Hazy Friday

1. Last weekend was so full of activities that I feel like I've gone through this week in a daze, my brain never quite waking up, no matter how much caffeine or sleep I feed it. Or maybe the scent of all my blooming irises wafting through the air are acting like a drug. They are seriously gorgeous:

You can see more of their beauty here. Also, so many of them have had more than 3 buds per stalk that I've had to cut them and bring them inside to keep them from falling over. A good problem to have, yes. I love my tulips, I love my callas, but these irises (new to the house in the last two years) are really moving up in my affections.

2. We did our back-to-back IEP meetings on Wednesday, and they went well, but I was wiped out for the rest of the day. Both children have excellent teachers and teams built around them (9 people each if you include all the aides and therapists and such) and made good progress this year. Both children are keeping their teachers for next year (Woohoo!), although Miranda will be in the afternoon class instead of the morning one, which will turn my schedule upside down, but I'm sure we can adjust. And the plans for next year look awesome and full of great new challenges.

It is an incredible blessing to have my children so well cared for in our school system. But it is still a grief that we carry that we expect to have yearly IEP meetings for the foreseeable future. I love my children but it is so hard to see them struggle in ways neurotypical children do not. Parenting is not for the faint of heart.

3. When I wasn't moping about being a special needs parent this week, I was stitching feverishly, which is how I finished page 13 and started 14, which should go quickly. I love getting to this point in the project when I can see the end and can't wait to get there!

I really love how the shadows on the vase are turning out; they're just a pain to stich.

4. Thor was a lot of fun! Although I liked Chris Hemsworth as our hero, I was more impressed by Tom Hiddleston (who I recognize from Wallander). His Loki was interesting and easy to be fascinated by. And Branagh did a great job, which I'm sure comes as a relief to him after working on a production as large as the population of some small countries.

After seeing the trailers before the movie started, Marshall wants to add Super 8 to our list. Man, it's going to be a busy summer!

5. Part of the reason for my haziness this week is that when he was out for a drive last Saturday in his beautiful 1972 VW SuperBeetle, Marshall encountered someone who had a friend who wanted to buy a car like ours. Now, we've been planning to sell it for a year and Marshall has been working on it in preparation for that event. This encounter, however, threw him into a flurry of activity so as to be ready to show the car to the prospective buyer last night. The meeting went well and if they can agree on a price, we will probably sell it in the next few days.

Here's our beauty:

However, this also meant the only time I really saw him this week was when he was with me in our IEP meetings Wednesday morning. I hate being husband-less. It really throws off my groove.

6. My parents leave tomorrow to spend almost two weeks in Ireland to celebrate (a little early) their 40th wedding anniversary. I hope they have an amazing time and take lots of cool pictures. And bring home a Guinness shirt for my husband. :)

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, you can purchase my last remaining copy of the book.


Bonus 8. The woman who cleans my house came yesterday, so everything is wonderfully, sparkly clean. That's the way to start the weekend right!


And here's Jen.