The Fun-Filled and Productive Weekend

I had just the greatest weekend this past weekend.  It was awesome.  And much to my surprise I only managed two photos of it all.  Oh well.  Sometimes I am having too much fun to document...I just have to live it!  But, that doesn't mean I can't or won't blog about it!

My grandparents came to town on their way out of the country for a couple of months.  They are off to Australia and I wish they were taking me with them!  It was really great to get to catch up with them, to hear good stories and laugh over our bowls of aunt Mary Ann's tomato soup.  We talked travel and canning, gardening and family, weather and health.  I am so glad they are able to get out and enjoy this awesome world together.  They have always been really inspirational to me in that regard.   My grandpa was telling me about how so many of his friends have gotten old and sick because they stopped moving and grew sedentary.  He is big promoter of walking.  I told him that I had to agree.  I think walking is like medicine.
 
After lunch with my grandparents Matt and I went sledding and had a total blast.  We'd invited along several friends, but in the end everyone bailed and it was just Matt and I.  No matter.  We always have fun just the two of us.  Both of us were completely exhausted from the countless trips up the hill (it is so fast and easy to go down!) by the end, but oh it was fun.  Matt hadn't been sledding in more than a decade he thinks.    After last winter was so endless we decided to keep an eye out for sleds at the thrift shop and garage sales.  Cheap entertainment right there.  Exercise too. 

Afterwards we went over to Matt's parents and cooked dinner for his family--bread, spaghetti with chunky vegetable marinara, and apple crisp.  We also played round after round of Apples to Apples.  I don't know what other game I've played that makes people laugh like that.  It is just nonstop hilarity.   If you've not had the pleasure I would highly recommend it.  I don't know how I lucked out to get such awesome in-laws...one hears such horror stories.  Not me.  I love them like my own family.

Sunday we were both feeling sort of battered from the sledding so we kicked back and took part in relaxing activities.  We managed a nice walk around the neighborhood, but mostly it was a watching football and knitting sort of Sunday.  We spread out all the seeds packets leftover from last year and started planning what we'd like to plant.  However, as we got the garden fever too early last year we didn't let ourselves get too carried away yet with planning.  We did determine that we shouldn't have to purchase any seeds this year, except seed potatoes.  None the less we will be stopping at Fisher Seeds the next time we are in Belgrade, just to see.  It is a cool family business, in its 74th year I believe.  The owner collects, sorts, and counts the seeds by hand, just like her parents did.  That is the sort of seed supplier we want to support so we may pick up a thing or two despite our stockpile.

Also on this lazy Sunday I had what I consider to be a pretty major knitting accomplishment.  I taught myself to knit in the round!  I was going to try it on circular needles, but for a variety of reasons I just went for it on my set of double pointed needles.  It was way, way easier than I thought it would be!  Hooray!  I love it when that happens!  You see, my motivation to learn to knit was sock-making.  Now I am one step closer to achieving that dream.

I had to work Sunday evening (I work one Sunday evening a month) so I left Matt and headed off to the library.  While I was gone Matt baked up some bread for the week.  I have a barter deal with one of my neighbors for a ride up to the library on Monday mornings this winter so that Matt doesn't have to go out in the cold.  Monday is the only day I have to go in early and open the library.  She is already going that way so it isn't an inconvenience for her and I reward her for the ride with a loaf of freshly baked bread.  It is a wonderful arrangement I think.

After work I went directly over to Johnnie's new house for a clothes swap party.  Oh, and what a clothes swap it was!  Wildly successful, I'd say.  There was a great spread of food as well as a huge collection of clothes.  I got a couple new cardigans (something I'd been wanting, but hadn't yet found at the thrift) and warm long sleeved shirts to wear during this the season of dressing in layers. I also took away a nice assortment of white things to tie-dye.

And when I got home Matt had dinner for me.

Ah, life is good.