Summer Times

Yesterday was a day of memories.

Of course, it didn't start out that way.
It started out to be just an ordinary, nuthin-to-do-kinda day.

We ran a couple of errands
in different directions.
But eventually, around noon,
all the girls were home,
while Joseph was with his buddy Nate
down at the fishin' pond
as he usually is every summer day.

But the girls were home with me;
and I was busy all day long
finishing up a sewing project
that took over the dining room table.

I'm making a custom valance and matching kitchen window valance
for a very sweet friend of mine. (Hi Lynnel!)
I've never made custom window treatments like the ones I'm making
and so it's taken me a long stinkin' time to get this right.
Did you know that other than a sewing machine, scissors, and thread,
a seam-ripper is a really important tool
if you're a novice seamstress like me?

I mean, I can sew square things with the best of 'em, no prob, Bob.
But, anything beyond that and it gets tricky.

Anyway,
that's what I was doing:
the entire dining room is covered in fabric,
an ironing board,
a little fan (to quell the hot flashes)
a little stereo and a stack of cd's
and
all of my girls.

Laughing,
Singing with the cd's blaring,
and in general just doing nothing but laying around
the table on the floor with pillows
and snacks.

I handed the cd case to Nana
n' told her to be the DJ essentially,
to keep the music flowing.
Since it's my  cd case,
we listened to Celine Dion,
Dixie Chicks,
Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack,
Rascal Flatts,
for starters.

Dinner time rolled around,
n' I was still sewing.
The girls were given charge to make dinner,
and made "Shepherd's Pie"--a total comfort food.
Mr. W came home from work,
ate dinner on the very end of the table,
the only cleared place available,
and didn't mind the mess one bit.
He chatted with all of us girls,
for a long while,
'til Joseph came home then the two of them went upstairs
to watch "Swamp People" on TV.

The girls talked and teased and laughed--
sometimes I didn't even know what for,
cuz ya know, I was focused on sewing,
but it was just the absolute closeness and sounds of giggling
that made it so nice to be together
in the diningroom.

We lamented that our oldest, Danielle, wasn't there.
She's a Mom now and doesn't get to just
sit around and do nothing.
She's busy chasing her boys and being a wife.
Diana said, she's gonna miss these kinda days
when she goes on her mission--
which btw, we still don't know where she's going.
I went to the mailbox twice yesterday,
and even caught up with the mail lady at another set of mailboxes,
to have her check for a big white envelope.
Nuthin' yet.

Diana's had her own trials--
that ironically began as soon as she decided
to go on a mission--
she sprained her ankle training for a Tough Mudder marathon,
then got strep throat and scarlett fever in the same week,
then fractured her wrist and ended up spraining her neck,
also training--
which forced her doctor to counsel her NOT to participate at all
in the Tough Mudder this weekend. Tomorrow.
She was feeling bummed out (and hurt) most of this week,
but especially yesterday,
and yet, by the end of the evening,
she was "okay" with the situation.
Laughing at Life with your sisters can have that effect,
I guess.
Time allows for perspective.
Shepherd's Pie is comforting.

We laughed as we thought about some of our good friends
who are taking their summer vacations
to the far reaches of the world--
and here we are, gathered in the diningroom,
having such a good time
doing nothing that requires a suitcase or a passport.
That is just not the reality of our life.
There isn't an excess of money just laying around
waiting to be used up for vacations.
Our funds are spoken for--
we have a missionary that we're gearing up,
and small things like tennis lessons,
and fishing gear,
and new brakes for my car,
n' boring stuff like that.
Ordinary life, people.
Ordinary life with an emphasis on Summer Time.
Sharing silly things and the part of ourselves
that only we "get" and appreciate.

It reminds me of that saying,

"We may not have it all together,
but together we have it all."

These are the best times.

What's the best memories of your family times?