Summer

9:01 AM.

It's quiet here (I know, I know...it's a miracle). Abby is quietly playing with her LeapPad (Nate's hand-me-down), Nate is playing Playstation, Tommy is in New Hampshire with Bren and Jamie is at my mom's doing chores to earn cash (it's tough to find a job in this town! He has applied everywhere within walking distance......we live in the center of town; There is a McDonalds, Burger King, CVS, RiteAid, Walgreens, Papa Johns, DAngelos, 7-11, Tedeschis convenient store, about 10 banks, a million liquor stores, several churches and other businesses....and not one is hiring!).

Coffee, light with sugar....yum! So yummy in fact I might have 2 cups. Have I ever mentioned Heather? My friend who makes the best coffee? I once asked her how she does it and like any other super talented person she just shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know!" She's just being modest....she knows it's technique and skill. Or it could be the old coffee maker she has (I think I remember her saying she got it as a wedding gift....her and Steven have been married since 1991 (?)......I know it's August 1st....might be 1992). Anyway, it's the best, for real.

I love the laid back feeling of summer vacation. No rush to get up and go...we can be lazy for a bit. Since I don't have a car, we spend a lot of time close to home. In past years this has been an issue for me. Since we moved here it's not so bad. We live near the library, the Dollar Store (this is like DisneyLand for 4 year-olds!!), the town hall, all the schools, other little shops, the hairdresser etc. So when the mood strikes, we can find something to do. And with the price of gas these days, even if I had a car, I'd still stay close to home....

I have a few things I want to accomplish this summer:

1. Teach Abby to tie her shoes....she tries but hasn't quite gotten it yet.
2. Help her become more independent in the bathroom (ie., *warning, too much info* wipe her own butt)
3. Teach the boys to use the washing machine.....they already know how to use the dryer, but the whole detergent/cycle/load size/water temp thing is a little intimidating....maybe I'll make a "cheat sheet" and post it by the washer!
4. Clean out some of the junk in the basement...when we moved I packed almost everything (12 years of junk) and stacked most of it in the basement when I was unpacking.
5. Shampoo the carpets.
6. Make Abby a few more dresses and a couple pairs of shorts.
7. Make my friend Michelle 2 baby quilts (twins!!! a boy AND a girl!!!).
8. Knit 2 baby sweaters (see above).
9. Go blueberry picking (and strawberry picking too!)
10. Relax, a lot....

There are other things, but that's a start. And of course nothing is written in stone.