Playing Catch-Up and Flying High

So I know I *said* I would be back to regular posting.  I also *said* I wasn't going to make any more plans.  Well, apparently saying that I would be back to regular posting was too much of a plan for "the powers that be" and we Gatchel's were thrown yet another curve ball at the end of last week.  Whatever was keeping the Bean down, really took her down.  And we ended up spending Friday and Saturday in the hospital with her.  I can report that she is doing MUCH better, that she'll even be back to school tomorrow.  But it did knock things off track yet again.  So a quick pick-up...

First, thanks to all that came to our "rescue" last week.  We couldn't have done it without a hand from lots, but particular thanks and love goes out to Tess, Colleen, my parents and sister, Shell.  They all helped in lots of ways, mostly coordinating NJ, too.  (And tons of love out to all my MOPS girls who sent texts, love, endless prayers and even a few goodies to make everyone feel better.)  On Sunday my parents brought Noah home, I got to do a it of shopping with my Mom and Shell for "the dress" (more on this in the next few weeks) for the auction, the kiddos solved their last clue for the week (it was on volcanoes) and determined Nita was in Hawaii.

Monday morning they received confirmation from MOMG Intelligence that Nita had been in Hawaii but had escaped:

Dear Detectives,

I hear it’s been quite the week at the Gatchel’s house.  It seems you all just can’t catch a break.  I was delighted to hear that you had such a great trip to Rockford and so sad to learn of Detective Bean’s trip to the hospital!  I really hope that everyone is now on the mend and things can go back to normal.  Including the continued hunt for Nita!

I received your email saying that you felt that Miss Direction was in Hawaii.  I know you received quite a few clues this week that led you to believe she originally might have been in another place (Noah, I know you felt very strongly about Washington) but I am glad you finally settled on Hawaii!

Per your request, I sent the SWAT team off to Hawaii.  While there they feasted on pineapple at a luau, interviewed quite a few locals “hanging ten” on their surfboards and learned about volcano eruptions.  While many of the friendly locals greeted them with an ‘aloha’ and claimed to have spotted Nita on five of the eight islands, it appears she took off before we were able to catch her.  We did spot a puzzle piece in a Kona coffee field and are sending it for your safe keeping.  Even though we missed her, we were able to alert Hawaii authorities and the islands are safe!

I am passing along some further information from MOMG Intelligence.  They first ask that you remove Hawaii 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.

It seems that your hard work was much appreciated by a recent visitor to Hawaii.  They sent something they picked up while they were in the state for you to try out.  I have safely stored it for you to find in the place you build a fire.  Enjoy, Detectives and keep up the good work!

The Chief

Special thanks again to our "concerned citizen" Corinne who sent a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts straight from the Islands.  Sorry no pics, I'm behind again.

Monday the Bean stayed home from school, Noah rushed straight off to class after dinner, and there was just enough time when he got home for them to notice the flag was up again.  They found the following:

My silly little Detectives,

I know you’re not where near nabbing me, and for that very reason, it’s possible I may never leave this state.  Ever.  I have discovered a food that is beyond compare.  I take that back, a restaurant that is one of my new favorites.  I’ve also learned it’s a national chain, so even if you are on to me and I have to up and leave (ha, doubt it!) I can get a slice of deliciousness anywhere I want.

And what is the name of this amazing place, you ask?  I’m not telling!  But I will give you a few clues.  And even the well-known logo.  But to keep you tied up for a little bit longer, I’m sending you the logo in pieces, just like they serve the food here.  In the meantime, here are some facts about this place.

1.   The first location was opened in Wichita in 1958.

2.   Two brothers opened the first restaurant.

3.   The restaurant features dine-in, carry-out and even delivery options.

4.  In  2012, the company had more than 6,000 restaurants in the United States, and had more than 5,139 store locations in 94 other countries and territories around the world

Well that should keep you guessing for a little while.  I’m going back for seconds while you’re tied up trying to figure out this little puzzle.  Hmm, and perhaps a breadstick or two.  I hear this is one of Noah’s favorites from the state project, so I’ll be thinking especially of him while I’m munching later.

HA HA HA

Nita

Again, sorry no pictures, but what they found was a sliced up Pizza Hut logo.  Noah was stoked - he's really hoping for some pizza this week.  If you were around for the state project you know that his favorite recipe was the copy cat Pizza Hut pizza I made during the week for this state.  (Nope, not going to give it away if you're still guessing)  I was feeling pretty crummy myself last night and it was an early night for all around here, hence no post yesterday.  But we were back at 'em again today...

This morning, bright and early...

My high flying silly little Detectives,

Have you ever been in an airplane?  Did you ever want to learn to fly an airplane? I have my own and fly it expertly by the way – keeps me one step ahead of you both always!  And it was my own love of flying that led me to take a little side trip today (you’re way behind like usual, might as well enjoy my time here in the Sunflower State) to the city of Atchison, the birthplace of the great Amelia Earhart.

