A picture is worth a thousand words.

Mayzie getting out of the car for her foot surgery:

Entering Phoenix Children’s Hospital:

After hearing that surgery would be scheduled for later date:

In celebration, we decided to go hiking in the San Tan Mountains. Might as well do it now, before the foot surgery… We might not be hiking for a while afterward, afterall.

Trying to beat sunset.

We made it to the preserve at 6:00, and figured we had about 40 minutes of light left. Unfortunately, upon arriving I was reminded that there is an entrance fee of $6. I had completely forgotten to bring my purse (packing light for hiking), and so we decided to put our little dusk hike off a day or two and come back. We opted to stop at a park in Queen Creek instead.

While the kids played with the playground equipment, I played with the camera.
The sunset was too beautiful not to photograph!

With the flash:

Without the flash:

The kids rocked the night away…

And then took turns playing with the camera, as well.








Time to go home.

But not without one more roll down the hill…


When we arrived back at the car at 7:15pm, the outside temperature was 99 degrees. Anybody else ready for some cool temperatures?!

Fun little girl things

Are these cute or what? They are for children, but I want them for myself! Way too cute for words. They come from Sweet Funky Vintage. You can enter to win a gift certificate to their store by visiting here.

Quick update

You all prayed so hard, that Mayzie didn't even get surgery today! Due to a misunderstanding as to the proceedure needed to be done, we had to re-schedule for another time.

Mayzie was really nervous to go in, and so relieved coming out. :) She wrote about it for her blog. I'll help her get it posted later. Anyhow, after Phoenix Children's Hospital talks to my insurance company, we will reschedule for surgery complete with anesthesia. She won't even be awake... I am so glad.

Thanks for the phone calls, emails, and brilliant expositions. And thanks for the homemade salsa. ;) What wonderful people I know. Truly.

*MWAH*

Mayzie

Mayzie is going in for a minor surgery on her foot today. I vowed to never put pictures or mention why on the blog. She has been very worried that I would. I won't unless she decides that she wants me to, naturally. I love my readers, and a lot of you know us and love us, too. Shane is out of town and so Mayzie will be dealing with the pain and fear with only myself and her siblings as support.

She has developed an enormous fear of the medical world over the last few years (so much so that she has to be sedated just for a doctor to check her ears); this is going to be a very rough day. So, I am asking a favor, of you, my wonderful, devoted friends and readers... will you pray for Mayzie to have courage, to be brave, to find comfort? And will you pray for me to "have the strength of two parents" (as Dalton once said)? We would appreciate the help, so very much!

On a related note... yesterday I was taking pictures of her *eh-hem* boo-boo, and she reminded admonishingly, "DON'T PUT IT ON THE BLOG." I immediately reassured her that I wouldn't when Nevan piped up, "Can I put it on MY blog?" Oh, Nevan! Mayzie looked at Nevan with the evil eye and then, so quickly that it was almost simultaneously, looked at me with the pleading beg that said without utterance, please, please don't let him. Before I could reinforce that no one was blogging it, Nevan piped, "just kidding!" *ugh* Brothers!

On another side-note about Mayzie... Mayzie is my accident prone child. She is graceful and delicate and would make a marvelous ballerina (but she doesn't want to dance right now). Despite her fluid, natural coordination, trouble seems to find her. And so, I want to say that I am grateful that she has made it seven (almost 8) years without stitches or broken bones. Today she gets her first stitches... a feat that I did not accomplish until I had been married for 3 days (it was an incident involving an iguana and a monopoly game, *oh the perils!*).

Mayzie, I love you.

I will take care of you.

You will be fine.

Adverbally Speaking...

