Weekend at Home

This past weekend was our first weekend at home without any major event going on since about Memorial Day.  I can't even begin to tell you the relief I felt at not having a big thing to deal with or plan for or leave the house for or get dressed for.  The whole first three weeks of school have just about flat worn me out, and I needed this time at the house in a bad way.  My list of things that I wanted to accomplish was far longer than I actually managed to get through, but I at least managed to dig out from a whole week of laundry baskets that hadn't been put away (and in the case of some, hadn't been folded).  There were 7 baskets in case you wondered.  Seven.  Full ones.  I got a few clean up projects done around the house and also managed to make it look like autumn around here, which seemed to match the changing cooler air that we enjoyed all weekend long.  The stars were aligning for a fantastic weekend.

Friday after school, I finally fulfilled a promise to Josh and let him invite his friend, Levi, to come home with us after school to play.  The boys had a blast with Nerf guns, basketball, a video game or two, a spaghetti dinner and some cartoon drawing.  Levi was a joy to have around and Josh seemed to really have fun.  Admittedly, I need to do more of this for him.  But frankly, finding a time that even WE are all home is a trick, let alone adding in another body to the mix.  But on this particular Friday, it worked.  Levi's parents came to pick him up around 8 pm, and that was perfect because I was about to fall into bed out of the sheer exhaustion of the week.  Fridays aren't my best nights...as it seems Monday through Friday all seem to come to a screeching halt when the sun goes down on Friday evenings.

Saturday morning, I slept in a bit until 6:30 and then enjoyed a cup of coffee ALONE.  I tried so hard not to make a peep and wake the children.  It wasn't long until Josh smelled the coffee and was downstairs to join me.  But the little bit of time that I had was a treat.  We all got to work on our chore lists for the morning.  It was very reminiscent of Saturdays that I can remember when I was little when we all had a job to do.  For me, it was a bucket of Murphy's Oil Soap and water to wash the hardwood floors.  For us at our house, it was the sweeper, some dusting and a good scrub of the kitchen counters with the washing machine whirring away in the background (as if I needed MORE laundry to put away, but it seriously never stops multiplying!).  Mara helped with the Swiffer.  I found it humorous that she was dressed in all of her winter clothes to do it.  Yes, the windows were open with the nice cool, fall air coming in, but it wasn't THAT cold. 

Post chores, we made a run to a little Amish market close by to get some fall mums.  I had been terribly neglectful of the beautiful flower box I just HAD to have when we did our deck project.  So I thought it might be nice to enjoy some mums planted out there for the fall.  The girls picked our plants, as well as a few little pumpkins and we were on our way back home to plant them.  I won't mention that at this same time, Jason and Josh were working on their list of chores and were scrubbing the deck and draining/refilling the hot tub...right next to the flower box.  There may or may not have been a little situation where a gust of wind blew some dirt into the hot tub that, to this point, evades us on removing it.  That might not have happened though.  Except that it did.  And my husband, who loves me dearly, thought about drowning me in it.  He didn't actually say that, but I just knew it was an option he was considering.

Sunday was church day and then I was thrilled at the chance to go to the Barn Owl Art Studio for an afternoon of crafting with Judy and Sheri.  Judy's birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and we just knew that this scarecrow/snowman pallet decoration was right up her alley.  I learned a few things about myself through this experience.  1.  I love to use a power sander to distress things.  2.  Messy, non-precise art is my kind of art.  Slap some paint on these messy old boards and see if you can make something cool out of it.  3.  I quite enjoyed the staining process we used to make it look old.  I could totally get into making things like this if I had the equipment to do it.  Since I don't, I'll just go on occasion when Annie has a cool project idea to do and get my craftiness fix that way.  In the end, we made these super cute little guys that we will get to enjoy for half of the year--- either fall or winter.  The opposite sides of this are snowmen!

While we were painting, Jason and the kids were at home enjoying being outside for the afternoon.  I got a text message from Lauren that said (and I quote), "Mommy!!!!  I am riding my bike with no chraining wheels!"  (The spelling cracked me up.  It's totally my favorite part of how she is learning to spell.)  Evidently she got it in her head that she wanted to learn how to ride her bike, and she put her mind to it and did it.  Jason said he had never seen anyone so determined to do anything.  She is still working at getting stronger and less wobbly, but when we got home I watched her ride all the way around our cul de sac on her big girl bike all by herself.  I won't go into how NOT ok I am with just how big and independent she is getting these days, but I'll save that for some sappy post on Friday when she turns (gulp) 7.  I can't even begin to believe it.

And so, that was our weekend at home.  Notice I left out the whooping our Nittany Lions took at the hands of Michigan.  It was just as painful to watch as I had feared...maybe more so.  We had all expected to lose-- they are the #4 team in the country after all-- but it was even worse than I feared.  And they showed no mercy, which is typical.  But it may be a tough, tough season for PSU.  We're going to keep on cheering nonetheless and hope for some terrible upset that really screws things up for another Big Ten team that makes the mistake of looking past us or just happens to have an off day.  Our PSU spirit isn't of the fair weather variety, but it certainly is more fun when they're winning.

And so, another work and school week is underway.  I am so pleased that today I got done with the worst chore of the week--- my semi-annual dental appointment.  I dread nothing in this life more-- not paying taxes, not the OB/GYN appointment, not folding laundry or scrubbing toilets.  Nothing makes me more anxious or makes me want to run away and join the witness protection program like dreading the dentist.  And so tonight I rejoice in the fact that I am as far away as I possibly can be from my next cleaning.  Sadly, that's the best news I have for today.