufacturers have done just that?   But NOT Ben & Jerry's.  Whew.

26 Things I've Learned in the Past 2 Months

1.  Traveling with a dog isn't nearly as difficult as I had expected.

2.  Packing up a house is a terrible, torturous thing to do.

3.  A moving van always holds more than anticipated.

4.  Really sweet friends take the time to bring lunch over for all the moving help on moving day.

5.  Saying good-bye is not one of my strong points.

6.  West VA allows "totally nude" dancers at, ahem, "Gentleman's clubs."  Ahem.

7.  So does Missouri.

8.  The Mississippi River can easily escape notice, due to its unusually low level.  Or maybe some people should pay a bit more attention during geography.  (And I mean myself)

9.  NEVER stay at a Microtel.  Gross.

10.  GPS devices were created to mock us.  Though I did appreciate the ability to locate the closest Starbucks at the touch of a button.

11.  I had the greatest co-pilot.

12.  Legos are the greatest toy ever made.  Except when Mom gets mad and throws the box out the car door in Utah.  Then it's hard to find all the little pieces.

13.  Echo, UT has a scary rest area.

14.  There are very few coffee shops in UT.  But lots of Golden Corrals.  Thanks, Macy Reece, for the suggestion!

15.  Wyoming goes on forever.

16.  Old houses have persnickety plumbing.  At best.

17.  Lead paint wears like iron.  I say we bring it back.

18.  Paneling should be outlawed.

19.  One bathroom is easier to clean than two.

20.  Rain and humidity are both equally bad forms of water.

21.  Everyone should drive across the country at least one time in their life.  Truly the best experience we've every had.

22.  S&B Donuts cannot be beat.

23.  Old houses have a lot of character.  And living in old houses builds a lot of character.

24.  I'm glad to be "home."

25.  I really miss my other "home" in VA.  And my friends.  And my Walmart.  And my library.  And Raleigh.  And Roanoke Rapids.  And Winchester.  Heck, I even miss Blackstone!  (There's a really great antique store in Blackstone)

26.  I think I've learned that "home" is not just one place, but really lots of places--each one filled with great people (sometimes family, sometimes friends), happy memories, and always the six of us.  Or seven counting Vader.

Now, this is by no means a complete list.  I've learned lots more, for sure.  These are just the ones that come to me easily.  Oh, and I just thought of one more:  I totally miss my Amish friend, Emma.

Tangier Island

 On the way back to the mainland.

 Leaving the dock on Tangier.

 Tourists.

 An example of a Tangier crabshack.  These are only accessible by boat.

 THE mode of transportation.  

 My favorite house on the island.

 Postal service, 6 days per week.  Weather permitting, of course.

 Top picture is of the typical salt marsh on Tangier.  There are little creeks that run through the island that you can boat on, like a road.

Bottom picture is the lighthouse when you enter the Chesapeake Bay.

 Historic smokestack in Reedville.

 A bay front home.

Before we sailed.  If I only knew what my future held. 

Here is some information about Tangier Island:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangier,_Virginia

This was a great trip.  Totally worth the money and sea sickness.  

A Change

Big changes happening in our future.  Huge changes, actually.

About a month after Gma. Barb died, our house that has been on the market with no potential buyers for 2 years, was suddenly inundated with interest.  After a bit of price-haggling , we received a full-price offer on the house--in this horrible market that is crazy lucky!  I do believe that G.Barb was doing her part to convince the good Lord that it was time for us to head back to Oregon.  And so we started packing.

And packing.  And throwing crap away.  And having a huge yard sale.  And still packing some more.

Leaving VA will be more difficult than I ever imagined.  This is where Bill and I really created a home for our family.  It's where our kids essentially grew up.  Heck, none of the kids even remember living in Oregon!  I am excited about (re)introducing them to the places and activities that are familiar to me from my childhood.  We have made some really lovely friends here in VA and the thought of not seeing them on a regular basis is pretty sad to us.  When we moved from Oregon we know that we'd be back to visit family there often.  But here, we don't see our family returning for a visit for several years.  It just makes us sad.  Thank goodness for social media and computers.  That makes it much easier to stay in touch.

