weekend update, Sunday leisure

Jessie has the good fortune to be home alone for the long weekend and decided to hold a scrapbook open-house for the duration. I went over on Friday night. Jessie, Hannah, Bridget and I scrapbooked and Robin and Rachelle kept us company. Although Hannah is very pregnant and having problems with spreading numbness (scary!), she got there early and made us great munchies and fabulous smoothies with her super-industrial blender. We ate, created, watched movies, and discussed the finer points of Johnny Depp's inexplicable sex appeal.

Jessie, Hannah and I stayed up until about 6:30. We slept until 9:30 and then got up and resumed our projects. It was so great to be able to leave all our stuff spread out and sleep whenever we wanted, with no thought to having to wake up early with the kids. In addition, I woke up to see Jessie's two hairless cats sleeping in-between us while Jessie petted them in her sleep. Quite a sight. (Too bad I didn't bring my camera!)

We even went on a shopping excursion to the scrapbook store, complete with jammies (well, lounge clothes, really), bedhead, and day-before makeup. They were having an excellent clearance sale, and a good time was had by all.

You want to know the best part? I'm scrapbooking again! With the exception of the mini-albums I made for Christmas gifts, I didn't make a single scrapbook page last year and was feeling really out of it. I thought it would be hard to get back to, but it really wasn't. (I'm sure it helped to be sitting next to Jessie, creative genius that she is.) I didn't have much time to prepare for the crop, just threw in some photos and supplies, AND I made some 12 x 12 layouts for the first time. (I had to apologize to Jill because she used to pester me to switch to 12 x 12 and I told her to lay off because it was never going to happen. But to be fair, I don't feel like I've switched. It's just that now I embrace all shapes and sizes.) Jill joined us and brought us frosted sugar cookies -- Julia, love your recipe! My point is, I had a blast. Sadly I had to return on Saturday night and can't make it to any more scrapping sessions this weekend.

Marc subscribes to the Sunday edition of The New York Times. Reading it is his favorite Sunday activity. Unfortunately, between church, his time-consuming calling, and his very demanding Daddy's girl, he doesn't usually get through too much of it. Here he is lying on the couch this morning having a go at it, with Eva being what we call a "kitty girl" -- meaning that she is totally interfering with his attempts to read, much like a cat will lie on the exact spot of text you are currently trying to see.

One of our darling neighbors had his mission farewell today -- yes, I know that technically we don't have farewells anymore, but he gave his pre-mission talk and the chapel was overflowing to the point of setting up chairs and a television monitor in the foyer. Anyway, it was a great talk and I was glad my boys were there to hear it.

When we got home from church, Max asked if he could make cookies for said neighbor. Of course I said yes! I just loved that he had this idea and that he executed the whole thing from finding the recipe to delivering the cookies warm out of the oven. Plus, I think he looks so cute in his church clothes and apron...

Tomorrow Marc is going to Salt Lake to help his sister with her remodeling project and Max and Lucas are going on a grandparents' date, so it will just be Eva and I at home. I'm not sure what we'll do yet, but so far, it's shaping up to be a pretty great weekend!