Five Things: Last Day of School Edition

This week has been so good. I had the day off on Monday (!) and George and I walked our long route. Sunlight on water is one of my favorite things. The hope is that this weekend shapes up similarly – a blend of work and down-time, out with friends and staying home, time with the girls and time out with adults (babysitter! tonight! in one hour!).

1. As of 3:02 this afternoon, Cate is finished with Kindergarten! Telfer and Jane dropped Cate off this morning for her last day. I love that the girls are wearing winter hats in the middle of June. Telfer and I picked her up this afternoon and we found her sitting and sobbing at one of the little tables in her classroom. She loves school and loves her teacher Kari and loves her friends. Cate is a feeler. I love this about her.

2. The girls and I worked on our Summer 2015 list last weekend. I reminded them of the trips we have planned and then asked about anything they wanted to do before summer ends. Cate wants to swim and eat lots of ice cream. And Jane wants to invite herself over to dinner with a family from church and visit Telfer at work. Love it. We also need to get cracking if we’re going to finish all of this before September.

3. On Wednesday, I was able to sneak away to Seattle for the afternoon and evening to visit three bookshops (here and here and here). I wanted to check our prices against some other shops and also to look for inspiration. I enjoy going to Anthro to see how they display merchandise. Some shops do it so well and I still have a lot to learn on that front. I met Elizabeth for dinner at Oddfellows which was so restful and fun. I spent an hour at Rachel’s Ginger Beer working. A needed break.

4. Speaking of windows, our pediatrician is a compulsive origami maker and she made these garlands just for the shop. I think they are magical. One of the things I love about this whole venture is how people other than myself contribute to making the bookshop a vital and beautiful place.

5. This picture is really two favorites. I love the words of this woodcut stencil. I bought it at Elliott Bay Books and hope to find a few to sell at the shop. The whole Margaret Atwood poem here. But also, I love the shoes I am wearing. I bought these clogs at the end of April and have barely taken them off. They are so comfortable and they are just the best color of cognac. It feels a little silly to love a pair of shoes so much but there you have it. Happy weekend friends.