It is time for more treasured moments with grands. Jen and Louis are off to Mesa for a visit with her grandmother and we are lucky enough to be asked to watch kids. It is such a treat and we are always thankful for these opportunities. On Saturday - we drive down to Temple and I crochet the whole way there. I still have hope that this afghan will get finished this month. We make a stop at Chuck's Pea Ridge BBQ for a quick lunch and it is so very good. Or am I just so very hungry? Either way we have a nice time and continue on to Jen's. The rest of the afternoon is spent visiting and while Jen and I are upstairs talking with Bekah --- Mister and Louis spend some time finishing a corner of the flooring in the living room. It is really looking nice and Louis is doing a wonderful job.
When we arrived at the house, Mister was met with a huge balloon and an orchid from Jen. It is pretty funny cos I considered getting him one as well but lost track of time this morning as we were getting ready to come down here. (I forgot to take a picture while we were there, so here is one from when we got home - ugh.)
We visited some more and pretty soon Mister is tapping me on the leg and quietly saying, "I want my cake." Too funny --- I guess it is birthday time. We baked a cake this afternoon and so Bekah comes downstairs to decorate it for Grandpa and soon we are laughing as the cake is engulfed with flames. Is he really that old?
When the smoke clears, we discover that there is wax all over the cake. Oh well. I'm sure we can each pick it off. Some candles have just curled up and died. I don't think I have seen that before, but then again - I was the one who suggested a couple of "5" candles. Everything is yummy though, so it is all a success and Mister is happy that he got his yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
It is late before we know it and it's time to get people into bed and relax for a few minutes while Jen and Louis finish packing. They are leaving soooo early in the morning -- hope they are quiet. Just kidding.
It is Sunday morning and we actually get to sleep until around 8:00. Well at least I do as Mister sleeps a bit longer. I get up and do some sewing while the house comes alive and Jacob offers to help by arranging my CS squares. Can you say AWESOME?
Once breakfast is over, we play some card games together and the kids play a couple of board games. I have told Bekah that she has until 10:30 to practice and then we are going to the zoo. Once the time arrives, she says she needs to keep practicing, so the boys, Grandpa, and I are soon on our way.
The Waco Zoo is about 30 minutes away and I crochet all the way there. The boys are oh so quiet --some with IPads, others watching a movie. It is amazing how quiet they can be when you least expect it.
Our first stop is with the Gibbons. They entertain us for awhile, but obviously something else has caught my eye -- what do you suppose it is?
Ah -- of course
There are also catfish in the water below us -- this keeps the boys pointing for quite some time. Weren't there GIBBONS nearby?
We have some great moments with animals and this one in particular is notable. He just kerps looking at Jon and stretching higher and higher. Pretty cool. We laugh about the scene from Harry Potter and start speaking parseltongue. The funny part is -- that is when he started climbing. Eerie.
The Galapagos Tortoise --- another fav of mine. This one is determined to pose for us and yes, there are two of them in this picture.
While we are at the elephant exhibit -- she stands and raises her trunk to us time after time as though she is speaking to us. It is so cool and we are so close -- no fences at all.
For some reason, the place is alive with buzzards. We think they are wild ones, but happy to camp out here. They are in the trees and also all over in the bear exhibit.
We arrive at the orangutan exhibit just as the keepers are getting ready to do a presentation so we stay and listen. I learn so much and am impressed with the way the animals react to their keepers. We also discover that the female is expecting in May -- the boys are hoping to make a trip back to see the baby before they move this summer. We are told that the baby and mother will be out on exhibit within 2 weeks of birth.
We have made the rounds and our trip here is complete. It is a great little zoo and we will certainly be back -- at least to see the baby orangutan. It is pretty late in the day and no one has had lunch. We talk about making a stop but can't make up our minds and soon we are back at the house. Mister and Jacob cook some chicken nuggets and pair them up with green beans for a quick lunch. Awesome.
The rest of the day is spent playing quietly with friends and making sure all homework is complete for tomorrow. We also pack all the lunches and send some kids to the shower. I make a quick dinner of hamburger patties and pasta with white cheddar. Josh is happy! That in itself is worth a ton as he is oh so hard to please when it comes to food. Whew -- we survived 5 kids for today.
School day! It is Monday morning and the house is busy with activity. Showers, breakfast, backpacks, rides, and suddenly it is oh so quiet. I did not sleep well last night and woke with a stomach ache this morning so I lay back down for awhile on the couch while Mister watches television with Grace. Yep, she has adopted him and they are best buds.