As we get closer to our moving date (August 15), we are working hard to finish up the packing (have I told you about how much packing is involved in moving a house full of people?), visiting with people one last time, and getting prepared to drive across the country.  Did I forget to mention that?  Yes, we're driving across the country, just 4 kids, a dog, a van with 165,000 miles, and 24' moving truck.  And Bill and I, of course.  We'll keep y'all posted on THAT journey.

Did I also mention that we will be moving into a 100 year old house that was last updated in 1967?  Well, that's not entirely true.  The kitchen was completely remodeled in 1981.  There is plentiful scraping, painting, flooring, and updating to be done.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that Bill doesn't have a job.

Cross-country move into a 100 year old house, no job, lots of house updating to complete, and a family with 4 kids (and a Vader dog).  I do believe we've lost our minds.  Please be praying for my sanity.  I'm totally serious.

I've got to finish a post about our last big VA adventure--this weekend we went to Tangier Island.  It was the last place that we really wanted to visit before we moved.  Totally worth the wait.  Pictures and post coming soon.

High Bridge Hike

 On our way.  Actually, it was the wrong way.  We got about 1/4 mile down the trail when we were alerted to this fact.

 Sunset.  Beautiful.

 The Appomattox River.  WAY down below.

 Support structure.

See me with Sarah on my back?  I really did make it across.  And back.

Here's a little information about High Bridge:

High Bridge

We took off on a little adventure Sunday evening.  After the temperature dropped a bit and we were pretty sure there were no thunderstorms headed our way, we drove to Farmville VA to check out this amazing bridge.  I hate heights, so this was a real challenge for me.  But knowing that there was frozen yogurt at Sweet FROG waiting for me afterwards helped me through.  It was beautiful, but I didn't look down.  

And We've Been Here

 Sarah's 3rd birthday.

 Drumsticks for G.Barb

 Mudcats!

 Immy's birthday.

My new favorite mug, from Grandma Barb.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, with birthdays, visitors, baseball, and the sadness of a death in the family.  Our wonderful Grandma Barb passed away on May 26th.  The week following her death found us planning a last minute trip home to Oregon for Bill, several baseball games for the boys to play in, the sad departure of our Immy, and the realization that we'll not see G.Barb sitting in her chaise lounge (pronounced chaizy lounge) next time we're home.  

This is the transcript of our family's memories of Grandma Barb that were read at her memorial:

The other night Bill and I were sitting outside in the cool, evening air, watching the fireflies dart about in the trees, remembering his grandparents.  Especially Grandma Barb on this particular evening.  While talking and laughing our way through these memories, we realized just how integrated Grandma Barb was in our lives.  Starting from the years that Bill was a child growing up through the years that the two of us moved from being just-dating teenagers, to newlyweds, to parents of small children, Barbara was always there.  Certainly, her presence wasn’t always quiet or subdued. In fact, sometimes it was quite boisterous and silly.  But that was the true essence of Barbara.

I first met Barbara the summer before I turned 17.  Bill and I were barely dating, but when he invited me to go visit his grandparents with him and see their farm, I curiously agreed to go along.  Really, I wanted to see what kind of grandparents a guy could have that would make him chose hanging out with them over the more typical things a boy of that age would like.  From that very first visit, I understood.  Barbara was very gracious to me that day and I could see right off that she was a remarkable lady.  She wore a ratty old pair of pants (brown, no doubt) and wasn’t made up with fancy, styled hair, but her kitchen table was set meticulously, her home was immaculate, and she required just the right amount of formality to make me feel like a special guest.  I can remember thinking, “Ah, this is how a Grandma should be.”  As we sat at her table that afternoon, eating chili dogs and visiting, she told me that she had been well acquainted with my own great grandmother.  And then she proceeded to tell me that she was a “nasty, crabby old woman!”  Right then, I knew that THIS was a woman whom I could trust.  A woman who would always tell it to me straight.    

Over the next few years I was fortunate enough to get to know Barbara and Bill well.  Bill and I spent many, many evenings at their kitchen table eating Drumsticks or sitting in their living room visiting (often over the rather loud din of the evening news).  After a walk around the farm or a few hours of fishing in the river, we would inevitably wander up their driveway, always to be met with a warm and generous invitation to come inside for a while.   How I loved those visits!  Barbara would spend her time making us feel special. Whether is was asking about what we’d been up to, or asking us what she could get us to eat, or just really listening when we talked, she extended such a gracious spirit to us.  I think that’s what made her so special.  Years later, I saw that same attentiveness and patience lovingly expressed to my own children.  I do believe that she loved her role as “Grandma Barb” better than any other position she held. 

Barbara was fiercely loyal to her family. God help anyone who should be unfortunate enough to hurt a member of her family.  Actually, God help anyone who WASN’T a Pennick!  She loved her family with a depth and unashamed intensity that is seldom seen.

And then, there was her sense of humor.  I’m sure everyone here has a favorite story about Grandma Barb.  Some of us might even be a little embarrassed by her antics.  Not me.  I confess to thinking her sometimes-crass sense of humor to be hilarious.  She was a woman who loved to laugh and had no problem being silly.  That was just another reason why she was so fun to spend time with.

I lost my Maternal Grandma when I was just 13.  My other Grandma died when I was only 18.  I wasn’t fortunate enough to have my own Grandmas with me for all the important milestones of my life, like getting married and having babies.   I am so thankful, though, to have had Barbara fill that void.  No, she wasn’t actually my blood relative.  But I loved her like she was.  To me, she became my “real” Grandma.  I will miss her.

My favorite memory of Grandma Barb is standing in the field outside her house talking, and when a car would drive by she would say, “Damn foreigners!”  Every time she said that we’d all start laughing.  Another good memory of Grandma Barb was from when I was little.  She would bring old toy machines in from her woodshed and let me play with them.  I never liked her chocolate chip cookies, but I did like the Drumsticks she always had in her freezer.  Something I could always look forward to was getting unbirthday money from her in the mail. 

Jack, age 13

My favorite memory of Grandma Barb was going over to her house with my cousins, Olivia and Carson, to get Drumsticks.  Another good memory of Grandma Barb was going in her woodshed and finding old toys to play with at Grandma and Grandpa Pennick’s house.  Last year, we went to Oregon and saw her and we took pictures with her.  The year before that, Aunt Pat was there and I went out to get the paper for Grandma and came in and scared Pat!  One time, Grandma Barb gave me a lot of quarters.  One day, Grandpa and Grandma Pennick took us to Rosie’s and Grandma Barb sat in the backseat with me. 

Jon, age 8

Grandma Barb told me to “Be careful or you’ll clonk your head, kid.”  She also called me a rummy car.

Sarah, age 3

Unfortunately, Madeline did not save her story on her computer.  

G.Barb

Reposting this entry in memory of G.Barb's birthday.  Don't forget to eat your Drumsticks!

Grandma Barb is Bill's paternal grandmother. She's 89 years old and lives alone. I might add that she lives alone in the same house on the farm that her husband's family settled close to 100 years ago. G.Barb likes to share the stories about the horrendous state of her house when she "came home" around 1940(ish). There was no running water, no electricity, nothing but an outhouse (a 2-seater--she's proud of that fact), and a few cows that had roamed through the rooms. She's lived in this house a long time. She raised two kids here, was married for 60 years here, and can tell a million stories about all of the things in life that she's experienced here. Personally, I think I've heard all of them, though she's been known to surprise me with a new one on occasion. (My all-time favorite G.Barb story is about how she and her mother-in-law snuck down the the local brothel and wrote down the license numbers on all of the cars parked there. She was proud of that one!)

I love Grandma Barb. Since my own Grandmas died when I was young (one when I had just turned 13 and one when I was 19), I've always been so thankful for her place in my life. I was so happy to have a Grandma available when Bill and I were married, when I had my first baby, and at all the other milestone moments in life. She was always there, wearing her brown and orange (she LOVES the color orange) pantsuits, Coty Wild Musk perfume, and sensible brown shoes. Always offering a listening ear, maybe a little advice, and usually a funny story pulled from her own experiences. Always one to cry at happy and sad events, G.Barb likes to say that her "bladder is behind my eyeballs." I love that one.

Grandma Barb has a fiery tongue. I've seen her tell people off in such a way that if there were awards for such things, she would be the Grand Champion. Flipping the bird at bad drivers? Oh, yes. Very much a G.Barb thing. God help the person who would mess with any of her family. Bill and I still laugh when we think about her favorite chide at his childhood sporting events: "Hey, you kid! Watch it!" And my all time favorite, "You rummy car!"

