Home Again!

We arrived home safely last night from our road trip to Tennessee.  It was nice to pull in the driveway and give thanks for God’s protection on the road.  I-20 was a mess yesterday with heavy thunderstorms, crazy truck drivers, and lots of construction.  There were so many opportunities for bad things to happen, but we stayed safe and Grace stayed happy!

When we walked in the door, Grace ran upstairs to her room and said hello to all her toys, basically making a huge mess in under a minute.  She kept calling me into her room and saying, “Look, mama!  It’s my Barbie doll!  Look, mama!  It’s the ceiling that Mimi painted!  Look, mama!  It’s my Pet Shop house!  Look, mama!  It’s my _____ !”  She was so happy when she went to bed, and she’s still sleeping as I type this morning. 

Today I’m just going to enjoy being home and getting unpacked.  Todd is running to the farmer’s market to get a few fresh items, but I’m going to save my heavier grocery shopping for next week.  Todd is going out of town again tomorrow for four days on school business, so Grace and I will eat out of the pantry and freezer until he returns.  By then, I’ll have clipped more coupons and mapped out my shopping plan according to the new ads.

Today I’m also going to…gasp!…buy some flowers to plant outside.  I have been convicted over the past few weeks about denying Grace the enjoyment she gets from gardening.  Just because I have a black thumb doesn’t mean she has to as well!  My mom and my mom-in-law are both master gardeners, and Grace was thrilled to help them in their yards during our visits.  I want her to have fun in our yard, too, and learn all about taking care of growing things.

So, I got up early this morning and dug out some big planters from my garage.  I’m going to start easy and put some hardy flowers in the big pots and set them on the front and back patios.  I’ll let Grace help me plant them, then I’ll make a little chart on the fridge to help us remember to water them…maybe with Grace’s help they won’t die!