Time to go!
The laundry is done, the house is clean, the bags are packed, I have our passports and the directions, and the kids are all on hyperdrive: Summer vacation has begun!
We've decided to take a 2 week camping trip on an island near the city where my husband was born. Three kids in a tent, in the Netherlands (infamous for rain & more of it) - are we crazy? Probably. But we're excited, too. Max, our 7 year old, hasn't slowed down since he bounded out of bed at 7:30. I just hope he lasts until we get to the campground late this afternoon.
We had a sort of 11th hour emergency when it came time for Niek's brother to take our dog, as agreed, and he no longer c/would. That left us with less than 24 hours to find accomodations for him. Naturally the kennels were all full-up, but Niek continued to email & call places (thank heavens for the Internet!) and finally found him a spot in a small doggie hotel in Schoonhoven, about 30 minutes from us. Our parrot, cat, and fishies will be cared for by our neighbors.
While Max packed and repacked his " must-haves" (originally he had 2 suitcases full, and there were no clothes included!), I was busy trying to select a couple of small designs and kit them out for cross stitching relaxation. I am a little bit embarassed to admit that Max managed to pare his necessities down to one small suitcase that includes his clothes, but I have switched projects at least 4 or 5 times so far. I keep thinking, "No, I'd rather do this one." Or, "Those colors don't look as good together as I thought." Or "Why can't I take it ALL?!" I'm awful - my kids can do without their toys and books, but their mommy feels sorry for herself because she can only take 3 projects along.
And then there's the concept of being offline for three whole long weeks! I won't be able to email daily with my mom or with my online stitching friends. I won't be able to trawl the internet for freebie charts. I won't be able to read anyone's blogs. Oh dear, oh dear. Will the total relaxation be worth such a price?
Speaking of blogs, here is one I truly enjoyed reading yesterday: http://joshilynjackson.com/ . You should follow the links to her book on Amazon, where you can be tantalized by the first several pages of her truly excellent novel, too. I know I will be looking for English-language bookstores in hopes of finding this literary gem.
Talk to you again in *gasp* two weeks!
By the way, the picture is a fun little piece I did for my mom - it's actually two Bent Creek charts blended (Wahoo! and Rise & Shine), with some extra bits I added, and of course my own color scheme.
