May Starts with a Bang!

     The first week of May includes May the Fourth, Cinco de Mayo, Free Comic Book Day, and Prom! May is always a whirlwind of fun, and as I took down the Easter decorations, I felt a bit lackluster. I like having the mantel decorated. So I decided to make a banner for May the Fourth. I found things I liked and then saved them to finish the next day. When I came back to it, I had not saved anything! It took me all day, but in the end I was pleased with the result. 

    We celebrated with Sarlacc Cake! I forgot how much I love this cake; it is delicious! A heavily spiced cake with cardamom cream cheese frosting and gingersnap cookie crumbs. I really should make it more often.

    ¡Cinco de Mayo! This year we had tacos, since most of the kids will eat them. I tried to get a 2-liter of sangria, but could only find small bottles. So everyone got a bottle, and I made some horchata from a mix, and it is really good. 

    The school prom was Great Gatsby and Gold themed. When Lizzy first brought up the dance, I remembered a dress I had thrifted years ago and thought it might work for it. The dress was navy and silver, so she spent months hand-sewing gold beads onto the dress. I did have to alter the dress a bit, but it fit her really well. On the day of prom, I tried to do finger waves, but they defeated me. I don't have the right clips for it. I tried using foil-wrapped pencils to help hold the shape, but no dice. Later that night we had the sisters over for dinner, and they both are hairstylists, and they declared that the finger waves are the hardest to do, so I guess I'm in good company. 

    Last prom Lizzy had worn some beads that belonged to my Grandma Murphy. This year she wore her hat and fur coat.  She found the perfect little purse at a thrift shop just days before. Isn't she the cutest?

  

     We heard that Jeff Hays was going to be signing a comic book on Free Comic Book Day in KC. So we took the kids to Home Depot to make keepsake boxes, then dropped off a few kids at home and ran over to get our comics. I was expecting a line to form as he is very popular. We got there about an hour and change early, and the line was just forming, but the store was open, so we made our selections and decided to head home.   

    Lizzy always goes above and beyond with her Home Depot builds. It will be sad when she can't do them anymore. It's weird to think in a few months she will be 18!

We were each allowed 5 comic books; here's my haul:

   

 

    Also, I have been fighting off a nesting bird who has decided the light right outside my back door would be the perfect place to build. I have kept a broom handy and have been vigilant for weeks. One day Teddy and I spent the whole of the morning sitting guard outside. Then I had the bright idea to take the lamp out of the equation. I roped Devon into helping me cover the top part of the light.

The remains of the last nest littered the ground.

        You can just see the bird; he flew up to the light and was so perplexed! I congratulated myself on my quick thinking.

    This was very shortsighted; it turned out as a smaller bird realized they now had the perfect spot, so protected and warm. They moved right in! Oh well. Later, Daniel evacuated them and made it less bird-friendly. Here's a look at the garden. Daniel has been working hard on it. He has been running off rabbits that have been trying to eat all the plants. 

Off to the The Ball!

     April brought the JANSA regency ball! This year Lizzy and her friend Rosalee came with us. They had changed quite a few things; we have had a changing of the guard this year, and the younger generation has opinions and is willing to voice them. The main differences are no whist tables, which is fine, as they were rarely attended. Next, instead of the set tables, the tea was served buffet style, and we were encouraged to eat anywhere. It was nice, but I miss the formality of a set table. I understand the work involved; I had requested to be on the committee, but never heard back. It was so much fun though!

Here's a video; click the link for the Buffet.

Visitors

     Charly was able to have her stepchildren for a day, so they asked if they could stay with us. It was Austin's birthday, and Charly wanted to make a cake with the boys for him. Austin's favorite flavors are chocolate and peanut butter, and he likes ice cream cakes, so I suggested we make one. Charly was unsure about the ice cream, but was game. I found a peanut butter-packed ice cream and shaped it for a 9x13 pan and set it in the freezer. 

    They arrived the next afternoon, and while Austin went out to shop, we set to work making a chocolate cake. The boys liked helping for a bit as little kids are wont to be. They really liked tasting the frosting. While we waited for the cake to cool, Charly, Brandy, and I had some raspberries with the leftover ganache. They were very good!

Austin liked it, so I'm calling it a success!

