It takes a village or something...

Busy, busy weekend with much accomplished on the grant front. So much go-go-go that I'm just finally sitting down now to process all of it (and write a Catcher in the Rye test and grade more essays). So, without further ado...

Friday - D built the work benches. They are lovely. I never imagined I would use the word "lovely" to describe some big, chunky plywood and 4x4 tables, but I am using it, nonetheless, and I discover that it is JUST the right word. While D worked, SB chased the kids around the yard, Ra and G videotaped the sweat on our brows, and I took an important step toward the future cleanliness of our garage by cutting the torn-out carpet from the flooring project into strips, rolling those strips into rolls, and tying them up so they're trash-pick-up-able. Also, I found some time to run out and purchase a downright gorgeous tool chest. I didn't know I could feel this way about a tool chest. Dad-O insists this phenomenon is inherited. The weather was fantastic, and SB and the munchkins had much fun pulling up the solar lights and using them to look for the lost piece of pyrite Munchkin 1 flung into the yard. Someday soon, I will go stick the solar lights back into the ground, but in the meantime they will rest on their sides all scattered around the landscaping, evidence of a night of much productivity and camaraderie.

Saturday - K squared were game for what turned out to be a 10-hour shopping and errand-running extravaganza. With all of this name abbreviating, I feel that I should draw a table of elements to serve as a key to friend abbreviations. The necessity of such a key is just more evidence of this life of abundance, not of the material sort, but of the "it takes a village" sort. Maybe it takes villages to raise grown-ups, too, Hilary. Anyway, we went to...
1. (Starbucks) and the home of a couple on the near northeast side who were Craigslisting a kiln and some molds. We dirtied our hands sorting through the molds, found about 20 or so we liked, and deferred to Ka's negotiating skills to score a most excellent deal. Then we loaded the molds into the Element and crossed our fingers that everything we had left to purchase would fit in there with them.
2. The credit union, where I waited in line behind 14 people to withdraw the kiln and wheel money.
3. Steak 'n Shake. No steaks; just shakes.
4. Broad Ripple. Another Craigslisting couple (apparently, I have figured out how this Craigslist thing works). A wheel, a kiln, some bats, some clay, a stool, and supplies, all gently used and costing less than half their original price. The kiln is small and uses a regular household electrical outlet. I will fire the bigger projects elsewhere. The wheel is a Brent Model B.
5. Taste. Girls have to eat lunch, right? And drink a glass of wine? And have a giant chocolate cupcake for lunch dessert? And El B walked up to the restaurant to join us, even though she was feeling under the weather. And she wore her overalls.
6. Home to empty the very full Element and pick up Munchkin 1 from the fellas, whose bellies were full of Five Guys Burgers and who were ready to podcast.
7. Menards to return some flooring and buy a storage cabinet, some bins, bike hangers (a wise suggestion from the Ks), some Sharpies, and some Blistex because, in the words of Napoleon Dynamite, "My lips hurt real bad!"
8. (Starbucks) and Ulta.
9. The Gap (sweater, Chuck Taylors, sunglasses, t-shirt--okay, so we got a little sidetracked at the end of the day and stopped making grant purchases, but I have some birthday money coming, and I've been getting comments from people about the state of my wardrobe.
10. Old Navy. Because when we go to the Gap, we always end up at Old Navy. And vice versa.
11. Home. Exhausted. And to bed.


Sunday
Out of bed and to Kokomo for lunch with the Cook portion of the family. I took the camera and started to get to know it. I can't figure out how to make it take multiple pictures in succession, though, so I'm going to have to research that. I found the setting, but for some reason it doesn't work when I set it. The girls wore their Chinese outfits, and we took some cute pics of them playing with D and S. Stopped by Harbor Freight on the way back in hopes of finding a cart and a tall stool--no luck. I think I'll look to Amazon for those. Once I find those, I'll be finished with the workshop set-up purchases. Now begins the work of setting up shop. But at the moment, I'm sitting here in the Smartwool socks Ka bought all of the ladies, watching DVRed TV from last week, grading essays, writing a test, and talking to the little people. Spring break soon...