Baa!

It's hot here. Not cool. Kira and I spent Saturday in Salem with my mom. We met up at the Mission Mill Museum downtown to go to the Sheep to Shawl Festival. We got down there later than we'd planned, so we started with lunch at Tucker's at the Mill. Yummy--but overpriced, and it came packaged in a big Styrofoam box. Who still uses polystyrene? That really griped my guts. A simple paper plate would have been just fine, thank you.

We made the rounds to see the different kinds of sheep, and watched a ewe get sheered. She was PLUMP. The poor thing got her eyelid nicked and it bled and bled. Kira was pretty upset about it, as were the rest of us onlookers. The woman who sheered her acted like it wasn't a big deal, but it was fairly traumatic in my opinion. Poor ewe. She never cried out or anything, but she looked pretty beat up when it was all over with. There were also some alpacas and angora rabbits. It was so unbearably hot that it wasn't long before Kira was really complaining. (It's so frustrating sometimes how kids say aloud what we all feel, but don't say.) We really didn't see much of the Mill, but will go back this summer for sure. It's a pretty neat place, and we love our Oregon Pioneer history!

We did some shopping at Danner and Soli and my mom bought me a little wrought iron soap dish with birdies on it. (I'm kind of bird-obsessed, particularly right now!) We then headed to Target to find a Pucci Puppy for Kira (Mom had promised her a present too...so totally "Gramma" to spoil her like that!) She chose a cute little Scottish Terrier, complete with carrier, coat, collar, leash and treats. It doesn't take much to really delight that girl.

After shopping we went over to my mom & step-dad's to meet "the guys". For the last 15 years or so they've had pygmy goats, but the last of the herd (of four) died off last winter. (They were Bert & Ernie, and Rocky & Bullwinkle.) Bert was the last one left, and Kira loved him. Now they have three new lambs, and they are pretty darn cute. I love their airplane ears! We gave Mom a bunch of ideas for names, but they're all going to be named after lawn mower manufacturers--so silly. Mom's sweet Border Collie, Maggie got zapped by the electric fence while we were there which also really upset Kira. She is her mother's daughter--lots of compassion for animals. I think we can plan on her remaining a vegetarian throughout her life.

It was getting late and was time to grab some dinner. We set out in the direction of IHOP, which Kira was pretty excited about. We got there but then talked her into eating at Roadhouse Grill instead. Yum--I love their baked sweet potatoes and biscuits! It was a late night, and a long drive home for my tired girl and me. We listened to the first few chapters of A House Called Awful End audio book on the way home. (It's a very funny book, so far--you can read the first bit here.) Man, our house is HOT without AC. It's all about the Robins, and I think we've been pretty good hosts. I'll miss them when they fledge (this week!), but am looking forward to having our backyard back!

Other Random Sunday Stuff:

We're all full from Linger Longer after Church today. I totally forgot about it and had to sneak home during Primary to grab some food. Thank goodness we had a bag o' spinach salad and some veggies & dip. I also slapped together a stack of PB&J's for the kids, and tried to unload some cookies that we really don't need in our house.

I'm loving The Creative Family book, and am going to go read a bit more when I finish up here. I'm looking forward to school getting out and having time to really digest it. Just four more days!

Kira and I have been crafty girls today. Right now she's cross stitching a ladybug. It's her first cross stitch project, and she's already a pro. Earlier this afternoon she picked through a bag of vintage fabric scraps and chose a piece to make a drawstring bag for out new Jacks. I gave her a mini-sewing lesson, but she's scared of the machine. That little bag took longer than I thought, but it's extra special because it was made with her great-grandma's fabric and on her sewing machine that I inherited. (I love my Singer Golden Touch and Sew!)

Adam's sleeping on the couch. His Sundays are busy with Church & meetings, and he's earned a nap--but the snoring is a bit much. Luckily, it doesn't seem to be bothering the birds. Kira's been spying on Mama bird feeding the babies. (Aww...) I found a branch earlier today that I'm going to try to attach to the fence to make a perch for them. So excited to see them fly--just worried about cats & blue jays.... (This photo is from Saturday morning, and the nest is getting pretty crowded!)

For dinner tonight: leftover Hot Lips pizza & breadsticks. Adam splurged while Kira and I were gone yesterday, and it's totally too hot to cook. We'll probably watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie, as that has become our Sunday evening tradition. Also on this evening's agenda: getting Adam to VOTE. The downside of Vote By Mail is that you can procrastinate, but I love that we can do our homework with our ballots in front of us. My ballot has been filled out for a while now, but now I'll have to drop them off at the library. I also need to crank out my Pre-K kid's diplomas & graduation cards, and order a slew of photos from scrapbookpictures.com. Today's the last day for 12 cent prints!

Hope your weekend has been pleasantly pleasant, and that you're not frying like we are. (I'm such a whiner!) Sigh...