weekend.

This was a weekend for Getting Things Done.  It felt amazing.  Here’s some of our progress:

David finished building this raised bed in a week ago.  He put in tomato and pepper plants right away and has since added carrot, cucumber, and beet seeds.  He’s following the Square Foot Garden plan.

Our babies.

This is quintessential South Carolina to me: pine needles mingled with the sprouts. Always pine needles.

We got our first frames hung.  My mom painted this series of Carolina birds for us and we adore them. Thanks Mom!

We also hung the prints from our photo session with our friend Sara Parker this past January. These photos are so meaningful to me because they remind me of the beauty in a “shadows” season of our life.

And finally, I never know where to put the kids’ Reading Corner, originally designed for our homeschooling room in Asia.  We’ll try it in their bedroom for now.

David grilled two whole chickens last night, which is now one of my favorite things for him to do.  I roasted a big pan of potatoes, onions, and carrots tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper.  The chicken was smoky and the skin crispy and dark like maple syrup.  We feasted, made stock from the bones, and then there was plenty of meat to freeze for later.  It’s the dinner that keeps on giving.

We made some serious progress on our homeschooling room, broke down a stack of empty boxes and tucked newly-organized suitcases and storage bins in the attic.  I filed lots and lots of papers, took down the sewing table, and set up our school table in the center of the rug.  There are still toppling piles of things in the corners, but the room now has space enough that I took my cup of tea in this afternoon and curled up on the futon, enjoying the late afternoon light on the golden hardwood floors.  I just sat and sipped and dreamed in that room.

And this evening I’m packing so the kids and I can leave bright and early tomorrow for a week in Pennsylvania.  We’ll miss David so much, but he has a whole lot of work to do, and we’re excited for a road trip.  I’m calling it my Personal Vacation, a week away from the daily routine with my kids, my in-laws, lots of good books and food and the Lancaster County farmland stretching as far as the eyes can see.