Cruella and the Obnoxious Grinder

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . grinding wheat for bread, and opening the bin to find mysterious, black shards scattered throughout the flour. While I was deeply disappointed that the wheat was wasted and my baking plans derailed, I would have been far more upset if I hadn't always hated this grinder, and yearned to replace it. Now that it has apparently self-destructed, I have a very good excuse to use some tax return money on its successor.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Phillip walking in the door after a late choir rehearsal. I missed him this evening.

. . . I was in charge of teaching Joy's co-op preschool class today, and we were reviewing letters R through V. Among other things I gave the kids some pictures to draw including two that were spelled with four of our letters: the U.S. and a T.V. I left the TV screen blank so they could draw any picture they wanted on it, and Joy chose to color the screen black because she likes the TV off. That's my girl.

And another thing . . .

. . . as we waited for some of the preschool moms to return, one of the girls proposed that we play 101 Dalmations. She asked me to play, too. I asked what she wanted me to do, and she told me to steal the puppies. In other words, I was being cast as Cruella De Ville. Raise your hand if you didn't see that coming.

First off, I asked "Anita" to sell me her puppies. When she refused, Joy suggested I come talk with her about her stuffed cat. Not being familiar with 101's sinister plot, Joy willingly traded me her cat for another toy. She asked what I was going to name the cat, and with a wicked grin I replied, "Mittens." And at that point, the game officially became too morbid for me so we switched to something else.

Puppies and Cadburies

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . hearing Daniel laugh as Daddy played with him after a very long day at school. They reminded me of a little maxim I heard recently: Work like a dog; play like a puppy.

And another thing . . .

. . . this morning we attended our second egg hunt of the week, this time in connection with a parenting class we attend. Parents were instructed to fill the eggs with healthy snacks or stickers, etc., as opposed to candy. It was a sensible idea, and I won't deny that yesterday's haul of sweets was sugar overkill, but as we opened egg after egg of goldfish crackers and Cheerios at home, I started to feel like something was missing. We eat those things nearly every day, so they didn't feel like a treat to me. The kids didn't seem to mind, but I soon found myself popping Cadbury Mini Eggs just to fill the emotional Easter gap. After the fifth egg I started to wonder if I'd overdone it, but then I noticed that the package states twelve eggs make a single serving. Who am I to argue with the experts?

Eggs and Mitt

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . attending an Easter egg hunt with dozens of other families from church. It was madness, in a fun sort of way.

And another thing . . .

. . . this afternoon I read that Mitt Romney is officially running for the presidency in 2012. I'm curious to see how his campaign will pan out this time. He strikes me as a smart, capable leader whose financial and business experience could be a huge benefit to our debt-strapped country, but last time I was a little put off by what struck me as an over-the-top effort to prove he was super, ultra, uberconservative. He was formerly the Republican governor of a very liberal state, so he can't be THAT conservative, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I value his ability to work with both parties and get things done in that state more than I would value his being the biggest, baddest conservative on the block. I think our country needs bipartisan cooperation far more than it needs extremist rhetoric.

Stars, Giggles, and Inspiration

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . watching Phillip play a game with Joy.

. . . hearing an inspiring and thought-provoking Relief Society lesson on Christlike love.

. . . hearing Daniel giggle.

. . . looking at the stars.

Simple Pleasures

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . finishing chores.

. . . husband hugs.

. . . mini Snickers bars.

Board Books in the Wee Hours

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . poor Daniel waking up again at 1am. Daddy comforted and read to him while I took care of his concerned big sister, and soon we were all back asleep for the rest of the night.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . hearing Phillip read to Daniel early this morning. It was fun to hear Daniel laugh at favorite parts, then toss the book to the ground with a "thud!" when he was ready for a new one.

. . . visiting Pink Grandma. :)

. . . planning a road trip. Hmm . . . what to see? . . . where to eat? . . .

. . . discovering that Phillip actually likes the chocolate zucchini bread I made earlier this week. He usually loves sweet quick breads, but he hadn't touched this one. I found out that he just wasn't sure what to expect from it, so it was hard to be enthusiastic about trying it. He finally sampled it tonight, and gave it a thumbs-up. The kids and I like it, too--no surprise, since it's basically chocolate cake.

. . . finding out that our government isn't going to shut down after all.

Still Life and Chicken Soup

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . Daniel waking up late in the evening and fussing for a long time. We eventually got him up to make sure he was OK, and that comforted him for a little while, but he soon started crying again. We did everything we could think of to soothe him--feeding, rocking, cuddling, singing--but it only helped a little. Eventually Phillip asked if he wanted to go back to bed, and Daniel replied "Nuh" ("Yes"). I guess even he realized he was tired and needed rest. We laid him back down and he stayed right there under his blanket, but he kept crying for a long time before finally falling asleep. Poor little guy.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . getting a chiropractic adjustment. It's a relief when I no longer have to make a conscious effort to relax and stand up straight--it just feels normal and natural again.

. . . making chicken soup for dinner. The smell and taste are very comforting, especially on a cold day like today.

. . . attending a Relief Society meeting where we got a lot done but also had a good time just talking.

And another thing . . .

. . . Joy asked to color after Daniel went down for his nap, and she invited me to color with her. I decided to draw a still life of our fruit bowl, and gained greater respect for artists who are able to draw or paint with nearly photographic accuracy. It was all I could do to just make the apples, pears, and bananas recognizable as such, let alone color and shade them properly. Joy decided to draw the fruit bowl, too, but wasn’t happy with her first two attempts. She asked for my help with the third, and with a little direction she finally produced a drawing she was satisfied with.

. . . it was Furry the Cat's birthday today. Joy made him an imaginary cake out of flour, berries, lemons, limes, cinnamon-sugar, and goldfish crackers. Yesterday, she made Socks's cake out of thirty ingredients, and they were all dough enhancer (I guess Monday's quest made a big impression on her).