    Here's a picture of the layers: chocolate cake, peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter buttercream frosting, and chocolate ganache on top. It was divine, but too peanut buttery for some of my kids. You can't please everyone.

Fun Times

     Daniel has been working outage, which means he was working 12-hour shifts every day. Luckily, he got a day off, so we sent the kids off to school, packed up Teddy, and ran off to Science City to play. Since it was a weekday, it was pretty empty. Teddy had a wonderful time running around and not having to wait for anything. We made some art, he climbed all over this structure, and while I watched Teddy climb, Daniel explored and found something really fun.

He found this laser room!

    I tried to take a picture inside the room, but it was not having it! Teddy and Daniel ran through the different options several times. They had a blast.

    Afterwards, I was famished, so we tried Harvey's. Teddy did not transition well, but Bluey came in clutch! Once I let him watch, he was willing to sit down and eat a little of his pizza. Daniel had ordered a cup of jambalaya as his side, but the waiter forgot and brought fries, which Teddy made quick work of. He did get his jambalaya in the end, though.

    We went to the last school-sponsored Rink Ratz, and Teddy took part in the limbo challenge.

    We finally were able to drop off the set pieces, and since I had to take Teddy with me, he got to sit in the front for the first time. He was thrilled. As we waited for Lizzy to come out of the school, I showed Teddy how I like to eat Skittles; I smash them first and then eat them. He decided to take it a few steps further and made a smashed Skittles tower. 

    He was later distraught that Lizzy sat in the back because there were no seats there. She is tall enough to wedge herself between the wheel covers. You win some, you lose some. 

    You may have noticed this clock gracing our wall in recent pictures; I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about it. Mary, a management member at Daniel's work, decided to make the divisions: Management, Operations, and Maintenance have a food challenge. This turned into a problem; Daniel won his bout with a Peruvian chicken. This dish won him the clock! 

    Then Mary, who had been gone for that week, decided they needed another bout to declare a winner. Daniel was picked again to compete for his team. There are only three members on his team anyway, so it made sense. The theme for this one was Italian, and Daniel took a loose interpretation of this and made BLT Pasta Salad. I'll add the recipe if you want to try it. It's really good. My friend Natalia shared it with me.

 BLT Pasta Salad

     

6 Slices Cooked Bacon

1 Tomato, Sliced  

1 Head of Romaine Lettuce

1 Package Tortellini 

Dressing:

½ Cup Mayonnaise

¼ Cup Sour Cream

1 Tbsp buttermilk or vinegar

1 Tbs Ranch Powder

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

    Cook and drain the bacon, crumble when cooled, and set aside. Chop the lettuce and place in a large bowl. If you are using cherry or grape tomatoes, add them to the bowl; if using a larger tomato, slice and add to the bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix up the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the pasta to the bowl with the bacon, and add the dressing. Mix until all incorporated. Serve immediately.  Optional: use cherry tomatoes, add sliced cucumber and red onion. Notes: If you don't have Ranch powder, substitute 1-2 Tbs ranch dressing, omitting the buttermilk. Use 1-2 cups bacon pieces instead of fresh bacon.

     

    While everyone liked Daniel's dish better, several did not want his to win; it came out as a tie, and then the engineer had to do a coin toss 3 times to make sure he didn't win. He remarked that he didn't want Daniel to win. To add salt to the wound, Mary had these shirts made up to commemorate it. The main boss declared that he did not approve this. He agreed that Maintenance should have won.

    Teddy and I had fun at the library. I tried to take him to the story time, but while he tolerated the welcome song and bubbles, he was not having any more of that, thank you very much. So we went out to play instead.

    We have had some epic thunderstorms lately, but the sun was shining, so I had the bright idea to take the kids to the park. I forgot completely about the oversaturated ground. 

    After a bit of wavering, the kids jumped in and really embraced the wetness. So not too bad overall, I guess. We did have to dry their shoes for 2 days, but worth it. I took Teddy back to the space park for a little play time too.

    Teddy made this magnet sculpture and then ran at me to destroy it, over and over again. It was so funny.

    We also made a fort. There's something so fun about a fort. It brings me back to rainy days and playing inside. Blankets overhead, pillows underneath, such a comfortable little cuddle cave.

    That's all for now.