Losing out

I just found out that my best friend might be moving. It’s not a definite thing, but it’s something being seriously considered. And it’s not a move to somewhere nearby. This would be FAR. Way too far. And, well….I am upset. I know some people would say not to worry about something until it happens. But I have never been that kind of person. I worry about a lot of things, some too much, and some for valid reasons. And I guess I have always had this feeling that life is waiting to spite me (yes I know, they make drugs for that, I should look into it, I get it).  So when my best friend talks seriously about moving, it doesn’t feel much different than if she had said that the decision to move had already been made.

I am already upset by how little I get to see her. We both have busy lives. I was spoiled by weekly get-togethers with her, back when she lived much closer and had ready transportation. Now, though, she is a few towns further…still not that far, but it’s enough that weekly meet-ups are no longer possible, and sometimes it’s hard to even manage seeing her once a month. I hate it.

I also recently missed out on a big event in her life, something I had been looking forward to for a long time. She got married. It was not at all the wedding she had wanted and it was done the way it was because it was necessary for insurance purposes and they could not afford a large wedding. Since they couldn’t afford a wedding with a reception and feeding everyone, they ONLY invited family, because they would have never heard the end of it, and…well, it’s still a special celebration of two wonderful people joining…if nothing else, you at least want your immediate family there to share it with. But I still wanted to be there. I didn’t expect to be fed, and I would have been thrilled to just watch them join together as a married couple, offer my loving congratulations, and go on my way. But if they made an exception for me, they would have had to make it for everyone, and I guess not everyone would have been okay with not being fed/catered to. I personally would have just told people that it was only for immediate family and that if anyone insisted on being a part of the ceremony, it would just be to watch and there would be no ceremony. But then, I have always been weird like that…stating it like it is and not caring (much) if people objected…not if it made sense to me.

But…she has a different opinion on it, and she isn’t me, and so…I was not there. And it hurts. None of her friends were there, but it still hurts me that I couldn’t be there for something that I had looked forward to so intensely for years. I am trying to take consolation in the fact that at the 1-year mark, they are going to hold a mini-ceremony/celebration for their friends, to sort of relive the day. Not the same, but it’s something. But of course I worry that it might not happen, that finances will get in the way (though I don’t feel it really needs to cost anything…it can be potluck, I’ll bring music, etc…). And now, it might be that she won’t even live in this state, not even close. So I will have truly missed out.

Yes, I am whining about something that probably shouldn’t be that important. Most people probably wouldn’t care. But it matters to me. And it matters that I won’t be able to see my best friend as often. Even though we are having trouble seeing each other at least on a monthly basis, we were at least seeing each other…if she moves, that won’t happen. It will be a once (MAYBE twice) a year thing, if we can manage it. And that’s really hard to stomach.

I kind of feel like life is racing by me, swirling all around, and leaving me behind more and more. I can’t keep up with it. I am so busy trying to keep up with things, trying to manage the day-to-day workings of life, that my kids are growing up way too quickly and I am missing it…my friends are doing things and I am missing it (I can’t even find time to go see my best friend’s show)…weeks go by with hardly any time spent on knitting, my all-time favorite hobby. Important events are happening that I can’t seem to find time to make it to. There are world events going on and I don’t even know what they are. It’s autumn already and I don’t even remember much of summer, and Winter will be here in a few more teary blinks.

I can’t help wonder if I am being way too emotional about it all. I would say it’s “that time of the month” if it weren’t for the fact that that just passed. Has something changed recently to cause me to feel so strongly now? So emotional? So…confused by everything? Or am I not all that crazy to be totally upset at the prospect of losing my friend?

Don’t know…too confused to figure it out. Sad, isn’t it?

Creating picky eaters

Okay, it’s another one of those times when I have found something that speaks to me and that I feel passionate about, so I am going to jump up on my soapbox and let fly…

