This Week at Fort Willy

Greenhouse is up! 

I will build up and fill in the ground around it with landscaping bricks and chocolate rock in the spring. That profile view is just begging for some hydrangeas around it, isn't it? I wonder if I could keep hydrangeas alive. I don't know anything about flowers. 

On Wednesday night, an army of young men arrived with shovels and wheelbarrows and pulled off a full on blitz attack on the two ton pile of #2 gravel in our driveway. They hauled and raked ALL of it into our greenhouse in under an hour, and they did it cheerfully! I moved 3/4 ton myself a couple months ago and it took me all night! These boys were machines. I was born and raised in this church and have seen some great and honorable acts of selfless service over the years. But I was in tears when they left my home. Moving rock is back breaking. No one complained. Instead, they ran between wheelbarrow loads to get the job done in under an hour. They high fived each other while they worked. They didn't take any breaks even though it was hot and humid.  They offered to take over my shovel as I worked beside them through the project.  They were so polite it was like a cartoon.  They even cleaned up after the job was done. I have never seen a group of such hard working boys. They raised the bar with good  cheer, cooperation, commitment, and the love of serving others that poured out of them. Their mothers should be proud. To top it off, when they had more boys show up than labor, 3 of them rotated out and cleared some of my leaves. It was more than just an act of service. It was an unexpected softening of my heart. I didn't even realize how hardened it had become until it was melted down into a puddle of goo by a bunch of 14-15 year olds. I feel like a two ton pile of rock has been lifted from my chest. 

 The previous night, we had read about the 2,000 stripling warriors in our family scripture study. When I think about how revived my spirit feels after having these boys serve my family for an hour, I can't imagine relief the weary and depleted armies must have felt when 2,000 earnest young men like these marched in to rescue them from defeat. It is absolutely true that charity is the pure love of Christ and that charity never faileth.

Here is a pic after the rock was in. I started to build the garden boxes on Saturday, but ran out of time. Sloane is teething and had a few days where she screamed all day unless I was holding her or she was napping. Projects wait until naptime. I'm so thankful for the scouts' help. That rock is 12 inches deep in the back. 

I saw this little nest in a bush in the mall  parking lot. It made me smile, like I'd just found a hidden treasure, or something. So I took a pic. You're welcome, Internet.

 Friday Night was boy's night out and girl's night in. We did crafts and Reese knocked out a school project: Pringles can Squanto. Quincy did a pillow craft. Bless the sweet folks who created such a genius craft kit. No sew, no glue. Fold and poke ruffle flowers into precrafted holes. Brilliant, I tell you. 

Also brilliant: Reese, for making squanto's ear of corn from perler beads. 

The boys returned from the father son camp out happy and covered in dirt. 

Continuing with girl time, it was a treat to attend the General Women's Meeting with my daughters and my mother. 

We went to dinner beforehand with Kasey at Reese's choice, Johnny Carinos. The meeting was uplifting and wonderful. I had some nice visits with friends. We forgot to take s picture when we were all dressed up, but here's a snapshot of us halfway in pajamas. 

Aaron took a half day Friday afternoon and since the babies were napping, I was able to sneak away for lunch with just my mom. We made it a "Food Truck Friday" and hit up the Big Rub and Crepes Paulette. 

Then, with 30 minutes before time to pick Reese up from school, we wandered into Ramo de Olivo for olive oil and vinegar tasting. So fun, and really yummy. I need to go back and buy some tangerine oil or plum balsamic to eat with artisan bread and cheese. Delicious. 

I'm in love with my new roomba vacuum. And by in love I really mean it..I wanna put it on my Christmas cards. It's life changing. I'm like a 1960's housewife who just got an automatic dishwasher. I keep exclaiming, "look, I'm loading the dishes AND I'm sweeping the floors! I'm folding laundry AND I'm sweeping the floors! I'm taking a shower AND I AM SWEEPING MY FLOORS!" It's incredible.  It runs for one hour, then plugs itself back in to recharge. I ran it at night and again first thing in the morning and the dust container was JAM PACKED with dirt both times. Nasty and awesome. The best thing? Sloane hasn't had a handfull of hair/dust at all today. Worth every penny. Who has two thumbs up, a robot vacuum, and didn't spend two hours sweeping today? This girl!