I’m glad you all like seeing pictures of our Jackie because that’s all I have for you today.
Our tiny person illustrating a tiny moment as he tries to beat the heat on Father’s Day. It’s these little moments that make up a beautiful life, I know that for sure.
Happy Tuesday!
I had a fun weekend, how about you? First of all, the weather was terrific. Hot but not too humid with abundant sunshine. I love summer and these long warm days are a big part of why I enjoy it so much.
On Friday I had Jack all day and it was great. Dale and I took him with us to the bench dedication that was part of our family being honored last November. It was such fun to show him off and he behaved perfectly. We came home and had Friday Night Snacks . . . with a slight modification.
On Saturday we had a full day at home, doing yard work and catching up on the general stuff of life. We spontaneously invited Sean over for dinner and enjoyed some snacks and cocktails on the deck first.
After dinner we had a fire and I posted this photo on Facebook mentioning that we had empty chairs if anyone wanted to come over. Next thing I knew we had 2 couples join us – good friends who we don’t hang out with nearly often enough. It was totally spontaneous and a really fun evening.
Sunday was Father’s Day so the kids came over. Jack, of course, was a big hit and I think he likes the new sunglasses I got him! We hung out all afternoon, drinking sangria and eating chicken wings and burgers. It was low key and perfect and just a great way to end the weekend.
What did you do this weekend?
I think this past weekend was our first one without rain in something like nine weeks! We made the most of it by being outside as much as possible.
Friday Night Snacks on the deck, of course. It was warm enough to stay out there all evening and that’s my favorite kind of Friday night. Music, conversation, cheese & crackers, it just doesn’t get any better.
I had the entire day to myself on Saturday since Dale was doing a Civil War thing. I spent the early morning on the deck, knitting and listening to The Genius of Birds. I went out at lunch time and did some plant shopping for our front border. And then I came home and read for the rest of the afternoon. It was heavenly!
I texted Dale and suggested that perhaps he could bring home lobsters since he was very close to the place we like to get them. It agreed readily and our first lobsters of the season were consumed that night. I like to think of it as priming the pump for our week in Maine!
On Sunday we had breakfast on the deck – local strawberries were probably the best part – and then we worked (hard!) to get everything we had planted in the front border. There are still rocks to deal with (always, it seems) and I haven’t found the sedum ellacombianum that I want to use for the border but it’s mostly done at this point and I’m so glad. I’ll share more details and photos in a separate post.
In the afternoon we went to a graduation party and then had a nice visit with Sean.
Hooray for June weekends, full of fun and satisfying things!
It’s JUNE! In case you don’t know, June is my favorite favorite month of the year. The days are longer (and keep getting longer all month), the sun (when it’s out, anyway) is high in the sky, the flowers are planted, the deck is our outdoor living room, and this month includes Dale’s birthday AND our wedding anniversary. So much to love about June!
And here’s what’s happening right now in early June:
What are you listening to?
The Spotify playlist that Hannah made for her graduation party. She put together a really fun list, full of songs that are well loved and bring back happy memories of her childhood and camping, Dale’s band, and so much more.
What are you wearing?
My work uniform is jeans and a blouse, with sneakers. I did finally get a pedicure last week so I can wear flip flops but my new Keen sneakers are so comfortable that I keep wearing them instead.
What have you bought?
I feel like I have bought all.the.plants but I haven’t because there are still lots of empty spaces to be filled. I also finally (!!) found a garden Buddha that I love and that was in my budget, too. I’ve been looking for ages and, happy as I am to have him, now that I do there goes my excuse for stalking Homegoods and various garden stores.
What are you reading?
Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin. It’s very very good. I thought it would be light and fun and it is but it’s also a very strong feminist novel and there’s a lot more depth to it than I expected.
Who are you stalking…er, admiring from afar?
My Instagram feed is full of summery homes and gardens, delicious food and decorating ideas . . . I stalk those every day. Right now I’m a little bit obsessed with the renovations going on over at Talk of the House since they bought a new lake house.
Where are you going?
Maine! At the end of the month we are going back to the cottage we rented last year to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. You may recall that it’s the same place we rented for our honeymoon and we have decided that we love it so much we need to go again this year. It will be a week of staring at the ocean and eating lots and lots of lobster. Woot!
What’s going on with YOU now that it’s June?
I had a great long weekend – hope you did, too! It’s mostly well documented, as you’ll see.
On Friday we got the Mustang back from the shop and she seems to be running great. Better than she has in a long time, actually. She was pretty grubby looking, after sitting in the driveway under a maple tree for most of the spring, so Dale and I washed her up. Can you believe I’d never washed a car before? Weird, I know. It was fun to do, though, and she’s all sparkly now. I took her for a spin to Michael’s where I got a few things to spruce up our summer decor. I swapped out the curtains, lamps, and pillows in the living room and things are brighter and lighter and ready for summer.
We had our usual Friday Night Snacks and, for the first time we were able to stay on the deck all night – it was warm!
On Saturday we had the delightful and unexpected chance to hang out with Kim and Ken. They were in the area to pick up a kiln and they came for lunch. I have no photos (bad bloggers!) but we had a great time, sitting under the trees, enjoying the breeze and a delicious Greek Chicken Pasta salad. It was so nice to catch up and have that time together.
On Saturday night we had a special visitor! It was our first night time babysitting gig with Jackie and it went just fine. In fact, Jess dropped him off at 6:30 and Eryk picked him up at 9:30. I fed him dinner, played with him for a bit, and at 8:00 he conked out for the night. He’s a very easy baby to care for and such a love to have around.
On Sunday Dale worked outside on the front border and I hung around inside, cleaning up a few things, doing some reading and knitting, and a little playing around with water colors. It’s fun and there’s no pressure to do anything in particular which makes it even more fun.
This is the state of the front border now. All of the plants that were there – hostas and azaleas and iris and a hydrangea have been relocated. Giant old stumps are gone, Dale pulled then out with chains and his dad’s pick up truck, and it’s almost ready for planting!
We took a trip out to Lowe’s to buy a new gas grill and then came home for the evening. We played Mexican Train (we haven’t in ages) and enjoyed a truly relaxing evening together.
Monday was Memorial Day and I was committed to speaking at our town’s Memorial Day Exercises. I love doing things like that and the town did an exceptional job this year with the program, including a special dedication of a portrait of a young man from our town who was killed in Vietnam 50 years ago this July. As Dale said, it really drove home the meaning of Memorial Day and made it very personal.
The kids came over in the afternoon and the skies finally brightened a bit. We gathered around the fire pit and I cooked up some chicken and burgers on the new grill. It was Jack’s first fire and he seemed to really like it – so much so that he fell asleep for a good long nap!
It was a great way to end a really terrific weekend.
