True Story

My daughter is amazingly creative.  She draws. She makes all sorts of things out of duct tape.  She made herself a skirt and even made a jacket for her American Girl doll. WITHOUT A PATTERN. Granted, the lack of stretch meant that it took 45 minutes to get the jacket on the doll, but it fit. And it was cute.  She makes duct tape flowers and duct tape wallets and purses and messenger bags. 
She has made all sorts of Minecraft paraphernalia out of those melty plastic beads: diamond swords and iron swords and bows and even a heart.
Her current obsession is the Rainbow Loom.  If there is a YouTube Video, she can follow the steps and create it.  Hexafish? Nailed it.  Tuxedo?  Nailed it.  Turtle?  Nailed it.  Starburst something-or-other?  Nailed it.
So imagine the head scratching when I pulled this project out of her school papers.  It's a simple, follow-the-directions stitching project.  She cross stitches.  She can follow directions.  She should be able to handle this.  You can see what it is supposed to look like.  Nailed it?  Ummm, no.  Not at all. 



I was seriously shocked.  I just stared at it, trying to figure out what in the world she had done.  I mean those stitches look NOTHING like the project is supposed to.
I shook my head and flipped it over to look at the next paper and then I discovered this:

I had been looking at the back of the project...
Sigh.

Day One

This crappy rainy weather is doing nothing to improve my mood.  Took Jables to the airport today for the first of 10 flights he has in the next 11 days:  home, Chicago, Tokyo, Manila, Cebu, back to Manila, Beijing, Dalian, Tokyo, Chicago, home.

Yes, I was bummed.  I actually like him.  And I don’t mean the typical, “I love you but I don’t like you.”  I like him and I hate being away from him.  (Gag, barf, puke, I know.)  I was a little weepy as I pulled away, which was super-helpful as I drove through the steady rain.  I was nearly home when I got a call from a strange number.  I decided I had better answer it and it was Jables.  He had left his phone in my car.  I think he just wanted another kiss.  ;)

I got to turn around and drive back to the airport.  Yay!  I gave Jables his phone, got another kiss and drove home where I managed to accomplish these things: 

1.        Made the kids a warm and nutritious breakfast of toaster waffles and Flintstones chewables.

2.       Took a nap.

3.       Dragged the kids to the grocery store and bought them a nutritious meal of Wal-Mart popcorn chicken and potato wedges.  It was a throw-back to the old days when I used to bribe them with that meal.

4.       Put the groceries away.

5.       Took another nap (There was a cat on my lap.  It was mandatory.)

6.       Shuffled the kids to and from their practices.

7.       Spent 30 minutes on the treadmill.

8.       Made a real dinner:  spaghetti, homemade meatballs and salad.  (Actual green food.) 

9.       Watched part of the Grammy’s and had some ice cream with Magic Shell. 

10.   Cleaned up the kitchen and edited some photos.

11.   Bored you with this post.

I think that today was an all-around victory.  Even KJ fell prey to the cat-napping monster. 

Boo was able to resist and get some crocheting done. She wins for most productive day.

 

I amuse myself.

We went to Great America last weekend. We have the pleasure of going every other year when J's company rents it out for an employee-only bash. It's fantastic, except for the fact that it has spoiled my kids and they have never had the soul-crushing two hour wait to ride a 90-second rollercoaster.

We always get to go as they are setting up for Fright Fest. When you first walk in, you get to walk through the "Seven Sins Cemetery." Oooooooooohhh. Our DD has always had a bit of an anger issue, and humored me enough to let me take her photo in front of the ANGER crypt.









Obviously, I then had to take a photo of DS in front of one of them. Pride sure seemed appropriate for an almost-11-year-old boy who love loves loves sports.

















So, then we kept walking and I saw the "Lust" crypt. And I thought it would be HILARIOUS if J and I took a self-portrait in front of that one. Mainly, because with both of us working, two kids involved in multiple sports and activites, an old house that needs lots of work, who has time for lust? Let's be real here.

I darn well couldn't ask the kids to take this one. So, please forgive the bad angle. It was a self-portrait, taken with my P&S, trying to do it as quickly as we could before one of the kids asked, "Hey, what's Lust?"

I am not ready to go there.

Save the Beetles

Most people here in the Midwest despise those Green Monsters, the Japanese Beetles. They eat roses and tree leaves and everything green, flowery and beautiful.
But not my daughter. No siree.
She and her friend spent the day at the pool saving the beetles from the pool water and taking care of them.
I am sure the rest of you are thankful.