the first day

1......i'm back at work. sometimes i don't know whether to phrase it back at work or back at school. half the people i know ask me if i've gone back to work, some people say, are you back at school. interesting huh? it's my job, it's a lot of work. but i'm glad to be back even tho it's an amazing, tiring, challenge for me.

2.....in all the years we have lived in our house i've had an un-finished concrete floor in my home office. i had a beautiful Pergo floor in my office for about 1 week. yeah, the "hundred year rains" took it with a little trickle of water in our basement. (well, it wasn't the hundred year rains, we do, on very rare occasion get that small bit of rain-water). i'm sad. so it is all removed and we are going with plan B.

3.....i've brought a bit of knitting with me to work to keep in my desk drawer this year for stolen moments!!!!

4......i was introduced to Indian Food this summer by my daughter. i've only tried a few things but so yummy.  yesterday on my trip to Trader Joe's i picked up some new items to sample. it's so fun to try new foods.

5......i got new glasses yesterday.

well...the "return to school letter" has shown up in the mailbox so it is official. my mornings of getting out of bed whenever and endless cups of coffee with Matt Lauer are over. (did that sound right?!?!?) 

final week of summer. it's been good, busy, eventful, relaxing and i'm probably ready to go back.

in review:

early in the summer i tackled the outdoor work. the yard, flower gardening, weeding. i moved plants, bought new, placed all new woodchips, planted window boxes, bought bird feeders and made great suggestions of other heavy-handed work that hubby could do like sod and plant raspberry and blackberry bushes, move the wood pile! now, at summer's end, it's all done and looks great!

we all welcomed tiny, little Abigail Louise into our family in the middle of july. i'm now a grandmother of 2. what fun that was. and i went to stay with my daughter and her growing family for a few weeks to help them get settled into their NEW family life, cuz it's never the same when you add another. they are all doing great. even the little-big brother!

tried lots of new recipes and enjoyed great outdoor eatting as much as possible. this was a difficult year with the cicadas and now the itch mites.  bugs just need to stop bugging me! this is a reason to look forward to fall.

i was a bit crafty with my sewing machine. which i plan to put into practice more this winter. i'm not giving up! and in knitting news....i finished two baby sweaters, a baby hat, my chevron scarf, a pair of baby booties, 4 squares of a mitered square blanket, and 2 sleeves plus about 6" on a sweater for hubby (then ripped it all because it was too big!), restarted...and i've knit 6" of the sweater and 1/2 of one sleeve again.

in reading...i have some great books on the side of my bed, both a fiction and a non-fiction. i enjoy them when i feel like it. but i've been a magazine junkie this summer!!! i know i will have better reading time this winter.

in nesting news i've been a power-house. (is that a play on words?) i have done SO much purging over the course of the summer...if you are looking for it...but haven't used it in awhile...honey, it's gone! i've reorganized all sorts of stuff. some stuff even i keep going back to the wrong place for, shoot there are some light switches i'd move if i could.

i painted and had a new floor put in my home office. picked out new fabric for pillows in that room and just need to stitch those up. ordered new furniture and picked out paint colors for our family room and living room and scheduled the floor sanders for those rooms too.  the painting will begin next week. and the old furniture will be out off here in just a few days. we may be sitting on milk-cans to watch tv. (oh yeah, we won't be watching tv. i'll be back at work and we will be too busy painting) yeah...that was alot....those two rooms caused me a few sleepless nights...those are big decisions.

my son visited for a few weekends it was great to have some time to relax, meet a new friend of his, enjoy some good food and catch-up with him.

i saw some great movies over the summer. last night we went to see Paris Je t'aime, it was good. i would pick the movie Once as my all time fav. i bought the soundtrack before i even saw the movie but then i'm a bit of a soundtrack nut.

i've got another little houseguest coming for a quick stay this week before my summer totally ends so must go pick up a few needed items. it's going to be great fun and it will give his parents a bit of a break, yep he still lives at home. meals are easy to plan for him. he's easy to cook for and likes simple foods. i really think his favorites are the little snacks times that come between meals or the treats that fit into ziploc bags to take with. he's not a guest who likes to sit around a lot, he likes to be on-the-go so i like to plan something special for those. and he seems to favor my dinnerware. i had numerous cups with fancy little sippers on the top but there's not one left in the cupboard. i think the last few times he was here he liked them so well he asked to take them home. (not that he does have some just like it at his house). and how can you say no to such a cute houseguest and one that calls you "Grandma Sweetie".

i've had a perfect summer. can't wait to see what fall brings.