Scenes from the Past Week

The past week was long. I am worn out. Last night I had a sore throat and a killer headache and felt a stuffy nose coming on. Since I am slightly afraid of being sick for when school starts, I stayed home today and rested. A lot. We are all looking forward to getting back into a routine once the boys start school on Wednesday.

Aside from the laundry pile of Himalayan proportions which I attacked and conquered this week, here are a few glimpses into our week.

Monday I made my first real banana pudding, complete with meringue. I was starting to feel like I was neglecting my duty as a Southerner (albeit a transplanted one) by never having made a true banana pudding, so I rectified the situation.

My first real banana pudding. The photo doesn't do it justice--it was gorgeous.

I loved it when it was warm. The texture of the bananas left something to be desired once it cooled though. Despite that, it all got eaten.

We have been atrocious about maintaining bedtimes over the summer. I'm afraid I will pay for it when school starts. My children have weird sleeping habits anyway, especially Joel (who, from the time he was a tiny baby, has always been afraid he's going to miss something) and Danny (who, for some reason unknown to me, would rather sleep on the floor in the hallway than in his bed). One night when David was particularly late getting home and I was particularly tired of fighting it, I let Danny join me in the front room while I watched TV. He fell asleep on the couch and eventually slid down into this position. He must be related to his Uncle Sammy.

Yesterday, after a long week and a long day, we decided to go on a little date and peruse the antique store for awhile. We walked around and I found a couple of old mason jars to begin my collection. For anyone who doesn't know, blue mason jars are all the rage these days. I think they are quite lovely and I got a pretty good deal. One has a zinc lid and the other a glass lid. I think they'll look pretty in my china cabinet or with flowers in them. Right now they are hanging out on my mantle till I decide what to do with them.

Although you can't tell in this photo, one of my favorite things about these jars is the bubbles in the glass.

I had David drive me to a place where I knew there were some hydrangea bushes so I could cut a few. They actually grow wild around here sometimes. Hydrangeas are one of my favorites. These are the same ones that were blue a month or so ago. I think they are fascinating the way they change. They actually look quite pretty dried as well. Right now they are brightening the space atop my piano.

Tonight we had lasagna roll-ups, spinach salad, green peas and cantaloupe for dinner. I was in a hurry to get everything on the table and didn't both washing the cantaloupe innards down the disposal. During dinner, Nate got up to refill his water glass and said, "Ew! There are aliens in our sink!"

I can totally see how he would think that.

Other things that made me happy this week: listening to my husband practice Erik Satie (Gymnopedie No. 1) on the piano; the smell of honeysuckle; donuts and pizza; being able to help our dear friends with their move; Burt's Bees Naturally Ageless Skin Firming Night Creme.