The hidden truths of Sunday are as follows:
...
1. Despite what people think, Meeka can speak. In fact, she is rather capable in that department. It is a common misconception that when one is spoken to repeatedly with compliments, greetings, questions pertaining to age, admiration for beauty, and comments regarding behaviour, and one does never reply, that perhaps one is delayed in speaking. However, to all of the well-meaning, kind-hearted people who frequently get the silent shy shoulder from Meeka, let it be known that she can talk. She even does it in large dosage at home, but not in public or with the public in private.
...
2. I have a very old slip with worn-out elastic that I wear upon occasion beneath my dresses. Yesterday was occasion. While standing before the gospel doctrine class, trying to give my lesson, it (the slip) decided to remind me of it's stretched-out shabbiness and began to slip, slip, slip down, down, down. As discreetly as possible, I tried pulling it back up, but it just kept repeating it's escape maneuver. Not wishing to make a scene, I sneakily drew it back up and, needing my hands free, found my solution: push my stomache out like a child imitating a pregnant woman. Ordinarily I am inclined to "suck it in" when standing before others. However, wanting my lesson material to be the center of attention, and not my slip's migration, this strategy just had to do. And it worked, too, I might add! So, if you were among our number yesterday, and your spouse or neighbor whispered in your ear, "Did Trish just suddenly get 5 months pregnant?," I just want you to know that I stand wrongly accused. *tapping my head with my pointer finger and winking* It was all part of my strategy.
...
3. As I laid in bed last night, ponderingly reviewing my day, and incredibly grateful that it was the end of an extremely stressful week, I was creatively thinking about adverbs. Well, don't you think about adverbs when you are trying to relax?! Of course you do. It's natural. Beautifully, ironically, stealthily, admonishingly, domestically, shockingly, ballooningly. I was thinking how easy it is to form adverbs from adjectives by adding -ly to them. Well, it was easy until I thought of this word: swell. No, not swell as in expand. No, not swell as in a wave. I was thinking of swell as in "the best kind of something". So, if I add -ly, it becomes swellly. That can't be right. As is commonly my dilemma, I awoke this morning thinking about the very thing I went to sleep thinking about. Swellly. Yep. Could it be swellily or swellally? It's definitely not aswell. After returning from visiting teaching, I was still thinking about this (hey, it is not the last day of the month until tomorrow! woohoo!). I looked up adverbs and found some wonderful information here, but it didn't help me transform swell into an adverb. I am going to try not to spend the rest of the day concernedly thinking about it... Meanwhile, I found this video, and wanted to share. It is a blast to the past and will certainly date some of you (and it definitely dates me) if you remember it.

*BONUS POINTS* to the person who can correctly number the adverbs in this post.

Confessions of a Wild Cakebaketress

Y'all know that I grew up in Prescott. Can I just state, that Prescott seems to create the creative. I'm not speaking for myself here. But, seriously gals, my Prescott friends are among the most amazingly unique, innovative, and imaginative people I know. Truly.

So, I was visiting one of them on their blog today and she posted about an amazing cake she had made (see it here), and then casually mentioned a blog that had cracked her up.

Can I just say that I wasted way too much time on that blog thereafter? I am nearing the end of one of the busiest weeks of my LIFE, but somehow, despite my inner conscience pleading with me to get back to the work at hand, I spent many precious minutes laughing until I was dehydrated from the tears that come from explosive guffaws. Ah, well. Here I am totally exhausted and not asleep, and still snickering about it, so I decided to share just one of my favorite pictures, and I think it must be one of Kendra's, too. Please enjoy.

You know you all want a piece of

Tom Selleck's chest hair!

This really convinces me that I have NOT become creative enough in the Cakebaketress department! Okay, I'm starting to cry again from laughter...

Haven't had enough? See more at Cake Wrecks.

The unpost.

I would love to be blogging right now. I need an "I'd rather be blogging" bumper sticker. I have SO much to blog about. However, I have a few things I am working hard on right now, and when they are done in a few days, I look forward to catching up on my blogging of my crazy, silly, happy life before I get my 4 wisdom teeth pulled out next Friday and become unwise.

Meanwhile, Meeka said something cute today, and I had better share it here before I forget it.

Meeka loves her feet. She takes good care of them. Today I caught her picking dirt off of her toes (everyone should be clean, right?!) and wiping it on her legs (but legs don't count, I guess). Does that seem odd to you? Anyhow... just moments after I watched her clean and de-clean herself in this fashion (we were sitting beside the pond) she got up and tripped over some of the rocks on the bridge and stubbed her little bare toe. She was crying. I swooped her onto my lap and told her it was okay. There was no damage, no blood, just a little scrape on the middle toe on her left foot. I said, "no harm done." She said, "Uh-huh!! That was my favorite toe!"

