Change of Plans

We expected to be on our way to Colorado today for a baptism, but the Bassetts ended up having to postpone things for a week or two.
That's ok- it meant we got to have Halloween Dinner Grandma-Style with Hailey and Makayla.

They did all the work. Almost.

They made mummy hotdogs

which were actually ridiculously tasty.

My helpers also made banana ghosts and clementine pumpkins for a side dish.

I didn't try a ghost, but I understand they were frightfully good.

Of course, I made some witch's brew to drink,

and I rustled up some rice cooked in water with black food coloring maggots as another side dish.

Yummy!

Even Hailey had some fruit, something she rarely does.

We even got to go to the ward Trunk-or-Treat. Stan has a leaf hanging from a thread on his hat. Do you know what he is? Check your answer at the end of this post.

We had chili at church before Trunk-or-Treating. 



Guess who won first place for their chili? Yep, me--and I got a gift card to the local yogurt shop as my prize. How cool is that? Here's the recipe I used.

Stan is a leaf-blower. How's that for a last minute costume?

By The Numbers

Number of evenings it was warm enough recently to lay on the trampoline with Grandpa and learn about the moon, stars, and planets: 1, but just barely.

Number of times since that night Makayla has offered to point out Venus to me ("I can tell, because planets don't twinkle!"): 57. At least.

Number of Valentine's Day-themed foods we've made recently:

Not enough, according to Hailey and Makayla...

 

....more than enough according to Grandma.

Number of words in Second Grader Hailey's Reading Vocabulary: Bunches and bunches.

Number of stories read to Makayla: As many as she wants...

....plus one more.

Number of *Blink* games Hailey beat Grandma in this week: at least half of the 2349 we played.

Number of Chinese Checker games Hailey beat Grandma in: Zero. Keep trying, Hailey.

Number of things the girls do daily that make me giggle: at least 2 dozen. Here they're sniffing the contact paper which "smells like a beach ball".

Number of Valentine's Day crafts we've made: well let's see....

there was the tissue paper heart above and the paint-the-newspaper-hearts below, so...

add 300..... take away 7....

divide by 2.3445.....that makes...let see.....

....exactly 1 gazillion.

 

Number of activities our singles' ward has in a week: 3 or 4 or 5, sometimes 6. This blurry picture was Friday night's Chinese New Year Dinner and Dance.

 

 Number of cookies Makayla helped me make for Sunday's Munch and Mingle: 8 dozen.

 

Number Makayla ate: 0 cooked. A few dozen uncooked.



Number of times I smiled, realizing for the first time in years I had no involvement in the planning, set-up, execution, or clean-up of a church dinner: 1, but that 1 smile stayed on my face for several days.

Number of inches of snow we've had this week: at least 12, but it's currently snowing, so don't quote me on that.

Number of hours we've spent fixing up our rental: 4,003,478.

How many units in this apartment we have finished: 2.5 out of 4.

Number of slated 2014 quilts I have done: 1 down, 4 to go (2 more baby, 2 for eight-year-olds).



Number of days I'm going to need to recover from number overload:

 I'll let you know when I get there.

K.I.S.S.

Remember that famous adage Keep It Simple, Stupid?

 

Yeah, I thought I remembered it, but I've got a lot to learn.

 

I found a lovely pinterest wheatgrass centerpiece for our annual Relief Society Broadcast.  The instructions described it as "uncomplicated". "Easy." "So simple a child can do it."

 

It was on pinterest. It had to be true.

 

So my counselors and I began to soak wheat to sprout.

Except it didn't sprout. Not even for my counselor who grows wheat in her backyard.

 

I did some internet research and found you can't use wheat from your food storage ( although multiple websites said you could). Finally my counselor realized we should use the wheat they use to grow beautiful wheat fields on their farm. Success!

 

I don't know why it was so hard to sprout wheat.

I got Stan to build me 20 boxes to plant wheat in. Each box is made from one fence board. He whipped them out one Saturday afternoon.

 

 

Now the hard part began.  You have to water these suckers twice a day, but not too much because the boxes have no drainage.  You've got to mist them between waterings to keep them from drying out. You've got to lug these boxes out into the sunshine in the morning, then back inside at night to keep them from our Montana weather. You've got to stay calm when they're struck by a bug infestation and patiently spray them with organic, nasty chemical-free stuff to kill the bugs, but not the people who will be sitting at the table with them.

 

AND you've got to keep them all going for 10 eternities days until the night of the broadcast.

Really? So simple a child could do it? I'd love to meet this child.



 I grew some extra on jelly roll pans, "just in case".

 

Did I mention that between the three of us, we grew 20 boxes of wheatgrass?



They did look lovely. We added burlap mats and faux flowers for a bit of color.



 

They were interesting, gorgeous, different, very, very popular, but they were NOT simple. I feel more than a little embarrassed for signing us all up for this unsimple centerpiece creation.  I can only say I don't think I'll be in this calling a year from now.  I'm pretty sure my counselors are ok with that.

 

I guess this need to be complicated is genetic. This is Hailey's official soccer hairdo for the day, courtesy Amy. 

Please ignore the mountain of tablecloths in the background, waiting to be washed.

 

Can I retire now?

 

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

I should be looking for my recipe for chocolate cupcakes for our Saturday Stake Relief Society birthday temple session/luncheon.

I ought to be working on the talk I agreed to give for our ward Saturday night Relief Society birthday dinner celebration.

/

 I need to be working on the talk I'm giving in Colstrip on Sunday.

 But, alas, spring has sprung in Montana.

 I know this because the deer have eaten my tulips down to the ground. GRRRRRR!

And my rhubarb is striving to provide Stan's favorite pie material.

The girls could hardly wait to go outside after I picked them up.

We planted a spring planter for

 the front porch.

 Then we decided to go for a little drive.

 Sunshine just brings out the nice in all of us.

 We spent some time climbing the rocks at Castle Rock Middle School.

Our temperatures were in the low 70's today.

It was a fabulous day for expending some of that boundless energy.

Megan, you'll be happy to know I told Hailey and Makayla that little story about your first of many exciting encounters with the fine policemen of Billings which occurred at this very school. 

Even though that was your first run-in with the law, it remains your most exciting--at least of the ones I know about.

I've been promising the girls I'd take them to a playground as soon as the weather warmed up. Hailey and Makayla, who can't remember how to wipe up the milk they just spilled, never forget a promised made to have fun. I took them back home, put them in the stroller, and walked the mile to Eagle Cliff Elementary. Hailey made it all worthwhile when she kept saying "This is awesome! This is so awesome!"

I wish I was feeling half as awesome about all of the things I should be preparing for this weekend...