Are Ya Feeling Lucky?

Well, did you miss us?  Were you chomping at the bit to see what Cupid left?  Or if we captured Nita?  I know, it's really hard to go two full days without some Gatchel goodness, hope everything survived!  So let me catch you up briefly...

I don't have picture proof but on Saturday Cupid left M&M's that told the Dynamic Duo that they were "Marvelous & Magnificent' (they were in their car seats when they left for Home Depot with Dad) and then on Sunday they got socks declaring Cupid to be "Head Over Heels" for them.

On Saturday they heard from MOMG with the following:

Dear Detectives,

Friday morning I received your email stating that you felt that Nita was currently hiding out in Louisiana.  Nita must be in the mood to party this week – Mardi Gras is officially underway in the Pelican State right now and I’m sure she took advantage of the fact that she could blend right in.  Laissez les bons temps rouler – right?

At your suggestions, I dispatched the Swat Team to Louisiana to search there for Nita.  I think they enjoyed Mardi Gras just as much as Nita!  They took their time interviewing locals while they feasted on Creole and Cajun cuisine (one Swat Team member lost his eyebrows in an unfortunate incident when his Bananas Fosters was lit on ire) and took in all the Big Easy has to offer.  They ran into numerous people who reported seeing Nita on Wednesday enjoying the Dixieland Jazz concert in the French Quarter.  But they searched high and low for her and were unable to actually capture Nita in Louisiana.  But – she was there!  We found a puzzle piece in a toll booth for the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge!  I’m entrusting it into your care for your future use.  With all the information we gathered we were able to alert Louisiana authorities and the borders are safe!

Also, I am passing along some further information from MOMG Intelligence.  They first ask that you remove Louisiana from our “States at Risk” wall.  You should move it to our “Suspect” wall next to the “Last Seen” header.   Secondly, they have asked me to enclose the next 20 states they feel are most at risk based on the information they have been gathering.  Thirdly, I am enclosing a ball of yarn.  We would like to use the giant map on the “Tracking Nita” wall to show Nita’s track from state to state, just as we have been doing.  We have a feeling that Nita will be laying low for a day or two and will need some time to regroup, but you should expect her or my Intelligence team to contact you again soon.

Good work this week, Detectives!  I was very impressed with how quickly you narrowed down our list to states that bordered the Mississippi and then again with the information you received on Hurricane Katrina.  You should be proud of yourselves – I know I am!  We’ll get that sneaky Nita, yet!

The Chief

So she escaped again!  And even without the Chief there to oversee (Yeah for Dad being on duty!) everything to updated and ready for our next Nita spotting...

I made it back mid-afternoon yesterday and wasn't too surprised to still find the house in one piece :)  Apparently there was lots of work done on the pinewood derby car and some epic snow tunnel building.  Glad to see Grant is MORE than capable of holding all the pieces in place while I'm gone.  (He prepped the coffee pot. Seriously.)

This morning NJ went to put his stuff together for school, when he spotted something from Cupid in his boot!

They got bubbles that said "You really blow me away"

They then saw that the flag was up, so we of course had to check it out: 

A letter:

Dear Detectives,

Nita was spotted in the city of Peterborough by two citizens who had just checked out books from the Peterborough Town Library, which we’ve learned, is the oldest library in the world support by taxation.  (That means tax money was collected from the people of Peterborough that went to pay for the library to operate and be filled with books.)  They ended up spooking Nita and she fled the scene.  But, she dropped something!  We have no idea what it is or what it means but are hoping you will!  Good luck, detectives.

MOMG Intelligence

And a scratch off ticket!

That Nita, she's a tricky one....

It's hard to see but the Lottery Ticket said:

Dear Detectives,

Better luck next time, you missed me again!

I will tell you I’m in the state that held their own lottery first.

Come and get me, kiddos!

HA HA HA - Nita

The clue didn't really spark any big ideas, but it was fun!  Maybe we'll hear more tomorrow...

In the meantime, it's been a normal crazy Monday around here.  I'm continuing my crock pot Monday's today with Cheese Tortellini Chili. 

Noah especially LOVED it (Tortellini is one of his favorite foods and I was hoping countering it with the beans (which he hates) would make for a winner.)

I've been keeping busy getting organized for Noah's party on Friday (I somehow became the default parent to organize the class parties this year.  Not sure how/why this happened....) and have a couple of other projects (which I currently can't share on here yet...) in the works.  Hanging with Amber tomorrow, Den meeting tomorrow night and who knows what else!  So until then...