a true vacation day!

 In the history of people who enjoy vacation days, I'm right up there near the top.  I've had a lot of them through the years, but mostly in the last few years.  Seriously, for like 25 years straight, it was all systems GO.  It was non-stop nonsense, Chaos Central.  

But today, the little girls are on school break, Paul had the day off from work, and we did not leave the house.  I offered to take them on an adventure, but they hemmed and hawed, so I started a project.  It's not rocket science, just a few simple flannel blanks for Kathryn's new baby, coming in June.

I made a big on and a smaller one, two-sided.  My sewing machine does amazing things, but I have no idea how to do most of it.  I plan on leaving it out though, and getting to know it better.  Technology is kind of scary to me, I mean, this machine remembers 30 different stitch commands!!  It embroiders all the numbers and letters, and has a whole potpourri of decorative stitches.  It sews beautifully, and I do love it.  I got it back in the beginning of the lockdown, well maybe around Mother's Day last year, used for $250.  It's smooth!  You can actually push a sliding lever to control the sewing speed.  It's pretty wowza.

Dinner:  leftover chicken breast, warmed in hot olive oil in the frying pan, with cauliflower rice (for me!), regular rice, I also had some shredded cabbage with carrots, fresh cilantro, fresh salsa, and various other toppings.  They all had theirs in tortillas...I'm trying to stay away from the carbs, but I did have some squares of chocolate with almonds, with my after dinner decaf.  sigh.

Ben and Ashley and the girls came over for dinner last night, along with Margaret and her two little boys (Adrian was doing college homework).  Emily came over for a bit too.  We had some roasted bone-in chicken breasts, cauliflower and broccoli, roasted Brussel sprouts with roasted chopped apple, and baked potatoes.  

We solved the worlds' problems while the kids ran around and played with the tons and tons of toys that Paul brought out for them.  Ride-ons, dollhouses, Barbies, trucks...it was like the good old days for a few hours.

Jonathan called a bit ago from Phoenix, he actually FaceTimed from in the pool.  They're enjoying some sunshine, and there are orange trees at their hotel.  They went for a little walk, and found a box of "free for the taking" lemons under a lemon tree in someone's yard.  It's all very new and novel for us northerners, Darius is from Winnipeg!   No citrus trees there!

They're headed to Sedona tomorrow, then back up to Las Vegas for a few days.  They'll stay clear of the casinos, they're there for the weather, pools, hot tubs.  

I can't say that I'm tired of winter, not yet.  We are supposed to get a foot of snow tonight, and maybe some ice on top of that, making the roads extremely hazardous for tomorrow morning.  Sonja's college already cancelled classes, but the hospital won't be closing, so Emily and Mariel and Molly will still be going in to work, and Abigail will work her accounting job too.  I'll be praying for them.  Evelyn works walking distance from her place, but Benjamin will have to drive into work.  It's a bit different from when they were all little, and it was a snow day, and they were all safe and sound at home.  They grow up and are adults, but to mama, they are still little chickies.  

But I'm not tired of winter.  It's cozy and relaxing and I'm not bored yet.

Our nice new Mitsubishi...the parking brake warning bells have been triggered once again.  We had to take it to the Certified Mitsubishi Fixer a few months back because it happened...so we've avoided using that parking brake (the very same thing happened to Mariel's car).  We went through the car wash on Saturday, and accidentally set the parking brake.  It did disengage, but the car didn't get that message, and it BEEPS and BEEPS and BEEPS, the WHOLE ENTIRE TIME the car is moving.  Stop at a stop sign, phew, some reprieve...drive again, and BEEEP BEEEP. I called the dealership, and they can get me in NEXT TUESDAY.  So, every errand I run, BEEEP.

The girls want to go on some adventures this week, we'll have to crank the tunes and scream at each other over the BEEEPing.  In the big scheme of things it's not a big deal, but it sure is always something.

Ah well.  I'm going to fill some pitchers of water in case the power goes out, it certainly will if I don't fill the pitchers, it's like insurance, right?  We have well water, so if the power goes out, no water for us.