Skool

Where the heck did summer go?? Time flies whether you are having fun or working your tail off, apparently.

So... can you tell who is excited, and who isn't? Happy back-to-school!

Nothing

Today, I am doing nothing.

I could have gone to work, but why? I already have the day off, so that I could drive to a quilter's retreat at Camp Cascade. I was finally going to finish Q.P.'s quilt and get some work done on other projects. But apparently Mother Nature doesn't agree with my quilting habit, since it's dumping so much snow on the pass that chains are required and they are discouraging anyone from traveling that doesn't have to.

So... instead of heading off to the office I am "doing nothing." And it feels pretty good. Actually, it's a lot of work to do nothing. Since the kids were planning for me to be gone I let them take over the living room as planned (including the "good" TV with the DVR and Wii) and stayed in bed late to read a book. That's right, I had some quiet time to read for fun. Bliss!

A little later Shannon mentioned that they were going to head over and check out the new Trader Joe's. Ordinarily I wouldn't go to an eagerly anticipated store on opening day but heck, why not? Q.P. decided to come with me, while Stinky stayed home to enjoy some "alone time" with the Wii. Yes, it was crowded. But we picked up some good stuff (some needed, and some just because) and for the most part everyone at the store was friendly and happy. Say whatever you will about Trader Joe's... but you have to admit that their price point on a lot of "staples" and produce can't be beat elsewhere in town. And I love the little mini gingersnaps and dark-chocolate-dipped "Joe Joe's". We used to stock up on those when visiting friends in Portland or Scott's daughter in Eugene... it might be a little dangerous now that I can just drive to the north end of town for them!

Since we were in that neck of the woods anyways, we went to Target next. I knew that at least one child was in desperate need of socks, and we still owed Burger an iTunes card for babysitting earlier this month. There is some mystical force at work inside Target, and I can never get out without buying lots of extra stuff. But it's usually stuff that is so marked down that I can't resist. There was still a lot of Easter merchandise, and all of it was marked down 75%. Can you say "score"? One of the best things about post-holiday clearance is the stuff that is only marginally holiday related. Like the sports-themed baskets, socks, and dishes that we picked up in addition to jelly beans and Reese's peanut butter eggs.

After all that shopping (and looking at candy) we were hungry. I love crepes and have been wanting to try Batter & Beans in downtown Bend. Q.P. was intrigued by the idea of crepes and agreed that was the place we should go for some lunch. We took the owner's suggestion to order one "savory" crepe to share... so that we would have room for a sweet crepe for dessert. I let Q.P. pick the fillings for both. We had one with ham and cheddar (and added tomatoes on my half) then one with bananas and caramel. (After which I ran home for some migraine meds, since bananas are a MAJOR trigger. But it was just too good to resist!) Yummmm... we will definitely be back. I want to try a crepe filled with spinach, mushrooms, bacon, and cream cheese. The one thing they are missing from the "sweet" menu is cinnamon apples. I think a sweet crepe with cinnamon apples and caramel would be perfection!!

And now... back to my not-regularly-scheduled day of doing nothing. I highly recommend it!

Eggs

Happy Easter, all! Hope you and yours found many eggs filled with goodies.

Fiddle

When we found a spot on the bleachers, I leaned over and told Boo, "no matter what happens, remember that I love you very much." She looked at me with a confused expression. I reassured her that soon she would understand.

Kids dressed in black pants and white shirts (some with ties!) started to filter in and find their seats on the gym floor. We spotted Q.P. and Stinky among them. It was almost time to begin.

Our chosen seats had a good view of Stinky but it was tough to see Q.P. which was a little disappointing. Finally the teacher appeared... and the 6th grade orchestra concert began!

Some time during the first number Boo asked me, "Is this supposed to be 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'?" And by the look on her face I knew that she understood my earlier comment. But all things considered, it was pretty good for a bunch of kids who just started playing assorted stringed instruments. And it was QUICK too... they only played for about 20 minutes. There were few surprises - I think they played the same tunes that I probably played at my first orchestra concert.

