I had a weekend of domesticity. I cleaned closets. I mopped the porch, and thirty minutes later I had to scrub it on my hands and knees (Don’t ask…it had something to do with a disintegrating mop). I washed a mountain of tiny socks. I folded a mountain of tiny socks, and I am now left with eleven mismatched oddballs. These are the less charming aspects of the weekend.

 As promised, I made a pot of soup and baked a batch of bread. The soup was Grandma Sunny’s recipe for broccoli cheese soup. Hello Autumn! I told my hubby that this is my perfect comfort food. The soup was creamy, hearty, and cheesy. One question though…why did my pasta soak up almost every bit of the broth? It was like having a bowl of broccoli cheese noodles. Now, I’m not complaining. Trust me; that was one yummy bowl of noodles, but I would like to have some actual soup in my soup next time.

While my boys were out and about on Saturday, I baked some whole wheat bread. I first made this particular recipe from the Joy of Cooking when I was living in my college apartment. My husband—boyfriend at the time—came over very early one morning to bake bread together. Our parents (both sets) came to our college that evening for dinner, and we wanted to show off some homemade wares. We borrowed two beautiful pottery crocks from our professor (who lived across the street). We’ve made this bread dozens of time since then, and I still often think of that first attempt at homemade bread.

We made a few minor changes around the house, primarily in our elder son’s room. We added some new shelving to his closet and packed up clothes that will be Little Brother’s hand-me-downs. I also placed a small nightstand next to his bed, and I moved a little lamp from my room to the new nightstand. At bedtime, instead of the glare of the overhead light, we shared a story in the warm glow of the small lamp. What a difference!

We were busy every minute this weekend. We worked hard. My back hurts, and I’m tired. But somehow these three days that we spent working in our home felt restful.