Maawwm's 40th Birthday

On Saturday Homie and I went to the Temple. The kids were not being very helpful in getting their Saturday jobs done before we left. I was exasperated. I kept threatening to not go. The kids just kept telling me to hurry up and leave. I know they like it when we are gone. They watch Gilligan's Island and eat crackers on the couch the whole time. We always come home to a disaster. Actually, I guess they trash the house first. then, when they can't do any more damage, they sit down and watch Gilligan the rest of the time. Anyway, I'm off on a tangent ....

Where was I?

So, I was dreading coming home to the mess. When we opened the door, I was surprised to find a thick black curtain of black crepe paper hanging in the doorway. Immediately I prepared myself to face the havoc that must have happened inside the rest of the house. As I crossed through the streamers, all the children were clustered together wearing their formal black attire and holding a dozen roses. They yelled “Happy Birthday!” then eagerly showed me what they had been doing the whole time we were gone. The house was very tidy and profusely decorated with black balloons, streamers, flags and other black decor. The table was set with “Over the hill” printed place settings. Yikes! I thought “over the hill” was for age 50, but nobody else seemed to think they were rushing things. I had no idea this was going to happen. Usually some child slips, or I find evidence of an impending surprise. This time they did a really good job of keeping it all a secret! Homie had done all the shopping with a couple children a few nights before. They had a really great time doing it together.

The funniest part was the cake. I had requested a lemon cake, and had told Peach how to make it. It involved a glaze rather than frosting. (I’m not a big frosting fan). Apparently she and Kaylee had a large misunderstanding about it. The details are evasive, but the cake ended up in a billion chunks in a bowl. To fix the problem, and to turn it into a humorous thing, KayBee carefully put saran wrap over the top of the cake and then put a topping of saltine crackers and grated cheese on top of that. She tried to make it look like our favorite potato dish (a.k.a. funeral potatoes.) When she presented the cake to me, I was shocked and disgusted. (I didn’t know about the protective saran wrap layer.) I did not think it was funny, nor could I understand how KayBee and Peachy who are both decent cooks could even think about putting grated cheese on a lemon cake. I was trying to smile and be politely excited, while thinking un-polite thoughts in my head! They kept watching my face and waiting to see what I would do. Much to my pride, and their disappointment, I did not show any sign of ingratitude. KB finally revealed her silliness and I was greatly relieved – both in taste and reassurance in my daughters’ cooking sense. 40 black candles were gleefully placed in the mash, and a pyromaniac’s delight burned bright. I’m glad my age could put on such an impressive display for the children to enjoy.

All’s well that ends well. We finished the evening by stuffing ourselves silly on cake and ice cream. It is funny how one day can make such a big difference in a person’s life. Homie and I had a delightful time doing sealings at the Temple. On two occasions, I felt an interesting feeling of happiness and excitement as the ordinances were being peformed. It was a nice time to remember the promises that we made as a couple, and to be reminded of the blessings that are ahead of us. Then to come home to a fun party was the glaze on the cake. It did my heart good to realize that my family does love me, and that they are capable of doing things without me and my wooden spoon.

Astuteness Strikes Again

Today we sat and watched the inauguration ceremony on the internet. It was the first thing we did. Some of us hadn’t even had breakfast, changed out of our pajamas, or formulated our plan for the day. After the main event was over, I stood up, stretched, and then asked everyone, “Well, now what are we going to do today?” Brother sat quiet for a second then somberly said, “Mourn.”

Our new hair stylist!

Yipee! I think I have successfully passed on my job of hair cutting! It is so great having children get to the age where they can take over some of my jobs! Peachy (age 10) has been interested in this opportunity for quite a while. On Saturday I decided to let her try. She actually did a pretty good job. Hunkey was very patient. He was so glad to finally get a hair cut, he didn't care who did it. I like it longer and always procrastinate doing it. But he keeps telling me that his head gets too hot. After Peachy finished with Hunkey, she called for Brother to come. "No way!" he retorted. Evidently his head wasn't hot enough to risk any sort of revenge from a scissors wielding younger sister. So, I still had to do one hair cut. I'm hoping that eventually Peachy will be able to do everyone's!

Pyro Maddo

We love our wood stove, but it wasn't working properly, so Maddo volunteered to clean it. She scooped ashes and washed the window. With her Dad's help, she learned how to keep the circulating vents clear to make the fire burn better.

After all her efforts, the wood stove burns like a champ and we can see the flames clearly. Maddo enjoys lighting fires. Her favorite activity is burning newspapers with colored print that produce multi-colored flames.

KayBee's Most Mortifying Evening

Hi.

So, I've been taking pictures and noticing things to post on our blog, but I can't ever remember how to download the pictures. Also, after I think about it for a minute, I realize that the various events are probably not of interest to anyone other than ourselves. But finally we have had an event that is truly news worthy! Tonight was the awards ceremony for the PTA art contest. KayBee had submitted an entry -- under duress. She and I went -- just to see the other art work and to support the cause. Much to K's surprise, she won first place in the middle school division for visual arts. Then at the end of the evening she found out that she had also won a"dramatic interpretation" award, and so her entry will be going on to the state level. She was so mortified and embarrassed. At least she smiled nicely for the publicity photo. The whole evening she was blushing and looking like she wanted to evaporate. On the way home she explained how bad she felt:

"Mom, I started it at 9:00 at night the day before it was due! Some of those other kids worked for hours and days on theirs. They really wanted to win."

She admitted that she was happy to win, but felt a bit guilty for doing so. She did comment that next time, she would spend more time on it, so that she might do well at the state level also. There are 2 more upcoming art contests. I hope she will take them more seriously now!

Love to everyone,
Maaawwwwmm!