Sunday and a Shoe Shine Shop

I love Sundays...for more reasons than one.  I love knowing that we will all go to church together and that we will sit together and that we will ride to and from in the same car and that we will come home and sit together at the table and eat lunch.  It doesn't always happen like this, but mostly, it does.  We used to go out to eat after church.  It was our special treat for the week.  That tradition waned as the kids got bigger...every other week...once a month...once every three months...twice a year??  I don't know.  Maybe it's more often than that, or maybe it's less!  The point is, it's still a treat, it just doesn't happen much.  We've replaced it with coming home and making a big breakfast/lunch, and for the last year or so, it's been the same:  eggs.  Why wouldn't it be?  They grow in our back yard!  :)  Breakfast burritos to be more specific.  Yep.  If you asked the kids, that's what they'd tell you; and when kids can tell you something like that it's because it has become routine.  (Now, if we can get picking up their clothes, shutting off lights, going to bed at 8 and sitting at the table rather than standing to become routine to them since they get the instructions to do so always...)

Today, our Sunday routine was especially welcome since we've not really shared any meals together all week.  I DON'T LIKE NOT EATING TOGETHER!  Did you get the emphasis on "I don't like not eating together?"  It is important...very important.  I firmly feel that it is one of the key things that will make our family strong and close.  Do you know how many studies are out there that indicate the importance of eating together?  I'm not even basing my opinion on them, but my opinion must be valid if someone is published saying the same thing!!  Now, I know that there are much more important things than that, but I'm not interested in going that direction today. 

We changed things up a little...like we didn't use tortillas today.  We had hashbrown "cakes" topped with guacamole and an egg...an overeasy egg?  Sunny-side up wasn't working out...in fact, it may have been fried, but I called it over-easy.  Topped with a little chipotle tabasco, served with a side of bacon and a fruit smoothie.  Good stuff!  Can you tell that we like food here?  Meals are never really calm and quiet, but when we're all around the table and we're together as a family, it's okay.  I know it really won't be that long before it's a treat to have the chairs and benches at my table filled with warm little bodies.  They'll all know how important it is to their mama though, and they'll love sitting there and be happy that they grew up that way. 

Changing gears from meals and tables...but still talking about Sunday...we typically have this really lame prankster that comes around once a week and hides a shoe or two or few in really good hiding places.  It never fails that his pranks are most noticeable on Sunday mornings when we're looking for a PAIR of dress shoes.  We try to prepare a little on Saturday, but that's pretty inconsistent.  Yesterday, as we were "preparing", Tim sat down to polish and shine a pair of the boy's black dress shoes (I'm so proud of them for asking him too...it means they're taking care of something!) 

Once he sat down and started, black shoes started showing up at his feet, lining up and waiting their turn. 

I think one pair ended up turning into an hour of polishing and spit shining black shoes.  And then Amelia brought him her brown ones, so I brought him my brown boots too.  :) 

We had a regular little shoe shine shop going!  Thanks honey for making all of our shoes look nice.  I'm sure they looked especially grand with our wrinkled pants and shirts at Mass today.  LOL!!  At least we all had a pair of shoes to wear and didn't have to spend more than a minute looking for them. 

And finally, last night, I did what I do best:  waiting until the last possible minute to do something.  I sewed Halloween costumes while watching the Husker game, and then for the rest of the night--taking a little break for a family game of kick-ball, followed by a bedtime snack of carmel apples. 

OK, first of all, carmel apples don't sound like a very smart bedtime snack and second of all, they weren't really carmel apples, rather apple slices with carmel dip because I didn't cook the carmel long enough to dissolve the sugar and let it get sticky, so it wouldn't stick to the whole apple like it should have!  But they were good, and I got to use my new pumpkin plates.  (Note:  the pumpkin plates were supposed to be gifts for others, but all of my beloved appetizer plates that we use all the time were accidentally broken the other day, so I broke down and kept those cute little pumpkins for myself!)   I'm still not quite done with costumes, but then again, I do still have a couple of hours! 

My sewing room is a mess now of course, but I've decided that a mess is a very good indicator of  productivity.  That's right!  So if you come to my messy house, you'll know we've been busy being productive!!  Yep...that's the ticket!  :)  More pictures of the cute little kids wearing the finished costumes later!  Trick-or-treating will be fun I'm sure.  I don't really like Halloween much.  I have such a love-hate relationship with candy.  I love eating it and it loves sticking to my rear end, and I hate that!


Happy Sunday to you and you and you!!!!