so first, a little about my last post. we took a hike at Graveyard Fields (mile 419 on the parkway) for the 4th... it was perfect. adella did super - she hiked the whole way by herself, saying over and over, "i'm hiking! i'm hiking!" the weather was beautiful, the scenery was, of course, beautiful. we had a nice picnic by the stream, we went rock-hopping and waded in the water, and threw rocks into the stream for hours. HOURS! adella never tired of tossing rocks in and then screaming, "whoa! that was a good one!" we picked out a few special rocks and brought them home to put on the mantle. and, the fields were absolutely covered with blueberry bushes! i think a few more weeks and they'll be just right for picking - we'll be taking another hike for sure. on the drive home, we got caught in a huge storm and pulled over to let it pass, then got back on the road and immediately drove right back into the storm. no problem - we just took it slow and went on home to grill some chicken and relax ( it had stopped raining by then). a very nice day indeed. i wish we had more days like that, days when both stig and i are off work TOGETHER - on the same day! what a treat! yesterday our friend cathy came through town and stayed with us. we cooked some burgers (in the rain) and ate dinner and hung out and had a fun time. it didn't take long for adella to warm up to cathy, and by the time bedtime rolled around, adella climbed right into cathy's lap and asked her to read her a bedtime story. today it looks like the rain might decide to stop, but it's still iffy... we went out this morning to get my haircut, and then walked to the library for some books and videos, just in case the rain continues. i've noticed that lately my posts have been more and more random. what can i say except that i just don't have as much time as i used to to fiddle on the computer. adella's nap days are fizzling fast, and my happy two hour mid-day break has fizzled along with it. so, i apologize for the scattered-ness of the posts these days, but it looks like 'scattered' will be the defining word for my life for a while. so, some random things: adella drew this on the chalkboard last night. "look mom! i draw a rainbow!" she said. a couple of finished sewing projects- a shirt and a skirt i also finished a secret sewing project that i can't show pictures of until after the recipient recieves the secret gift. secretive, i know. but i'd hate to spoil the surprise. (whining for more bubbles) i hear some serious jumping happening upstairs. i'd better go check it out....