After sharing all the wonderful photos and news from our trip I thought I should also share my real life. I got home Sunday evening and I have been digging out from under piles of paper…

and laundry…

and weeds. This vine appeared while we were gone and grew at a very fast clip and those cute little pods look capable of bursting into millions of seeds. 

It's taken 3 days but I've managed to clear off my desk, pull the weeds, and do the laundry. I've washed and dried the fabric I brought home from Australia but the linen is going to have to be pressed before I put it up. I hope to deal with that pile this evening.

The kids came for dinner last night we had a great time. Elanor and Jack have grown in my absence. Kids are amazing and it was so much fun to see them again (and Chris and Lorna too, of course).

Thought I'd share this idea: I bought some lingerie bags at Walmart for $1 each. I used them when I washed the fat quarter-sized pieces of fabric I came home with.

This is what the fabric looked like after they came out of the bag. Often this sized piece comes out of my washer in a big lump. The lingerie bags worked for me. Some of the threads were twisted together but the fabric came out of my washer in better shape.