Something else we love about G.Barb is her incredible collection of figurines. Holiday figurines, animal figurines, ugly figurines. You name it, she probably has a figurine to represent it. Through the years she has shared some of these treasures with my figurine-loving girl. When we travel back to Oregon for a visit, you can often find Madeline talking with Grandma Barb, discussing all sorts of important things. Sometimes they visit for several hours, just sitting and talking, occasionally eating one of her chocolate chip cookies or always-present Drumstick ice cream cones. This has always struck me as a bit unusual, a preteen (and later teen) girl who would take the time to willingly visit with her elderly Great Grandma. I really think they both enjoy it.

As we were putting the seasonal decorations around the house this past week, we rediscovered many of our G.Barb treasures. Each one reminds us of her and the many, happy times that we've had together.

These are our seasonal favorites:

This pumpkin was certainly from the Dollar Tree. Nothing special, but G.Barb has one just like it.

Mr. Ghosty. He made the precarious trip via the USPS. His candle holder was broken during shipping, but we still love him.

My favorite, albeit unnamed, squirrel. This screams Grandma Barb to me. Madeline believes that this might be her first G.Barb original.

This is My Blog,

So I can really write about whatever I want.  As I lay in bed NOT sleeping last night, I started making a mental list of things that bug me.  Evidently, lots of things bother me.  Here's just a small sampling:

Fake tans:  If you don't live near the equator, you shouldn't have a tan every day of the year.  Also, haven't we learned that excessive sun exposure causes skin cancer?  Spray tans are just tacky.

Fake nails:  Breeding ground for bacteria, and a colossal waste of money.  Americans, alone, spend hundreds of millions of dollars (do the research, you'll be shocked) on nail beautification. Just think of the good a tiny portion of those dollars could do.

Wheels that are worth more than the car they're attached to.

Those stick figure families on the back of cars.  Do we even care that you have two kids, three dogs, a cat, and a fish?  Nope.

Soybean, cottonseed, and canola oils.  In that order.  Oh yeah, and high fructose corn syrup too.

Littering.  People who throw their Bojangle's chicken boxes in my front yard really piss me off.

Overly flat ironed hair that resembles the pages of a book.  Just hanging there in a limp curtain.  Hair is supposed to look real.  Embrace your natural texture.

THAT haircut.  You know, the one that every middle age woman thinks looks stylish?  Thank you, Kate + 8, for giving us the ugliest haircut of the past 2 decades.  Seriously, even Kate grew that thing out quickly.  Bonus points for attempting Victoria Beckham's version.  It was ugly too.

Tight, thin t-shirts that make women look like a soft-serve ice cream cone.  Don't kid yourself, even layering them does not hide the rolls.  Just choose another shirt and move on.  You'll be glad you did.

Flip flops.  Useless, ridiculous "shoes" that make an annoying sound.  Hate them.  Hate them more if worn by a man.

Mildew that grows on vinyl siding.  Impossible to completely remove.

Men who tear the sleeves off of their shirts and call it summer attire.  Especially lovely when the shirt is stained and torn elsewhere.

Jorts.  Jean shorts on men.  Yuck.  Super yuck when worn with aforementioned flip flops.

Logo-emblazoned clothing.  I don't care where you bought your clothes.  Just snobby.

Obsessive dog people.

Lettuce that bolts before you can fully appreciate the harvest.

Cell phones.  And obnoxious ring tones.  And obsessive texting.  Another colossal waste of money.  Do we really need to always be in touch?  Do we really think we're so important that everyone wants to know what we're doing?

Reality TV.  Seriously, you don't actually believe it's real, do you?

Nasty magazine covers, right at eye level in the grocery store.  Yeah, I totally want my 13 year old son to see liberal use of the "v" word.  And my learning-to-read 8 year old who likes to sound out any word he sees?  Not so good.  "Mama, what does sex mean?"

Toddlers and Tiaras.  Disturbing.

Those infant car seats that people carry with them everywhere and attach to a stroller.  That is not a convenient mode of transport. Just carrying the flippin' baby and leave the behemoth accessory in the car.  Babies are made to be held by their parents not by a piece of plastic.

Velveeta.  What the hell is it?!

Buffering YouTube videos that take forever to load.

