Monday, September 21, 2009

Everybody's working for the weekend

I thought you'd appreciate a little Loverboy to get your week started. You're welcome. Loverboy was a popular 80's band in case you're too young to know or in case you were preoccupied during 1981.

It's Monday so how about a little weekend update? It will be kinda like Saturday Night Live except without the funny...

Let me begin by saying it was good to be home in our own house. In fact it was great. We knocked out a few projects and by we I mostly mean my husband. I did cheer him on as I finished a book I could not put down (Still Alice by Lisa Genova in case you're wondering) and it was my birthday after all. Hey, my kids can make theirs last for weeks so I figured mine could run through the weekend, right?

Early Saturday we had a landscape architect out to give us an estimate on putting in some uplighting in front of the house...a relatively small project. I went into the house for literally five minutes to get everyone coffee and came back outside to find husband and landscaper at the back edge of our deck pacing out a 20 x 20 patio with a fire pit and plantings all around. And there was talk of drains and rocks and more plantings on the side of our driveway. And perhaps a bed cut around a large tree out front. And maybe a little something around the mailbox and driveway entry lights. Whoa! Lights. We're starting with lights.

Besides all the dreaming we painted our front door and our porch railing (again, using the term we very loosely), washed the windows in the back of the house (I did locate the correct product in Loews), power washed the front walkway...and here I genuinely was a huge help because as soon as my husband turned on the power washer the tiny little tip shot outta there like a bullet. We were like CSIs marking off a crime scene while trying to locate that small, but unfortunately essential, end piece. He was ready to give up and use the superduper spray nozzle when I spotted it in the shrubbery. As an aside does anyone else's husband get a big grin on their face when they get to power wash something?

And while we were doing this and that we may have happened to glance over and see this-


We have four acres of forest behind our house so I have no idea why they are standing here...some kind of confab going on it looks like. They eventually lined up and trotted across the street and into the woods...so pretty.

What else...oh I may have eaten 1/4 of a German chocolate cake. My husband had one made specially for my birthday. Thankfully it was only half a cake so when I ate half of that it was really only 1/4. Whatever...I met my good friend Jillian this morning after my walk so its all good. Has anyone else noticed she can't count? She likes to say 'only three more' and then we do something like 12 by my count. She's mean like that.

We went to church on Sunday...this is the first time we've been to church in our new town since moving into the house mid-July. We've only actually been home three weekends so this was really our first opportunity. We visited a church we used to attend when we lived in this area 15 years ago... it's changed quite a bit but as I sat in the pew I couldn't help but think about my sweet little daughter2 at age 3 performing in a VBS program there in 1993. The entire week she had refused to sing any of the songs when they practiced them on the stage. The night of the program she did everything but grab the microphone and walk out into the crowd. Such hilarity.

Hubs and I may have spent part of Friday evening watching some of our old VCR tapes that we haven't seen since before we moved to England. Little girls with their soft sweet voices and babydolls and bicycles with training wheels, and big pink bows and little blonde curls...we agreed we could only watch a little bit...the sweetness almost makes your heart hurt. Well that and the fact that I seemed to enjoy speaking at a decibel level that only dogs can hear. Why? And what was my husband thinking with that big mustache and those tennis socks? And my hair??? It's just too much in every sense of the word. Why is it so dark? Was my hair really that dark? Well, obviously the answer to that is yes since we have it saved for posterity on videotape but yuk. Oh and I was really thin. And young. Like I said, our hearts could only take so much y'all.

It's time to be productive so I'll leave you with a picture of what I saw as I walked over our hill this morning...



It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Enjoy your Monday...Joyce

4 comments:

  1. Hey Joyce,

    Sounds like you had a very productive weekend, getting that book all read as hubby got some other things done.

    No coconut cake, huh? German Chocolate is one of my favorites, too. It sounds like you have the love of similar desserts in common.

    My heart aches when we watch our kids on video as well. There's something about seeing them so small, sweet, and innocent. Have you ever done the meme, "You're Gonna Miss This Moment"? If not, you ought to try it.

    Have a great week my friend.

    Hugs,
    Carol

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  2. Joyce,

    What a beautiful picture! I am not sure which is my absolute favorite, the ones with the deer I think, because they are just so elegant and fragile. Can't wait to see what your landscape project looks like, make sure you take plenty of before, during and after pictures. You will really enjoy them later.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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  3. I can't wait to watch those when we come home!
    love you!!

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  4. Sounds like you all had a great weekend. I love German Chocolate cake too! It is so much fun to look at old pictures/videos. I'm with you, what is up with those hairdoes? I have a scrapbook with all our Christmas pictures in it from the year we were married (1976) until the present and it is a hoot to look at the hairstyles and the clothes. Glad you had a restful birthday weekend, but it sounds like hubby was busy. I love to sit and read a good book. Have a nice week. Love & blessings from NC!

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