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I'm wound up tight because of...

But trying to stay peaceful enough to keep the routine for...

It's quite the world of a mama....to feel all the feels but no time to process all the feels because you're doing all the things. Cannot wait until this is all a memory.  It will all turn out, right? 

Unexpecteds

Today's unexpecteds. (They were supposed to arrive NEXT week). 

 

Yesterday's Unexpected pictured below. Plus they missed my sign up for the Basic Life Support renewal and the instructor was no where to be found, plus our concrete guy lost workers and doesn't have enough workers to do the job.  Plus a million other things that are piling up. It will all turn out. Right? 

Fishing

Fishing with dad while I finished up my CPR training.  I missed out on the good time, but instead got given a bunch of muddy shoes!  Glad they had a good day. 

This boy...

 This boy made a big breakfast for the family this morning, without being asked. This afternoon he folded and put away two loads of laundry, without being asked. Early evening he cleared two pallets of wood by putting the wood in the woodshed. Then tonight he filled the dishwasher and hand washed what needed to be washed, without being asked. He stays on top of his expected chores without ever needing reminders and helps out as he sees a need regularly. I'm just so proud of who he is becoming! 

These ones keep us on our toes! 

We had another unexpected today. Never a dull moment.  

Thankful for Adrian's help, I'd be a lot more frazzled today if I had to do all that he did for me! 

Thrifted

 Catching up on my thrifted posts, I'm a big behind! 

Lampshades. A pack of wooden rulers. A cooking stone bread warmer, a cast iron candle. $8.25

Books, including a hardcovered Little Town (trying to shift those to hardcover), Merrells for Adrian, Lighthouses of Maine game.  $7.

A magic show kit (aim to do another magic show this year for the nursing home...the last we did was such a thrill for all!). Book. Vintage stencil bookmarks.  $2.75. 

A Literary Day

 We have been long time fans of Chris Van Dusen (author & illustrator). I found out he was giving an art class not too far from us. There were only 20 slots, we were lucky enough to get three. It was only $20 total for my three kids to attend, I would have paid oodles more. It was so good!

After the class, a couple families lingered for book signings. We had a long time with the book signing and got to chat. We left the event room feeling so lucky.

Then we were wandering around the short term feature Children's Literature Gallery of Illustrators (I made up the title, not sure what it's officially called, but it is FANTASTIC). Chris Van Dusen did a lot of work to get it set up, which was why he was there. We were the ONLY ones in the art gallery and noticed that he was there touring it for the first time too. We were able to do part of the museum with him! He stopped at all his paintings and told the kids how he did it, what went wrong, his thoughts of why he did xyz. He knows Adrian is an artist and gave him some tips.

At the end of the day, Adrian said that this day was a 10/10. Audra said today is a day she will remember for the rest of her life. I will remember how Anna-Kate raised her hand during the class and said "I don't think your drawing looks like much Mercy Watson", to which he kept telling her he's going to practice his drawings so he'll get better (LOL).

Before today, his books were a big part of my kids' childhood. They are even more beloved now.

And then the gallery....we LOVED it. The kids found original art of so many of their fave books.

Some matching.

This is another illustrator they have met and chatted with. Matt Travers. I traded a loaf of bread for a signed copy of one of his book a couple years ago. Kids talked his ear off.

And back to more Chris Van Dusen.

Definitely a day to remember!

Week Ends

Pleased to report my week ended better than it started! The barn project phase 1 is done for now, phase 2 next week.  I'm currently working on massive peony planting (yay!) parallel to our walkway. Someday I hope for it to be  a stately entrance.  

Anna-Kate LOVED VBS.

They all did!

I'm ending the week recharged and ready for a great weekend!

Another, another day

 This week has been ALLLLL unexpected.  Aiming to cram the calm in between the chaos. The chaos is mostly the noise in my mind.  So, I picked flowers and made bread.

In my head, I'm dealing with the heartache of all of which we have to lose in order to gain a solid foundation.  Goodbye to my plants, my dozens of elderberries, my fence....

And goodbye to the room that I was pulling the floors out of just last night.  There will be no more ball room dancing in that addition. No more old fashioned homes staged in there. No more, no more. I'm someone who has always, always hated change. Even when the change is necessary and good.

Next step will be lifting this barn and I am praying it all goes as planned. 

In order to drown out the noise in my head, I garden. I pick. 

And I cook.  I do all the things there are to do, and reassure myself that it all is going to be okay.