I am woman, hear me roar?

On Saturday, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Tim has been working on landscaping our small yard all summer, buying pavers and rock, hiring a friend who hangs sheetrock and also does landscaping, and putting our boys to work with shovels. Luke and Mark went with Tim to get some more of these supplies, shoveling over a ton of two different kinds of gravel--one kind in the back of Luke's pickup truck, the other in the back of Tim's trailer.

Luke and Tim shoveled out the truck (Mark took a shower and collapsed in his room. He had been working with Tim in the morning and had a late night.) Christina was looking for a way to earn some money, so she and I tackled the trailer, shoveling the gravel into a wheelbarrow and dumping into the area where we attempted to spread it. After several wheelbarrows, we were almost finished. (I was amazed at the strength of my 14-year-old, 105 pound daughter.) Then Tim came out and helped sweep out the rest and spread it. Mission accomplished!

Later that evening, Tim commented on the bag of apples I had bought. Most were being eaten in lunches, but there were still several there. I could bake a pie--I offered. Tim reminded me that there were also several nectarines I had purchased on sale........

Anyway, by 10 pm I had made an apple/nectarine pie from scratch, even the crust and oatmeal crumb topping were homemade. (I haven't baked a pie in years.) So, for a reward on Sunday, after church we relaxed and went for a ride on the Mississippi with some friend's on Tim's uncle's house boat. It was a beautiful afternoon, and it was so nice to enjoy it outdoors in a lovely setting, viewing the Saint Paul skyline as we traveled up Old Miss. I couldn't help but belt out a few choruses of "Old Man River" and also "Proud Mary." The peace was only interrupted (some might say by my singing) when Tim's Uncle Danny blew the horn from below--checking to see if Tim, Christina and our friend Dale were awake on the deck above. Poor Tim had just rested his head exactly on the horn and jumped about 5 feet when he was disturbed. We got a laugh out of that, I think Tim's hearing has been restored by about now.

I love weekends when we can accomplish a lot on Saturday and relax and enjoy each other and God's creation on Sunday. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen often enough. This weekend, it did, and the weather cooperated too. What a blessing!

Till next time,


Suzi