The Search for Miss Direction: Mid-Week Fun West Virginia Style (with some Missouri, too!)

So my overprotective Mama self decided to keep my still coughing, runny nosed kiddo home for one more day. I really didn't think it was fair to make his teacher and the rest of his classmates put up with him constantly interrupting things to blow his nose. But, thankfully, he is MUCH better. Well enough to want to get out of the house for awhile (can't blame the kid) which I did oblige him with this morning. I mean, he's not contagious and he's acting OK, it's really just his nose that is the issue. Plus, keeping him home meant that he got one more day with a good nap in the afternoon to rest up. (Yes, I'm still attempting to justify this to myself). Anyway, he and I headed out for awhile this morning, mainly to get the fixings for Mikayla's requested Frozen (no surprise there) birthday cake. Somehow the kid ended up making out like a bandit and may never want to go back to school again! We stopped and grabbed his free pan pizza from Pizza Hut for his participation in the Book It program and we had a coupon that was good today only for a free drink for him at the new Bigby coffee. Like I said, he may never want to go back to school again....

We made it home in time for lunch and to make some Apple Butter Drop Cookies. In case you're wondering where the Bean was in all of this, she did make it to school today. And we had arranged a long time ago for today to be the chance for Grant to pick her up and take her to lunch. (We try to do this once a month but it hasn't been happening so didn't want to cancel it again) So anyway, Noah and I made these awesome drop cookies from a hotel in West Virginia. I love how easy (Noah honestly did about all the work) they were and how puffy they stayed. And the crew loved them too!

We just finished up the cookies when Mikayla came home and brought in the mail and found we had a package! From (kind of) Missouri! You might remember back to Kansas week when the Stinson's helped us out with a great package (complete with a grow our own sunflower!) from there. Well, they actually live pretty close to the Missouri border and offered to help us out with Missouri as well. (God Bless you, Alesha!) The kids went crazy - there were Missouri shirts and (wait for it) Mikayla's glows in the dark! She couldn't have been more excited! There were also some fun key chains, postcards of famous St. Louis landmarks and some tour guides to different places in Missouri. Thanks a bunch Stinson family!!!

After that the Dynamic Duo got some work in on the "We've Been There State" Everyone earned stickers this week because back when we visited the Kunkle's in Maryland I took us no a different route home so we could actually pass through West Virginia - and we stopped, got gas and ate so it totally counts! Stickers all around!

Since Noah seemed to hold up well all day and since he's not contagious and since he and Grant were to be the "Co-Leaders" at the meeting tonight, I relented and said that he could go to his Cub Scout meeting tonight. That meant we had to sit down to dinner a little early - so I was glad that I had thought ahead and made something relatively easy. Like the pepperoni rolls from Monday, I came across countless recipes for The West Virginia Slaw Dog. Research has found that a 'slawdog' is a southern thing for the most part, but West Virginia goes an extra step and has a special West Virginia Hot Dog Sauce that goes with it as well. (By the way, this is the slaw recipe I used:Sour Cream Cole Slaw) The kids passed on having the slaw on their dogs and ate it on the side, but Grant was game and called it 'interesting'. I got one more golden delicious recipe in with these Fried Apples (think Cracker Barrel style!) which everyone was on board for.

The boys headed out and Colleen and R came over to help the Bean and I prep up her treat for school on Friday. Have I mentioned lately how much I adore cute food? And Colleen and R? We had a great time. I've got to say, even though yet again it was not how I *planned* on spending my day, it turned out pretty great! MOPS Steering in the morning, followed by a play date for the Bean, the kids color West Virginia and I've got one more West Virginia meal on tap this week! So until then...

West Virginia Fun Fact of the Day: The first rural free mail delivery was started in Charles Town on October 6, 1896, and then spread throughout the United States.