Dirty Bathwater

I don't know if I have a target on my back or something, but sickness keeps zeroing in on me!  We had a really nice weekend, but I woke up Saturday morning with a sore throat.  I tried to pretend it wasn't there for the longest time.  I have been told that you can kick a sickness to the curb by using the NEWSTART method (Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Rest and Trust "in God"), so I thought I would give it a go.  Why not, I thought.  So, I went to church, had a nutritious lunch, took a nice long nap, went out in the warm sunny outdoors and took a hike around a nearby lake while drinking water.  I'd love to say that by that night, my sickness had miraculously disappeared, but I cant.  Sadly, the aches started on our way home from the lake and they only got worse throughout the night.  My entire Sunday was spent on the couch.  I felt so bad for Mark, because he was working outside on a project and had to deal with his two little project managers the whole time.  I'm amazed he got as much done as he did.

I was so relieved when I slept through the night last night and woke up this morning feeling so much better.  I still have cold symptoms, but other than that, I'm a-okay.  Whew!

We've had a great day.  The girls were in and out of the backyard all morning, but we were able to fit in a little school in there somewhere.  Today we started on the letter "G".  It's proving to be a tougher letter to learn, but hopefully we'll get it nailed down before the end of the week.

G is for...

Goldfish!  She really liked doing this one.  

This afternoon, I got inspired to make bread.  I'm not sure why I felt so inspired, but I acted on it and made four loaves.  I don't know what's wrong with me, but I've never made good bread.  Every attempt is always a failure.  This wasn't one of my worst batches, but it wasn't very good either.  I really need some help in this arena.  Your bread baking tips and wisdom are welcome!

Later in the afternoon, we met some friends at the park and had a great time playing.  The weather was perfect and I so enjoyed being out in the sunshine with a good friend.  Then we came home to help Mark in the backyard.  

Just in case you were curious about Mark's big project in the backyard, I thought I'd share.  We only had a tiny cement slab in the backyard for a patio and we could hardly fit our patio furniture on it.  For the longest time, we've wanted to expand the area, so we decided to start it in sections, so it wouldn't be too overwhelming.  Mark finished up the first section this evening and it looks great.  I wasn't able to get a final pic, because it was dark, but I'll try tomorrow.    

Mark working hard on the patio.  He is the most meticulous person I know and it really pays off in projects like this.  

Stage 1-- Almost complete

While I was outside getting pictures of the patio, I thought I would get a few pics of my flowers in our backyard.  They are just so pretty!  I wish I could take credit for them, but the woman who owned our house before us was a master gardener.  

I love all of the surprises as they start to bloom! 

This is what I'm the most excited about...my strawberry plants!  I found this little flower on one of them, which means my strawberries shouldn't be far behind!  

Mark was using sand on the patio and had put some in a bin.  The girls quickly made it into their own sandbox.  They had a blast playing in it!  This has seriously made me consider buying a sandbox.  

Our DIY sandbox.   I don't think they've ever seen a real sandbox, so this might work for awhile longer. 

Here are a few shots of the girls from this evening...  

The have come up with a new "game" on the slide.  One of them climbs up the slide the wrong way and when she gets to the top slides back down knocking the other off on the way down.   This picture was taken right before Rosie went flying off and landed on the ground.  

This was taken right after Kiki got knocked off.  It's all fun and games, until someone gets hurt.

Water Break!  

They both were pretty exhausted after a full day.  They were exhausted and DIRTY!  It was another brown bath water kind of day.  As a kid, I loved playing outside, getting all dirty and grubby.  I loved the feeling of grass on my toes and sun on my cheeks.  I loved climbing into a cool bed, fresh after a  bath and falling right asleep.  I love it all the more watching it though the eyes of my little girls.  Ah, to be a kid!