This and That

I was pretty much MIA for most of last week. It wasn't just from the blog. It was from everything. Twitter, Facebook the Blog... I think my big sister might even file a missing person's report if I don't call her soon! (Don't worry, H! I'll call you as soon as my voice comes back!) My absence was not planned, but was unavoidable. I was so sick. It started with a splitting headache on Monday & Tuesday, then I got a sore throat Wednesday afternoon, and by Thursday I was full-on sick.

I learned a surprising lesson that the more seasoned SAHM's will probably laugh at: Stay At Home Moms do not get to call in sick! I was shocked to learn this. If I get sick during the school year, I call in sick, send the boys to school & day care, and put myself back to bed for most of the day. This cannot occur in StayAtHomeLand. I had to get off the couch to clothe, feed, amuse and redirect the children. And of course, I still had to change diapers. It was a challenge to say the least, and again, I applaud all those who have come before me. You SAHM's who do this all year round amaze me.

Okay, on to the This & That part of this post:

I got a new ring today. It was designed especially for me but a very creative lad. What do you think?

I finished the Soldiers Angels Baby Socks... and promptly started a second pair. These turned out a little bigger than I planned, so I'll just send two pair. One for August air conditioning and one for fall/winter weather. (Both colors are actually more pink than the photo shows.)

Oh, and yesterday I got a very exciting package. It might not look too exciting (I mean, it's just black & white yarn, for crying out loud), but it's the yarn for my niece or nephew who will be born at some point in December. It's going to be a blanket that is knitted in the round, so I have to get some new, longer size 7 circular needles before I can begin.

We also got some lawn enhancements today. Last year we hardly used the back yard. I guess with Riley still being an infant, we just stayed out of the sun & the heat for the whole summer. Needless to say, the deck and backyard are nothing very spectacular, but we are making an effort to spruce it up a bit this year.
And, in addition to the feeder for the hummingbirds (who used to come by the old feeder in droves) we got a new feeder for the other birds too. It's mounted right on the rail of the deck, so it's really close to the house. And we've already had some new visitors to it!
Oh, and last week, on Weedless Wednesday, I forgot to show you the new stuff we planted. In an effort to cut down on the amount of lawn Matt will have to mow later in the summer, Tyson & I planted four new plots of late summer/fall stuff. Yep, we're doing an experiment. We planted the seeds right in with the grass. We planted pumpkins, watermelons, zucchini and decorative gourds. So far I've got a couple of sprouts coming up.
Oh, and we also got one more thing today. I'm super excited about it. We got a little (and I do mean little) pool for the boys! The backyard gets a good amount of shade in the late afternoon, so I think that's where we'll put it (if it ever stops raining this week). It's a small inflatable pool that is shaped like a frog. I'll share some photos after it's all blown up.

I've got a few other things to share this week, so check back soon!