I am waiting for the washer/dryer repairman...

who was supposed to be here at 8:00am, but then changed his mind and said 12:00pm.  Which turned out to be terrific because, and i am not trying to brag here to my houston people, but it is really a beautiful day today.  i had forgotten completely how a late summer day feels when it is not too hot, but not cool, just warm, with the sun shining on you and a breeze.  breezes still take us by surprise.  Frank exclaimed, "mama, did you feel that cool breeze?? that's sooo refreshing!"  he tends to be a bit dramatic in case you had forgotten.

so what else is there to do on a beautiful morning, but go to the park?  as we approached the playground, we saw two boys that appeared to be around frank's age deep into an imaginary pirate game.  they were looking for "tweasure" and running and jumping all over the place.  I said a silent prayer, "Lord please help frank."  and after a few awkward moments of standing near the boys, frank was already shooting them with imaginary lasers that come out of his hands, which then turned into a battle, which then turned into hide and seek, which then turned into "what should we do now?" which is where a mama who wants her boys to make friends comes in handy.  I pulled out of my trusty backpack full of 3 different diggers and trucks and some ikea sand toys and offered them up to our new playmates.  I even showed them how to get water from the water fountain to get the sand all nice and mushy. 
Now that their friendship was cemented, ford and i explored a nearby backhoe loader, and had a snack.  and as much as i enjoy my sweet ford's company, i longed for a grown up to talk to.  how come it is so easy for 4 year old boys to make friends?  all they have to do is laser each other and talk about poop when the mom's aren't listening, and they are instant friends.   girls are so much more complicated.

but, as always, God is good and i was able to visit with some of the moms in the end.  we got some free passes to a nearby corn maze and pumpkin patch in october, and learned about different moms groups, and found out when these two other boys go to story time at the library.  it is these sweet little blessings that make my day.

that and documentaries that i can watch instantly on netflix during naptime while i clean my kitchen.  i really like those, too.

Here are two that are worth your time:
-Objectified.  it is about the designers who make the things that we use.  cool and interesting if you like that sort of thing.

-The Art of the Steal.  this one is fascinating about one of the world's greatest private art collection - the Barnes Foundation, and how it has come to a new home in Philadelphia.  it is riveting, which is amazing because it doesn't sound riveting, does it?  watch the trailer, you'll understand.

now i have wasted a perfectly good deal of our time, and still no repairman.  i won't complain though, it really hasn't been that bad.  i just humble myself and do the most necessary laundry in the neighbor's basement.  it could be so much worse.  i could be washing at the neighborhood "Hawg Wash" or washing by hand in the bathtub.  i never forget the days after Hurricane Ike, and my joy when michael hung me out a laundry line in the back yard so i could finally get our clothes dry.  how can i complain after living through all that?