Blueberry pie filling, trip on Saturday

Did anyone see the piece in yesterday's NYT Dining section about canning blueberry pie filling? I did and although I'm not usually a blueberry pie kinda gal, felt inspired enough by the inclusion of almond extract and Grand Marnier that I quickly bought 4 pints of blueberries. I made and canned three pints this morning as the fourth pint just didn't fill quite enough. Instead of saving that one, I'm going to make a small blueberry cobbler tonight for T and me. Yum! Do you know what the boys and I are doing on Saturday? We're making the trek to Lake Charles to see my family- my sister is there right now and a beloved aunt is soon to arrive, so this will really be a fun visit. On Tuesday, people, I am flying back to D.C. ALONE as this year, Oliver is big enough to stay with Jack during his annual Big Boy trip. This means, if you've not already done the quick and easy calculation, that I will be returning to D.C. by myself. Tom and I will have nearly six days to ourselves in our own home until my mother flies the boys back home on Monday. At that point, she should be sainted and might need a drink.

Of course I will miss the children and all that jazz, but what's really critical here is that they will be having a ball on the bayou, my parents and sister will love the time with them, and T and I will every single day get to sleep late, go out without spending a fortune on babysitters, indulge in a complete LACK of schedule and thus relive the spontaneity we used to love so much, and so forth and so on. We are also going to Philly for 2 days and a night to see some pals who recently moved in that direction and our time as a foursome will be fabulous. It should go without saying that this is a major gift, and I am looking forward to it to an unbelievable degree.