Too long hair on "older" woman.  Myself included.  Madeline told me my hair wasn't alright for someone my age.  She's right.  But I'm also too lazy to get a haircut.  I'm embracing the updo this summer.

And these are but a few of my pet peeves.  Lest you think I'm a negative person, I also made a mental list of the many blessings that we are so fortunate to be the recipient of.  Though rather awe-inspiring to think on, that list wasn't nearly as entertaining.

Mother's Day Trip

 Waiting for the ferry.

 Feeding seagulls on the ferry.

 Dancing on the street in Williamsburg.

 Considered leaving her here.  Or constructing one similar for our house.

 On "The Night Ferry."

I'm not sure why Jack is standing off to the side so far.  I'm a little bothered by this.

On Saturday we ventured to Williamsburg, via the James River ferry.  This was a combination Sarah's birthday and Mother's Day celebration trip.  Since we went on this same adventure last October for my birthday, Sarah has been enthralled with the "Night Ferryboat."  Every night before bed she asks to go on the Night Ferryboat.  Every.  Single.  Night.  It was also a requirement that we stop at the Hanna Andersson outlet and buy new pajamas to wear on the Night Ferryboat.  Pink and yellow, preferably.  See her new jammies in the picture?  They've got some yellow and pink in them.  Success!

The weather was beautiful.  Sunny, but not too warm.  We enjoyed feeding the seagulls on the ferry deck, though I'm not too certain that the bikers on the back of the boat appreciated it.  Last time we were on the ferry it was cold and windy--not exactly the type of weather for standing outside in.  

We were a little late getting started in the morning so we weren't able to make it in time to eat lunch at the Carrot Tree restaurant (that we love) in Yorktown.  Luckily, there's a Carrot Tree Annex, located in an old motor lodge, just a few miles from the Jamestown Ferry landing.  So we did that instead.  

Since we were in Williamsburg, we had to get Sarah's picture taken in the stocks.  Everyone in our family, as well as anyone who's been to visit us in VA, has had to have their picture taken here as well.  The main street running through historic Williamsburg, Duke of Gloucester St., has all kinds of fun shops to browse through, our favorites being the toy store and the candy store. There are always lots of dogs, musicians, and strange people to enjoy watching.  

We always get lost in Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown.  This time was no exception.  We did, eventually, find a JC Penney's for Madeline to do a little shopping at.  And I bought myself a Mother's Day present at the Dick's Sporting Goods nearby.  I purchased a new running bra.  I know.  Totally exciting.  

The kids were treated to a rare McDonald's dinner (gag) and Bill and I bought sushi at Fresh Market.  And kombucha too.  How come there isn't a Fresh Market where I live?!  I'd be in heaven.  By this time it was getting dark (a necessity for riding on the Night Ferryboat) and we started to head towards home.  Kids were changed into their new jammies, chocolate was ready, and we boarded the Night Ferryboat.  And then Sarah fussed the entire 2 hours it took for us to get home.  The end.

Soap Day

 Cut the latest batch of soap this afternoon.  

This picture has nothing to do with soap.  It was taken on Sunday when Bill, Sarah, and Vader were visiting outside.  Sarah is sitting in the chair next to Bill.  I believe they were sharing a soda.  See the little red can next to Bill?

This is Sunday

 Today is a good day to bake bread evidently.

 Three loaves, ready to bake.

Granola bars.  Almost.  Just need to be cut.

One-pan granola.  Ready for yogurt.

And on Sunday I like to do most of my baking for the week while everyone is either napping or watching a movie.  I usually end up with a full cookie jar, a fresh pan of granola bars for snacks during the week, enough bread to last until next weekend, and at least one other staple that we've run out of during the previous week.  This week we were out of granola.

Hmmm.  I think I've been doing something wrong all of these years.

Right Now:

 Nightly dog snuggling.  Jon's best friend.

 Birthday, Mother's Day, and other assorted sewing projects.  All spread out in the dining room/school room/sewing room.  Maybe we should call it the multi-purpose room.

 Joanie has been a busy sewing machine!

 All of the flowers are blooming.  Even the jasmine on my front porch.

The garden is producing peas, greens, onions, and salad.  Lots of beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, carrots, and melons have sprouted.  I have high hopes for this garden!