Things that made me happy this week....Cooking Lesson Edition

My eyes were still closed when I felt a soft plop on the blankets above my abdomen.  "Breakfast in bed, guys," ordered Ansel in an authoritative way.  Whenever he does something really sweet, he uses a tone of voice that negates the act of kindness.  I think he has philanthropic boundaries which allow him to be "cool" and a really nice kid at the same time.

Ansel usually wakes before I do and rarely wakes up before Corey.   Before you label me as slothful, I need to qualify this by saying that I am almost always up by 7:15.  It's just that I live with three earlier risers (thanks for still making me look good, Savanna).

Last Sunday, Corey was still in bed at 7:30 am (I can hear you gasping in horror!).  Lucky for him, otherwise he would have missed out on this divine in-bed serving of.............pop tarts.   I appreciated the thoughtfulness and thus couldn't admit to Ansel that my mind wants to, but my throat refuses (gag response) when I try to swallow these things which have obviously been manufactured by terrorists who would wish us to die a slow death....or at least put our brain cells in a sugar induced, comatose state.  Don't get me wrong,  I love my sugar.  But pop tarts.......they are crossing the line.

Not to change the subject before I justify why I have pop tarts in my cupboard in the first place, but when I forced the pop tart down my throat, I had the sick realization that I need to teach this kid to cook if I am ever going to get a proper breakfast in bed.

We started with the basic, life sustaining items.....scrambled eggs and quesadillas.  One hour later, he had opened his own restaurant, in which he used a smidgen of creative thought to name, "Restaurant," and began taking orders:

And then he said, "Mom, I think I need to learn to cook a few more things."

I have created a monster.

Other things that made me happy:  


   

1.  Savanna going barefoot in the snow.

2.  PODCASTS!  I now almost look forward to(ok, not looking forward to....but at least not dreading) those mundane things in life that used to bring me dread, such as cooking, cleaning, and driving...... all the things that SAHM are supposed to do.   My life has Cha Cha Cha Changed now that I can do these mindless things whilst listening to thought-provoking, emotion-stirring, loud-laughter inducing PODCASTS.

3.   This conversation that Ansel overheard and interrupted:

Me on the phone, "I wish that I could just be frank with them"
Ansel, "Mom, you want to be named, FRANK.  That is so weird.  Who would do that?"

Because celebrating is better than not celebrating.

Corey doesn't care that I believe Valentines Day to be a holiday of the most shameless treacle.  I love this about him.  

 A homemade card and treats from Dad is a given:

sucking the marrow out of winter

It hasn't been a full-bodied, fleshy winter.  I would say it has been almost skeletal.  We have only needed to pull our snow-blower out once? (Corey will correct me if I am wrong).   Although the snow hasn't been knocking on our door, there is life lingering in the marrow of it's bones.   We have just had to work a little harder to get to it.  And when we have found it, we glean every bit of nourishment that we can harvest before we return to our sleeping, malnourished yard.  Yes, we will remember this year as the year that we were winter scavengers.

 A School-free Monday in which we had "all you can eat" snow in Kellogg, Idaho.   And we were almost the only customers.

Emmy is so snow-stuffed that she can barely sit up. 

 Savanna, trying desperately to hide the possibility that she may actually be having a good time.

 A workless Friday when Corey and I can feast gluttonously on the back side of Mt. Spokane.

 The backside of ME