The Best News We Ever Received on a Monday!

Our home renovations have finally passed the final test and we are ready to accept a foster child. All it takes now is a phone call and we are foster parents again!

Happy, happy Monday!

7 Quick Takes

--1-- Finis!

The move is now complete. My mom and dad are now our next door neighbors. The jobs that we were paying someone to do while they lived in town are now ours to do. We've been at it for two weeks now and still have not settled into the "new normal," but so far it's been good. Boundaries, rules, established routines are still being worked out.

I'm learning how to give more to my day than I did before. In the process I'm learning about which things were chaff. It's funny how much of what we do simply keeps us busy. All it takes is a new family member or two on hand to remind you of priorities.

--2-- Hospitality vs Entertaining

Now that our house is almost ready, we've found ourselves having people over much more. We're very pleased to please. In fact, we are a bit riotous while a stay at home mom, five children, four cats, and two dogs vie for the attention of any "new blood" that drops in. (My husband is much more civilized than the rest of us.)

Though we are entertaining in our antics, my husband and I don't Entertain. We're not up for the magazine-inspired theme parties with seventeen different cheeses just for an appetizer. Instead what we offer is simple hospitality. If you show up, we feed you. Even if you show up unannounced, you're an honored guest.

What can we offer? Not a whole lot of much, but I can whip up a cobbler in about 30 minutes, surely you'll stick around at least that long? After that it's going to be close to milking time and you simply must try your hand at milking a goat. Then you'll need some go juice before you face the long ride home and the coffee's almost done. Sit down! Stay awhile. Get a word in edgewise or die laughing trying.

That's hospitality. It's entertaining, but not Entertaining. It's not anything more than us letting you in. That's all we do.

--3--

We managed a feast of salmon spaghetti, salad, and baked bread worthy of a First Friday feast of The Sacred Heart, but I am working on 5 hours of sleep today and need to finish up the school week before I succumb to sleep. I will round out the day with pic of our fishing trip Wednesday.

--4-- I like this one. The fishermen. It has inspired some brewing on a poem about boys fishing after manhood.

--5--
Every beach needs a Soul Surfer

--6--
Two kids suddenly discovered that they knew how to swing, and we learned to be daring on the monkey bars. We even relaxed on them.

--7--

Finally, and most sweetly, my youngest learned how to be big. She took the baby of the group under her tiny wing.

Wifey Wednesday

On the 7th day, God rested. God doesn't need rest, so obviously this was meant for us as an example of how we are supposed to behave. Since it's been a frantic past three months, so my husband has agreed to take the day off with us and some friends.

We are going to the lake. No bills, no blogs, no housework, no projects, no renovations and no work of any kind.

Have a great day.