Day 65: Happy Leap Day!

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Thirty days has September,

    April, June, & November.

All the rest have thirty-one.

   …except February which has 28.

But, once every year in four,

   February has one more!

Today we leapt onto the net for WOYWW, had a play day with the cat, discovered Dick & Jane, had basketball practice, CCD (Faith Formation), and made some banana muffins for the office.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: We may have gotten an extra day, but we aren’t any less busy

I often joke that I wish that I had an extra hour or two to the day, or an extra day to the week…well, here is our bonus day, and not much seems to have changed!  The poor cat was forced to “play” with the kids and her new toy.  Oldest Child had discovered the show “Cats from Hell” on Animal Planet and has it DVR’d.  After many an episode, the consensus amongst the kids was that the cat “needed” a toy of her own to stop the nervous pee-ing in the front room whenever company spent the night.

self portrait of Jr. Cat Whisperers

Since Grandmother was due in about a week, I gave in.  Who am I to argue   with a cat whisperer?  The cat wishes that I had saved my $3.  Serves her right for continuing to make poor choices.  Maybe I can hide the toy…except for when she is Naughty!

One cool thing discovered today…Girl Friday LOVES Dick and Jane.  My resident non-reader *sigh* has been inspired by the vintage reader, and spent almost an hour going through all the chapters (like 100 pages) of the anthology that I had.  It is amazing how the strangest things can be the spark to read!

At practice, Illusive Middle Child dominated the practice…as usual.  This means that he was coaches example, he “got it” first, and got fouled the most by his frustrated guards.  Which lead to…free throw practice.  Illusive Middle Child actually got more than he missed.  Not bad for a little (or not so little) guy!

Back home, we had bananas on the verge of turning on us and becoming fruit fly fodder.  So, that meant banana muffins.  As per our conversation, Girl Friday and I made an assortment of flavors to ship out to you and your office mates on the front (with extra chocolate chip ones for home).  This is one of her favorite things to do…bake. 

Maybe we have a pastry chef in the making?

Day 64: Green Cookie Tuesday

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Today was a slow day.  Basketball was moved to Wednesday, so that just left wrestling practice, Daisy Scouts, and Boy Scouts.  Plenty of time to make some green white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: Once you’ve gone gel, there is no going back!

Ok, the pictures today could really go yesterday or today.  These cookies were started after the kids went to bed for the night, and came out of the oven after midnight…so technically… they go on the post for today (and they are the only pictures that we have for the day).

These were made with gel food coloring.  So? You ask. In the past, I have used green food coloring on cookies and cupcakes and always been disappointed.  This year, I decided to get the stuff that cake makers use to make fondant and frosting.  The results were Shrecktacular!

These are due to go into the mail in the next day or so, as the mail has slowed with the riots from the book burning incident. *sigh*  I hope that your office enjoys their St. Patrick’s Day box!

Daisy Scouts was a meeting to set up a Mother’s Day Tea for a fundraiser for the Troop, so no pictures.  Then, we raced straight from that to get from there to home to get Oldest Child to Boy Scouts close to on time.  Hope all is well (and decidedly less hectic) there.

Day 63: 9 Weeks Down… Whittling Chip Pt. 2

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Tonight was the final night of the totem carve for the Bear Scout Whittling Chip.  Note the Band-aide on Illusive Middle Child’s left hand.    War wound.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: Eight boys in one room with pocket knives is at least 2 too many

Well, after picking up from wrestling, racing home, attending my 5 year planning  task force meeting, and then starting our Cub Scout Meeting, I realized that third graders and pocket knives is not an arena for the faint of heart.

Added to this, was paint.  This was the final night to work on the totem animals for the pack meeting and to work together with their pocket knives.  The good news is that there was no blood.  Illusive Middle Child got a cut at the kitchen table (not deep), but the threat of Disney Princess Band-Aides and no snack seemed to keep the boys from finding out just how sharp that their knives were.

After a night like tonight, I wish you were home, because it would be great to have a glass of wine and unwind! I guess for that and a zillion reasons more, I miss you! LOL!

