Art openings always have the best food and other fine, fine stories that you don't care about.

Our weekend was jam-packed. My Friday was the point where I couldn't take it any more and I stripped the garden window of all the plants that decided to pass by way of our very cold winter and on to compost heaven. They just hadn't reached their place in the compost heaven yet. I rolled up our city issued gigantic garbage can and just started dumping plants. Don't worry. I saved the pots to refill. I had a lovely pot that died just from being root-bound. I didn't realize! The shamrock died because of the intense cold in the window. I had a few that lacked proper moisture and the cat decided to dig the aloe up and spread all of it's baby parts and pieces all over my faked out console table that I had behind the couch.

Death was around us. It was so sad.

The window was stripped and cleaned. The pots are now in storage on my newly built shelving unit in the shed. (I organized and made my very own potting area in there.) I do have two plants left that were fairly well taken care of during the winter. They were not in the window. Mentally noted for next year.

The dead plant clearing inspired me to go out to the back beds and clear those. Yes, I realize that I should have done it about a month ago but I didn't have the time. As I was clearing one particular section, apparently I frightened a critter that shot out of the hole and bounced off of my leg. I never did find it or what did it, but my guess is a chipmunk.

I folded the laundry I had hung on the line.

K- wanted to go on a walk. We did that, got her ready for bed and I continued to stay up to tend to the pesky task of readying my supplies for the leaded glass demo I was scheduled for the next day.

I had nothing cut out.

I had nothing gathered up.

Diet Cherry Coke took me to where I needed to be.

Hubs had gone to bed early since he had to get up at 4 AM to ready himself for a fishing derby he was overseeing. After I got all of my studio work done, I snuggled up on the couch, so as not to disturb sleeping beauty. I did wake to the smell of coffee at 4 AM, something that neither one of us drink, but Hubs volunteers do. They would withhold work if they didn't have coffee.

Y'all, even though I don't drink it, I have to tell you that the coffee did not smell good. I guess I'm used to the smell of gallery coffee. It is so strong that it would make you peel your eyelids off the ceiling.

Very sweet-like, Hubs o' mine gave me a kiss on the head and whispered, "Honey, you can go to bed now." I staggered to bed and fell asleep to something on TV that I turned on and don't even remember.

I dropped K- off with my friend, Laurie. Laurie took her to her Lowe's building workshop. I went onward to work and hung out there for over four hours. I made three frames, all the while on the clock, ate some lovely food, talked to people, showed them how to solder a smooth, straight line and went back to get K-.

A side note: Taco Bell's Cherry Limeade is FANTASTIC. 'Nuff said.

K- had such a great time that she didn't want to leave. She never does. I swear, I don't know what Laurie does with the child but I think K- would live there if we told her it was okay.

When we got home, Hubs was there! His fishing derby went well, despite the rain that both he and I experienced while doing our outside work things. (I was undercover, don't worry.) It was 3:30 PM when I walked in. I smelled of soldering smoke. I was tired. We were all tired. I took a bath. We did a catch-as-catch-can dinner and we sacked out with Storm Chasers videos and our end-of-the-evening flick of Twister.

I think that K- may grow up to be a storm chaser. I just don't think that she knows it yet. Driving down the road today, she yelled, "Step on it! There's a tornado!" Then, she was just laughing and laughing. Who knows? She used to want to be a vet.

Anyhow. That brings us to today. K- and I went to Sunday School and church. Hubs met up with me at church later. We ran home for lunch, then on to the last swim lesson of the season (PRAISE JESUS!), onward to an early dinner at Bob's, then on to activate our gifted-to-us swim pass (which required more time than getting a drivers license and even required K-'s birth certificate!) and since we skipped getting K- the celebratory ice cream at Bob's, we waited for digestion to take place and took her to our favorite home owned place. Yum. After that, we decided to have a good chuckle at the "aisles of misfit products" that Big Lots had to offer.

We giggle at some things that didn't make the cut. We laugh at the winter packaged products that are still priced the regular "mark down" Big Lots price regardless to the regular products in the same pile with the items. I did find Kashi Cinnamon Wheat Square cereal, Terra Stripes and Blues Chips, Kashi Apple Bars, Curious George Band-Aids, a car wash mitt, a new litter mat for Smudge and a replacement paint pan for church since I think we pitched the one I used last year. Yes, the food is well within date. I love finding good food at a good price. It made me smile!

