Random Round-up (The Home Stretch Edition)

I didn't used to like the smell of lilacs but now I do.

In our yard, we have a Little Leaf Lilac that was grafted together with a tree to make a short little tree with a beautiful round top of lilacs.  We planted that tree for Ellie the summer after she was born.

Sadly, the Chokecherry tree with planted for Hannah the first summer we lived in this house has been hit with a nasty case of Black Knot disease.  It's ugly.  Hopefully we can save it.

Poor Sasha doesn't have a tree.  The third kid always gets shafted.  Hopefully we'll rectify this by the end of the summer.  Yes, she will be seeking therapy.

You have no idea how tired I am of making school lunches.

You have no idea of how tired my kids probably are of eating their school lunches.

Monday's are "weird lunch" days around these parts.  It's the day I go grocery shopping, so they get whatever is considered edible.  It doesn't have to make sense - it just has to be able to be consumed.

I can't believe how much I love Havarti cheese.

One thing I missed when we lived in BC was my Rhubarb plant.  I've got the most amazing pink and red Rhubarb.  I think that it tastes better than green.  I know there's no difference, but to me there is.  My favorite dessert in the entire world is probably the one with the shortbread crust, the rhubarb custard layer and then meringue on top.  I can't stop eating it once I start.  Rhubarb Crisp and ice-cream also makes me very happy.

This house is kind of small for all 5 of us.  We didn't think we'd still be here by this point in the game.  But then we fell in love with our neighbors and the neighborhood.  I know we could use more space, but the other day I had the thought that bigger spaces just acquire more "stuff".  This house is small and has very little storage.  You can't keep stuff that you aren't going to use.

I love that my girls are old enough to let me sleep in during summer holidays.  I'm giddy in anticipation!

I'm one week away from being finished the first year of my Master's program!

I'm seriously looking for a new job for the fall.  Let me know if you have one for me!

I am, by nature, a very lazy person.

I just finished reading the most amazing book Does Jesus Really Love Me: A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America  by Jeff Chu.  I can't say enough good about it.  You should read it.

Why do I hate emptying a clean dishwasher so much?

Pistachio gelato is my favorite.

We are going to BC in August.  I can't wait.  I am so excited to hug people, laugh and cry with some of my dearest friends, and dip my toes into the ocean again.  I am afraid that leaving again will be painful.

Nearly every morning I crawl into Sasha's bed and snuggle with her under her quilt to make the day not come quite as fast.

Sleeping is my favorite leisure activity.

How can you not like crunchy peanut butter?

Hannah has really amazing friends that make her feel good about herself.  How could you ever put a price on something like that?

I have a deep and abiding love for the Roasted Garlic and Chili Aioli from Costco.

Mike is still really obsessed with Rush.

After years of people telling her to read Harry Potter, Hannah relented and is now obsessed.  Completely obsessed.  She read book 5 in 2 days and is now devouring book 6.   After getting her braces on last week and being tormented by pain and agony she remarked that she had no idea how she'd get through that ordeal without Harry.   Nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids fully and passionately engaged in a story.

"You were right" are some pretty sweet words coming from your 13 year old's mouth.

Libraries are the greatest offering to tax payers on the planet.

I love new school supplies!  I abhor the old school supplies and piles of papers and things that come home from school at the end of June.

I get to go to the Taylor Swift concert with Hannah on Saturday.

I'm trying to answer the phone more often.

I hope I will write on this blog more often now that I'm not writing for school for two months.

Some friends and I are already planning our 40th Birthday trip even though it's more than a year away.

I really don't want Boston to win the Stanley Cup.

One of my favorite things to do is to wash my girls feet when they are really dirty at the end of a long day of playing outside and running around barefoot.   I run a bit of water into the tub and they sit on the edge.  After they've soaked I squeeze the soap onto their foot and massage it around, loving the look of the dirty bubbles.  After a rinse, I dry them off in a warm fluffy towel and marvel at the transformation.

I also like to clip my girls nails and clean their ears.  I know, I've got issues.

I suppose I just love the old becoming new.