We've done a lot of stuff.

No Tales today. Catching up on weekend stuff!

First, I'd like to dedicate this post to Mother Nature. She has covered our cars and our windows with a lovely yellowy-green dust. We have some beautiful spring flowers as a result, though. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let us review the happenings of the last few days.

We trotted on down to Amish Country on Friday. Hubs had a HUGE program on Saturday that required him to have a pot of coffee brewing at 3:30 AM (we don't drink coffee, so we had to borrow a pot-- he was making it for his volunteers), up at 4 AM and out the door by 4:30 AM. Remember, he is not a truck driver, but a park naturalist. This isn't typical, but he had an enormous fishing derby for 300 + children scheduled to begin registration at 8 AM. We live 25 minutes or so from his place of employment (which was not the site of the program) and he had to get a hustle on. But can I tell you something? Hubs gets very nervous about enormous programs such as this. Oh, he does a fantastic job, but he worries himself to death. I suggested a breakaway trip to Amish Country just to get him out of the house. Seriously, the boy would have lost his mind otherwise. (Yes, he has thanked me profusely for taking the family trip.) We didn't go down with the aim of spending much money. In fact, we skipped some of our usual haunts in hopes to cut down on some of that. We just wanted to burn some time outside of sitting around at home. (In the end, Hubs said that 500 people showed up to his program.)

So we cruised down, stopped by my favorite bulk food store, then ran for a bite of lunch. We worked on our sign project while we were down there, and even involved Daddy! We stopped in at the Chocolate Factory (K-'s only request), picked up some chocolate covered coffee beans and K- chose a Strawberry Cow Tale. (The kid loves Cow Tales.) We trotted around and got back around 3:30 PM. When we got home, K- played outside with E- and the girls ran between the two houses. I planted some bulbs that my friend Heather dropped off (she was being overrun by Iris' and Daffodils) and started the festival of sneezing my head off. My allergies were beginning to kick in to high gear.

Saturday, Hubs was out early, which left K- and I to toodle around the AM on our own. We ran out for our building clinic at Lowe's, then had the last day of swimming lessons. K- did a great job! Mark's mom and dad took us out to lunch, then we trotted on home for mommy to rest (I was beginning the more rapid downhill descent) and for K- to play with the new toy that Grandma and Grandpa got her for completing her swimming lessons. What did they buy? Why yes! Grandma unknowingly purchased K- Tanner, the pooping Barbie dog! You want to know something? K- played with Tanner for 5 hours straight-- seriously! So in my house, we give Tanner a two thumbs up!

Saturday night, I gave up and went to bed at 8:30 PM. I ran a temp of 100. Nothing severe, but enough to make me feel yuckier. Hubs came in, looked at the bed that was strewn with tissues, a variety of Advil products, cough drops and a bottle of water and chose to go to sleep on the couch. He knew it was serious when I was sleeping with the Sam's Club bulk size bottle of Advil. I called my friend, reported that church wasn't going to happen and fell asleep. I did sleep intermittently and my dear sweet Hubs decided to come in and check on me at 4 AM. He was trying to have full on conversation with me and bless him, all I could do was grunt back. Apparently, he couldn't sleep! Ugh!

Sunday came with my staying in my pajamas all day. I ate a handful of cookies and 3/4 of a cheap, little Totino's cheese pizza. (I forced myself to eat what I did. I wasn't nauseated, I was just not hungry at all.) Hubs mowed the yard and as the first mowing of the year, it took 2 1/2 hours because things needed tidied from the winter (to rid the yard of the rest of the leaves), move all the play stuff, weed-eat and all that while K- watched The Karate Kid on the ABC Family Channel with me. The rest of the day was crap TV because apparently low as you go cable, our preference since we really don't watch that much TV, has infomercials on nearly every channel ALL. DAY. SUNDAY. I watched infomercials for Bare Escentuals make-up, the Monster Steamer with Clean Blast!, a little rechargeable flick sweeper, the hot pocket maker, the Bullet food processor and blender, the halogen light cooker thingy and the Worx GT trimmer and edger (I want one of those.) Wow. One heck of a TV day here, yes-sir-ee!

Hubs escaped with K- and took her to the vintage toy store, Sam's Club and our local food discounter. They brought me back a 1978 Smurf figure holding a handful of flowers (because those flowers won't wilt), a package of Chocolate Chip Soft Batch Cookies and the Cheese Totino's Pizza. (I'm a cheap date, what can I say?) The mama being sick kind of freaks both Hubs and K- out. He said that she kept asking to go home. We come to find out later that she wanted to stay home and keep an eye on me. How sweet! But, Hubs announced last night that, "When the Mama is sick, the whole place falls apart." It's good to know that I'm needed!

I started feeling human about 7 PM on Sunday night. All that really means is that the yucky stuff was over in 24 hours. I've got a bit of hang-over residual from the allergy/sinus thingy that I had, but I worked all day on Monday (with Advil Cold and Sinus in hand.)

So here I am on Monday night, updating you on all kinds of fun stuff. Pardon the picture post.
We have a robin that has decided to make her nest in one of my flower pots on our fence. It had one egg for a couple of days. Guess what we found today? There are 4 in there! Aren't those just an amazing color?

K- decided to show me a "trick" that she could do. She jumped from one slide to another and literally jumped through the end of her slide. Poor kid! She scratched up her leg, but required no band aids. She was so upset and all she did was cry and say, "My slide!" Our plan to replace our aging swing set is for next year, but we may need to bump that up a bit. Daddy tried to repair it the best he could. Some plastic cement and packaging tape and voila! You get this:

A sad sack little slide, but the kids test drove it this evening and it is holding. My sister suggested watching the newspaper ads for a used wooden play set. She has a truck and a hauling trailer, so getting it home wouldn't be a problem. After all, they were the same fine folks who helped us move K-'s bedroom furniture a year and a half ago. A bedroom full of lightly used Arhaus solid maple furniture for $400.00! All we had to do was move it in 11 degree weather! ARGH! Sister-dear and her partner are good at doing the hoof and haul. Right now we'll let LeAnne bake that baby to done, though. That's more important than a new play set.Look what was blooming when I got home from work today! It's our crab apple on the tree lawn.

Some beautiful tulips that I couldn't resist taking photos of. My neighbor's Lilac that is getting ready to fully bloom. Have I ever mentioned my severe allergy to Lilacs? Instant migraine.
But hey! The Purple Plum is absolutely in full bloom and look at those leaves! Hubs and I hung the birdhouse that K- made him for Easter. I just love this little birdhouse that she built at Lowe's!

So it brings me to now. I'm feeling better. Hooray!