Okay, as her Mom, I just thought this was very cute. You can all move on to reading other blogs now, my dear, faithful, amazing readers, because there probably won't be any more updates here until after the Garden Newsletter is written and published.

Speaking of which... I KNOW YOU HAVE ALL PLANTED YOUR FALL GARDENS! Right? I am so proud of you. You all put me to shame (since I haven't so much as pulled out my seeds yet) *I have a good excuse, so I don't need any guilt trips today, thank you very much...* Fall is the most productive time of year here, don't forget it! Not to mention the yummy fresh salad from your own backyard for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Plan ahead!

SO...

Until all of my writing is complete,

my lesson is taught,

and my peaches are canned,

*MWAH!*

(that's big kisses, if you didn't know already!)

Trishism

Success is always preceeded by the opportunity to fail.

Death by Peaches

Shane: Was it preventable?
Doctor F: No, I don't believe so. Her life was in her own hands.
Shane: So, what, exactly, was the cause of death, Doc?
Doctor F: Overexposure to Peaches.
Shane: *silence, as tears roll unwiped to his chin and throw themselves to the depths of despair*
Doctor F: It really isn't your fault.
Shane: I know. I had known about her addiction for a long time.
Doctor F: I had no idea. I didn't see the signs.
Shane: Yes, she had been addicted to canning and storing food for some time. I let it slide. It seemed innocent enough. I had no idea that it could... *shane tries to regain composure* that it could lead to this.
Doctor F: She probably didn't know either. I don't think anyone in their right mind would try to can so many peaches at once.
Shane: I don't think she was.
Doctor F: You don't think she was what?
Shane: In her right mind.
Doctor F: Oh. Yes. Probably not. But hindsight is 20/20.
Shane: *uncontrolled sobbing* What do I do now, Doctor? What do I do now?
Doctor F: Spread the word. Let everyone know. Put it on her blog. Tell the world. Teach them about the risks associated with peaches. Prevent others from making the same mistake. Prevent others' Death by Peaches. Save lives, Shane. Save lives.
Shane: No, I meant... What will I eat?
Doctor F: Peaches. Morning, noon, and night. You'll eat peaches.

Donations being accepted in the form of full or empty canning jars at the home of Trish Kobialka's survivors.

Darn those peaches. Darn them all to heck.

The Chocolate Monster

Some pantries become infested by ants.

Some pantries become plagued by roaches.

Some pantries even have little mice living in the corner.

And some pantries....

get Chocolate Monsters.

...

Last Christmastime, during the height of baking season, the Chocolate Monster had been stealing and devouring my baking chocolates. Chocolate Chips, Cherry-Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Sprinkles, Dipping Chocolates, Chocolate Melts, Butterscotch-Chocolate Swirls, Chocolate Barks... The snout of the Chocolate Monster is well developed to seek and find chocolates no matter how well hidden, camouflaged, or buried.

...

In an effort to dissuade the Chocolate Monster from consuming ALL the chocolates before I could make our favorite Holiday goodies, I left orange notes warning him of the potential consequences of his follies. He replied with yellow ones. Here are a few:

Unfortunately, I never caught the Chocolate Monster, and he continued to steal chocolates all chocolate-baking season. Perhaps, this year, I will trap him. Perhaps, this year, he will pay.

"The B-Double-Dub", otherwise known as "The Taste of Snot, and Other Stuff"

By Shane Kobialka (with comments in blue by Trish)

I don't often contribute to Trish's family blog. When I do write something, it is over on my personal blog about the Ultima. There has been at least one exception, and that was the trip to Catalina in which I described risking life and limb in an attempt to prove to myself that I am not an old fat man.

Well, I am at it again. Today, I accepted the Blazin' Challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings, or as we like to call it at my office, B-Double-Dub. The reason behind the challenge is still a little unclear in my present mental state, (his present mental state! ha!) however I think that it involves the fact that a new BWW just opened less than a mile from my office. We used to drive to Alma School and Southern every Thursday to get $0.50 boneless hot wings.

