Mark decided to take Tuesday through Friday off from work. Working 100% from home is a huge blessing, but it also comes with challenges and it’s hard to make a clear line between work and home. He definitely needed the break. We have never taken a school “Fall Break” before, but a four-day staycation with our favorite person was enough to convince me. But don’t think we spent an entire week just laying around!
While the kids were celebrating a vacation from math, Mark and I saw this break as a chance to catch up on life. A little deep cleaning and organizing and the perfect window of time to complete two big projects outside: making a firepit and prepping the outside perimeter of the garden for a cottage garden next spring. We had soil and gravel delivered and spent most mornings all working together to move it to its proper place. My shoulders are still sore from all the trips with the wheel barrow! We were finished by Friday afternoon (just in time for rainy weather to roll in) and celebrated with our first fire and s’mores. I still need to buy some Adirondack chairs to go around the firepit, but our outdoor deck chairs did the trick in the meantime. So fun.
I think I’ve mentioned here before that the quilt on my bed had gotten a few holes in it and I was on the search for a new one. I wanted a simple white quilt and that proved way harder to find than I expected! I finally found an option at Pottery Barn, but the price was a little steep. So I started browsing on ebay every few days and finally found the exact one for considerably cheaper! I also had some money in my Paypal account from selling a few things (thank you, 1000 Item Declutter Challenge) so the grand total was just around $50. It really pays to be patient and check often! Next up on the bedroom to-do list is a headboard. I enjoy the hunt.
After a productive week, I somehow came down with a sore throat and head cold and spent the weekend in bed. Not exactly how I planned to spend my birthday, but the kids were so sweet to me and spoiled me with their cards and gifts. I asked for and received new slippers and flannel pajamas – I’m a boring old lady and I don’t care who knows it, ha! I am counting down the days until it’s chilly enough to wear them. And praise be to God, that weekend rest did the trick and I’m already on the mend. Looking forward to the week ahead.
Happy birthday!
Thanks, Laura!
Sorry you were sick on your birthday! Glad you were able to heal up quickly though, and sounds like you had a pretty great week leading up to it 🙂
Your firepit is so fun, and how satisfying to see a project like that come together! Also–totally can't wait to see pics of your future cottage garden! I love that idea.
Yes! Most of the projects we've tackled this year have been huge, multi-week things, so having this one done in a matter of days was awesome! We're looking forward to many s'mores nights in our future. 🙂