weekend away

I spent the weekend in Northwest Arkansas, at a sort of impromptu family reunion.  This is funny, because my family is not from Northwest Arkansas, they're from Oregon (my dad's family, that is).  But my cousin Mindy and her husband Jonathan moved there a while back, and her parents and my grandmother were visiting, so my mom and sister drove down from Indianapolis and I flew in from Philly.  And my dad just happened to be in Tulsa, which is not far away, so he came by as well.  We played cards, ate a Southern Boil, and talked new homeowner stuff, since Mindy and Jonathan bought a house when they moved.  They're painting their bathroom, working on GFI outlets, and growing lilies.

Not everyone in the family could make it, but my grandpa sent out one of his handmade cutting boards for my sister.  I got one in January (pictured above) and have been eagerly waiting to display it in my kitchen at Mercy Street.  It's so beautiful that I'm not sure I want to use it for chopping and cutting.

Speaking of Mercy Street, I missed all the activity there over the weekend.  Greg and our friend Michael made lots of trips from storage, filling the basement with boxes and furniture.  We can't put stuff where it goes yet, because the carpet isn't in, but we're getting ready so that once it's installed, we can unpack!