So, at our usual time of 11am we left for BWW. I was driving the van today because I was supposed to take it to DMV, which didn't happen because I had more important things to do. More important things like starting a fire in his belly. The five of us crowded into the van. Okay, maybe crowded isn't the right word for a vehicle that comfortable seats 7 adults. We watched Stars Wars Episode 2 on the way. I'm not sure that we made it through the intro text crawl before pulling into the parking lot.

Walking into the newly constructed BWW was a treat in itself. There are more screens Shane is a screen adict! in one room than I have in my entire house, and certainly more than I have seen at any other restaurant. Best of all, they weren't all showing the same thing. Is that what heaven will be like, Shane?

Moving on. . .Our waitress, Danielle was left dumbfounded when we announced that 4 out of the 5 of us were there to accept the Blazin Challenge. I think that she ran screaming to the manager, and returned with our liability waivers. Liability waivers! What's that tell ya? Amazingly, you have to sign a waiver stating that you will not file suit against BWW for damage or possible death. I didn't sign a waiver with the State of California when I crossed the open ocean filled with sharks. We read it, laughed, and then signed.

Just to explain, the Blazin' Challenge involves shoving 12 hot wings coated with the hottest sauce BWW has (Blazin' of course) into your mouth within 6 minutes. It doesn't sound hard until they tell you that you can't dip them in ranch dressing, you can't use utensils, you can't wipe your face or hands, and most of all, you can't drink anything during those 6 minutes.

About 10 minutes later Danielle returned, with one of her co-workers helping her carry our meals (if you can call them that), and about 10 other sadistic employees intent upon rooting for us, in tow. Someone is holding a stop watch, and someone else is holding a camera. Which brings me to the prizes. For completing the challenge you get your picture uploaded to their digital television which cycles through pictures of past winners, and a measly t-shirt. Your meal is not free, no ice cream prize, nothing besides the picture and the measly shirt.

So, Danielle gives us the signal to start and we start chowing. One of the guys has done this before and has it down to a science. He grabs the drumstick at the end with his fingers, and holding tightly, pushes his fingers down the bone to the plate, basically deboning the meat. Then he eats the meat. This works great on drumsticks, but doesn't work as well on wings. They give you about half wings and half drumsticks. I started eating the old-fashioned way, but a little sloppier: Both hands on the wing or drumstick, and rotating it like a piece of corn while I debone it with my teeth. Really, with the first few I hardly noticed the spice. The physical heat of the hot wing was much worse than the fact that it was Blazin'. I wasn't taking any time to taste them though and I got through the first six in the first two minutes. The next four probably took me two more minutes, but I was noticing that the heat was actually causing me pain. The final two were the hardest. Not only the physical heat, but now the spicy heat is starting to affect me. There is no way I am going to quit though that's my man!, so I finished off third out of the four of us, with the fourth not actually completing the challenge.

My mouth, not just my lips, but actually up to my nose and down my chin was covered in sauce, as were most of my fingers. The sauce is now burning my lips, and my tongue is on fire, and after going to wash my hands I found that the sauce had actually stained my skin orange; not so much that I can't return to work triumphant in my glory, but enough that we were all laughing at each other. (Speaking of which, during the challenge, the guy across from me was sweating profusely, we were both crying, and at least three of us had runny noses. Luckily, the blazing sauce quickly covered up the taste of the snot. As we finished and they the audience with a taste for the suffering of others took a picture, we all notices that the guy across from me had a snotsicle hanging from his nose. I hope that made the picture!

I found this picture online of another B-Double-Dub Blazin' Challenge contestant and had to share. She looks like she is wishing to breathe fire to release the heat within. Clearly, she is in pain. Yes, I could picture the guys doing this. It's dumbmenism to do this sort of masochistic act. So, what's this girl's excuse?!

