(I started this sock last fall and finished it last night. By the time it took me to get a picture I was halfway satisfied with, I thought my foot was going to catch on fire. July is no time for socks!)
Our very dear friends Tom and Kathryn and their three children came to stay with us this weekend. They used to be our next-door neighbors in our old neighborhood, but then we moved across town and then they moved--all the way to Alabama. It's been two years since we've seen them, so this was a reunion of grand proportions.
I recently read something along the lines of, "Extroverts and introverts both love parties, but while extroverts are energized by them, introverts have to recover from them." My family was case in point yesterday. After two days of fun, we were wiped out. We just sat there. The dog just sat there.
But all agreed our collective exhaustion was worth it. Saturday night was an especially big time. Jamie and Nancy and their two kids, the third set of neighbors from our old street, came over to join the fun. We ate barbecue, and the kids played hide-and-go-seek for around five hours. No Wii requests were made, which warmed the very cockles of my heart. Whatever the cockles of my heart are.
Having a weekend-long house party actually--amazingly--made me want to do it more often. Or at least have friends over more often for dinner. Not only do you get to see people you love, you're also finally forced to do all those housecleaning chores you've been meaning to get around to for ages. Though I didn't mop the floor. My hope was that having a crowded house means nobody can see the floor.
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Speaking of spiffing up one's house, after I begged her to, Sara over at Shiny Red Houses posted the first part of a tutorial about decorating. She has fabulous style, and I feel I have much to learn from her. Go check it out! And if you have any decorating tips to offer me, feel free. In fact, here's a question: What's the best change you ever made to your house? New paint in the living room? Refinishing your coffee table? Getting rid of five years' worth of magazines piled up in the mud room? Tell me!
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Slow Learner, Part 89: After roughly forty years of getting stomachaches from drinking milk (which I love), I finally tried lactose-free milk. Guess what? It works! I don't know why I didn't try it before. I think I've been scared it would taste funny. But it tastes just like milk. Who knew?
4 comments:
I love parties with good friends, and they work well on many levels, as long as I get that recovery time afterward. And you are right, the necessary spiffing up beforehand is a big plus. Another thing I appreciate is any leftover party food, to keep the rest of the household going while I "just sit there."
Best change to my house ... probably putting boards down in the loft so I can store more stuff up there!
Maybe I should try lactose free milk...
And yes, the prospect of visitors does improve one's housecleaning skills no end!
summer blessings!!
Working backwards....Lactose free milk is incredibly easy to get. Here it's easy, anyway. I don't know about other areas, but Colorado Springs isn't the mecca of special-diet foods that Melbourne is.
I've never done any great decorating. I lament the fact often, but I don't know where to start. My SIL's house inspired me and I came home with a list. Turns out her indoor plants were fake. I couldn't pick it!!!!!
We had a three week long cousin house party when we were in the US. My golly it was fun. But even my extroverts didn't realise their need for space! Mr Busy got nasty to be around til we made him have some time to himself. My introvert daughter had a meltdown one night....crying, breathing funny....proper meltdown. She needed an hour or two on her own to read. Problem fixed.
People are fun. Some of us need to hibernate afterwards, but people are still fun!
What a nice sock! I can't wait until I am able to knit a pair up. It seems a little overwhelming to me at this point....but what a great way to recover from a good visit with friends.
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