After a couple of hours of rest, I feel better and get cleaned up so that we can go into Belton to find coffee and antique shops. We also have to drop of Bekah's phone at her school. Mister discovered it on the seat of the car when he returned home from taking her this morning. Once the phone is dropped off, we discover that Monday is definitely not the day to try and shop in Belton. Seriously? Not a single antique shop is open. I am still having trouble getting used to this closed Monday thing in the south. I don't remember ever having this issue back in Montana. We give up on the antique shops and are just about to park at the coffee shop when we notice that a police officer has pulled up behind us. Ugh. We have an expired inspection sticker (which we both thought expired in April and it turns out it was last April) but she was hell bent on giving us a ticket. Once she is gone, we look at the ticket and it is for $149.00. Really? That is nuts. We decide to let it rest for a few minutes and get some coffee.
The shop that we have located is called Arusha's and we are the only customers at this time of day. The coffee and muffin are decent, but it is a very large place and the "barista" is not the chatty type. Too bad as Mister and I love to talk about coffee and tea with different places. The one true oddity in here: a billiard table smack dab in the middle of the shop. Hmmm.
When we finish, our first stop is at an inspection location only to discover that since we are registered in a different county, they cannot do our inspection. Oh goodness. It will have to wait until we get home now. We head back to the house and I settle in to sew for awhile until the kids get out of school. At around 3:00 Jake walks in and asks if his brothers are there yet. Well, nope, they sure aren't. He goes looking for them and comes back empty. I guess that means it is my turn and I grab the keys and am soon on my way to the elementary school. At the school, I am told that the boys were put on the bus to the high school as is their normal procedure. They were supposed to walk today but whatever. I get back in the car and start on my way to the high school only to receive a call from Mister saying that the boys were home. What? I turn around and go home to find the boys playing in the front yard and looking at me with a bit of uncertainty as to whether they are in trouble or not. It turns out that they took the bus over to the junior high before remembering that they were supposed to walk and so they got off and walked home. Breathe Gammy, breathe.
Grandpa heads off to pick up Jon from swimming and I supervise homework time and we clean the upstairs and the boys' rooms. Josh's doesn't have any homework so once his room is clean he has friends over. I have to laugh though because they are all little girls. He is quite the ladies man.
Next it is my turn to pick up Bekah from soccer and soon all my charges are home again. After a dinner of spaghetti made by Grandpa and fresh baked cookies by Jacob, I set about fulfilling a promise made to Bekah. She wants her hair highlighted and I have not ever tackled this before. Well, if she is brave enough to let me, I'm game to try. Let's see what we can do.
We get started with pulling her hair through the little holes and although the amount of hair in each section is not always the same size, I am hoping it will still work. It takes us about an hour to get this step finished. The whole time we have netflix going and watch How I Met Your Mother. After a short time, my hot flashes kick in and I am shedding clothes like a wild woman.
It is time for the chemicals. Let's smear that goo all over.
Now it is time to wait. And yep, we sure did ruin that towel. Hopefully it is the only thing.
After 30 minutes, we peek and it looks blonde so we rinse in the sink and send her to the shower to wash and condition. Getting that cap off was not exactly easy and created all kinds of tangles. Next up -- get the tangles out. Gotta say though -- the blonde highlights look awesome. Even in this dark light. I should have taken a before picture, but I'll settle for what I got.
Jon waited to see how it turned out and then decided that the next time I come down, he wants his done. Okay -- I can do that.
Mister has put everyone else in bed while we were doing hair and so after watching an episode of Big Bang Theory, I send these two to bed. Mister and I pack up my sewing stuff and clean up the kitchen and living area. Time for bed for us as we are leaving early so that I can get to jury duty in Dallas by 8:30. Ugh.
We get Bekah up at 5:30 so that she can get everyone else up and off to school. All lunches were packed last night and everyone is clean and ready to go. Mister and I hit the road a little before 6 and I get to the courthouse 10 minutes before I have to be there. Whew. It was a fun 3 days though and I am already looking forward to another chance to help out.
Update: Mister got the car inspected and called the Belton courthouse. The lady asked him to send a copy of the inspection and a $20.00 dismissal fee. Charges dropped. Cool.
I start by melting 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
I let tht good until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds, and then add 4 pounds of potatoes which have been peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices. I used a mandoline to get consistent results. At this time I also add 3 cups of heavy cream, 1 cup of whole milk (had skim and some 1/2 and 1/2 on hand), 4 sprigs fresh thyme (it's winter so I only had dried thyme), 2 bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring it all to a simmer and cover; adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a light simmer. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