Not until you are finished, are you allowed to reach for a napkin or drink, otherwise you are disqualified. I think that it was more important to me to clean my face spontaneous combustion was a fear than drink, but by the time I got back to the table all I could do was let the ice and water in my cup drown out the heat that was affecting me more now than during the dumbmenism than during the contest. I could hardly eat my fries, even with ranch or ketchup because I couldn't stand to have the water away from my mouth I.W.S.A. (Ice Water Separation Anxiety). After cleaning up our mess, Danielle took our orders for dessert. Ice cream was the only thing that sounded like it would cool my saliva inferno mouth of fire, so I ordered chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. It was a reward to me for completing the Blazin’ Challenge. Too bad you had to pay for the pain, and your reward!

I will wear my measly t-shirt proudly to softball tomorrow night.

What to do next. . . hmmm?

Mayzie's Chocolate Souffle

When I saw this post at Bakerella.com, I knew it was a challenge I wanted to undertake. I had never made soufflé. How perfect are individual little chocolate desserts? Very perfect. I vowed to make them, even though I didn’t own a single ramekin. So, when I found some adorable little ramekins, just the size called for, in my FAVORITE color, in a discount store... well, circumstances were just too perfect. It was meant to be.

A few days later, Mayzie needed a distraction. Shane was taking Nevan to a movie and Mayzie really wanted to go, but this was a Father-Son date. Boys only. Mayzie is very much the attached type. She loves us. She doesn’t want to be separated from us (or a good time) and so she often has… hmmm… not anxiety… more like I’ll-miss-youness when it is time to part.

When I offered for Mayzie to make the soufflés instead of going to the movie, I didn’t think she would take the bait. However, she surprised me and was excited to do it! She did the WHOLE THING entirely by herself, with one exception: I put them in and out of our tall oven because she wouldn’t have been able to reach.

Mayzie’s Individual Chocolate Souffles
Courtesy of Bakerella.blogspot.com
(slight change: we omitted the powdered coffee)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
whipped cream for garnish

Step 1
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease eight 6-oz ramekins.

Step 2
Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, incorporating well between each.


Step 3
Scald milk. Remove from heat.


Step 4
Stir together flour, cocoa and baking powder. Add alternately with milk mixture to butter mixture. Beat 1 minute on medium.


Step 5
Divide batter evenly among ramekins. Place ramekins in 2 8-inch square pans. Pour hot water in bottom of pans to 1/8 inch deep and place pans in oven.


Step 6
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While they are baking is a good time to clean up your mess and enjoy the privileges of being Chef.

Step 7
Remove pans from oven and let ramekins stand in water for 5 minutes. Remove ramekins from water and let cool slightly.

Mmmmm.

Step 8
Serve in dish, or invert onto dessert plates.
Step 9
First, top with Whipped Cream

(we used my personal recipe); next,

lick your lips in anticipation.

But don’t drool on the soufflé.

If 7 year-old Mayzie can do it, you can, too!

Big Finds, One Dozen Years, Missing

Yesterday marked our 12th Wedding Anniversary. In celebration, we shipped our kids off to Grandma’s house (well, shipped isn’t the best word… it’s only 13 miles) and had a two-and-a-half day date. During this time we found some great finds!!

Friday Night

After abandoning kids at the land of milk and cookies, we ran a few errands.

First stop: the Scout Shop (so romantic, huh?) to pick up Webelos stuff. Next we hit D.I. (it’s a thrift store, if you don’t know… again, romantic) where we found a nifty little table to keep our new unnamed friend, the tarantula, upon for $10. Yes, we are big spenders when it comes to furniture.

Shane and I can’t pass a book store without stopping by, and so we found ourselves at an old favorite of ours, Bookman’s where we purchased a few more extravagances in the form of gently used books. Upon leaving, we decided to also stop at Home Goods since we were in the area, where we found this treasure.

From Date Finds

Mmmm. I paid $3.99 for 8 oz of Crystallized Ginger. And for a baking fiend like myself, that is an awesome find and a snapping good deal. Following these adventures, we hit Ritz Camera where we drooled over the upcoming Canon 50D (a little more costly than the luxuries we had already purchased this evening), walked around Linens N’ Things going-out-of-business sale, and finally Barnes and Noble (Because what kind of date would it be without stopping in at least two book stores?!). We had planned to go out for dinner, but it was late and we were tired and so we went home and warmed up leftovers and cuddled on the couch as we fell asleep watching Young Frankenstein. It was a great date.

