I think it's great that there's a day called "All Saints' Day." Almost twenty saints gathered to celebrate Caleb's birth.
My friend in charge of decorations (which were simple and beautiful) told a funny story about the orange vase, her "Pinterest fail." She had tried to blow paint into the jar to make it lovely, but after several hours, it looked "like I had dropped a bloody appendage into the jar." So she coated the entire inside with paint. Good. But when she went to fill the vase with water, the paint hadn't all dried, so there was a water line. (I think it marvelous that she went to all that effort, just to have a pretty vase to hold a happy sunflower.)
We had pumpkin cheesecake and fruit pizza (the latter we had at my bridal shower).
We played "Lykosh boy name match-up," which was challenging because, including Phil's first and middle name, that's twelve names, and Joe's full name isn't Joseph, which confused some.
We had people share a quote from a book, or a thought about me or the boys, and we had a range from "Plant a seed today," to "A life lived in fear is a life half lived" (from Strictly Ballroom), to Mary Cassatt mother-child paintings. (We did this at a baby party for Abraham's birth, and I love it! I love hearing what people are thinking about, or what they read and enjoy.)
I read one of my favorite poems, "The Lanyard," by Billy Collins.
And, in happy party success, everyone stayed for three hours. Perfect!
On the homestead, I spent about six hours vacuuming, until I had a blister forming on my thumb from the hard plastic of the shopvac hose.
Phil first pulled tape. Most of the walls looked great.
But there were definitely spots where the tape pulled away paint. The idea of doing touch ups, though, was more than Phil could bear. So, another day.
Phil researched how to lay floor. He planed and sanded the most egregious joint (which was still probably within the tolerance of the flooring).
He put down the first layer of cork underlayment.
He opened many packages, because we aren't supposed to use all from a box, lest there be some patches of similar color.
And he put down the first few boards, all of which required cut-outs to make them fit.
But then, with the daylight not going to last forever, he headed out to build a pen for the calf and a corral for Bethany.
I had showered in preparation for the celebration, but went to help bring cow and calf up to their new pen, clothed in clean clothes and necklace. Happily, Bethany was ready to go to greener pastures (literally), and Phil easily carried the baby upslope. All the other cows milled around the fence line, ignoring the new hay bale, bawling their ire at Bethany's fine feed. "What about us?" they were clearly yelling.
Caleb needed a bath, too, which basically means he gets stripped to his diaper and wiped all over with a warm wash cloth and good smelling soap.
I love how his hair turns reddish and curly when it gets wet.
And I put him in an outfit that said, "Instructions Not Included." Which is quite true!
When I returned home, many hours later, Phil and the boys had done a good-sized section of floor. Phil said that Abraham had been the board runner, bringing him a board while Phil installed it, then going back for another one. Then Isaiah and Joe wanted to help, too, until there was almost a brawl among the helpers. That made me laugh.
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