Just seems fitting somehow

Trying to remember...

 

 

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.

Without the rain, there would be no rainbow....

Gilbert K. Chesterton

Weekend Report

My weekend started a day early. Isaac had a morning appointment at the pediatric cardiologist at Dupont.  His pediatrician was concerned that Isaac's has a heart murmur and that his heartbeat is irregular so he referred us.  We were very impressed with Dupont.  They were very friendly, they put Isaac right at ease.  Isaac did a great job for his EKG and ultrasound.  I was so proud of him.  They decided that he has an innocent heart murmur but he does NOT have an arthymia.  So that was great news.

 

 

After we finished up at the doctor's office, we *probably* had enough time to go back to school, but seeing as it was Friday, we decided to play a little hooky.  We got some lunch and did a little shopping.  We checked out a fun new bookstore we had never been in before and (of course) I couldn't walk out empty handed.   

 

 

It is soooooo good.  I've already torn through about half of it.  We rounded out our fun day by picking up Ryan's girls and going swimming.  It was a great day of family fun. 

 

The next day Isaac had a soccer game and I headed into the city to the Paper Source to try to tackle my wedding invites. 

 

 

 

Isaac and Ryan took a train into the city and met up with me afterwards.  I had bought a Groupon for a reduced admission price to the Acadamy of Natural Sciences.   

 

They had an amazing butterfly garden...

 

 

 

 

We loved the dinosaur bones...

 

 

It was hot as blazes that day.  I was a sweaty mess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope your weekend was as fun as ours was!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linking up with Molly for YOLOMonday

This is my life...

Insta-Friday

 

A few randoms from this week:

 

These were in five dollar bin at Target.  These were two of my favorite movies when I was a kid.  We have rewatched them both this week.  "Did he just say funky butt-loving?"

 

So I made a few new recipes this week successfully.  I'm on a domestic roll. These strawberry muffins were to DIE FOR.  Ryan doesn't like chocolate OR peanut butter (*gasp*), so I am always on the lookout for desserts that don't have either of those.  This oatmeal spice cake with brown butter frosting was a winner with all three of us.

 

 

Ryan has a new job which means he officially quit 7-11 [insert Hallelujah chorus here].  The tiny old Walmart in town is finally getting the facelift into a huge nice Super Walmart and Ryan is in charge of all of the new departments (meat, bakery, frozen, produce, dairy and the deli).  His new job comes with a much shorter commute, an employee discount, and no overnight shifts!  They gave him a few days off before he begins training and we have been loving having him home.  

 

 

We tried to squeeze in a Labor Day trip to Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom but the weather didn't cooperate...

 

 

 

I had a quick trip to Lancaster.  This is always a familiar sight when I am at my mom's.

 

 

 

When I was there my mom had picked me up this hot pink shirt from H and M.  You can't really see from the picture but the top part is sheer fabric.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE that it is neon and pink. (Ryan is coming to the realization that I will probably be one of those old ladies in gawdy polyester pantsuits). 

 



 

Lastly, I finally had to force myself to retire my favorite Zebra bag.  It has been such a good, faithful purse for many years.  I am on the lookout for a good replacement. 

 

 

How is your weekend shaping up?  We have soccer, I am doing a wedding workshop at the Paper Source that will hopefully result in getting my wedding invitations out. 

Perfect Saturday

Do you ever just have just a wonderful day, that leaves you so content and grateful when you hop in bed at night? That was me Saturday.

First of all, I had a great hair day.

 

 I spent Friday night at my parent's house in Lancaster because my favorite almost second grader was spending the day at beach in Atlantic City with his dad and "56 of his dad's closest friends".

 

After a huge breakfast with my parents at a cute little diner, my mom and I headed out to Blue Ball, for Blue Ball Days (go ahead and giggle, I know it is funny).  Basically, the entire town has a yardsale.  We went last year and I made out pretty well, so now it's a tradition.  The Amish and Mennonites take yardsaling very seriously.  They will put anything up for sale.  We saw old rusty tools, bras, ancient appliances.   They also set up shop selling food, drinks and lemonade. 

 

I didn't buy these (too expensive... and Ryan would have killed me if I wore them anywhere...)

 

But I did buy these:

Having taught kindergarten and first for the past four years, I have discovered I am lacking age appropriate materials for third graders.  I could have brought home four times as many books.  There were great books everywhere we went.

 

After that I went home and met up with Ryan for a bit.  We had been coming and going all week it felt like, and it was so nice to just take some time together to reconnect.  He was able to join us for my brother Joe's birthday dinner.  We had a very fancy schmancy dinner at Creed's in King of Prussia.  Then, of course, we had to do Zwahlen's for dessert.

 

 

Hope your Monday is super! 

 

 

 

 

Linking up with Molly...

It's time to admit...

Summer is gone...

 

And fall is here....

 

I am in full on soccer mom mode...

(that tank top was .47 cents from Old Navy!  Seriously!!!!! And it perfectly matches the flip flops I had bought from there a few summers ago)

This is the view from my lawn chair every Tuesday and Thursday...

That's Isaac in blue. 

My grad class schedule had conflicted with soccer practice all summer long, so Ryan ended up taking over my soccer mom duties.  Now I feel a little behind; when we set up shop during practices all of the other moms greet him and chitchat with him and I am the new kid on the block.  It's actually pretty cute.  I still have a long way to to go to be up to snuff with them too. I only pretend to understand what "off sides" is. I have discovered that "Stay with him!" is a good generic thing to shout out when Isaac is on defense, and "Come on Isaac! " does the trick when he is at the opposite end.

 

I didn't know how I would feel about it now that I am working again but this week went well.  It was nice to sit in the cool evening air with a book and a Diet Coke and decompress after a long day at work. 

 



Isaac with his dad.  (It's like my genes contributed NOTHING to make Isaac, isn't it?)

             I don't really have an athletic bone in my body, so it has been fun to see that Isaac not only enjoys soccer but excels at it. We are into the full swing of the season with practices twice a week and games and tournaments every weekend, it is all hands on deck.  (You guys, I don't know how some parents juggle multiple children in multiple activities!  It's crazy!  All of us have to plan our lives around this particular committment).  

 

with the coach... not too sure what I am doing in this picture...

Aren't they so cute?

 

Although I refuse to drive a mini-van, I am proud of Isaac.  As long as he loves playing, I will gladly keep the title of soccer mom. 

 

 

 

 

 

Linking up with two thirty five designs