It was a busy weekend here at the Adams family compound. Saturday morning, my husband, who likes to be known as El Presidente (of our neighborhood association) headed out at 8:00 to the unfortunately named White Trash Cafe for our city councilman's monthly breakfast. By the time he returned, I had fed the children and it was time to CLEAN HOUSE.

We'd almost finished giving the place a basic tidying, when Justin's brother and his fiancee arrived. They are getting married this coming weekend and have asked me to take the photos of their wedding. I told them they'd be getting what they paid for, but since I do enjoyed shooting photos now and again -- why not? Since I don't own professional lighting equipment, I suggested we pick a nice day before the wedding and go to the park near our house for a photo shoot. We did that yesterday and although I kept forgetting to turn on my flash to fill in shadows, I somehow managed to bumble along and get at least half a dozen really good shots out of the 200 or so I took. It didn't hurt that the bride and groom both happen to be extremely easy on the eyes, of course.

Photo shooting over, we went to eat at the local deli up the street (after everyone changed out of the fancy clothes, of course). Then it was time to come home, tidy things again and get all dolled up myself for Justin's firm's annual "prom" as they call it. Actually just a dinner that one eats while wearing formal clothes. We had beef tenderloin and strawberry crepes, and for a meal like that I'll dress up as much as anyone asks me to. It was a fun evening out, although upon arriving home, we discovered that The Wee One had decided it would be a good nice to sense a disturbance in the Force when Mommy left and had been most unhappy for most of the three hours we were away.

Sunday we somehow dragged ourselves out of bed and made it to Sunday School slightly less late than usual. We used to be on time, but I think in the four months since The Baby arrived, we've only made it to church on time once. We were supposed to stay for a potluck and shower for a young couple getting married this summer afterward services, but with all the running around on Saturday I hadn't made anything and we hadn't gotten much of our weekend to do list finished, so we just packed up and came home, ate a quick lunch, put The Girl down for a nap and started ripping out bushes and hauling bricks.

The grass has never grown well on one side of our house. There are so drainage issues -- the whole yard slopes down and to that side. Plus the dog likes to hang out there. Basically it has become one big mud pit. So one of the plans for this summer is to put in a brick lined gravel path to mitigate the mud and slow the progression of any water that should choose to be rolling down that way. While we're at it, we're going to replace a small section of chainlink fence with picket to match the picket in front of our house and an arbor over the gate.

Before anything can be built, there always comes a destruction phase and that's what we are currently in the beginning of the middle of. Last weekend, Justin and The Boy dug the remnants of an old brick path, buried by about 4 inches of top soil out of the yard. They salvaged enough bricks that we were able to use them to line our 40 foot curving flower bed in the backyard with them. They aren't buried to ground level yet, but after hauling and placing them yesterday they bed already looks a lot better and tidier.

The bushes had to be dug out, because (a) I hate Rose of Sharon and its self-seeding ways, no matter how gorgeous the blooms are in the summer (b) it was growing into the chainlink and in the way of the new path.

Then last night we hung up some Shaker pegs in the delusional hope that they will help us keep the children's dress up stuff tidier. I'm always trying to think of new and better ways to organize things in the hopes that we'll someday have the place tidier, but so far it just means the piles get rearranged.

So that was our weekend. How was yours?