Family, Photos & A Full House

Sheldon was off after 9, meeting Nathan and Matt at the golf course after swinging by to pick up his buddy Dave. Meanwhile, I wrapped up the custom refinished dining table tutorial, posted and shared it around, though engagement is slow right now—likely the end-of-summer rush pulling people offline. I switched the blog privacy back to public after realizing not one person had read since I made it private. Looks like I’ll need to find a way to merge subscribers with private access for smoother reading.

With family photo day ahead, I jumped in the shower before prepping a macaroni salad. The rest of the morning rolled into vacuuming, laundry, and cleaning before Nathan and Matt arrived just after 1:30, fresh from lunch in town following their golf game. Nate went for a nap, Matt washed Shaina’s runners, and soon after Sheldon rolled in with beer and the Opa wrap I had ordered.

The three of us caught up with a cold beer while the guys hunted for a fourth golfer for tomorrow. Eventually, Sheldon landed an old coworker to join. I started coleslaw with carrots fresh from the garden and one of my cabbages. While a neighbor stopped in to look at hay—ordering 10 first-cut bales—Matt helped Sheldon load 5 bales into the dump trailer for delivery. Of course, after unloading, the buyer changed his mind and decided he only wanted 5 now and 5 later.

I curled my hair while helping Mom K troubleshoot her blog connections, as Nathan showered and blow-dried his getting photo ready. Sheldon and Matt returned, with S giving Harley a bath while I refreshed her bedding—keeping her quarantined to dry for the upcoming photos.

Sheldon showered just as Kaylin, Renn, and Shaina arrived at 4:30. Renn dove into playtime, so we played in the castle for a bit while the girls got ready. Then Shaina helped me with makeup and Kaylin applied my false lashes. Thanks! Britt arrived but had forgotten her shirt—back to town she went—while Sheldon fired up the BBQ, cooking smokies everyone enjoyed with salads on the side.

Krystalle, the photographer, arrived after 6, and from then it was game on. Despite smoky skies, the sun peeked through, giving us some beautiful golden light as we wandered the yard capturing shots. The session ended in pure chaos with the dogs joining in—those photos should be something!

By 8, we wrapped up and came inside for refreshments. The Boysis crew headed out for baths and bedtime, while Krystalle stayed to visit until 9. Britt finished horse chores then it was cards before she headed home at 10:30, with work waiting in the morning. The rest of us finished the card game before bed. I snuck in a little Netflix while Sheldon scrolled his phone before lights out.