How We've Been Occupying Our Time

Mike's off deer hunting this week (and has only spotted TWO does, no bucks, in the four days he's been gone, I might add), and he also just became the Athletic Director at the school, so he hasn't exactly been around much. But, the boys and I have been finding ways to occupy our time. Here goes! First off, how to keep two small boys entertained for 45 minutes. All you need are two plastic golf clubs and a dead tree. I have two of those in my front yard (a virus, we think?), but they chose the smaller one to de-leaf. For once, Nick has clothes on, but notice David does not. My boys hate clothes, apparently. Next up, Nick started soccer. We had a major meltdown before the first day, since he could only find one of his cleats. Days later, the other cleat was found under the TV, in the book stash. WHY?!? Anyway, notice Nick's wearing his Buffon (Italy's goalie) jersey that Aunt Maggie got him in Italy. In between running and dribbling the ball, Nick also managed to pick every dandelion in the field's grass. He'd be running along, suddenly hit the brakes, pick the flower, and run it over to me, then run back. He can be such a sweetheart when it suits him. Next, go to the pumpkin patch. And yes, they DO have a real pumpkin patch in the desert. Granted, this is the ONLY one I know of in the entire valley, but luckily it's about a mile from my house. It's called Gilcrease Orchard, if you're interested. We also picked cucumbers, eggplant, tomatillos, and squash while we were there. And picked up a gallon of cider. Oh, and three corn stalks, which Nick HAD to have, along with one pigeon feather. He has a feather collection, which mainly consists of pigeon feathers. The boys ran down the orchard rows forever. BTW, has anyone ever tried, or even heard of, pear cider?? They had that, as well as the apple, but it sounded weird to me. Lastly, whenever you're bored, doesn't spending some money make you a little less bored?? I didn't spend it on shoes or anything, however. I bought fabric--did I need it? No, but my new kitchen curtains make me happy, and it has all my favorite colors in it. If only my Kitchenaid was red instead of boring white. And I also bought paint--I couldn't stand my green living room any longer!! Wish I could find a picture of the before, but the previous owners painted the walls green, and I didn't mind the shade, but they painted the vaulted ceiling as well! Who does that? Anyway, maybe no one but me and my mother do home decorating projects while our husbands are MIA, but I took on the challenge. Goodbye green, hello Oatbran! Okay, so the Halloween decor isn't exactly jiving with the color scheme, but Nick insisted on getting it all out October 1st. The flash is making the wall color look all washed out, but it's actually a light tan, and I love it! It just feels so much brighter and more restful, somehow. I obviously will be back at JoAnn's tomorrow, in search of new throw pillow fabric. Only two of my old ones will match, so I've got to finish accessorizing! I also need to paint the sofa table, but I might be all painted out for a week or two. My neck is still kinked from painting that vault. Word to the wise: never paint a vaulted ceiling green. And if the home you're planning to buy has one, write it in the contract and make the owners paint it before you buy the house.