WayfaringStrangers

Can't think of a good title for these two pics. It's just bits of life. What can you do with an old broken Volvo? Let your 19-month old play in it and pretend he's driving. And these. They just brighten my day. I grew some of them and some I found in the field behind our house. Wildflowers are positively my favorite. Here's to a restful weekend. We need it!

Yes, it's been pretty mediocre around here. And hot. Poor Graham Boy gets sooooo bored at home because I don't want to go outside- at least not for very long- and he is sick of his toys and books. I need to get more creative. Like, one day I let him play with a bowl of water and toss some flour into it. A mess-maker? Yep, but he loved it. And many days now, we are home. Because: a.) the car is broken (again), so often we're 'stuck' and b.) I don't want to go out sometimes. Weird, I know! I usually love going out, I get stir-crazy being home. But lately, going out means effort. And staying home means nesting. This house is seriously starting to look decent and organized. I had some friends over last night to celebrate my friend Jenny's birthday. I forget how fun it is to host! I really do love it. We did appetizers; dips actually. So not only was it easy and delicious, when I got up today my house was orderly from my cleaning-because-company-is-coming-over ...

Well, I'm going into full-time nesting mode these days. Behn has too! We spent last Saturday cleaning and organizing the basement. We still have a few things to get rid of (old couch, 1 broken dryer, random table), but it looks much better! Behn and I have both gone through a lot of our old, yucky clothes and purged. And I spent a long time yesterday cleaning our room, seeing as we'll need to make space for the baby in here. I felt great to get that done, although I had several contractions while cleaning. That's normal though :) I also washed, organized, and folded all the 0-3 month clothes for baby. So, I'm feeling pretty good these days. I have a few meals in the freezer, but one of my good friends is going to host a 'freezer dinner shower' for me and we'll all spend some time cooking stews and casseroles to fill up my freezer- so sweet! I'm also working on a list of a few things I need- for the baby and for me. We don't need a lot, but there ar...

Well, baby boy 2 is due in about two months. Behn and I have been spending lots of extra special time with our Graham Boy. Soon things will change and there will be 4 of us out and about! It's going to be an adjustment for this little guy...he is very used to getting all of mama and dada's attention. River Baby: We had a little campfire last night. It was lovely being able to be outside and not dying from the heat. Watching Daddy build the fire: Antagonizing Stray Kitty: This lucky boy was allowed to have some marshmallows... ...and some chocolate. Family is just so important. I can't believe how much more I realize this after becoming a mother. I love Graham so much, and when he hurts, I hurt. I cannot fathom him being hungry or in pain. And yet, so, so many children are without family. Without attachment. Without basic care. Without sweet summer memories of splashing in the river or enjoying s'mores. It is heartbreaking an...

I know these are so last year...or maybe even the year before that...but when I saw these wreaths all over the internet way back when, I knew I wanted to make one. And I finally did. Ya'll- I am not crafty. I like to think I am going to be, but that is unlikely. Other than a stint enjoying cross stitching when I was about 8 years old, I have not crafted anything. Or at least not very much of anything. I just did not get that creative bone. But these were easy. Of course, being not-crafty, I made it harder than it needed to be. For example, I bought a straw wreath and like a dummy, I took off the plastic.  Why did I do that? Straw was everywhere. And even now, straw sticks out between the yarn in some spots. Oh well, we'll say it gives it a 'country' look. Oh, and did I actually consider what color my front door was when picking out yarn? Of course not! That would be too clever. So the fact that my door is off-white and the yarn is off-white and so they match i...

Graham is walking around with a pretzel stick up his nose. I had every intention of baking bread, sweeping and mopping, and cleaning the bathroom while G napped. I took a nap instead. Gotta love the 3rd trimester. My basil has grown enough to harvest a bit! 4 cheese pasta with tomatoes and fresh basil tonight! It's hot out. I knew it would be no fun being pregnant in the summer and I was right. Going to the river in a bit to beat the heat! Does Graham saying, "A big car!" count as a 3-word sentence? I mean, there's no verb, but I was impressed! I have a long, ongoing bucket list of things to do before Baby arrives. About 2 months to go! This makes me nervous and excited all at once :) Receiving an old-fashioned card in the mail from a dear friend absolutely made my day.

Whew! We have had such a busy past few weeks! Last Friday night there was a huge storm (if you live in the mid-Atlantic...you know about it) that knocked out our- and everyone else's- power. The nice thing was, we were already planning to visit my family in Maryland, so the next morning we surveyed the damage in the yard (several big trees down- so glad we rent!) and then packed up and headed to a wonderful place where there was electricity and plumbing. We had a nice time in MD. The great thing was, we were there to visit; to just spend a few days with the people we love. No agenda. No commitments. Just lots of time watching tv in the air conditioning, eating together, catching up with Grandma and Grandpa, and celebrating. Graham already had a bond with my mom because of the Ohio trip, and also got to enjoy getting to know my Dad better. He also had fun with his uncles and Aunt Hannah. On Tuesday, Behn and I enjoyed tapping into some free babysitting and went out for a nice dinn...