September 20

Today was an absolutely wonderful day. I've been complaining because with all the kids sick (Natalie is now running a low fever) I thought we'd miss out on all the cool things this weekend has to offer -- Artsfest, the War of 1812 Reenactment at JPP, and so on. And this morning I had a bleak outlook on life. But we had such a wonderful low-key family day. I made a breakfast from scratch, breakfast sausage patties made of ground turkey and scrambled eggs full of shredded cheese. Natalie mixed up the sausage and Leah mixed up the eggs. They were each so pleased to be helpful. For her part, Rebecca fed and watered the parakeet all by herself. After breakfast I washed all the dishes and Natalie volunteered to clean the kitchen floor. So she and Leah went to town with some cloth diapers and a spray bottle of water mixed with white vinegar. They cleaned for almost an hour! Prior to that they were putting marbles in different containers and shaking them to make musical instruments so it was definitely a expansion time. There was a lot of noise in the house! Then they calmed down and helped clean the kitchen. After all that work we had refried beans and chips and salsa and applesauce for lunch then headed to the little cabin to get some laundry det (Maggie's soap nuts) and paper towels, both supplies that got left behind in the basement after we vacationed there this summer.

Went to Clagett Farm to get our CSA pickup. They are past the summer peak but there was still a lot in season: fresh garlic, string beans, radishes, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, and winter squash (butternut, acorn and pumpkin). We loaded up our bags with a double share, since I missed it last weekend, and then came home. On the way back we passed our church which was having Autumnfest (fried chicken and crabcake supper, bake sale, yard sale, and so on) and I felt the girls were up to a little dinner out of the house. So we changed our clothes (Becca had had an accident at the farm) and I put away the produce and we went to church. The girls enjoyed fried chicken, crabcakes, potato salad, green beans, applesauce and a biscuit. And ice cream for dessert. I was grateful because the person in line in front of me anonymously paid for our meal tickets, saving me $17 which I was then able to spend on the produce they were selling out front. For $16.00 I got a basket of tomatoes, 12 ears of corn, a peck of apples, and a peck of sweet potatoes. Then we got a small paperback book at the yard sale for five cents (which Natalie proudly counted out in pennies) and the man there gave us each a free bottle of water which we will save for the next time we go hiking. The bake sale lured me in with a pumpkin pie and a plate of cupcakes with chocolate icing ($6.00). What a lovely day!

Tomorrow is Sunday School and church and then, depending on how the children are feeling, we might go to Artsfest after all. Or we may just stay at home. I was so pleased with how helpful the children were today -- Becca even helped wash silverware -- and they were so kind and considerate and pleasant to be around. The past few days, with everyone sick, have been hard and I was definitely falling behind on all the housework, so a day of catch-up and family time was just the ticket. And I feel ashamed of myself for waking up thinking it was going to be an awful day!