We need to care more about what our children eat. And understand that how we raise them to eat will teach them how to eat. A child that is a picky eater has become that way because of how their parents shaped their eating. A child might turn away from something new, but if you never press them to try it, they never will…and then they will always turn away from it. I have learned this with my children, but luckily in the opposite direction. When raising my son, we would offer a new food to him, and he would say it was yucky and that he didn’t want it. We would ask him to try it, but he didn’t want to. If we had just left it at that, he never would have tried it, and it would have been harder the next time…and the next. But we stuck with it. He didn’t want to try zucchini, so I made it look like drippy tentacles, like Davy Jones has. Yes, I know, not the most appealing image, but for a small boy who was in love with Davy Jones, it worked. He tried it, and opened his eyes wide and said “I LOVE these tentacles!”, and proceeded to eat a handful more of them. And have stuck with this. He ALWAYS tries new food, no matter how much he says he won’t like it. If after one good bite he doesn’t like it, then we let it go and let him move on. But he does NOT get to leave without trying it, and we make sure he tries it before it gets cold (and thereby less tasty). And about 90% of what he has tried like that he realizes he loves. And those he does not…well, we make sure to have him try it again about once a month, to see if he still doesn’t like whatever it is. And you know what, a few of them he has come to like as well, as his tastes changed. He used to hate pasta and cheese (mac-n-cheese is the invention of the devil to him), but now he will eat pasta with sauce, and he will eat cheese on pizza and as a cheese stick, and sometimes grilled cheese sandwiches. Still won’t eat mac-n-cheese, but I am not sure that’s a bad thing. And for a while he didn’t like garlic, which is normal for a young child’s tastebuds…but just recently, he has fallen in love with garlic bread.

I have often wanted to mention our success to friends with children that have become picky eaters, but it’s hard to do that without pointing out that it’s mostly the fault of the parents. And it’s also harder to get the children to start trying things once they are in a habit of turning things down. But just today I came across THIS article, and that spurred me to want to share the info and my success more, and to write this blog (that no one probably reads):

http://itsnotaboutnutrition.squarespace.com/home/2012/1/31/early-vegetable-variety-the-french-advantage.html

The article explains that French children have much better diets and are far less picky, as a result of how their parents raise them to eat, and how schools in France are contributing to better nutrition for children. There are a number of articles linked to from this one, that give further information that is helpful for raising non-picky eaters. But one that I find very interesting is the blog of a woman that is following the daily lunch menus of various Kindergarten classes in France. THIS entry in particular caught my interest, because of her comments.

http://karenlebillon.com/2012/09/10/beef-tongue-goulash-grated-organic-carrots-what-french-kindergarteners-are-eating-this-week/#comment-3941

As she says, how many of OUR (meaning American) Kindergarteners would have even tried the foods mentioned in this menu? And think about the fact that no junk foods are offered, and that parents don’t pack lunches for their children (except in the case of food allergies).  I feel my husband and I are doing a mostly good job of making sure our kids are picky, but we aren’t even coming close to offering as much variety, and we definitely fall into the realm of feeding them commercialized food. This entry, and the others, make me a little ashamed at what we feed our children.

Here is another blog entry where she mentions a book that goes into detail about what school children eat around the world. I actually think I want to get this for myself and take a look at it, and see if I can help our family eat better than the standard American diet.

http://karenlebillon.com/2012/10/05/whats-for-lunch-how-schoolchildren-eat-around-the-world/

I know, this is a lot of links, but really, the articles/blog entries explain the truths better than I could, and so really I can only provide my opinions and insight on top of the well-worded thoughts provided in the links. I am hoping that all those reading this would also take inspiration from these links, and consider what they are eating and what they are feeding their children. It’s never too late to change one’s diet, regardless of how picky one (or a child) is.

Squueeeeeeee!!! Knitting Retreat!

For years, I have read about the various knitting retreats on Stephanie's blog and dreamt about going. I was always too busy, or I couldn't really afford it, or it was too far away, or...something. Then last year, when I was more determined to go despite how far it might be, and more able to handle the cost, I couldn't go because I was first pregnant and then getting to know my baby daughter. But this year...THIS year it was possible. And so when I saw Stephanie post about Knot Hysteria in November, and read about how lovely the whole thing sounded (location, theme, classes, people, etc), I jumped on it...hoping that it wasn't already booked up (I know they are popular). And...

I made it! I am in! I am going on the retreat! Three amazing days of knitting-related classes! One whole day of knitting, another whole day of dyeing (oooooooo), and another whole day of spinning (gonna seriously have to practice this...only JUST got started on this...still producing sheep dreadlocks and I know what plying is). Plus (hopefully) lots of knit time on the flight there and back, while en route to/from the resort in the vanpool, and in the evenings. I am super excited. Oh, and I TALKED TO STEPHANIE ON THE PHONE!! Okay, Okay...I know, she is just a normal person like everyone else (well, like most people...not everyone is normal), and she is a very down-to-earth person. But for some reason I am a little in awe of her...the wonderful things she can knit, how fast she does it, how much I love her writing...and having read her blog for so many years and feeling like I sort of almost know her...for some reason, all that of that combines into a feeling of amazement that I finally spoke to her in person. And will get to meet her at the retreat and actually take one of her classes! Actually, I'll get to meet her in Rhinebeck hopefully, but I am sure it will just be a quick thing there. And now I feel like I am being a silly fan...hope she doesn't think I am some crazy person. Eeep.

Anyway, really excited. Just need to practice more spinning and actually learn plying, so I am not totally embarrassed. Yay!

Oscar Semora: Two Years

Today marks two years since my grandfather finally passed away. Cancer had been claiming him for a year and he finally lost the battle. I was at Pennsic at the time, and was actually up, battling mother nature's down pouring of rain, at the exact moment he passed away. Perhaps she was wailing out her agony over the loss of another life. Even now, two years distant, it still hurts to think of him being gone. Before the cancer set in, he still had much life in him, and it didn't seem possible that he wouldn't be around for many years to come. It still seems like a bad dream...that if I just shake my head vigorously, I will realize that he's at his home and I really need to get off my butt and go visit him. Ask him about his life, all of the things that he did, etc. It's too late to ask now, and I won't torture my grandmother by asking her. I am sorry I didn't do it when I should have.

I miss you, Grandpop. So much. I am not sure what kind of "after death" I believe in, but I DO hope that somewhere there is an awareness of your loved ones down here, missing you. That you can see the granddaughter you never met, and the grandson you didn't have much time to get to know.

Gladys Semora: Two years

Today marks two years since my great grandmother passed away, somewhat unexpectedly. I say somewhat because her health wasn't failing, but she WAS almost 94. She has broken her hip and was in the hospital, and while there she had a heart attack. Being in Arkansas, I haven't seen her much, but I still miss her. I admired her, for all the living that she did...it seemed like she had a full life. Wish I could have gotten out to see her one more time. She met Liam when he was only 11 months...so different than the 3.5-year-old he was when she left this earth. *sigh*

Pennsic Prep

Pennsic is only a few days away. We leave Friday morning and return the following Friday evening. And while I am somewhat excited about the trip, there is so much work to be done to get ready, and also some work while there. *sigh* I feel like saying that I will be missing in action for a bit, but I hardly post as it is, so it wouldn't be noticed anyway. Eh...here is hoping that the weather cooperates and that I get plenty of knitting time under my belt. I have a whole top that I want to finish by August. (ha ha HAAA).

Gladys Ogbin: Two Years

Today marks two years since my grandmother passed away unexpectedly. It still seems unreal that she is gone. I miss her, and I am sad that she never met her great granddaughter Maia, and hardly had a chance to get to know her great grandson, Liam.

Super crazy busy

No time to chat, so much to do! Just waving my arms around to say I am alive. Work is SO busy, I just slam through the day, spinning at 200%. At home, I am scrambling to get enough things done to avoid being drowned by the sheer amount of housework. And then when it's well after bedtime, I finally sit down and do some knitting, so that I can finish my current project in time for the reunion weekend I want to wear it for. And somewhere in there I have to remember to actually breathe. And bathe. And eat. Oh, and play with the kids. And maybe talk to my husband.
*sigh*

(has anyone actually noticed I am gone?)

Marlyand Sheep and Wool!

I had one heck of a fibre weekend! Friday evening, I went to my local yarn shop's Knit Night and enjoyed two solid hours of knitting with some of my close friends as well as some coworkers. And then Saturday, I drove to Maryland with my best friend, and a coworker, and we attended....

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! Woo hoo! For the first time ever! I knew there would be a lot of fibre, but it's still amazing to be surrounded by so much of it. Everywhere you turn, fleece and batting and roving and yarns...and the colors! I am seriously surprised I came back without having driven my family into poverty. More on that later. First, let me share a good number of pictures from the day.
There was a lot of roving/batting.

Lots of yarn to drool over

(I seemed drawn to the red tones a lot)

I was tickled by this wavy scarf...I know I have seen the pattern before, but something about it being in this ribbon yarn just called to me. It felt light, but also silky/sleek. And it would be a perfect light scarf for throwing around my neck at work for when things might be slightly chilly, or to look good with something coordinating.

The ribbon yarn (can you really call it yarn) came in a variety of variegated colors...for some reason, the purple tones were calling to me on this one. I gave into my impulse and bought the skein.

We didn't really go see any of the animals, but we happened to pass by these alpacas. They were pretty cute, especially have been shorn recently. Such skinny little necks (and what soft yarn they make! Mmmmmmmmm)

This was the only picture taken of me the entire time. I fondled many a skein more than this (heh).

THIS vendor was probably my favorite...at least, I spentmore time in their area than anywhere else. "Creatively Dyed Yarns". The two side walls were LOADED with lovely yarns, and on a table towards the back was the 100% bamboo yarn that had me drooling for a while. I couldn't bear to pass it up, especially since it was 50% off it's normally high price (and I have a thing for bamboo). At first I managed to walk away with only one skein. BUT, as I was getting in the car to leave MDSW at 4:15pm, I suddenly worried that one skein wouldn't be enough to finish the project I had in mind. After a few minutes of waffling, my friend and coworker both told me to go for it...so I jogged back (yes, I jogged) and grabbed another skein. Heh.

Here is a picture of one of their side walls, from the outside. See? Tons of yarn. I actually think I had amazing willpower to only come away with two skeins. Be proud.

This vendor has whimsical/cartoony sheep paintings. If I had more money, and a place to put the pictures, I would have loved to have gotten a frame or two. I know, it's hard to see the pictures, so you might have to try to zoom in...I wasn't sure if the artist would want close-ups, so I kind of "kineared" this. (If you don't know what the means, you need to check out the Yarn Harlot's blog)

At first glance, I thought this was a pretty interesting jacket. The more I looked at it, the more I started to like it. And the woman in the tent was wearing a many-colored striped full-length version which made it even more appealing (not that I want to make the striped version...she just looked good in it). I started liking it so much that I bought the pattern of it. I figured I could find yarn locally to make it, and I can share the pattern with my best friend.

Here is a shot with the woman in the striped coat. Very flattering on her. Made me want to get the pattern.

MUPPET YARN! At least, that is what I called it. I think it was Prism Plume and it felt like umbelievably soft and silky...fluffiness. Or Muppet-ness. It was something I would never knit with...just cuddle with. But for $45, wasn't worth it for just cuddling purposes.

I also considered this Muppet yarn. Or at least something maybe a Muppet (or Fraggle) Fairy Princess would wear as pigtails. Heh. Very interesting. Called Prism Stuff. Again, not something I would knit with, just something neat to show people. But, this one was $115 a skein! Eeeep! I don't think I have EVER seen a skein go for that much. And only 300 yarns. Not for me.

I thought these glass dishes were very cute and whimsical. Enough to take a picture of. Again, I don't really have a place for them, so I didn't get one. But I considered it. If I knew someone who was into sheep images, I would have gotten one as a gift.

I am not a spinner so I don't really have an interest in roving, but I do find it nice to look at and touch. I can imagine the possibilities of it becoming different kinds of yarns. So I found these roving kits to be pretty cute...they reminded me of the hard candies my great grandmother used to have in a clear jar in her home in Arkansas. The kind that are coin-shaped and dime-sized and have an image in the center to show what flavor they are? That's what these look like to me. (Upon taking their card, I also realized they kind of look like sushi as well. But I like the candy more).

There was a vendor that did furniture weaving, which I found rather intersting. I don't have a need for more furniture, but I could really see my dad liking something like this. I could even see my dad doing something like this, though he is DEFINITELY not someone I would imagine as doing weaving or fibre arts.

I just thought this bag looked cute. And since I am considering getting a small table loom in order to try out weaving and maybe turn out quick small projects that will use up some of the yarn that I know I will never use on my normal knitting projects (I bought it when I first started knitting and apparently must have thought yarn was going to be obsolete in a few years...and it's yarn I no longer like for myself)...I figured this might give me some ideas. Since all I know right now is scarves. This looks like it's small pieces of woven fabric that have been felted, and then sewn together to make a bag front, etc. I sew as well, so I could see myself doing more than scarves.

After we were all fibred-out and ready to go, we finished off the day with dinner in a nearby restaurant called Bare Bones Bar & Grill. And let me tell you, the food was awesome! I was particularly in love with THIS:

The Onion LOG. OMG, it was heavenly. Even with three of us sharing in it, there was still plenty left over. I took home a third of what was left, and ate half of that today, and still have a good portion left for tomorrow. Mmmm.


So, what did I end up getting at MDSW? Well, not as much as I thought I had. I just spent a lot (in my mind). But I only ended up getting four skeins of yarn and a pattern. So, part of me is sad that I came away with so little. But I just remind myself of what that "little" cost, and I feel somewhat better. *smile* Somewhat...

So, I got the two skeins of 100% bamboo yarn, in a beautiful orange/red/maroon colorway. I plan to make THIS LACY TOP with it. I think it will look awesome with the varying warm colors. (Creatively Dyed Yarns, in colorway "Push", 100% Bamboo)

IMPULSE BUY! I have no current plans for it, but...it was 100% silk, and it had beads, and the color was yummy and warm and inviting and called "Glazed Ginger" which sounds even more yummy and warm and inviting and...well...I couldn't resist. But I only allowed myself one skein. I am sure I can make something lacy and small with it. (Tilli Tomas: Rock Star in colorway "Glazed Ginger", 100% Silk)

I also bought the ribbon yarn for that wavy scarf, although as you can see in the picture of my purchases, it's got a lot more colors in it than just the blues and purples of the skein I took a picture of at the festival. Besides purples and blues, there are browns, bronzes, browny-greens/yellows, and even a little bit of pink in there. Should be amusing to work with, going through all of the color changes. (Tess' Designer Yarns, in colorway "Enchanted Forest", microfibre ribbon)

I also got the fitted coat pattern, and my plan is to work on that at the end of the summer, when in theory I have finished my summer knitting. I know I am insane, because once fall starts, I will probably want to work on a few other fall projects I have in mind, and then suddenly it will be time for Christmas knitting, and at that point it will be far enough into cold weather that it won't be worth starting the coat, since it will probably take me several months of knitting to finish the coat (I get very little time to knit...alas).

Earth Day Birthday

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by celebrating a birthday. That's right! Maia is 1 today! Go check out the birthday post on her blog.

Outdoors

Just a random post about my Sunday spent outdoors. This is what I was doing:

Let me explain. Those stones to the left were the border around the edge of this hosta "bed". But they were no longer all that visible, given that they had been sinking into the ground for at least 10 years (they were installed before we moved in). They were being covered by red gravel, dirt, and pesky grass/weeds. So I pulled out the entire border, and then placed plain old bricks into the border (you can see those on the right). And once that's complete, I will then place the stones on top of them and spread the red gravel up to the border to hide the bricks. I am hoping this will keep the stones from sinking as easily, and it will create a nice raised border (which will hopefully keep the red gravel out of the grass and the grass out of the gravel).

And for something much nicer, here are my moss Phlox! I LOVE this stuff and would like to have it all over the place. Not sure why I don't just go plant some more. heh. I think it's beautiful ground cover.

New York, New York!

This past Saturday, I spent the day in New York with the females from my family. Namely, my mom, my sisters, my aunt Lisa, two of my cousins (her daughters, Rachel and Corinne), and a step-cousin (Lauren). We took the mid-morning train in and arrived in New York just in time to walk to Bryant Park and grab lunch to take with us. I would have liked more time to walk about Bryant Park, but the place I picked for getting my food took forever so I had to scarf, and do a quick fly-by. But I managed to snap some pictures of the park, which I had never actually been to before. Very pretty. Wish we had something like this near us. Of course, I would have LOVED to have seen Central Park, but there was no time for that at all. (pictures here)

(the beautiful Ogbin girls)

After Bryant Park, we headed back to 41st street and the Nederlander theatre, where we saw "The Newsies". I was vaguely familiar with it, since my sister is obsessed with the movie and music. Having not seen the movie, I liked the play a lot. Apparently they made some changes, and fans of the movie weren't as pleased. But I thought it was good. And I can't get the darn songs out of my head. At least they aren't horrible songs.

After the show, we passed through Times Square (again) and I remembered to take some recognizable pictures.

And then we went to Latitude for dinner and drinks. I confirmed that I really just don't like drinks with Vodka in them (ick). But my pulled pork sliders were pretty darn good. And edamame for an appetizer is always a nice thing. I tried taking a few pictures in the restaurant, but forgot to turn on the flash for most of them (darn grainy low-lighting iPhone pictures). These are the best ones.

