Weekend

Saturday was full of chores at Pleasant Hill.  Adam cleared out the ditch some and diverted it so it babbles through the yard like it's supposed to.

We rebranded it as a brook, because that sounds a lot prettier than a ditch and it is very pretty.  I love the sound of it burbling along.  

The snow is melting, exposing tender green grass just poking out. There are some steadfast crocuses making an appearance by the back door.  They've been pummeled by snow and ice and they don't care.

We cleaned the entire house and I walked over to my parents' house and took a walk with my mom.  I borrowed clippers from my dad and tamed the Virginia Creeper that is by the front porch.  I cleared some leaves off of the hens and chicks.  Everywhere I look, I see the work of my grandparents.  They planted this.  They built that.

I didn't want to leave.  The longer I'm there, the less I want to leave.

We kept working; I even washed three of the windows.

Just three. 

Gotta pace myself.

We made 4 batches of funeral potatoes for the Easter feast and cooked 3 dozen eggs for the deviled eggs.

Emma and Mark arrived and we put them to work/they played loud music.  Then, they both went and took naps.  Adam and I walked down the road and looked at things.  The world is awakening.

My parents came over for dinner.  We were having chicken tikka masala, which I wasn't sure my dad would like, but my mom brought some pizza so it was kind of a potluck.  I crowdsourced my next Sunday school lesson and asked everyone what they thought about the topic and we had a good discussion.  

We sat around the table to talk because we don't have other, more comfortable furniture to retire to.

It is a work in progress.

After my parents went home, I enlisted help washing the dishes.  Emma said, "Or you could get a dishwasher."  We have one and it is me, but she dried. 

We brought Qwixx so even though I was tired from all the things, we played one game after the dishes.  We had some Jelly Belly jelly beans and even though I don't like jelly beans, I kept eating them.  Someone would eat one and try to decide the flavor and then we'd all find the same color and try to decide the flavor.  

I kept saying, "I don't like jelly beans."

And someone would hand me one and say, "Is this blueberry?"

And I would eat it, because I was curious.

I love the peaceful quiet when it is just Adam and me and I love the more vibrant energy when our kids are there too.

It's a good place.

I woke up early Sunday morning and sat by the fire and thought about Easter and worked on my Sunday school lesson. 

When you're terrified, you over prepare.

Easter was a lovely day.  We went to church in the Wells ward.  I told my mom after sacrament meeting that I was related to about everyone on the program: sisters, niece and nephews, second cousins and their children. 

We hustled home and it was all hands on deck to make the deviled eggs and a big fruit salad.  Adam had set up the oven to cook the potatoes while we were at church.

It turned out I made more food than I needed.  I was calculating the number of people and multiplying them by Braeden, but Olivia's boys don't even like deviled eggs. 

Marianne made ham and had the feast at her house (which was remarkable considering she had returned from South Carolina the night before, but Marianne is remarkable).  Olivia made rolls and brought steamed carrots and my mom made a big salad.  It was all delicious.

We visited briefly and then headed back to our house to strike camp.  It's a process, but it was helped by Emma and Mark being there.  We loaded up the cars and battened all the hatches.  The sun was shining and the brook was babbling and the birds were chirping and I didn't want to leave.

The seasons definitely changed in Utah.  It was 61 degrees when we got home in the 8:00 hour and my weather app has an avalanche warning.  I don't think we're in any danger where we are, but we haven't seen 60 degree weather since last fall!  

Ready or not, I'm back to school.  I'm hoping that I left detailed plans for myself because I can't remember what we're doing at school today.