Three days

A neighborhood newsletter (or two) ago was calling for volunteers to seal and put address labels on future newsletters. Labels equal stickers, and four-year-olds love stickers. I thought it would be something fun for Cora and I to do during "quiet time." Another neighbor also volunteered, and after discussing it, we thought it would be easiest to have the newsletters delivered to me. I was thinking something in the ballpark of 300-400 newsletters. No, that's not how many there are. I finished my half the day they were delivered. I was going to drop the rest off with the other volunteer, but the weekend happened, and I decided to just finish them up on Monday. I can't remember if there were 804 or 808 all together. Two sealing stickers and one address label on each one. Yes, I stuck 2412 or 2424 stickers. I think it took somewhere between 6 and 7 hours. Part of me thinks it would be way more fun to spend that much time hand delivering them to all the houses in the 'hood. That is all. Until next month, Newsletters.

On Saturday we went to a birthday party of a neighbor who was turning one. This family lives on our street, and they were expecting their fourth child when we moved in. They already had three boys and weren't finding out the gender of this baby until the big day arrived. They had a girl. She is so sweet and cute, and her party was wonderful. Her mom did a lovely, thoughtful job with her first girl party. I'd been trying to think of what to get for a one-year-old. I didn't know what to get my girls when they turned one. Magnolia got a big girl carseat! Jake's great-grandma, Grandmother, made all of these really neat things, one of them was a little roll with pockets that held simple little animals. Both my girls have loved it. It's perfect for little hands. And they're also great for little teethers. They can hold them and chew chew chew and they're easy to throw in the washer. I started making my own version a few hours before her party. It turned out really cute, by my sewing machine was acting up, so it took much longer than I thought it would. So did the face/ear details on the animals. Anyway, I only finished two of the animals before the party started. I'm going to make her two more, and keep them simple muslin (I LOVE muslin...just like I love burlap), but I want to make more - and in another set, there will be an alligator. 

Monday nights are great around here. Jake gets off at 5 and is home by 5:15. I hadn't started dinner yet, though I had quick options in mind: burgers or leftover soup from lunch. After I gave him the options, he asked if I had any cash. The answer to that question is almost always, "No." Just as it was last night. He went to another room for a few minutes and came back holding up a ziploc bag with money in it! He asked if I wanted to go out to eat. The answer to that question is always, "YES!" We counted it up, 15 one-dollar bills, and enough change to bring the grand total to $27. We went to Taj because it had been months since we've been. Eating out was simply not part of our make it through the last couple of months of summer budget plan. On our way out the door, he said, "You can only eat so many vegan burgers and lentils." Agreed. 

After dinner, we went to Whole Foods for some milk and bananas, and then we were off to Douglas Park. An evening with my little family is so rare. There was no rush to get through dishes and pajamas and brushing teeth. After the park, we drove around downtown per Cora's request. She always asks to drive through downtown if we're on our way home at night. After the girls were in bed, Jake and I had a great conversation. Everything about it was practically perfect in every way. We're going out on a genuine date on Friday. Dinner and a show. Just Jake and me. I might wear lipstick. And we might take Scoot if it isn't raining. 

PS: Mumford and Sons released a new album. Yay! 

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