Day 62: Girl Scout 100th Anniversary Songfest

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Spent the day at the Outlet Supermall to join hands and sing campfire songs with girls all around the country to celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of Girl Scouts.  Oldest Child also finally finished building his bed.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: So-so songs and bed build complete

Girl Friday was so excited for today.  She asked if she could wear my Girl Scout vest (that my mom had saved for me –Thank you Mom!)…because it is vintage…and vintage is a fancy word for old (thank you Fancy Nancy).

Again, I was a little underwhelmed by a scouting event.  However, it is not my impression that counts, it is that of Girl Friday, and she had a grand time.  We got bandanas and patches and got lost trying to find the speaker (we were directed to the activities area on the opposite side of the mall of the singing/ speaker event). 

When it was time to sing, there were not words to sing along, so all the Daisies and Brownies were lost.

Afterwards, at the activity area, Girl Friday got the chance to be recorded for the “Girl Scout time capsule”.  She was an interview natural.

They also had a faux campfire for campfire songs and camping tips…

…and of course, we had to ride the merry-go-round before we went home.

At home, Oldest Child had spent the day working on his bed build (when not playing Xbox).

It was a lot of work, but many confusing IKEA steps later, the last drawer was installed, and it was time to move out of the guest room and onto his new bed!

Day 61: Basketball Game Day #6

It was another fun day of basketball games.  Illusive Middle Child dominates more and more of the court...

and Girl Friday becomes less interested.  Oldest Child served mass.  We also had MR and her son over for Pizza & Movie night (temporarily moved to Saturdays to accommodate meat toppings and the Lenten ban on non-seafood meat on Fridays).

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: Company!

Well, basketball continues in its Saturday time suck vortex of our lives.  That is OK, at least it is close, so that only the player and parent need to attend.  Oldest Child and the non-playing basketball-er can stay home while the other one has court time.  Although, both Illusive Middle Child and Girl Friday profess to still love the sport, so I have the feeling that there are many, many more basketball games in our future.

This week we also had our first house guests since Fabulous Spouse left!  MR and her son (remind me, I need to ask her for a code name, LOL!)  Tonight was Costco pepperoni pizza and Puss & Boots for the movie.  It was nice to have some company over, and a glass of wine with someone!  The movie was a hit with the kids, but I am glad that we waited for the DVD, as I would have been disappointed with the gargantuan cost to take the four of us (and I think it would have been 5 when it was released).

Day 60: Thank you for Flowers!

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Thank you for the beautiful flowers!  It had been a rough day getting to my volunteer job, and with my client.  It was cruddy, grey and rainy.  However, your sunny yellow flowers fixed it all!

Thank you.

We miss you!

Love,

Me

Translation: You are my sunshine!

Fabulous Spouse, you seem to know exactly when I need a pick me up!

Our old county had had  a rough couple of days, with an elementary school shooting on Wednesday, a State Trooper shooting on Thursday, and then when I drove over to volunteer in the cloudy drizzle, someone sped down an off ramp, jumped the fence and sailed 50 yards into the inlet…at a chokepoint with no bypass.

After an hour to travel three miles, I had to deal with a difficult case where I volunteered and then return home in the foggy rain.  I was not in the best of moods.  Luckily, before I could get my coat off, you came through with my sunny flowers.  How did you know that this is what I needed?  I guess that is why you are so Fabulous!

Day 59: Harlem Globetrotters

Dear Fabulous Spouse,

Tonight we went to see the Harlem Globe Trotters for the first time.  Everyone had a great time, event Oldest Child, who “does not like basketball”.  The little guys were beyond amazed.

We miss you.

Love,

Me

Translation: That was AWESOME!

Since this was the first year that Illusive Middle Child and Girl Friday played basketball, I figured that it would be a perfect time for the family to have their first Harlem Globetrotter Experience.  Oldest Child really did not want to go, and yet even he was ready to sign us up for next year by the end of the show.

First stop was a basketball and a program. Then a bathroom break and food.  Then it was showtime!They all loved the antics and amazing passes…and the irreverent and layered humor.  They especially loved the mascot: Globe-y.

In the end, they got their picture and autograph with “Big E”… (note that Oldest Child is almost as big as the tallest Globetrotter) and Illusive Middle Child is now convinced that he needs to learn how to spin a basketball on his finger!