But there was one large surprise - Stinky was the second chair for the first violins.

When it was over, I could tell that the kids were relieved. That first performance is a tough one. Next year music classes are optional. I hope they will both continue with something, if not orchestra.

Abyss

The Safeway at 3rd and Franklin had the Abyss today, so if you are still looking that would be a good start. I picked up a few bottles - at $9.50 each this is something that I will save for a special occasion to savor!

As long as I'm on the subject of beer... Scott's first batch was ready for tasting last week. It's a little flat but otherwise very good. Brewing is quite an adventure and a lot of work - but I think he had a good time with it and is looking forward to starting another batch soon.

Don't forget to stop by the library book sale today, anytime before 4pm! The girls and I escaped with a large box of mostly kids' titles for ten bucks.

Bruised

Happy birthday, QP!!!

Yeup, we are now living with a "real, live" teenager. Can you imagine how dumb Scott and I are getting? Since he is slightly older apparently I have a bit of an advantage... but not much.

Anyhoo, after she tore her way through a mountain of birthday loot we took the kids out for some ice skating fun. 7th Mountain is a great place to take the kids because there is a nice, warm bar where adults can stay warm while the kids skate. It has windows facing right out to the ice rink so you can watch them and laugh hysterically every time they fall on their butts. :) Actually, they didn't fall that much. Boo was a little nervous but she got a lot of help at first. Soon they were all racing around and around the rink. They skated for almost 2 hours, and I got tired just from watching them!

QP's friend Miss M came along, and also spent the night. For future all you parents out there, I highly recommend skating in conjunction with a sleepover. Because the kids involved actually SLEEP after slipping, sliding, and landing on the ice rink. They woke up a little sore with some bumps and bruises, but happy.

Happy #13 kiddo!

Inservice

Today was an Inservice day, grading day, or some obscure holiday (Pearl Harbor Day?) so the kids didn't have school. But Scott and I had to work. Boo is off at her dad's, but I planned to work from home anyways because we have many stashes and caches of Christmas loot around the house. I didn't want to give Q.P. and Stinky the opportunity to dig around. Then last night Q.P.'s friend (we'll call her Miss M) spent the night, and she ended up spending the day here as well.

Which made "working from home" more like "referee between emails". I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked, but I probably still got more done than if I had been in the office.

It was actually pretty quiet until about 11 this morning. By then everyone was up and milling around, and wanting to watch cartoons or whatever. Stinky was hanging out in the living room, and made some paper snow flakes. Q.P. needed to clean her room and get her birthday party invitations ready. After the room was sufficiently un-messed, the girls ran over to Miss M's to pick up some supplies. When they came back we had a quick lunch and they got to work. They made some really cute invite's that look like flip-flop sandals. They also made a big, crafty mess.

Next they all gathered around the table and I took a break to teach them how to make these really nifty 3-D snowflakes. This kept them busy (and quiet) for about an hour. If you have older kids (probably 9 and up) this is a really fun way to keep the kids busy for a while. And who doesn't have paper, tape, and a stapler (I recommend the red Swingline model) around the house? Okay... so I couldn't find our stapler, so we borrowed Miss M's. But I know that I will find it some day.

Miss M hung hers around Divot's neck. Doesn't she make a nice model?

Finally it was time to clean up. And then a wrestling match (girls vs. boy of course). Miss M and Q.P. had Stinky pinned to the floor in no time. Then time to finish cleaning. :) Just as they were done Scott got home, and admired their handiwork. For once he thought one of our cheezy day-off-school craft projects was cool. He wants us to make some ginormous snowflakes to hang around the house.
Stinky, Miss M, and Q.P. are snow flaky.

Lofty

Miss Julie, I am soooo stealing today's post title from you. I know it's your word, I said you could have it. But I'm taking it back. It's mine, I used it first, so there! ;) But I just can't help it because it describes, perfectly...

Our seats at the Hannah Montana concert.

Yeup, we were way up there. But it was fun anyways!