The kids and I spent the afternoon enjoying the back yard.

They picked dandelions and played in the dirt while I pulled weeds, trimmed and bagged branches, tended the pansies and the strawberries and, finally, got to relax in my favorite lawn chair under the sun umbrella with one of my new cookbooks.

I tried cooking beans in the crock pot all day today (I think it worked!), and I'll try rhubarb in the crock pot tomorrow.

We are still enjoying the lilacs that John cut for me from the yard a few nights ago--there is no better heavenly scent!