Summer Evening Musings

My happy little blueberry picker.

We've decided Elinore is ready to move up to the next level of chores! Just kidding.

Well, I found out what has been eating my tomatoes!! No, not Kevin, that caterpillar. It is called a Tomato Hornworm. Click on the link for more info. The site says that they can "They can defoliate a plant in just a few days". That is the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen. I am not exaggerating. It is at least as big one of Kevin's fingers. He has now been more appropriately relocated, although I am sure he will not be happy about the lack of juicy tomatoes. Can you see that little spine coming off his backend?

On another note - we finished reading Harry Potter this weekend. I cried.

Pottermania

This past weekend Kevin took Friday off and we headed to Naperville to enjoy a little Pottermania as well as spend some time with our dear friends. We spent a few hours with my parents and sister before they left for London to meet up with my other sister who has just finished a summer program there. I'm a bit jealous that we couldn't go, but the exchange rate is 2$ to the pound. Need I say more. At 4pm we headed to downtown Naperville to partake in "The Party That Shall Not Be Named". We walked around looking at the shops (this was the best sign I saw. I think it is a restaurant...). There was wand making, sorting hat stuff, live chess, a raptor show, HP jeopardy,... We contented ourselves with a butterbeer float (ginger beer with vanilla ice cream - from the vendor we stopped at. They were all a little different).
The costumes were great. Kids with extravagant costumes, school uniforms (the tie and everything), even a couple with trash bag capes. I saw someone with a tshirt that said "the future Mrs. Potter, as well as "Lupin is hot". I got a photo of Snape and Dumbledore here. The best costume I saw was of Madame Hooch. She was awesome. She had old-fashioned goggles around her neck, a broom (made off real twigs), even a little fabric golden snitch pinned to her robe. The best part about her was that she even looked like her - slightly stern expression, short spiky gray hair. She was perfect; she walked by me so briskly that I didn't have time to snap a photo. Kevin and I were talking about how cool it is that something like a book can make adults into costume-wearing kids again. And that high schoolers will stay up until midnight for a book (rather than a party or something) and then stay up the rest of the night reading frantically. It is so refreshing.

The next morning we went back downtown so that I could pick up my book and Elinore could play in the fountain. Both sleeves were soaking wet by the time she was done.

That afternoon our friends Andrew and Jen Vanover came down and spent the night with us. We chatted, grilled a big dinner, ate ice cream right out of the container, and stayed up late filling each other in on life. They are training to run the Chicago marathon in October! It is always such a blessing to spend time with them. We wish we lived closer...maybe someday.

So Kevin and I are reading HP out loud to each other (a newfound pleasure), and we're about half-way through. I'm a little sad. This is the last book ever. I don't want it to end.

You don't have to say it... I know I'm a geek!

The Painted Turtle

I finally get to post one of my completed projects. This is called "the painted turtle" and we gave it to our friends the Blondins who's son Barrett just had his 1st birthday. It is a bit big, but hopefully it will fit him this winter. It is from my favorite pattern book called Itty Bitty Hats. I had to learn how to crochet to make those little turtles!
Megan (Barrett's mama) and I have been talking about how we would like to have our weddings again. I know that sounds funny, so here is why. Finishing college is such a transcient time to get married. There were many people that we invited who soon after were not a part of our lives anymore. And for the simple reason that life just took us in different directions. I feel so much more...established now. I guess part of that only comes because we are married and have a child... I feel like we've developed some very good relationships with people that we are going to be friends with for a long time. And several of these are people that we knew but were not close to when we got married. So I wish they could have been there - to see us get married and start this journey. But alas, we'll just have to look at each other's pictures, right Megan?

The Epitome of Summer

I find that I am always a bit late about posting for things. Sorry. We had a good 4th of July. When Elinore woke up from her nap we headed to the beach even though it was a little overcast. We were greeted by big icy waves, so there was little swimming, but lots of sand-playing. I am always reminded of days spent at the beach when I was a child, and wonder when you cross the line that sand in your bathing suit becomes unbearable. The bliss of childhood and not being bothered by those kinds of things. Elinore and I thoroughly buried Kevin in the sand (which required him to take an icy dip to wash off before getting back in the car). Try to ignore his farmer tan!

We decided to forego fireworks since they don't go off until after 10pm by us. We did manage to catch the finale sitting on our front steps. The high bursting ones were just visible between two houses. (Although Kevin was so into the book we are reading - The Golden Compass - they are releasing the movie in December - that he almost didn't want to go out!).


We had a really wonderful weekend! We went to see Kevin's longtime friend Jeremy play a gig at a local coffee shop where Elinore had a special treat of chocolate milk and got to stay up rather late. The next morning we received a phone call that our good friends had delivered their baby Lauren Anne born to Derek and Amanda Root! She's a real charmer!! My dad made it up around lunchtime with plans to get his boat ready to sail (Mom couldn't make it). I even got him to play tennis with me Saturday evening which was so much fun, and I think I may have figured out what I was doing wrong trying to serve. Sunday morning Kevin made a quick trip to the store to get Elinore a lifejacket and she went out for the first time on Grandpa's boat. I thought she would be bored, but she really had a lot of fun! And now we're back to Monday...