~ Last Week . . .

To say that the last week was a blur in my life is an understatement . . . really, where did it all go? 

Has it really been over a week since Mother's Day?! Wasn't it only yesterday that my two wonderful boys woke early to make me a fantastic Mother's Day breakfast- scrambled eggs with sauteed mushrooms, peppered turkey bacon, and melted asiago-rosemary cheese all atop a perfectly baked pizza crust alongside a cold glass of o.j.? (AND they cleaned up!) 

It can't be eight whole days since they piled 3 boxes of chocolate and a chocolate cake onto my lap (I kid you not) along with a handmade card written by the Youngest that states:

"It isn't called 'mom' for nothing. Happy Mother's Day! Have a great Mother's Day full of cats!"

(that one is a gem; he cracks me up daily without even trying!)

It just cannot have been that long since I went to visit my own mother to celebrate the day and make her a meal, and bring her a gift.

And then to come home from the visit toting even more tokens of affection:

a beautiful white pitcher from my mother

a  graceful fern planted in a fantastic galvanized pot; also from mom

a beautiful lined-journal from my sister-

 perfect for recording and counting the gifts of joy in my life

and also a rose bush from my sweet brother!

Isn't it beautiful?! I can't wait to clear the area in the garden where it will find it's permanent home. 

But until that happens, the mudroom porch does nicely.

What I especially love about it is the change in color from the dark, deep pinkish-red of the buds to the lighter shade as it begins to open, to a light pink once each blossom has unfurled it's petals completely . . . heavenly . . .

and of course I gave some gifts as well . . .a teapot for my mother,
and a package sent out to my Grammie containing all sorts of little crafting goodies.
I had so much fun picking them out and wrapping them up!

Yes, it was a lovely Mother's Day this year . . . and I still can't believe this much time has passed since!

Last week was just jammed packed with 'stuff'- most notably state-wide testing that the Youngest had to be driven to each morning. Which meant getting up at 5:45 am (not a friendly hour for me) in order to take care of pesky things like exercise, breakfast and showering to get him over to school on time. 

And then I spent a great deal of time 'on call' waiting for him to finish the day's test. And since driving back home is too long and too expensive (I can eat lunch for less than a gallon of gas!) I spent a majority of last week either shopping, running errands, or sitting in cafes with coffee, a book and some needle work. 

Kind of a nice break from the norm, but let me tell you . . . the housework did not do itself while I was away, if you know what I mean.

However, I did manage to squeeze in some garden time in the afternoons

and did some puttering about involving flower snipping and windowsills.

The iris are in bloom and I let these beauties come stay with me indoors.

A good deal of the afternoons were taken with cleaning up, washing up, and picking up.

Wearing a cute vintage apron while doing these tasks makes them much more satisfying- it's a proven fact!

Friday was our one day free of test-taking. The Youngest and I celebrated with the sunshine and spent the day outdoors. We took a long walk down to the park. We brought a blanket to lay out on in the sun, the book we've been reading, and the camera. This park is laden with large, old, leafy trees to hide under.

And lots of open space and grass to run on.

It also has a small rose garden and courtyard.

We made sure to smell each rose bush to determine which was the best.

Not sure what this one is called, but it was easily the winner.

And then we got thirsty- which is not a problem with a Starbucks across the street.

This close up is courtesy of the Younger . . . he's fascinated with what he calls 'those bumps' 

around my mouth. Don't you just love kids?

At any rate, Friday ended up being lots of fun, but as I was not at home once again, much was left to be done for the weekend . . . and with a graduation party to attend and a play to go see, much is still waiting.

But really, what else is new? . . .

                             . . .  certainly not this. A sleeping fur-ball on my chair is hardly unusual . . .

However, this is.

The Oldest may be twelve going on twenty-three and as tough as they come . . .

but he's pretty tender, too-

and he actually allowed me to collect photographic proof!

Which just brings me back to being a Mother . . . how grateful I am for those boys in my life

(fur-kind included) and how proud of them I am as I watch them grow in stature and in mind and heart each day.

Cheers!