weekend.

We got home from PA on Tuesday evening, and somehow the succession of days since then has run together in a blur of craziness.  Not so much crazy for the kids and me as crazy for David and the guys working on our church meeting space.  We’ve barely seen him since we got home, and so the days have been long for all of us.

This is the very hardest part, I believe.  This building and scrambling and trying to get everything done right.  And all with a project David has never done before — one that is very different from planting a church.

But God is faithful.  He is providing grace for each day, and we’ve been abundantly blessed with help and encouragement and funds and prayers.  Our practice worship service is this coming Sunday, and our first official service is September 8th (bonus points if you know what else happens September 8th).

Here are some snapshots of our weekend:

1.

I can hardly put into words how much I adore this book.  Not really a cookbook, not really a memoir, I love it as much for Adler’s simple-but-breathtaking writing style as for her recipes.  It’s so much more than a “how to,” it’s a philosophy of food, of cooking, of life, one I hope to read and reread over the years (yes, I’ll be buying it).  And if you’re nosy like me, you’ll be delighted by this peek into Tamar Adler’s kitchen.

2.

The kids and I made a trip to the Gourmet Shop and surprised David when he got home Friday night. A few treats to thank him for his hard work.

3.

Here’s a sneak peek of our back porch, where the treats were enjoyed.  We’ve got a couple more additions, then I’ll show it to you.

4.

The kids and I met my parents at the Farmer’s Market bright and early Saturday morning, then walked a block down Main Street to Drip for coffee and tea and a little art work.

5.

Panels, panels, and more panels.  300 of them to be exact, which explains the long days. The sound panels are those fabric-covered boards you see hanging around the room, which our church designed, purchases, built, and is now installing as part of our contract with Tapp’s Art Center.  The panels help absorb noise so the space isn’t full of echoes. It’s been remarkable to stop by every couple of days and hear the drastic difference.

6.

We picked up our friend Emma Taylor and went to the splash pad Saturday afternoon.  I’m so thankful we discovered this place last month.  It’s free, five minutes from our house, and it provides hours of entertainment for the kids.

7.

We had a quick family coffee date this morning before David headed back to work at Tapp’s and the kids and I headed to church.  Lately Amie has been asking to take pics of me with my phone, so here’s: “Portrait of Mommy with her tea, by Amie.”

8.

Judah: “Mom, I want to give Kenny a giant cookie for helping us with our church.”  Me too, Judah, me too.  I’m so thankful for Kenny and John and all the others who have put in long hours getting our worship space ready.  I’m also thankful for the wives who have sacrificially given up their husbands for this task.  And now as I get ready to publish this post our space is finished and ready!

9.

This weekend I decided to try my hand at a homemade sourdough starter.  If you can keep two human children alive then you can keep a sourdough starter alive, or so I’m told.

10.

And finally, I loved ending the weekend with these wonderful friends, eating an Austrian summer feast and celebrating Charissa’s birthday.