Busy Weekend

Rob didn't have to work until later in the morning on Thursday so we were off to Ace Hardware once the kids were on the bus. We picked up a garden weasel tool and some potting mix. We stopped at Home Depot for some mulch and a couple more pots of herbs. Rob unloaded at home and was off to work and I was a busy gardener. I used my new tool and tilled the garden beds and then mixed in the new soil. I laid out all my veggies and tried to think about the best logical plan with sunlight and eventual height of crops. I am trying out a new tip I read about this year - once you plant, you apply a layer or two of newspaper all around the bed, and then apply a thick layer of mulch. The idea is that the plants still grow but the weeds can't penetrate the newspaper - very exciting if it works. I spent all morning and most of the afternoon out there planting. I came in for a break and to check email and got an unexpected message. A former co-worker of mine, Bob, was in the hospital and had been diagnosed with lung cancer. I called him and we talked for a while, it was nice to catch up just wish it wasn't under these circumstances. I learned from him that another one of our co-workers had passed away during the winter. I dropped off the salads at school for teacher appreciation week. Crazy afternoon running - picking the kids up at cooking and then taking Ellie to dance. We picked up a pizza on the way home and Rob walked in just a few minutes after us. 

Friday the kids only had half a day of school. I ran around in the morning trying to find a couple more herbs and researching prices for the end of the school year picnic. When the kids came home we had lunch and then tried our luck at some garage sales. We had a gift certificate I had won a while back for a local hotel and we needed to use it before the end of the month...so we had a staycation in Skokie. If anyone ever needs to suggest a local hotel, the Hampton Inn in Skokie was delightful. We checked in, got our swimming suits on and were down in the pool for a couple hours. The water was nice and we had the pool to ourselves. We had dinner at El Jardin which was great. Rob and I had a margarita to celebrate our staycation and I was having trouble finishing mine and Rob went for a second...he was asleep in the backseat with Nick on our way back to the hotel. 

Saturday we had breakfast at the hotel and checked out to come home. Rob mowed the lawn and edged. Rob and I discussed my fencing idea for the garden. I had seen a very cool removable fence picture and I wanted to try to replicate it for the garden. Rob went and got the wood and the kids and I went inside to make some cards for Bob. He used to bring Ellie cookies when she would come into work with me. I went to visit Bob with the kids cards and Rob and Nick went to work building my fence panels. I had a great visit with Bob and I was happy I went and was able to be there for him. I came home and Rob had all the wood frames ready to install the screen onto. We worked together and got 4 done and installed - looks so clean and tidy. Rob continued on and I took the kids over to the Festival of Cultures. We walked around and the kids got all there free crap from the expo. We came home and Rob had finished all the panels and we worked together to get them installed. I will have to take a picture - they look awesome. 

This morning we went to mass at Jo and Ole's church and Matteo was baptized after the service. There was a lunch afterwards at Mom and Dad's. It was a great day, especially since there was a lake breeze. The kids had a wonderful time playing together in the yard. We had Chicken Inn, fake chicken, orzo salad, southwest salad, kale salad, and watermelon. We came home and played outside. We set up the badminton net and played. Rob couldn't sit still and decided to take out some of the prolific tree weeds. I watered our grass seed and cleaned off our chairs. We all needed baths/showers when we came in. Ellie and I read for a while and Nick and Rob did his leapbook. 

Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree