We made bubble art! I have wanted to do this craft for at least a year and we've finally done it! I loved it. The girls enjoyed it. And it was fairly simple, although pretty messy. All you have to do is mix some food coloring with bubble solution and then blow bubbles at water color paper. The popping bubbles and dripping solution make a mess. We had spots on our face and Greta had the dye all down her legs. It was worth the mess though, because these pieces of artwork are so fun. Holly and Greta were only interested in making one. But it wasn't a craft that they zipped through. I recommend doing this one - it was fun!

Last week was a really busy one! The girls and I went to San Francisco, Wastsonville and south of Santa Cruz. Conor and I went to Oakland too.

We met some friends for Denver at Sunset Beach for the afternoon. It's always so good to see friends again! I'm lucky that I get to see Julie and her children about once every year or so. The kids got along really well and they had fun together. I enjoyed catching up with Julie and meeting her son. We had a great time!

So far, it has been a busy little summer for my girls and me. Today is purposefully a stay at home and catch up day. Yesterday, we went to Gizdich Ranch, and we picked a bear's worth of berries! First strawberries. They are so delicious and sweet and I couldn't stop myself from picking nearly every perfectly red one I saw, so we left with a pretty good haul - at least 6lbs. Next was boysenberries and ollalieberries. Again, any dark and juicy berry I saw had to be dropped in my bucket. I had to drag myself away with likely more than enough berries for our little family. Holly and Greta really enjoyed berry picking, despite the chilliness. And then as an added bonus, after lunch, they got to play hard with friends. Both daughters thanked me sincerely for taking them berry picking and then they mentioned it in their prayers last night too. My momma heart is full knowing that my girls had a great day.

We read Blueberries for Sal at bedtime last night. It felt appropriate even though we weren't picking blueberries and there were no bears. Holly and Greta quite enjoyed the story as did I and the illustrations truly are caldecot worthy.

So far, summer has been truly wonderful.

Last weekend, I put foam curlers in my daughters' hair. Holly and Greta were both very compliant, and excited for their curls. They went to sleep just fine. But, in the morning, Greta did not like her curls at all. One look in the mirror and her excitement turned to tears... for at least a half hour, until we put Greta in the tub and rinsed out her curls. I wonder if she didn't like how she looked with the curls or didn't recognize herself as much as she likes to. Holly loved her curls - she bobbed and shook her head as much as possible to get those curls bouncing.

On Sunday, Conor wore a bow tie that Holly had sewn for him - so awesome! Holly used a running stitch (in red thread) to sew together a few strips of fabric. She was so excited to present this treasure to Conor. Holly is really enthusiastic about sewing and I really need to do more of it with her but I'm not sure where to start. I've gotta figure that out!

The days are long, but the years are short.

Life somehow sped up. I'm shocked at how often I'm sprinting to get this or that done. I feel like I'm constantly doing laundry (what changed?), and something is always in need of cleaning. We have a million things to do, including grocery shopping every single week. I miss nap time. A reason to slow down in the middle of the day. Yes, sometimes I felt like a slave to nap time, but honestly, I looked forward to those 2 quiet hours in the day where I had a chance to catch my breath or doze on the couch. Now, there is no nap. And so somehow life has become very busy, I think maybe because we can. I'm managing and sacrificing (much less sewing is happening in these parts) and I'm tired.

Today, I was rushing around getting some things done before our well checks at the doctor's office. Holly invited me a couple of times to play, but I didn't. She invited me again at another time of day, and I politely declined. And finally after dinner, Conor and I were invited to play in the yard with a new ball I had just purchased for my girls. The dishes be damned, I was not putting aside an opportunity to play with my children. And so outside we all went for a little while to throw a ball around and laugh and chase and be a family.

Playing with my children was so much more satisfying than a perfectly folded stack of laundry. I loved listening to Holly boss us around and tell us all the rules. And watching Greta's eyes light up when I chase her is amazing. It was a beautiful little bit of time being with my family. And it was so worth it.