I don't have a lot of time to write - I have a check-up with the doctor at 8:00 a.m tomorrow.  This will be a lot more fun, I'm sure, than the last two times I went to see him.  Last time, my grandfather had to drive me because my back was hurting so badly that I couldn't stand straight, much less drive.  And the time before that, I had both girls and the double stroller in the exam room with me.  Trust me, that was the shortest appointment I have ever had.  Between Abigail trying to lick the exam room floor and Gracie rattling off a zillion questions, I think the doctor did his level best to get me out of there in under five minutes.  So, Steve has kiddo duty in the morning and I get to go to the doctor by myself - woo hoo!!!  And, since he's going to be here anyway, I'm going to try and get a solo walk in before I go to the appointment - the girls and I are slowly getting back into our daily walks, but, while I enjoy them immensely, the start and stop, start and stop, meandering nature of them isn't exactly conducive to aerobic exercise....

Anyway, today was an easy day for the girls and I.  We walked a bit, swam a lot, and probably watched too much TV.  For some reason, Wednesdays are always hard for me to keep them occupied.  It seems like work stuff always pops up on Wednesday and it's usually on Wednesday that I look around the house and realize that my housekeeping skills are sorely lacking.....

I have been making a concerted effort to find the beauty in the world around me, to appreciate God's gifts in the smallest of things and the oddest of locations.  My backyard has been somewhat of a thorn in my side since I moved into this house in 1993 (Yep, almost 15 years ago!).  It's large and that's nice, but it's full of sand and stickers and lots and lots of weeds.  Now, don't get me wrong - Steve has done a fantastic job transforming it from the sand pit that it was when we got married into a useable, functional area for the girls to play.  But, it would be a full-time job to turn it into something that would appear on the cover of Southern Living.  We always talk about how we're going to lay sod and do up flower beds and on and on and on, but other things always win out...like playing with the girls or replacing the roof and the siding.  But, the truth is, when I really take my time and look, my backyard is as full of beauty as anywhere else, and I love to spend time out there, sitting on the patio, watching the girls play on their swingset or eating supper at the table under the umbrella. 

Today, I took these two pictures......even in the most unlikely of places, there is beauty...

These are flowers on some of the weeds that grown in the sand....regular flowers won't grow, but weeds can multiply like, well, like weeds


And here's a little bug that Steve says is a dragonfly on the stalk of another weed
    

Have a great day!