Friday’s Finds:
1 $10 end table
1 $3.99 Crystallized Ginger
1 outrageously expensive, but potentially worth-it camera (not purchased)
1 nice big bag of used books Mmmm. Books.

Saturday

As is my routine, I awoke about 4AM. I knew Shane wouldn’t be up for a while, but I had a project to do. I headed straight for the pantry to empty, bleach down, and reorganize it. Well, it was the first time I had been in the pantry without background noise in a while. I didn’t hear the kids. I didn’t hear the TV. I didn’t hear the humming of the computer. I didn’t hear the air conditioner. I didn’t hear the dog. I didn’t hear ghosts (I know you were wondering). But I did hear something. I could hear very quiet rustling. Somewhere. I thought perhaps there was a cricket in a grocery sack, but didn’t find one. Perhaps it was some other creepy-crawly startled by my presence, wishing for escape, and trying to hide, but the sound didn’t stop. Rustling, rustling, rustling. I turned my good ear toward the shelves and slowly made my way around the pantry. Bingo. At the back of the pantry sits 100 pounds of spelt berries: My own personal year’s supply of bread for me (since I am allergic to wheat and wouldn’t want to have to live in pain just for having eaten). When I got close, I could hear them. Probably thousands, or hundreds of thousands of tiny things moving around in the spelt berries.

First Saturday Find:
1 infestation.

...

I didn’t even open the two fifty-pound boxes. I tried to think about other things. I checked my email. I paced the floor. Nope. I wasn’t going to be able to think about anything else until I knew they were gone. And what is a girl that can’t lift to do, but to wake up her sleeping husband at 4:15 on a Saturday morning and have him take the boxes to the black can on the street? Poor Shane.

With my beloved, expensive, shipped-in spelt berries out for trash pick-up, I was free to begin my process (Shane went back to bed). 5 hours later, a perfectly organized, bleached out, clean, tidy, and infestation-free pantry shined and glowed behind it’s door in the kitchen.

At a more reasonable hour, Shane woke up and got cleaning up the pool and porch. Pretty soon, Shane frantically called my name from the back door, “TRISH, COME QUICK!” And so, I did.

2nd Saturday Finds:
1 Arachnophobe
1 Giant Wolf Spider

Of course, I grabbed the camera (insect nerd alert) and took some quick shots while Shane did his best to keep this little baby away from him.

Poor, poor Wolfy only had 6 legs.

Does this bad boy look familiar, Pam?

We moved Wolfy to the artemesia in the garden. Shane’s heart immediately started back up. Whew. Only 9AM and I had already saved two lives!! :) Mine is a busy world.

In the afternoon Shane and I headed out to the West Side to attend a dinner theatre. On our way there we stopped for gas and went through the drive-through car wash. Shane said we couldn’t “make out” (remember that term?!) because it wasn’t private enough, and so I busied myself taking pictures of the water and soap (again, proving our romanticism and ingenuity in one sweep).

3rd Saturday Find
This nebula

And these alien ships.

We saw Nunsense at the Arizona Broadway Theatre near Arrowhead Mall. It was a great show, wonderful food, and we had a great time, but having been up since 4AM, I slept all the way home in the car. :P

Final Saturday Find:
Dinner Theatre is fun.

Sunday

Sunday I woke up missing the kids. I started the Sacrament Bread and headed upstairs to clean out the guest bedroom with Shane. I was a little edgy. I didn’t place why. It was the morning of our 12th anniversary and I was on edge with my hubby. Not cool. I realized that I was just really missing the kids and I didn’t like it.

1st Sunday Find:
I only like my house when it is filled with my family.

...

I finished the bread, headed out to Choir, headed home in time to slice up the Sacrament Bread, and sit down to listen to our fabulous Home Teachers. They brought 2 Butterfinger candy bars for Nevan and Meeka who both had birthdays the previous week. I missed the kids.

After they left, we hustled to get ready for church, but it wasn’t hard to get out the door because we weren’t coordinating three children, making last minute combing repairs, seeking out lost Sunday shoes, or looking for Nevan’s tie. I missed the kids.

