Brian has been working on call all this week. On the positive side, he's nearly doubled his paycheque with all of the extra hours. On the negative, we hadn't seen him for about 6 days and he's only had about 3 hours of sleep a night. His phone is constantly ringing and he just finishes one job when the phone rings again. So he was gone for the morning but we were pleasantly surprised that his phone didn't ring past 4 o'clock, giving him a whole evening with us.
We skipped church because my tinies were in a state of exhaustion after the full house and I could foresee a meltdown that would snag the pantyhose of the pew gentry if we ventured to church. We lazed about and the tinies took an early (and long) nap each.
I laid in our broken lazy-boy and watched Steel Magnolias while knitting a slouchy little hat in some mighty fine yarn. I just finished a winter hat for Anne and a hockey-watching afghan for Joseph, so I feel perfectly justified in making something just for me.
Then I came upstairs and turned the iPod to Patty Griffin's Downtown Church. I could listen to Patty Griffin sing the Doxology and You're Coming Home to Me for about 607 years and still not be tired of it. We went to see her and Buddy Miller live at the Commodore in Vancouver a few months ago. I remember that I stood up in the balcony with a small glass of red wine, my eyes closed, just breathing it all in, because it felt like water on a thirsty soul, neglecting to talk with friends or sway appropriately, just standing, stock still, absorbing the warmth of the upright bass.
I set up concocting some comfort food for us all. Brian came home, exhausted, so I tucked him into bed for a quick nap before the tinies woke up. Sunday afternoon naps, cool breeze through the windows, sprawled limbs are a gorgeous sight.
It makes me happy to stand in my kitchen, when the house is still, just chopping the carrots and green beans Brian grew in his garden, making gloriously creamy mashed potatoes, thinking of feeding us on good simple food. It also makes me happy that summer is coming to an end, the Autumn-Lover in me is full of anticipation, and it's cool enough to turn on the oven, to plot cinnamon candles and think about baking.
When the tinies woke up, Brian took them outside so that they could ride bikes and draw with their sidewalk chalk. I could hear them outside the window. Anne is learning how to print her name. She did about 20 versions of A-N-N-E but her N's have about 14 lines in them. She has informed me that she doesn't like how I do N (you know, the right way) and her way is much more fun so these will be her N's from now on.
And don't show me! Don't show me! Let me just do it myself, my way!
(Somewhere my parents are laughing and hooting "Karma!" at my expense, I'm sure.)
After supper, we bathed the babies. They smelled clean as a whistle, like heaven on earth and comfort disguised as wet lavender hair and baby lotion, fabric softener scented jammies. We curled up on the couch and read The Little Engine That Could and Stellaluna and Madeline in London again. Joe still lays close, his chubby fist buried in my hair, hanging on tight.
When they tinies were prayed and kissed and tucked in, Brian collapsed into bed, too tired to carry on. I made a gigantic mug of Earl Grey tea, dropped a shot of vanilla syrup into it along with a splash of milk and started to read Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson, about honesty and tearing off your mask and being vulnerable in Christian community, letting go of the culture of perfectionism but it's one part book, one part poetry, one part art project, a beautiful book.
Then I went to bed. And Brian woke up so we laid in bed and talked. We'd get to laughing and someone would SSSSSSHHHH! the other because the babies might wake up. We held hands in the dark and fell asleep, like we have for nearly 10 years, beside each other.
So it was a lovely Sunday, full of the simple joys that make me feel more settled in my soul.
I'm easily pleased, when it comes down to it, and my list of things that make me happy is very extensive.
How was your Sunday? What are a few simple pleasures that make you happy?
