Midweek Catch Up

We had a nice visit with G-Ma while she was here.  There was a lot of chicken tortilla soup, and she watched Daphne so that Kev and I could go to Cookology and learn to make delicious Jamaica Jerk Salmon (nobody burned their eyes!)  She also helped out at our big cookie booth on Saturday.  

The girls were awesome and sold 118 boxes of cookies which is double our best booth total from last year.  Yay!  Plus, they are really cute.

We went to breakfast at Shoes on Sunday, and it was warm enough for Daphne to wear The Poncho.  Yay, again!

We are all glad that grandma came to visit.  And we're looking forward to seeing her again during Spring Break.  Yay, a third time!

Sunday night, our little family went to Del Rio for delicious fajitas and disappointing fried ice cream.  Then we took a picture of ourselves with Quincy, Domo, and MamaLlama becaue Kev said that all the pictures I post are of food.

On Monday, I asked the 8 ball if winter was almost over.  Um...no.

And this is what happened on Tuesday:

But it melted as quickly as it arrived.

Tuesday afternoon, the Brownies went to Costco on a field trip.  It was pretty much the best field trip ever.

Free pens, hairnets, cookies, pizza, churros(!), and a backpack with a few goodies inside, plus a guided tour of the whole store plus behind the scenes access to the offices and breakroom, and a screaming contest in the soundproof hearing testing room.  A screaming contest!  They were allowed to scearm on purpose!  They each got an employee badge with their names on them.  Daphne wore hers to school today.  She wants to work at Costco.  When she's nine. As a cake decorator.  Thank you, Costco.  You are awesome. 

It snowed again this morning, and then it all melted again.  There have been no closings or delays at school this week.  But there is more winter weather on the horizon.  I can't figure out why, but for some reason I don't mind.  The past two winters have been such duds that I am fine with this one lasting a while longer.  More soup for me!

Tomorrow I am going to the dentist.  I fear the dentist almost as much as I fear the airplane.  I am not looking forward to it.  I know I will get news that I don't like.  But at least I won't have to get a shot in my eyeball, so that's something to be happy about I guess.

OK...off to do something productive for a while.  

PS.  Dallas Buyer's Club is brilliant...see it if you can.  

Pictures from the Week

Daphne had a President's Day campout in her teepee with all of her dogs.  She gets to do all the best stuff!

I went to a President's Day kntting night out with The Finch.  I made a wine coaster.  It's purple and swirly and I like it.

Girl Scout cookies have arrived.  I had to do a lot of loading and sorting, but Daphne got to make them into a Reading Fort.  She gets to do all the best stuff.

Last night, she performed in the Second Grade musical, DinoStars.  It was very cute.  Unfortunately, they put Daphne on the front row, level with the audience, so we couldn't see her at all from our seats in the way way back.  It was really upsetting.  So, I went up the side row to the front to sneak a few pictures.  I can't figure out why they didn't put the kids up on the stage so everyone could see them.  I guess it's silly to be so upset, but it's the only musical performance she will ever have in elementary school, (unless she decides to join the chorus, which is highly unlikely) and we couldn't see her.  At all.  Not even the top of her head.  She was pretty anxious about the whole thing and is just glad it's over.

My mom is here.  She is taking a nap.  I already took a nap.  Now I'm waiting for the dryer repairman to come and for people to come and get all of these cookies out of my house.  Tomorrow night, Kev and I are going to a cooking class.  I can't wait.  We had so much fun last time except fo the part when I touched my eye after cutting up the chili pepper.  That was extremely un-fun.  This time, we're making Jamaica Jerk Salmon.  I think I will put Kev in charge of any chili peppers.    

Have a good weekend

Flashback Friday

Going to a ballet class, February 2010.  I think it's funny that Daphne ever had a ballet phase.

Treasure Hunts and Secret Missions. And Lobster.

It's been quite an interesting Valentine's/Presidents/Snow-Day weekend.  Actually, it isn't over.  Tomorrow is Presidents Day, and there is no school.  I am pretty sure that Daphne hasn't had a whole week of school without at least a delay since the New Year.  It's hard to get into a good groove, but we're making the best of it.  Lots of Olympics-watching and knitting and reading and Legos and so on.

For Valentine's Day, Daphne set up an elaborate treasure hunt for Kev and me.  We followed the clues that eventually led us to a sweet little handmade card.  Daphne is awesome.

This morning, while I was in the shower, Kev and Daphne snuck (or is it sneaked?)  away on a secret mission to get me some donuts!  I don't know if I was more excited about the donuts, or if Daphne was more excited about the secret mission.  Either way, breakfast was delightful.

The early afternoon was less delightful.  Our dryer is broken, so Daphne and I went to the laundromat to dry some clothes.  I hate the laundromat.  It was crowded, and it smelled like scented dryer sheets, and I had a headache when we got home.  

Things got much better, though, later in the day at Ford's Fish Shack, where there are lobster rolls.  Kev and I got a sitter for Daphne, and had a nice relaxing dinner out.  Lobster rolls are the perfect food.    

You can't complain about a day that is bookended with donuts and lobster rolls.

We have a busy busy week coming up...my mom is coming to visit, Girl Scout cookies arrive, Daphne has a school musical, and Kev and I have a cooking class.  I don't think there will be any more snow, so that's good.  I got my one big snow, and now I'm ready for spring.  

I hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day and enjoy celebrating the Presidents tomorrow.  I wonder if Daphne will make decorations...

At Last, a BIG Snow

On Wednesday night, it started to snow.  It's hard to see in the picture, but this particular snow was sparkly.  It looked like glitter coming down from the sky.  Prettiest snow I have ever seen.  And it kept on snowing until it was about 15 inches deep.