We got to church later than normal, and our usual bench was taken, and we asked Julie Ann if we could sit with her and Bennett. We fit in their little bench because we didn’t have our entourage. Bennett bonked his head on the pew in front of us reaching for a toy he dropped and Julie Ann took him screaming out of the meeting. I realized we could be doing the same thing on any normal Sunday. I missed the kids.

When Sacrament was over, there was no one to escort to primary. I missed the kids.

When Relief Society was over, only Shane was waiting for me. And he didn’t greet me in the hall with the squeeze and smile that I know Mayzie would have, or show me the coloring he made, like I know Meeka would have, or tell me about his primary lesson, that Nevan would have done. I missed the kids.

Shane dropped me off at home (because I needed to return to the church shortly) and headed up to my parents’ house to pick up the kids.

I called up to my folks’ to let them know that Shane was on the way. I talked to Nevan and Mayzie on the phone and explained that I wouldn’t be home at bedtime, but that I would come in and kiss them when I got home, and that Monday morning we would have Meeka’s birthday breakfast together (brownie pancakes) since we hadn’t been together on Saturday (Meeka’s official birthday).

2nd Sunday Finds:
1 mother, jealous of her husband getting to see the kids
2 Butterfinger wrappers in the backyard (BLOSSOM!!!)

I attended my little music thing Sunday night and headed home, anxious to get my kisses, even if they were only stolen from sleeping lips.

I hugged and kissed half-sleeping Nevan and headed for the girls’ room.

3rd Sunday Find:
1 note on Mayzie & Meeka’s door that read:
8:00PM
Mommy, you will find a note on my bed. –-Mayzie

I opened the door, found the closet light on, and turned it off. I went to Meeka first and absolutely smothered her soft pillowy cheeks with kisses and cuddled her still-little softness in my arms. She didn’t even know I was there.

I headed up the ladder to Mayzie’s bunk, and delightedly discovered that she was staring back at me. I hugged her, and loved on her, and we exchanged words of having missed one another. She showed me where she had attached a note for me with silly putty to the side of the bed. I tucked her in, snatched up my note, and snuck out of their room to go read it.

4th Sunday Find:
1 letter reading:
7:50P.M
From Mayzie to MOMMY
Mom I misted you so, so, so, so! Much!
Just to let you know my right hand I kood not moov my right hand befor I roet this note and this morning. Aw! My arm gust started hrting again! Sarry from the skribls on the paper I just made a mustayk onsome words! I love you so, so, so, so, so much! I was even crighing because I wanted you and Daddy! I roet this letter befor I went to bed! Love Mayzie!
Note endedd 8:00P.M
I LOVE YOU! :)

5th Sunday Find:

Poor Mayzie has my same trouble with her body. (But that's not news, we already knew.)
My final, most important Find:

They missed me, too.

Cayenne Princess

The Problem: Inability to locate the correct ingredients at the precise time of need.

From Spices

The Solution

Step 1: Remove all spices from cabinet and alphabetize them.

From Spices

Step 2: Sort and combine herbs and spices of the same kind.

From Spices

Step 3: Discard empty bottles.

From Spices

Step 4: Neatly arrange alphabetized bottles in spice cabinet that you have been using for 12 years.

From Spices

Step 5: Store the duplicate spices in an air-tight container and place away for future re-discovery.

From Spices

Step 6: Feel good that your project is complete, neat, simply organized, and glorious. Revel in the thought of having a whole cabinet in the kitchen emptied and ready for new inhabitation.

From Spices

Step 7: Move on to next organizational project with renewed vigor from a job well-done.

Wait…

Listen…
Did Meeka just drop a bunch of glass? What’s that sound?!

Run.

Whew. Meeka is safely playing in the loft.

Step 8: Investigate… Discover.

From Spices

From Spices

Step 9: Laugh to keep from crying. Grab a broom. Sweep up glass that managed to glide away as far as the kitchen sink, kitchen table, and under the piano.

From Spices

Amazingly, only three bottles broke, although several more cracked and many plastic ones are now misshapen and funky looking.

Step 10: Pretend you are Cinderella.

From Spices

I am a princess.