The Day That Went Off the Rails

This day went off the rails, and it started so well. I was surprised when Allie wanted to get up and go ahead with our breakfast Bible study. She's been working late, and I thought she'd opt for sleep. I thought we'd move our outings to lunch studies. LOL We have been working through some Old Testament passages which have led to interesting discussions and a bit of wrestling with a description of "faith."  I keep telling the girls, "These aren't your typical Sunday School stories."  

After study, Allie drove me to the hair salon and then to the bank.  The rest of the day was to include an hour in the garden, lunch, yardwork and work for Allie.  We stopped at the mailbox on the way home and found two package notifications for Allie. She has been eagerly waiting for the one, and the other was her diploma. It had been sent to the post office in Wasilla...and arrived 3 days earlier...we didn't want them to ship it back.  We drove on home, picked up Stacia and Millie and headed to Wasilla.  Millie thinks she must sit up front...though we did get her to ride in the back as the day wore on. 

Our first stop was the Wasilla post office where Allie picked up her high school diploma! 

We were all in the car and decided to stop at a favorite spot...Krazy Moose Subs. We snagged an outside table and Stacia got to work with Millie in this setting. Millie did great. 

We all ate 1/2 of our entree... We didn't order the chips and such. These are yummy. 

Our next stop was OUR post office... The line was LONG. Great was the excitement when Allie dug into this box. Guitar stand, picks, strap, and bag. It was a productive mail call. LOL 

Allie had just enough time to get ready for work, and then she and I left the house again. Michael had asked I buy some of the special laundry soap we need to use; Dad had meds I needed to pick up, and I wanted to buy some moleskin and inserts for Allie's aching feet... I ended up grocery shopping. I came home and discovered, once again, I had purchased "fabric conditioner" instead of fabric detergent. UGH. 

Stacia and I got dinner on the table for those at home. I believe Michael and Alex finished the "weed and feed" treatment on the yard.  Yes, I make salve...but honestly, we have a LOT of dandelions, and this year I'm focused on the garden. 

Weeds are dying! 

We have cherry blossoms. It was 81* today! 

Even though we didn't get the things done we had planned to do, there are some things that must be done every day. One must tend to chickens and chicks. Look how big they are getting. I love the spikey feathers on the top of the "colored egg layers"  - the top right is an example. I'm still so bummed we didn't get all our colored layers. 

The garden and greenhouse plants must be watered. I do truly love to watch watering. LOL 

We have our first teeny, tiny beets popping through the soil...and radishes - always radishes! They are quick... This is the bed planted a couple of weeks ago. The soil is much warmer now which I think is why seeds are sprouting so much faster than they did in the bed below. I actually took the following pictures mainly to show the sunlight late at night. 

Taken at 10:23 p.m.

The basil is going WILD in the greenhouse. I went ahead and trimmed it down, these will soon have roots and I'll plant them back in the planter... or maybe in a garden bed...

Taken at 10:30 p.m. 

I bought this little birdhouse at Friday Fling last year. It was my very first thing to buy for the yard that was simply because I liked it and not because it served a purpose. However, Michael reports a bird has taken up residence inside. I guess it does have a useful purpose after all.  Look at this - I caught the sunset in progress. 

Taken at 11:20 p.m. 

Tomorrow, we'll try again to tame the jungle so we can plant squash and pumpkins. 

Brit Lit Tea Party

Today was THE day to host our End of the Year Brit Lit Tea Party! We finished school on May 1st, but I had ordered a special trinket for the tea and shipping.....

Everyone was home from work today - so before the garden work and such...I got up and made cookies and scones. After the garden work Stacia and I hit the shower and Allie cut up apples, cheese and set out crackers. 

Nolan and Grandpa were using the table.  This turned out to be a great motivator to think outside of the box. I grabbed the china from mom, Gram's old lace cloth and headed outside! I've been dreaming of a garden with a gazebo and a spot to enjoy tea with the girls and/or friends. We are not near ready in the garden...but this table outside the garden was a wonderful start....and now I'm even more determined to create a fun and whimsical garden tea area. LOL 

The yellow Dandelions add a nice pop of color! 

Here they are...I got a set of earrings with the cover of their favorite book from the year. Frankenstein (on the right) for Allie and Hamlet (on the left) for Allie. I chose The Secret Garden. 

Checking out their gifts

The least favorite reads were Gulliver's Travels for Allie and I, and Dubliners for Stacia.  Emma came close to being the least favorite of both the girls. WHUT? They said Emma was incredibly shallow and they had no sympathy whatsoever for her. 

Stacia's favorite Creative Writing assignment was an persuasive essay she authored titled, "Merry Christmas You Joy Junkies!" Allie's favorite assignment was a short story she wrote called, "Dancing on the Pennsylvania Gallows

Both girls liked creating Cento poems. 

The weather was perfect, and our outdoor party was much fun. It was good to sit together and chat about every little thing. We miss Allie now that she is working full time.