Another Clean Friday

1. The woman who cleans my house called Tuesday night to say she was free Thursday (she fits me in whenever she has time) so her crew arrived yesterday afternoon about 1:30 so by swimming time (3:30 pm after Alex gets off the bus) the house was spotless. Except of course for the growing pile of paper that's been sent home by Alex's teacher that I can't quite force myself to put in the recycle bin but don't have room to store either. It's been on the dining room table for at least 2 weeks. Now it's on the floor in the front room. One of these days I will have to come to a decision about it, or enough people will trip over it that the majority of it will be destroyed and have to be recycled.

2. The Super Beetle's engine is running again, which didn't happen until last night, even though Marshall is supposed to be leaving tomorrow at noon with his friend for a camping trip and VW show in CT. So many people are praying for this car, it feels a little silly, but my dear husband has worked so hard, I want to see him sail off in it tomorrow. Besides, aren't we always telling our children in Sunday school that God cares about what we care about, so pray about what is on your heart? Well, this engine restoration has been on our hearts for lo, these many weeks, so every prayer is welcome.

3. Alex has been dry all but 3 nights out of 14, so he earned a new flashlight on Monday night. Happy boy, happy parents.

4. Today is the last regular day of school. On Monday afternoon, I will go in to Alex's classroom for his end of the school year party. Tuesday I'm taking both children out of school for a day at the beach with Mimi and Aunt Leah and the cousins. Wednesday is Miranda's last day and end of the year party and then Thursday, Alex has a half day and Miranda has no school at all. Silly snow days.

5. I have really been stitching at a furious rate (for me, anyway), so here is a new progress picture for you:

I have reached the top right corner, which means, if the design is 20 pages long and I'm working on page 4, I'm almost 1/5 done, right? Anyway, it feels good that it's really starting to look like something. Something pretty, that is.

6. Only 2 weeks until I leave for a week's vacation ALL BY MYSELF in California with my family for my brother's wedding. I am seriously counting down the days.

7. I finally got up enough nerve to start watching The Wire. I've been hearing for years that it's the best series on television, ever, but knew that it would require an emotional investment that I was afraid to make. Well, I'm halfway through the first season and everything the reviewers said is right. What surprises me (although it shouldn't) is how reflective it's made me about my own personal politics. I don't really fit in a straightforward box of liberal or conservative (I like to joke I can't afford to be a conservative with two special needs kids because I depend upon the state to provide services for them) but I understand better the traditional conservative's mistrust of large bureaucracies since any large structure made up of human beings is going to be broken. Once again, there are no easy fixes in this life and we are all dependent on God's grace to survive.

Bonus 8: I ran outside after the downpour we had on Sunday and took pictures of my flowers. They look at lot like last year's, but they're still pretty. See them here.

And here's Jen.