Daphne couldn't wait to get out and play in it.  She didn't have to wait long.

While she played, Kev and I shovelled.  He did most of the work, but I did quite a bit, too.  

When you live in the "north," there is some sort of unwritten moral obligation to shovel a path on the sidewalk, so that what Kev is doing above.  To get TO the path, though, you have to wade through the snow on either side of it, and by now it may be impossible because the plow came last night and probably made a giant mountain between the street and the path.  I bet we won't see grass until April.

Daphne enjoyed her (10th!) snow day.  She got to have a snow cone that was actually made out of snow (we used cherry syrup from her shaved ice machine kit), and she read an entire Lemeny Snicket book.

It was nice to have a bonus day with Kev, too, and we finished the evening with jambalaya and a family game of Clue, which Daphne won.  She showed up in the living room wearing her detective suit, CLEARLY taking the game seriously.  It paid off.  Mrs. White, in the Study, with the Rope.  Way to go, Sherlock Holt!

Today is snow day 11, and Kev had to go back to work.  Daphne is making some sort of Valentine's Day surprise up in the attic, and I am blogging and wishing really hard for a donut.  I could really go for a donut.  My coffee seems lonely.

I am being called to the other room.  I guess my coffee isn't the only one who's lonely!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Flashback Friday

This was taken at the Dallas World Aquarium in February 2008.  You wouldn't think that a land-locked place like Dallas would have a good aquarium, but it was really awesome.  They had penguins, and for some reason, a black panther, who was really mad because his whole world was a glass room about half the size of an elementary school cafeteria.  You could tell he was angry by his nonstop pacing.  I hope by now they've moved him somewhere more appropriate, but it was still really cool to see a black panther that close-up.  We used to go there a lot.  We'd take the train downtown and walk around, get lunch, go to the aquarium...so much fun.  This may or may not have been the same visit in which I was pooped on by a spoonbill or Daphne was startled into hysterics by a toucan.  Good times in Big D.

The Weekend in Pictures

Friday, there was lasagna.  Tonight, we'll have the left-overs.  Eventually, we'll have the back-up one in the freezer.  And then, we will be sad.  Because it's gone.  I love lasagna.

I started on the ptarmigan charts.  Not hard at all, but I have to pay attention, so I can't knit while I watch the Olympics.  

Daphne made her class Valentines.  So great to get them done way ahead of time.  We just need one for her teacher, now.  She even made one for herself.

We took Daphne to see the Lego Movie to celebrate her good report card.  The movie was just OK.  But it inspired Daphne to make a triple-decker couch this morning.

For Sunday breakfast, we had cloud cakes.  Delicious, fluffy cloud cakes, using the last of the homemade ricotta.   If Food Network put me on that "The Best Thing I Ever Made" show, I'd probably tell about these.  You can read more here, and get the recipe.  HIGHLY recommended.

Kev turned our back door area from this:

to this:

Such an improvement.  Kev is awesome.

It just started to snow again, but I don't think it will last.

A few more hours of weekend left, so I'm off to enjoy them now.  But first, more LASAGNA!  

I heart lasagna!

Flashback Friday

This is Daphne and me at the playground at White Rock Lake in February of 2007.  Notice it is February, and I am wearing a t-shirt.  No gloves, no hat, no scarf or coat.  Not even a jacket.  Just a t-shirt.  And my very most favorite orange shoes ever.  I loved those shoes.  

I miss going to the lake.  In the summer, the ice cream truck was always there.  There were tons of cool birds, and people in sailboats and canoes, and once we even saw a real swami!  Good times.

More Winter

On Monday, we were promised snow.  A lot of snow.  I put Daphne on the bus and told her it would start snowing soon, and that she would get sent home early and then we could bake cookies.  And then it started to snow, big giant fat wet snowflakes.  I prepared for the call from Wayde.  And then, just like that, it stopped snowing.  

It was SO LAME.  See that picture above?  That was it.  Lame.

By about noon, it became obvious that the kids were NOT getting dismissed early.  I felt terrible for getting Daphne all excited about it.  And I was pretty sure she was going to be really mad when she got home.  So, I baked the cookies.  Then, I surprised her by picking her up from school instead of making her ride the bus.  All was forgiven.  

On Tuesday, Daphne went to school again, and I made cheese.

I had a little as a snack, but most of it will become lasagna sometime later today.

Then later, I made lentil and sausage soup.  Good stuff.  And lentils are a Super Food!

On Wednesday morning, Wayde called.  Still no snow, but there was a lot of ice.

It was really pretty, and we got our snow day after all.  

But, we had already baked cookies on Monday.  What to do, what to do...

Daphne made SWAPs for her Girl Scout Valentine's Day party.

I started a new knitting project.

And we made "mug cakes."  Mug cakes are chocolate cakes you mix together in a mug and then cook in the microwave.  We had to improvise because we had no cocoa powder.  The cake didn't taste that great, but Daphne thought it was awesome.  Because it was cake.  In a mug.  That took only 5 minutes from start to eating time.  In the middle of the day.  Thanks to my friend Jill for the idea and recipe.  

I made a big pot of sauce for the upcoming lasagna, and we went to a library program about Little House on the Prairie.  We packed a lot into our snow day.

There could be more snow this weekend, but I'm not counting on it.  I am hoping for one more really good snow, and then Spring.  We'll see what happens.  Really, it needs to probably just stop being winter.  As you can tell, winter seems to lead to a lot of cooking.  And baking.  And eating.  Things like cookies and cheese and mug cakes are not things that should be in heavy rotation.

On that note, I think I'll head over to the rec center for a little cardio before I assemble the lasagna.