Girls weekend- Laine style
Hi! My older boys are in Swaziland right now, and it is so quiet in the house without them both here. We miss them! It will be good to have them back next week and hear how the LORD answered prayers. They are planting gardens and the gospel with Bruce Wilkinson's "Dream For Africa" team.
We have also passed the homestudy part of our adoption and are presently working on the dossier. This is the last part, and there is still lots to do. So I try to do a bit here and a bit there. This week I obtained our marriage license, and next week I will get our passports and birth certificates.
I was talking with a friend the other day on the phone, and I mentioned to her about my fun two days with four young girls last weekend. She told me I just had to share it with you all. So here I am...
First, let me introduce you to the girls. They are all sisters: there's Jessica, who is fourteen years old; Hannah, who is twelve years old; and Amber, who is nine years old. Abbie and I were also part of this fabulous fun team. We five girls had the whole weekend to ourselves, and I told them all that we were on vacation! (Art had gone to spend the weekend with his mother and took Gabe along. And as I mentioned before, the boys are in Swaziland.) So I had Abbie invite Jessica, Hannah, and Amber, our old neighbors, over for a fabulously fun Girls' Weekend. I told them to bring their spending money, because we were going shopping!
The girls arrived around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning with all the gear for sleeping over. Everyone was giggling and very excited about our day. Abbie made us ginger muffins while I sat with the girls in the kitchen discussing our first day together. They told me they each had about $7-$10 to spend. I told them I had $12. I didn't tell them all the places we were going, because I wanted it to be a surprise. I headed off to take a bath, because every Girls' Weekend has to include a nice bath. ~Smile~
We then all piled into the car, and the first place I took them to was a little thrift shop in town. Abbie was the only one to find something there - it was a purse from The Gap for about 78 cents. She was so pleased.
After that, we headed to another thrift shop down the street. Here Jessica found a game that her family loves called, "Guesstures" for fifty cents. Oh, was she excited, because the man at the counter lowered the price a dollar.
Next, I surprised them by taking them to a little candy shop in our area. I bought them all fifty cent suckers, and when the man behind the counter heard we were on a Girls' Weekend, he gave each of the girls a candy bar and a piece of the candy of their choice for free! Let me tell you, that went over very well. ~Smile~
We hit the Dollar Store next. Amber really liked this place. She likes gardening, so she found some gladiola bulbs for $1 and a really sweet wind chime for outside of her bedroom window. Abbie got a back massager there that the girls all enjoyed when we got home.
There is this wonderful french bakery in town with a french chef who makes the most authentic french bread. I just had to take them there next to buy a loaf for $1.75 to have with tea when we got home. With the bread under my arm, we spied a new shop that sells homemade soap. As I smelled cake after cake of soap, the girls played with the shop owner's Cockatiel bird. The bird loved the girls, and they learned a lot about the cute bird from the shop owner who encouraged them all to hold her and pet her.
Our next stop was Goodwill, another thrift shop. Hannah hit it big there by finding a pair of pants that fit her beautifully for only $3.69. She was so excited! And Jessica found two cute tops for $3.29 each. Now Jessica was on the hunt for a pair of jeans, but we didn't find anything there, so I told her to hold on until we got to the next store. I found a Cary Grant movie (he's one of my favorite actors) for $2. We headed to the car with our newfound purchases and went to our last thrift shop.
It was at this thrift shop that Jessica found her pants! They were $6, but she didn't have enough money left, so she borrowed some money from her sister, Hannah. Abbie found a cute pair of pants and a top there for $7. Basically everyone was broke after this thrift shop. Except for me, I still had $6 left! Oh, and Amber had $3 left as well.
My next surprise for the girls was a trip to this restaurant that sells hamburgers between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. for only $1! They are the best hamburgers in town with all the fixins. Since they're quite large, Amber and Hannah decided to split one. And the rest of us girls each had our own with waters all around. The hamburgers were absolutely delicious. We all chatted about the great deals we'd found after thanking the LORD for the good food and the fun.
Once we finished eating, we headed home to make a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake for our new neighbor whose birthday was that very day. While the cake was baking, we all sat down and watched Carole Lombard in "My Man Godfrey". We had tea and our french bread with butter and jam while watching the movie. I fell asleep during it though! But I woke up in time to realize we had to hurry and get ready for church. So we all piled back into the car and went to church. I work in the church library before and after the service, so the girls all came in to help me.
