Something for the Weekend

Don't you sit in a bucket when you use the iPad?

It's Friday! And thank goodness for a short week, because I am so completely ready for the weekend. Gwen has been a bit under the weather this week, so we've stayed home as much as possible when we weren't busy with work, school, soccer, scouts and whatever else life threw our way this week. There has been a lot of holding and snuggling, not really enough getting stuff done around the house, and some mad dashing around trying to be where we need to be at the right time. Exhausting!

But now it's Friday, and we're going out to dinner so I don't have to cook (hurrah!), and Gwen is on the mend, and I get to sleep in (on Sunday, but I'll take it), and Nick is not going to work until Monday and the world is feeling like an entirely pleasant place to be. Or at least it will be after 5:30 this afternoon, and as long as I try not to dwell on the fact that Espen's soccer team photos have been scheduled for two hours after his game, which means a lot of schlepping back and forth and possibly (please, no!) an extra load of laundry in-between.

Some bits and pieces from the week:

• I'm itching to get a little crafty, and these lightbulbs wrapped in twine (what?) are calling my name. Nice to know that those incandescent lightbulbs might still have a use after all. 
• We just found out that we'll be hosting Thanksgiving Dinner again this year (yay!), and so I'm starting to gather a few ideas already. These quote cards are nice, and the mini ones might make good place cards for dinner. Or just print them all in different sizes and do a little cloud display on the wall?
• This video of Kerry Washington performing Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech. So good, and still so true. I sort of had to pinch myself that this speech was first delivered in 1851!
• Another video I liked this week was this one about Mrs. Flexer, a teacher about to retire after 41 years at the same school. Man, if only all teachers could get a little love and recognition like this. 
• I have five nectarines sitting a little forlornly in my fruit bowl that I really need to use up, so I'm thinking a nectarine upside-down cake. I'm thinking maybe this one?
• Nick was out late at meetings twice this week, so Espen and I curled up and watched Fabulous Frogs with David Attenborough. Who knew that frogs were so completely fascinating? Well, clearly Espen knew, which is why we were watching it in the first place (he's been a huge frog fan for the past year or so), but now I'm in the know too. Frogs! They're amazing!
• Oh, and there's no link for this one, but I thought I'd mention that I've signed myself up for a photography class starting later this month. Just thinking about it gives me butterflies! The class is taught by Bryan Niven, which is pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to moving past the most basic of basic settings on my camera. 

Have a lovely weekend!