K- and I busted out the rest of the Geronimo Stilton book that we were reading. Frankly, Geronimo Stilton is not my favorite (this is the first book, so I should give it more of a chance since she liked it well enough.) The book was K-'s prize for getting to 700 on the 100 book challenge.

That brings us to the end of my day. We're all bushed. But, here is a picture of my baby on her last day of swim class. Smiles in my weekend:
- Sprinkled in above.

Have a great day!

The good news is that it is a finger, but they don't like to stitch those.

I was humming along, cutting mat board as backers for the frames I made. I was listening to Mona Lisa Smile. It was all good. That is, until I Exacto'd part of my finger. Oh, don't fear! I didn't actually cut it off. I now have a bit of a flip-flap that under any other circumstances, doctors would have been happy to stitch. I bound it back together with some waterproof Band Aids and off I went. Had to get the stuff done.

The good news? I turned 12 finished frames in at 4 PM. Oh, and I didn't bleed on anything other than the cutting mat.

The bad news? This puppy'll take a few to heal. There's a thumping in my finger. :( It hurts.

It has left me with a big smile.

The weekend, that is. Grant you, it didn't start out well. When K- came out of school on Friday afternoon, she had the biggest frown on her face. A crocodile tear was trudging down her cheek.

"Mom, I've had the biggest stomach ache all day." [Insert scene from Moses parting the Red Sea. It is amazing how fast parents will move their child away from a child that potentially has the stomach flu. And yes, I'm the same way.]

We went home, got her in jammies, set up in bed with the portable DVD player and I took her temperature. 101 F. Fantastic.

We were to go to my husbands boss' house for dessert and a movie. I called Hubs. He was bummed. We were going to meet one of his previous National Park co-workers, his family and their 10 year old foster child. They all understood our canceling. (We've had to cancel before. The first time we had dinner plans with Dan, the old RAV was totaled.)

So, I got K- all settled in. She was a sad-sack mess. I had to call my mom to come sit with K- while I ran visitation transport for my niece and nephew. K- napped while my mom was here and she slept all night. I was up and down checking to make certain that the 102 F fever that I broke didn't return. Happily, it didn't.

Saturday was a little peppier, but she still hung out in bed all day. She had an unlimited supply of Goldfish crackers, Toy Story Cheese-It's, 7-Up and movies. She was in kid heaven.

Since K- was stuck inside, I was in the next room over working in my studio. It was lovely.

I was able to get the frame done that I had promised for the mailer photo shoot. We're having a staff show at the end of April, but they needed one piece from each participating co-worker in advance.

K- was perking up even more on Saturday night, but later we found that the day must have really exhausted her since we found her fast asleep before 8 PM.

I love the child, but she called on a two hour basis from her bed in a loud voice, "Mommy!" I jumped out of bed and went running to have her ask me, "Can you turn the little TV on?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it's the middle of the night." [I'm having Orphan Annie flashbacks here.]

She did that at 10 PM, 12:30 AM, 2:30 AM, 4:30 AM and at 6:30 AM. Folks, it wore me out. She normally only gets one hour of TV a day, so apparently the unlimited movie watching while ill awakened her TV addicted inner child.

On Sunday morning, we skipped church because of the funk, so I yelled hey to the neighbor. I told him that we missed him and his partner. He came by a moment and was talking to me about the church that they are attending. We both got excited when he discovered these in our front yard:
A couple hours later, K- announced that she no longer had a stomach ache, but had an ache to go outside. I told her that would be Cabin Fever. We suited her up in snow clothes and sent her off to play. I figured a bit of fresh air wouldn't hurt her and while she was out, I opened the windows and doors again. I wanted to air out the yuck that she just had.

Going outside gave her one last shot at sliding down igloo hill and putting the last bits of our sled out of its misery.
While out taking pictures of K-, I looked and found our cat happily looking out the big (dirty) door window. It is her favorite place in the summer. The sun comes in and warms her kitty body. "Mom? Is the nice sun going to stay?"
"I hope so, Smudge. I sure hope so."

Smiles in my weekend:
- Sprinkled in above.

Have a great day!