There are only two remaining bedtimes until the first day of school and one of those starts in about 20 minutes!  Lilah goes first at 8:30; Molly and Parker follow at 9:30.  This is our first year for this schedule.  So far the two different bedtimes are working OK.  When Parker was ready for a later bedtime in 3rd grade or so, Molly wasn't having it!  Thankfully, Lilah goes with the flow as long as she has her two stories and prayers.  I made it to bed before midnight last night and I think I'm going to try to do that again tonight!

I still have quite a bit to do to really say that I am absolutely ready for my students to arrive.  In reality, I'm good for Thursday and Friday.  I just like to have a little more planned and ready at this point.  My classes were changed again last Friday, so now I have 3 preps which is no big deal.  I just need to get my bearings a bit and I'm good.

And, yay for cooler evenings!  I need to be out working in my yard since it's been neglected during the crazy hot temps.  It's amazing that weeds will continue to flourish in the conditions we've had recently.  My sweet potato vines have also flourished.  My friend in Texas told me not to panic when it seemed like mine were taking a while to start; she said wait until it gets really hot and they'll go crazy.

I love the color on these, but they tend to grow up and out instead of out which is the effect I was after.  Next spring I'll know to plant more of the bright green where I want them to trail over the rock.


If anyone has any suggestions for my scraggly boxwoods, I'm all ears.  I cannot prune them so they'll grow nice and lush.  The ones up close to the house do...   Maybe there's too much drainage here or something.  See all the rocks that are filling in?  This bed goes from the side (here) of the house all the way across the front.  I'm almost finished hauling them from the back where I'm actually digging them out from under the dirt that has eroded onto them over the past almost 3 years. 

In other news, my friend that is expecting the baby girl with SB is delivering as I type.  She went in for her checkup today and was dilated and 50% effaced.  Please send up some prayers for them as they start this journey together.  Baby Alli will probably be in surgery sometime tomorrow or Thursday if they operate along the same timeframe as Molly's docs did.  Oh, this takes me back to our own beginning with SB. 

Our journey with Molly continues as she starts 5th grade this week.  We missed her open house last week due to its conflicting with mine and Jamie working, so she and I stopped by this afternoon to visit with her teachers and put her supplies in her locker.  I hope it's going to be her best year yet.  This summer I've really noticed some differences in her walking and her feet and her stamina.  She tires out so quickly and she seems to be leaning forward when she walks.  I have known that decreasing abilities are a possibility as she grows, but she hasn't.  If there's a need for any type of assistance -- cane, walker -- she will fight it tooth and nail even if it makes life easier.  I hate it, but I know it could be worse.

The timer is going off; snickerdoodles are in the oven and a little girl I know has gotten out of her bathtub and is streaking through the house...  Good times!