…I have turned the front porch into a sitting area which is so lovely in the morning. On the other side is a play area with a full kitchen, baby center (for dolls, that is) and dress up clothes to make you giddy if you were a four year old.
…I have cleared out the play room (which no one really played in) and made it a wide open space. I had dreams of moving all my craft/sewing/yarn stash into there but that is on hold since our life/home/family seems up in the air on where we are going to land next.
…Ivan and I have seriously started looking into moving somewhere, anywhere and it seems the path God is highlighting might be Iowa City. This almost gave my mother a heart attack when she heard the news.
…I decided one morning to go for a run at Lions Woods while Ivan had taken the girls to the park. I put my Ipod in one pocket and my keys in the other. I attempted to run and was getting distracted by the jingling and clanging so I slowed down, spotted an old log and nestled my keys behind there hidden from view on the trail. I ran the one mile (miraculously) and came back to retrieve my keys but they were no where to be seen. Time went on, long story made short: I think some guy was going to steal my car. He had snagged my keys and came back an hour later clicking on the remote lock trying to find out what car it opened in the lot. I happened to be sitting under a tree watching the whole event and confronted him. Odd. Mental note: don’t go jogging in the woods and leave your keys behind a stump. Also: take a cell phone with you at all times.
…Many beach trips have ensued and my freckles are in full bloom.
…I have harvested not once, but twice, my basil and made a monster batch of pesto but neglected to read the recipe very closely and added not one teaspoon of salt but rather one tablespoon of salt. Waiting for the basil to reproduce so as to dilute the salt down. :/
…I have watched some really bad movies. What’s up with the movie industry these days? It seems really poor and lacking for any substance. I did enjoy these: Whip, Georgia O’Keefe, and Pray the Devil Back to Hell.
…I finished two memoirs: one was amazing and will be reread at some point, the other was so-so. Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor and Perfection by Julie Metz, respectively.
…The Martens’ clan came for a family reunion of sorts before the beloved Elsbeth moves off to Vancouver. The house was full, we ate like kings, and had your typical family drama. I was happy and glad.
…Scarlet has learned a few more words, namely, STOP.
…I spent the night in the Emergency Room at Lake Forest Hospital recently with severe abdominal pain related to gall stones. I need surgery to remove my gall bladder in the near future. Blah. Or as they say in Battlestar Galactica: frack.

Up on deck:
–>Renae and her goeslings are coming for a whole week long visit next week. I get to hog her.
–>The annual Lake County Fair, a must keep tradition for our little Martens’ family.
–>Possible trip to Iowa City in early August to see family, help build a delux desk for Jason and maybe some interviews.
–>Knitting, knitting and more knitting. Why does it seem I could knit multiple hours every day and be just fine with that?
–>Some serious yard work and weeding is in store for my old knees and weathered hands.
–>Peach cobbler. The peaches are in; they are plentiful, perfectly ripe and cheap. Come one, come all.