The boys left on Sunday for a mission trip in Chattanooga. Here's the group:
They spent a week working with inner-city children, at a food bank, and with an elder care home, while also studying what God's Word has to say about their lives. So it was just the girls and dad for the rest of the week!
Bill spent his Father's Day doing just what he wanted: smoking ribs and swimming with the girls. Then we hosted dinner on Father's Day evening for my mom and dad, Bill's mom and dad, and some friends. We had TEN around my kitchen table, so much fun. One of my goals for the kitchen reno has been to make a bigger eat-in area right in the kitchen, so that friends and family who join us feel like they are expected and welcomed. That was a rousing success. A good day.
Earlier this summer I hired a driver to help me manage the boys' sports practices and the girls' riding every day, since I can't be in two places at once. This week, though, there was less driving, so Chelsea and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. I am loathe to admit how awful the storage area in our basement was--a consequence of construction in the basement, then my bedroom and bathroom, and now the kitchen area, and also of my laziness in tackling the mess. But since my kitchen is nearing completion I am determined to not live with these piles of stuff.
If you need to declutter, let me give you a piece of advice: hire someone to help you. Don't use a friend or relative. Hire someone who thinks all your junk is just that. Chelsea forced me to focus on plowing through the piles of old school papers, outgrown clothes, and other detritus that got left in there. Detritus, in this case, included my wedding album under a huge stack of other papers, a cradle that Bill's grandfather had bought back in the 40s, and a ton of random Christmas ornaments. In the space of two mornings we got through all of it, collected TWELVE bags of clothes to donate, and I had a huge start on getting my house back in order.
Speaking of which, still not done. That's all I have the heart to say right now.
The girls had a quiet, fun week. They did a great job helping Chelsea and me, and a couple of mornings they had Chelsea's undivided attention. For my girls, uninterrupted attention from a college girl is really special!
On Friday my mother-in-law was getting ready for a garage sale, so the girls went over to help her get ready. They are both little entrepreneurs, working every angle for a little extra cash. Paige spent a lot of time setting up the sale, setting prices and making sure that Grandma had "departments" set up in the garage. Darcy set up a cookie stand and Paige had her lemonade stand going for the garage sale on Saturday. By noon on Saturday they had covered their overhead and made a few bucks, so they were feeling good.
Coming up this week we have to leave home for a little bit while the floor has the last coat put on it. We will head to the lake for a little mid-week wake boarding. Matthew and Jack are also back to normal summer sports practice. The girls and I are showing this weekend (yikes), so we have a TON to do to get ready for it. I am riding two very different dressage tests and don't have either one memorized. I need to get busy.
Tragically few pictures this week. I have been taking a little break. More to come.
Have a great week!
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