When we got into the car after church, one of the girls told me how glad they were that our weekend wasn't over, and that we were all going back to my house together. We were sure having fun!
On the way home, we stopped by the grocery store to buy some ice cream for our birthday cake. The girls' mother had slipped me some money after church for our fun weekend, so they all picked out Breyer's Cookies and Cream. We came home and made burritos with all the fixins'. Then we waited for our birthday neighbor to come home as he didn't know this surprise we had for him. (He's renting my parents's house next door and will have his new bride here in about four weeks!) And we waited. It got much later. Finally, I told the girls to enjoy the cake, and we'll take him a couple of pieces tomorrow. So they did.
I went to bed to read the Sunday paper, which comes out early on Saturday. The girls settled in to watch another old movie. The house was a comfortable mess - for as Hannah reminded me beforehand," You can't clean the house on a Girls' Weekend." Right! I almost forgot that.
The next morning, I was up at my usual time. I had the most wonderfully long Bible study and prayer time with a few candles glowing, because I knew the girls would sleep in. And they did! Then I quickly tidied up everything before Hannah saw me, *wink*, and when the girls got up I told them we were going on a picnic brunch. Oh, were they excited about that! We made Ceylon tea, breakfast burritos with eggs, cheese, and sauteed onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers in flour tortillas. We also brought along some tortilla chips and the rest of our cake. (After we shared two pieces with the birthday guy. ~Smile~) We packed everything in our wicker picnic basket with our special tea cups and plates.
I took them to this secluded spot in our town that has the most beautiful grassy area and parklike setting. We all sat and talked while we ate and sipped tea. We agreed that everything tasted better there. Then we went to a couple of specialty shops in the area where we couldn't afford anything anyway, so it was such fun to just browse. Amber did find a ring at one of the shops for an unbelievable $2.00. She was so pleased for it was her birthstone.
Lastly, I took them to my favorite local nursery run by such a sweet woman. The girls played with her turtle and saw the birds in her aviary. Abbie picked out a six pack of flowers to plant with my last $2, Amber spent her last dollar on two gladiola bulbs, and the sweet woman gave all us girls free seeds when she heard about our Girls' Weekend. Needless to say, everyone was happy.
We had a weekend of shopping, old movies, chocolate, candles, cake, and tea on a $12 budget. It was simply so special.
I took the girls home with everyone telling me, "We have to do this again, Laine!"
Yes, we will.
Love,
Laine
We have also passed the homestudy part of our adoption and are presently working on the dossier. This is the last part, and there is still lots to do. So I try to do a bit here and a bit there. This week I obtained our marriage license, and next week I will get our passports and birth certificates.
I was talking with a friend the other day on the phone, and I mentioned to her about my fun two days with four young girls last weekend. She told me I just had to share it with you all. So here I am...
First, let me introduce you to the girls. They are all sisters: there's Jessica, who is fourteen years old; Hannah, who is twelve years old; and Amber, who is nine years old. Abbie and I were also part of this fabulous fun team. We five girls had the whole weekend to ourselves, and I told them all that we were on vacation! (Art had gone to spend the weekend with his mother and took Gabe along. And as I mentioned before, the boys are in Swaziland.) So I had Abbie invite Jessica, Hannah, and Amber, our old neighbors, over for a fabulously fun Girls' Weekend. I told them to bring their spending money, because we were going shopping!
The girls arrived around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning with all the gear for sleeping over. Everyone was giggling and very excited about our day. Abbie made us ginger muffins while I sat with the girls in the kitchen discussing our first day together. They told me they each had about $7-$10 to spend. I told them I had $12. I didn't tell them all the places we were going, because I wanted it to be a surprise. I headed off to take a bath, because every Girls' Weekend has to include a nice bath. ~Smile~
We then all piled into the car, and the first place I took them to was a little thrift shop in town. Abbie was the only one to find something there - it was a purse from The Gap for about 78 cents. She was so pleased.
After that, we headed to another thrift shop down the street. Here Jessica found a game that her family loves called, "Guesstures" for fifty cents. Oh, was she excited, because the man at the counter lowered the price a dollar.
Next, I surprised them by taking them to a little candy shop in our area. I bought them all fifty cent suckers, and when the man behind the counter heard we were on a Girls' Weekend, he gave each of the girls a candy bar and a piece of the candy of their choice for free! Let me tell you, that went over very well. ~Smile~
We hit the Dollar Store next. Amber really liked this place. She likes gardening, so she found some gladiola bulbs for $1 and a really sweet wind chime for outside of her bedroom window. Abbie got a back massager there that the girls all enjoyed when we got home.
