I grabbed my gardening boots, straw hat, gloves, and marched out the front door for an uninterrupted therapy session with my garden. I weeded a few beds, mended the trellis fence, gave the seedlings a pep talk, grafted a gardenia branch and decided that with half an hour left on my clock, I need to do some major work on the back terrace. This little area of our backyard is covered in a really beautiful brick that has been sadly neglected over the years. Its one of many projects at the moment. I cleared out tons of branches and debris from the surrounding area and gave the brick a thorough scrubbing. Once garage sale season starts up again in a few weeks, I will be scouring the area for wrought iron chairs and an umbrella. I want to create a really peaceful spot where we can dine outdoors in the winter, twinkle lights and a tea cart are definitely on the fixer-upper menu for my tiny brick terrace. Today was step 1. Deep clean and meditate in the space and wait for brilliant decorating idea to strike. No lightning bolts yet, but static is in the air and my sister is coming down for a visit soon. She will know what to do.
I went back inside and shared the outdoor victory check list with J and the boys. A half hour later my Abuelo dropped by to help me separate the "hijos" from my White Bird of Paradise. We unearthed about five saplings and transplanted them to the south side of the garden. Hooray for free foliage. Once Abuelo was on his way back home and the boys went down for their nap, the arduous task of laundry began. I did six loads of laundry today. Bleh. I love cooking, I have a strange passion for cleaning, I like organizing things, but I hate, loathe and abominate laundry. Finding mates for lone socks is tedious. I also hate that things coming out of a dryer often require ironing, which I am terrible at. I did six loads of it today. But the doom and gloom clouds quickly parted when I realized that having so much laundry outside meant that I could reorganize our wardrobe, which has been sadly neglected since some time between baby #1 and baby #2.
Before the boys woke up I started my butter mixture for a cheese wheel I am bent on making this week, despite my lack of a cheese press. I will succeed and it will be fabulous. This is the cheer I repeat to myself while making the cheese. I'll let you know how it works out, we may decide that a serious relationship is just not in the cards for us. With phase 1 of Project Cheese under way, I had just enough time to finish off the 3rd quilt block I have been working on these past two days. I am making a quilt for J and I. I know...Project Quilt is also in phase 1.
The boys woke up after I had pulled the last stitch on the quilt block while wondering about my incessant need for projects. We went off to my Abuelos house for playtime, and had a marvelous time with Oreo cookies, three chihuahuas, and some mango smoothies. Many kisses and hugs from great-grandparents were the cherry on top of a great visit. We arrived home ready for some down time so that I could make dinner. J was still slaving away in the hot sun, painting posts for my white picket fence (which is now in phase 2, ta-da!)
Now I am pretty serious when it comes to Sunday dinner. There is just no messing around with the fact that I need it to consist of two things- good food and family. We usually share the meal with my parents, but today we were alone. My man had been working hard all day and he needed a good dinner as well. So I peeled and sliced the apples, made a lot of dough, and popped in an apple pie and 8 rounds of biscuits. Mashed potatoes and broccoli, especially for the Bear, served as our sides. I decided to make fried chicken, using a brand of breading that was foisted upon me by a fellow shopper at Milams. This lady, somewhere in her early fifties, was standing beside me as I was loading bags of flour into my shopping cart last week.
"Do you like fried chicken?" she asked.
"Sure" I said in a puzzled voice (Note to Northerners: People in Miami generally don't talk to you unless they are yelling at you, about to screw you over, or are under the age of 7)
" Well Child, let me tell you. You better not be using anything other than House Autry. It's the best. My Mama used it, my Grandmama used it and now I use it. It's not oily or greasy, and the chicken is just heaven."
I looked behind her to see if there was a camera somewhere, or a guy holding one of those giant shower loofah's on a stick in hopes of picking up sound. They were nowhere to be seen. I directed my attention back to her.
"That is great news" I said.
"Are you going to try it?" She asked.
"I guess I'd better."
I purchased a bag of House Autry that day and I have been eyeing it with great suspicion over the past week. Today was House Autry test drive day and it was....heavenly. No wonder this lady was out testifying! Preach it sister, I believe!
We ate a great dinner and had our usual half hour of bath time wonderfulness. I love bath time. I love how dirty and happy they look before getting in the tub. I love how angelic and sweet smelling they are when the emerge. I read the Bear four different stories tonight, including a new favorite "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Paddington" (Various British accents included). We prayed and cuddled and said our goodnights. I folded the remaining shirts and opened up eHarmony accounts for all the single socks in our home. I mended a bed sheet and an old shirt that I refuse to break up with. All done.
It probably doesn't sound relaxing at all, but days like today take the weights off my shoulders. I love working hard. I love working with my hands. I love spending time with my kids. I love that every inch of my home is sparkly and clean at this moment. I love that tomorrow it will only take minutes to become a beautiful mess once again. The best news about today is that it is now close to midnight, I have a rush of energy and story in my head and it's time to pull a Jo March and write into the early hours of the morning. Good Night and Good Day.
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