Happy Labor Day~

I had a perfectly LOVERLY day. Truly. I can't remember the last time I had a day so lovely. It started out with breakfast at Becca's with friends and my sister. I brought fruit, Jacqueline brought the bacon and Becca made the waffles (and chocolate cake...). Becca and her roommate Denise set the table outside on the screened porch and it was very beautiful. And the weather...was absolutely gorgeous. All in all, I enjoyed every minute of my visit there. Thanks girls for sharing in such a beautiful morning. I wish I could capture the weather and company and the friendship on camera, but some things can't be frozen in time like that. I wish I could bottle it up and share it out...but that's not possible either. I wish I could describe exactly what the day meant to me...but honestly, that's not possible either. I am not good with words like that.
Oh, I forgot to mention that we didn't just eat. We worked too. Kind of. Becca helped me make the body for a dress form! We have been meaning to do that for awhile and I am so happy that mine is finished. I have so many ideas for things to put on it and now I can use it to help with my projects.I am giving you all a rare glimpse of my true self: the frumpy and silly side of me. Actually, it's probably the side you always see. Oh well.It was a very awkward experience. A word of advice to anyone who may be considering making their own dress form, do not suck in your stomach just to make yourself feel better about your figure. You may feel better about it for awhile, but when you can't breathe anymore because there is no more room to inhale, you won't feel so good. Not that I did this of course...sort of. You can always say that it is the several layers of tape that makes your dress form look bigger. Really.This is the finished...well almost finished (it still needs to be stuffed and mounted...I think I may cover it with fabric too.)...product! Now I need to figure out a name for it. Some of the names I have seen people come up with on their blogs are Maude and Myrtle. I don't want to copy their names, but I think the name should have that same ugly feel to it. I don't mean ugly in a bad way. Just in a dress form way. So what do you guys think? Any suggestions for names would be welcome. I was thinking Hazel or Midge, but I need some ideas.

The rest of my day was great too. I didn't take any pictures though. I had my camera with me, but I just didn't feel comfortable taking pictures of everything/everyone. We (my family) went to a potluck cookout at some friends' house. We were part of a homeschool coop with this family and some of the other families that were there before we moved and fell off the face of the earth. I always enjoy visiting with these folks. They are just sweet people who love the Lord. I wish we saw them more often. The last time I was there was before Christmas. Every year before Christmas they hold another potluck get together where several families gather and fellowship and afterwards go out and sit around the (huge) campfire that the Dads build. Last year they went all pyromaniac on us, which was a little nerve wracking, but fun all the same. Then they make smores and sing Christmas carols. It's pretty much my favorite Christmas party ever. And the funny thing is, there is no one there that is my age. It's all adults, a bunch of teenage boys (and a couple of teenage girls, they are outnumbered), and little kids. I just love getting to see everyone. We usually meet a new family or two every time we go there. The Browns are very hospitable people. I want to be hospitable like them someday when I 'grow up.'

Anyway, tonight was a great time like it always is. The kids have grown so much. They make me feel really short. I can't say enough about how great the weather has been. I think it's part of the reason today was so great. Another highlight was stopping in to see my first bosses while we were on our way to the Brown's house. We stopped there to look at some stones they were trying to get rid of. Dad was thinking about using them in his landscaping, but they weren't what he needed. Again, they looked great. The kids have grown like crazy. Remind me to never move away and fall of the face of the earth again. You miss out on a lot. Anyway, the only not-so-great thing about today has been my neck. It is SO achy it actually hurts to swallow. We got home and mom felt it and it is very knotted up. I thought the chiropractor messed me up. Maybe he has. But I am pretty sure this has more to do with muscle than my spine. Having chronic neck pain is no fun. Avoid it if you can! Right now I stink like Biofreeze because I am covered in it and I am taking ibuprofen every 4 hours. I hate taking medicine like that, but I have some major inflammation in my neck and shoulders that I can't deal with. Hopefully this will fix the problem. If not I may have to go back to the chiropractor.

I hope everyone else had a great Labor Day too. I have the rest of the week off, but I have a lot of homework to do so I'll probably be doing that a lot this week. I'd like to stuff my dress form too and get that all set up. We will see what I can get accomplished.