wednesday.....day at home?

Yesterday was fun....well, why wouldn't it be? I called my sister-in-law, who had plans to do lots of things around her house...and asked her to come over and join us for some playtime at McDonalds playground...then they came over to play for a bit...what fun for the kids. And for the moms, who got to have some of Mirielle's hot-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. Well, the kids did too....

This title is funny because:

I started this post this morning, and ...well, I DID go somewhere....

Since one of our cars has a flat tire, one has no power steering, and Joseph had his placement test for college, I brought him there....one minute I was writing on my blog, the next I was getting dressed and going out the door. I dropped him off, and had some fun....but I tried really hard not to have TOO much fun....here is what I did...

1. Kohls. Now, Kohl's is scary because I always find so many good bargains, and when one has so many people to shop for, it adds up. But today I was extra careful. I found myself a dress for $5.60 for a wedding on Saturday. I tried it on in the store, because no one was waiting for me. It didn't look spectacular, which was no big surprise, but it didn't look overly awful on me, so I bought it.

2. Sears. I bought both shoes and sandals for myself, but the shoes are going back. I tried them on in the store and they looked okay, but when I got home, I didn't like them anymore. So I am wearing sandals to the wedding. (let's pretend it isn't going to be zero when we leave in the morning....)

3. Aldi. How do I love thee, let me count the ways.....yogurt, carrots, pears, apples, oranges, bananas, eggs, milk, romaine, and lots of half-price Christmas candy. The chocolate is German or Belgium, is yummy, is cheap to begin with, so half-price is just lovely....Aaron came home from school and saw the pile of foil wrapped Santas and said, "I love this time of year!"

4. To the gas station. $35 to get the van half full. But Bonnie, I remembered you and the $8 a gallon over there, and I didn't grumble. Then to the Chinese place to get some takeout for a surprise for Joe...and a surprise for me, too. I have never gotten takeout from there before, it is only $2.99 a pound. For less than four bucks, we each had some black pepper chicken, sesame chicken, and some broccoli and green beans....and he was very surprised when he came out from his test and found me eating it, and a foam container on his seat too. I told him that he has been good, so the Chinese Food Fairy came....

5. B.J's. Mirielle wanted a job application, and Joseph got one too. So I went in and got half and half for the coffee we drink around here, and some crackers, and a bag of broccoli Normandy.

Ahh, home. It was so nice to get home. Mirielle said the little girls were good today, played Barbies and dollhouse and house, and had their lunch.....I teased them this morning and told them a little boy that had fallen on Camille on the McD's playground yesterday was coming over to play with them today....Charlotte Claire told me very sincerely this afternoon, "Mama, he didn't come!" Camille did not like that boy because he "was following me, and I didn't like it!" Now she says it is okay, he can come over.

I sat down and put my feet up and had some coffee and talked with the first trip kids (Aaron and Mali and Sam and Margaret and Kathryn and Evelyn), and sampled some of the chocolate I bought today....then I made dinner. I peeled and sliced ten pounds of potatoes, a nice big sweet onion, and made the white sauce for the scalloped potatoes. A pound of bacon squiggled across the tops of the pans, and dinner is in the oven. Mirielle is making some of the broccoli Normandy...

So as I sat here typing and smelling the wonderful and satisfying smell of dinner in the oven, it started bubbling over and filling the kitchen with smoke. Now Paul will get home to the smell of burnt, instead of the aroma of bacon and potatoes.

Yes, we are going to Oklahoma. I am not sure who is going besides Abigail, Mirielle, Ashley and I. Perhaps Emily and Aaron.....if we have so many drivers, it shouldn't be too bad. We don't have all the days in the world, so we have to drive straight through both ways, about 23 hours. We are leaving on a Wednesday and coming home the following Tuesday. Four nights in a hotel, and the other two in the minivan. Blah, I better remember the ibuprofen. But I am actually excited. I booked the hotel room last night, and there NO CANCELLATIONS, NO REFUNDS. So, we are going!

Dang, it is smoky in here! And not one of the smoke alarms has gone off, which is reassuring. A house not too far from here burned down the other night, totally destroyed....two of the kids go to school with these guys. A teacher asked Aaron in the hallway yesterday what size jeans he wore...he was taken aback, but she explained she was trying to rustle up some clothes for the boy who lived in the house. There is a "hat day" at school for the family on Friday, all the students pay a dollar, or more, to wear a hat....money is always the best help, but clothes are so expensive and such an immediate need....

Mirielle so nicely ladled out some of the sauce from the pans so the smoke would stop, it is dissipating, but the door has been open, and it is like 20 degrees out...so much for a hot dinner warming up the house while it bakes....brr. Cold and smoky.