There is this wonderful french bakery in town with a french chef who makes the most authentic french bread. I just had to take them there next to buy a loaf for $1.75 to have with tea when we got home. With the bread under my arm, we spied a new shop that sells homemade soap. As I smelled cake after cake of soap, the girls played with the shop owner's Cockatiel bird. The bird loved the girls, and they learned a lot about the cute bird from the shop owner who encouraged them all to hold her and pet her.
Our next stop was Goodwill, another thrift shop. Hannah hit it big there by finding a pair of pants that fit her beautifully for only $3.69. She was so excited! And Jessica found two cute tops for $3.29 each. Now Jessica was on the hunt for a pair of jeans, but we didn't find anything there, so I told her to hold on until we got to the next store. I found a Cary Grant movie (he's one of my favorite actors) for $2. We headed to the car with our newfound purchases and went to our last thrift shop.
It was at this thrift shop that Jessica found her pants! They were $6, but she didn't have enough money left, so she borrowed some money from her sister, Hannah. Abbie found a cute pair of pants and a top there for $7. Basically everyone was broke after this thrift shop. Except for me, I still had $6 left! Oh, and Amber had $3 left as well.
My next surprise for the girls was a trip to this restaurant that sells hamburgers between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. for only $1! They are the best hamburgers in town with all the fixins. Since they're quite large, Amber and Hannah decided to split one. And the rest of us girls each had our own with waters all around. The hamburgers were absolutely delicious. We all chatted about the great deals we'd found after thanking the LORD for the good food and the fun.
Once we finished eating, we headed home to make a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake for our new neighbor whose birthday was that very day. While the cake was baking, we all sat down and watched Carole Lombard in "My Man Godfrey". We had tea and our french bread with butter and jam while watching the movie. I fell asleep during it though! But I woke up in time to realize we had to hurry and get ready for church. So we all piled back into the car and went to church. I work in the church library before and after the service, so the girls all came in to help me.
When we got into the car after church, one of the girls told me how glad they were that our weekend wasn't over, and that we were all going back to my house together. We were sure having fun!
On the way home, we stopped by the grocery store to buy some ice cream for our birthday cake. The girls' mother had slipped me some money after church for our fun weekend, so they all picked out Breyer's Cookies and Cream. We came home and made burritos with all the fixins'. Then we waited for our birthday neighbor to come home as he didn't know this surprise we had for him. (He's renting my parents's house next door and will have his new bride here in about four weeks!) And we waited. It got much later. Finally, I told the girls to enjoy the cake, and we'll take him a couple of pieces tomorrow. So they did.
I went to bed to read the Sunday paper, which comes out early on Saturday. The girls settled in to watch another old movie. The house was a comfortable mess - for as Hannah reminded me beforehand," You can't clean the house on a Girls' Weekend." Right! I almost forgot that.
The next morning, I was up at my usual time. I had the most wonderfully long Bible study and prayer time with a few candles glowing, because I knew the girls would sleep in. And they did! Then I quickly tidied up everything before Hannah saw me, *wink*, and when the girls got up I told them we were going on a picnic brunch. Oh, were they excited about that! We made Ceylon tea, breakfast burritos with eggs, cheese, and sauteed onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers in flour tortillas. We also brought along some tortilla chips and the rest of our cake. (After we shared two pieces with the birthday guy. ~Smile~) We packed everything in our wicker picnic basket with our special tea cups and plates.
I took them to this secluded spot in our town that has the most beautiful grassy area and parklike setting. We all sat and talked while we ate and sipped tea. We agreed that everything tasted better there. Then we went to a couple of specialty shops in the area where we couldn't afford anything anyway, so it was such fun to just browse. Amber did find a ring at one of the shops for an unbelievable $2.00. She was so pleased for it was her birthstone.
Lastly, I took them to my favorite local nursery run by such a sweet woman. The girls played with her turtle and saw the birds in her aviary. Abbie picked out a six pack of flowers to plant with my last $2, Amber spent her last dollar on two gladiola bulbs, and the sweet woman gave all us girls free seeds when she heard about our Girls' Weekend. Needless to say, everyone was happy.
We had a weekend of shopping, old movies, chocolate, candles, cake, and tea on a $12 budget. It was simply so special.
I took the girls home with everyone telling me, "We have to do this again, Laine!"
Yes, we will.
Love,
Laine
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