And then, since it was late, we headed back to the train, where I had two scares along the way. First was my mom not paying attention and following people across a street when the no-crossing sign was up (I know, most ignore this, but...), when a taxi was speeding along the road. I thought for sure she was going to get hit, and my heart leapt up into my throat (so THAT'S what that feels like). She was fine, and not phased, and maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed...but I didn't like it. And then when heading to our platform, I chose to take the stairs instead of the escalator, and it did NOT dump out where everyone else was...and there were trains on either side of the platform and I didn't immediately see which one was mine. So I panicked. I knew we only had a few minutes to get on the train, but I couldn't find my family nor the train, and I panicked like a lost little girl and shouted out "Oh my god, where's my family?!" Yes folks...I totally did, and in a high-pitched crazy voice too. I would say that the people near me thought I was a freak, but I probably blended in with all the other crazies. Then I heard the blessed sound of my sister Michelle's voice, and a hysterical/relieved/shrill "Mom!?!" escaped me. Not sure why I didn't say "Michelle"...I guess because when one is scared, they turn to their mommy. So that's who I called for. And then I saw them. Not that far away. And then I saw the correct train, and it was all good. But I didn't feel well for a good 10 minutes or so. I managed to drag out my knitting and started feeling better after that. Whew.

Anyway...New York. I someday want to see Central Park. But I think I need a while to get over the crazy traffic, scary trains, nasty smells, and crowds of people!

Happy Easter

We spent Easter at my parents' place, but all of the pictures have the kids in them. So instead of posting here, I just posted on both their blogs. There aren't actually pictures with the two of them together (doh!), so they each have their own post. Here are the links to them:

Maia's Easter post
    and
Liam's Easter post

Charleston, WV

We all took a family vacation and went to see my sister-in-law in Charleston, WV. It was a WONDERFUL trip. The car ride is a bit long, but it was worth it. On the way out we took it in two trips, stopping at Darlene's (Matt's mom) place overnight on Wednesday night, then meeting up with Dan (Matt's dad) for breakfast the next morning, and then heading the rest of the way to Charleston after that. It made the 9-hour trip more bearable. And staying with Dawn and Greg was awesome. I got a chance to knit EVERY DAY! I am going to be posting a lot of pictures from the trip, and since a good portion of them have the kids in them, I am probably also going to link to this post from the kids' blogs. During the trip, the kids kept playing together, and Maia was amused to grab Liam's hand.

We got to Dawn's house and found a basket of toys to play with, and this is the first thing Liam pulled out.

Settling in and reading a book with Dawn.

Maia enjoyed traveling along the couch.

Maia found the laptop.

Playing with technology.

Look how cute I am, Mom.

Miss Maia is browsing the books at the library.

Liam built his own set of library shelves. (see the books?)

Liam is enjoying picking out books with Aunt Dawn.

This is the view from Dawn and Greg's front door. (pretty hills)

Dawn came up with the idea for Cat-In-The-Hat snacks. Mmmmmmmm...

We went to the Clay Science Center (a please-touch museum place for kids), in the center of Charleston.

In the ball pit. What fun! Liam pretended to swim.

Maia and Mommy on the pullies.

Liam loved playing with the water wheels and dams and such.

Maia enjoyed breakfast out.

Later on, eggs were decorated and dyed.

After Maia got up from her nap, we went to a small train show.

Apparently the deer have no fear. This is from the back door of Dawn and Greg's place.

Good morning, Maia!

A cat comes to visit. Maia and Liam are amused. (Maia kept making "qqqatttt" sounds, which I am going to insist was her trying to say CAT)

Liam became enamored with "The Teacher From The Black Lagoon", which Liam requested so many times that I am surprised he doesn't have the book memorized (he doesn't know how to read yet). By the end of the trip, it was definitely close to two dozen times.

Liam drew a picture with some of the scenes from the book.

And then he had the bright idea to make Black Lagoon Snacks. He helped make and pour the batter for the cupcakes, and then helped decorate them in the style of Mrs. Green, the teacher from the book.

And of course, there was the all-important clean-up of the beaters afterwards.

All finished! Don't they look good? (they are...I had three)

Here is a close up of the Black Lagoon Snacks.

And finally...the tasting! They were awesome! (again, I had three)

The day before we left, we finally made it to the playground.

The slide was VERY static-y. Liam has dandelion-head.

Right next to the playground, the ground slopes up to go way up a hill. This is a view of the playground from way up at the top of the hill (steeper and further away than it looks).

And this is the view if I look the opposite way. You can see the mountain/hills in the distance. It was much nicer to see in person, obviously. Still pretty.

And finally, the vacation was over and we had to head home. The kids were surprisingly good for the 8+ hours of driving we did. Here is Maia, on the ride home.