My Apologies . . . and other random thoughts from a harried brain

I have been a bad, bad blogger. Seems the crazy pace and the big family party preparations have put me off schedule a tad. Dinners here for the past week have been a dismal throwing together of "stuff left over" or pick-ups that The Boss snagged on his way home from the train station. Laundry has been remaining at the same enormous mountainous level, despite the steady hum of the washer and dryer since Monday evening. Emails have been piling up, skimmed for importance and set aside in my mental inbox. Groceries? Well, let's just say that it's a good, good thing that I over-shopped last week for the family gathering. There's not been a piece of fresh fruit in sight since my wonderful SIL picked up some salad and pears to round out lunch on Monday.

I wish I had some wonderful, productive explanation for how the week has gotten away from me. I don't. I mean, I'm re-working a brochure for our fall session of small group ministry at church. I've finished the bulletin for the week. I've enjoyed a rainy day movie with my kids, but only one. I've wasted too much time wrestling with my sluggish computer and obstinate printer, trying to move both the brochure and the bulletin along. I have no idea where else the days have gone, except to say that I have fallen into bed every single night this week. Completely exhausted. Utterly spent. And feeling my yearly panic of "Summer is almost over. How did this happen so quickly?!"

We only have two full weeks of summer vacation left. I have devised a plan for this weekend that will allow The Gang and I to more fully maximize the remaining days of sun, swimming, and hanging out together. I'm armed this morning with my super-size Tigger mug of creamy coffee and a To Do list that seems reasonable to me. Now if I can only drag my tired bones up to the shower and get myself started. Before lunch time would be good.

I leave you with a couple of pictures. To the left is Li'l Empress in her first nightgown. An adorable hand-me-down from a little friend who is from the same part of Shaanxi province as Li'l Empress. That's Mikayla and Li'l Empress on the right. We had a lovely visit with them yesterday and they blessed us with another big bin of clothes. Their visit was a highlight of my week, as I always enjoy seeing the girls playing together and getting to know each other. It's very special to me that they share the bond of adoption, from the same village to the same town . . . I hope they will remain friends for many years!