the day before...

it was a sweet, rare morning of sleeping in until 9:25. eli had maneuvered his way into bed with us at 5:30, nestled close and squeezed my neck tight with his tiny arm. he breathed into my face and commandeered my pillow. jeremy took him downstairs for a blueberry waffle sometime after 8. i am stocking up on rest to prepare for the next six days while J is away. i am confident i will need the energy.

so with good, strong coffee in hand, i stole five quiet minutes on the front porch. a perfect fall breeze scattered leaves across the pavement and collected them in clumps on the grass. i spent a long time inhaling deeply as i listened to piano notes coming from inside. i pictured two bodies of differing sizes perched side by side on the piano bench... ten fingers gliding along the keys while the other ten waited in eager observation. i love peaceful mornings.

lest you think my life is too norman rockwell, i will tell you that i spent yesterday's naptime cleaning cat urine from inside of a guitar case. [not every moment is fresh air and pianos and porch swings.] actually, i ripped out the entire bottom lining, tossed away the horrifically-pungent foam, cut a new insert using a pattern, wrapped it in a faux sheepskin fabric from one of sam's old dog beds, and attempted to reattach it. i still have a few tweaks to make but the effort reminded me why our cat now permanently resides in Texas with my mother.

after breakfast, we went to the Y, dropped eli in the nursery, and spent thirty blissful minutes in the whirlpool talking without interruption. then it was off to run errands: mini bottles of shaving cream and shampoo for Ireland, new shoes for eli's growing feet, and a trip to the bank.

my brain is overflowing with creative ideas that exceed the house's empty wall space. i want jeremy to come home to an improved space with a few surprises. realistically, i will probably only have time for one painting at most. we'll be busy.

eli and i have plans for:

the monkey's treehouse. playtime with emmy. playtime with ellis. storytime. lunch outings. trips to the park. making a treasure box. seeing mommy's friends. a house concert. pumpkin carving. church on sunday. and hopefully brushing eli's teeth.

though i am envious of this time he'll have in Ireland, i know it will be good for jeremy to lounge in the pub with a frothy pint before him, break out his pipe, read a good book, and see the rolling countryside. granted, he'll be working most of the time, but i'm hoping he'll have some time to rest too.

tomorrow he leaves...