Misadventures of FS

Leon's cousin in Georgia sent us Flat Stanley to visit for a week or so.

It came in the mail when Leon was just ready to get on the bus so Stanley had to spend the day with me. 

I showed him snow.

and how to do the dishes.  oh joy!  Not like he's going to take over for me while he's here...

THEN Leon finally came home from school!!! YAY!  Although he just wanted to bury FS in the Legos.  But FS looks like he's having fun, so that's the important thing.

Leon said that he got into a little trouble at school yesterday.

"What happened?"

"Well,  I just wanted to have fun and show XXXX that I was really strong."

"and??..."

"I bent a spoon to show XXX that I was really strong."

Meri and Briar burst out laughing and I glared at them.  Leon smirked and asked why they were laughing.  Well, Meri punted and said that Briar had told her a very funny joke.  Leon asked her to tell him the joke.  

"Knock Knock"

Leon says, "who's there?"

and Meri started chasing him around the room.  She couldn't think of anything else to say.

It appears to have worked and Leon's misbehavior at school was not rewarded with laughter.

I hope.

Later, after his dad went to work, Leon and I went on a walk, starting with our Eagle's nest.

I don't know WHERE that kid learned to smile...

Meri started the walk with us, but she didn't plan ahead and got super cold about a half block away and went back.

We walked to the park and Leon would just howl like a wolf for the pictures on the jungle gym...  REALLY?

I texted Robb and asked that he come get us after ten minutes as it was cold and there were wolves.  Well, wolves in Leon clothes.

 We found over turned garbage cans, from the possible tornadoes on Thursday, so we uprighted them and put some strewn garbage back in them.  

Then played imaginary ball!

Leon hadn't planned ahead either and is wearing my mittens... 

Watch me RUN Grandma!

It must have been a tornado because look at the porta potty!  Yikes!  I'm hoping no one was in it.  What a way to go...  

I wasn't brave enough to check.

So anyway, FS is off to a good visit at our house and hasn't even blown away yet.

sigh... I have no idea how we're going to entertain him today... 

I have a meeting today or I'd take him to school and have lunch with the boy today.

Maybe tomorrow.

Bowl of Cherries

This has been one of my views for the past couple mornings.  SO relaxing...

that is until I realize how grungy that railing looks.  yuck.  

ONE of these days...

I'm trying to get as much use out of our porch as possible before it gets too cold.  And it is beautiful today.  The sun is on my back and not cooking me.  

Yesterday I stayed out here working at worky stuff until the guys working on the sewers came down our street and started doing funky thing with the TMNT entrance in the street.  That's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle door for you adults out there that don't have small boys in the house...

They live in the sewers.  Just ask Leon.

Oh and until my laptop battery ran out.

I figure I'll do the same thing today.

Anyway, I walked to the park with Leon last night and when we got back, I tried to teach him how to catch a ball with a mitt.  He's not TOO bad, IF he holds the mitt correctly and I toss it RIGHT at the mitt.  I mentioned that if he bent his elbow a little, he'd be able to move easier to catch the ball if it's not RIGHT on the mitt.  

He took that literally and made his mitt a moving target for me.  REALLY?...

Saw a mosquito.  Let's go inside.

Started plans for our extended family reunion and included cousins on my dad's side this time.  Hadn't seen some of them forEVER...  and a couple are thinking about attending from California!  It's probably been 40 years since I saw them!

Heard from Maddy last night and she has got some hilarious stories from her kindergarten career after just a week!  She could write a book. :)  and she SHOULD!  At least start one or keep a diary of her adventures so she can write it later when she has time.  I'm doubting she has much time currently...  

She could be the next Erma Bombeck!

I guess this Bombeck quote doesn't quite fit Maddy's stories, but it definitely is the story of MY life.

Well, back to work.  Hopefully I can get caught up with a few things so I won't feel so pressured by 3pm...  I had a dream last night that I had won a trip to Hawaii and had to work remotely and only go enjoy the trip on my lunch breaks.  FUN!...

I WILL get around and see you guys soon.  Hopefully today!  I miss you.

Thinking out loud

The weather yesterday was beautiful!  I finally got to mow the front yard over my lunch and afterwards, Maddy decided to lay out.  

So I took my laptop out on the deck and worked nearby.  It was so sunny, I tried to figure out what to use for shade.  Then realized, HEY, we have a table umbrella laying on the deck here!  

Haven't used it in five years...  So I plunked it into the table, determined to mak

e use of it now.

Cranked it open and then wiped off the table for all the junk that fell out of it.  

Five years is a long time.  Then worked for a bit, talked for a bit, worked for a bit, more talking.

Time to roll over!

Robb got home for a little bit and came out to join us as I swatted the fifth bug away that had dropped down from the umbrella.

This is from Maddy's grad party back in 2013.  It looked good then...  

Meri's is NEXT spring so time to slap on some paint...

We don't use the deck much but it needs a lot of work.  So I might spend some time on it this summer.  I guess we need to anyway.

But the umbrella should probably get scrubbed  next, huh?

Enjoy your weekend!  Pics from Maddy's upcoming shower next week.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Only a quick word on the last picture.  Leon informed Maddy that since he has written his name behind that car, it's now his.  She's not allowed to drive it anymore.

Come on you all and sing it with me!

After sitting in the garage for probably 11 years, the Barbie jeep was a dusty mess.  

Until Leon and I decided it needed to visit the car wash.  

And since it's a convertible, the touch free car wash is out of the question.  

This is definitely a hands on type of thing...

He got a little carried away 

but the car came out looking good!

We'll probably spend part of the winter making it the Batmobile...  

And how can we do the wheels black?  Replace them?