In case you didn’t know it, Amelia was an American aviation (that means flying, you two) pioneer.  She was the first female aviator (a fancy word for pilot) to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.  In 1937, she attempted to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe, which is a way of saying that she wanted to fly all the way around the world.  (I’m sending you a map of the plan for her trip, isn’t that nice of me?  I stole a copy of it just for you both!)  During the trip, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, Amelia and her plane disappeared.  No one knows exactly what happened and the wreckage of her plane has never been found.

I had a great day learning all about Amelia at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace in Atchison.  Amelia was a well celebrated female icon during her lifetime and remains best known for her shyly charismatic appeal, independence, persistence, coolness under pressure, courage and goal-oriented career.  I think she’s a great female role model – do you hear that Detective Bean?

Speaking of goals, I’m supposed to be off stealing a state, better get back to it.  And to keep the two of you tied up for a little bit longer, along with the map I’m sending you a coloring page of Amelia that I picked up.  And, I found this nifty new way to make a plane – out of straws.  I’ve sent you an email with the instructions.  Figure it’ll keep you busy while I’m off working on my master plan.  Fly high, detectives!

HA HA HA

Nita

This is a map of Amelia's circumnavigational flight path

And the Bean's colored Amelia

The Bean and I spent the morning visiting at the Aben's and then came home so I could go into work this afternoon because we had other plans for later this afternoon.  Since Grant is on pick-up duty from the bus stop (some days) he is home by 4:30.  We decided to take advantage of that this afternoon and head straight out and do some Easter outfit shopping with the kiddos.  So with dinner in the crock pot (tortellini that the Bean made all by herself, no lie) we headed out to shop.  Successfully!  Both kiddos now have outfits for Sunday.

Dinner was waiting when we got home and they sped through it, giving us enough time to check that email Nita had mentioned in her clue.  We logged into their email and found:

Have fun my silly little Detectives....

HA HA HA

Nita

http://allfortheboys.com/home/2014/6/26/straw-plane-variations.html

I've got to say, this worked WAY better than I would have thought.  Noah chose squares and Kayla wanted triangles.  I think the triangles worked better but they were both fun.

Hard to get good action shots, but they had fun.  Noah picked up on "Sunflower State" in the clue and says he thinks Kansas.  We'll see!

I'd tell you what we were up to tomorrow but I'm seriously afraid it might bring on the apocolypse or something.  I'm REALLY hoping that this last day of March marks the last day of the general upheaval around here.  It has NOT been a good 6 weeks or so at the Gatchel's.  So check back tomorrow, if the world doesn't end, I'll be here ;-) So until then...

Come on, I wanna Lei Ya!

Sorry to have missed a post yesterday.  As seems to be the new norm around here, things did not go according to plan.  I may as well give up on plans.  They continue to blow up in my face.  This time - Mikayla started being sick at 5am Wednesday morning.  Repeatedly. Inconsolably.  *sigh*

And you may remember from Tuesday that I was *supposed* to be at the Book Fair helping out on Wednesday morning while both kiddos were off at school.  Well sick Kayla means no school.  Grant (bless him) offered to work from home for a few hours so I could still get out for a little bit.  So I did manage to go for a few hours to help out (including when NJ came through!) and was delighted.  One of the Co-VP's of the PTA, Lisa, has been behind both the Book Fair's this year and has done a phenomenal job.  It is a TON of work - I was overwhelmed just being there for three hours! It's so cool we have such dedicated parents :)

Anyway, I did get to go for awhile and then came home to one very sick Kayla.  She was still getting sick all day yesterday whenever we gave her anything and kept putting herself to bed.  As well as spiking a fever mid-afternoon.

So Noah took on a clue from Nita on his own:

Dear My Overly Caffinated Little Detectives,

Wake up and smell the coffee!  I know I have been this week.  That because it just so happens that I am in the only state that grows coffee plants commercially.  Coffee can be harvested year-round in this state, but highest production begins in late summer and extends to early spring.  There are over 800 coffee farms that take up approximately 7,800 acre in this one state alone! 

There is one very special and most favored type of coffee that comes from this state.  It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world!  And while many coffees may go by this name, only coffee grown in the District of the same name can truly be called this kind.  And what kind may that be?  Well my buzzing little sleuths, you’re going to have to work for it.  I’ve enclosed some letters – unscramble them correctly to spell the name of a coffee you can only get in the state I’m in.

In the meantime, I’m off to sip some java!  Tata Detectives!

HA HA HA

Nita

He figured out "Kona" pretty quickly.

Yesterday evening he had a Den meeting so they were off for that while I hung with a still sick Mikayla.

This morning found me busy in the kitchen... 

Tomorrow's breakfast (if they're good I'll share the new recipe)

And tonight's dessert.  I made a bunch of other stuff too, but it didn't seem picture worthy...

When Noah got home, the kiddos noticed the flag was up: 

and found the mailbox loaded with stuff!

Surf’s Up, My Silly Little Detectives,

I’ve been hanging with the locals this week and learning all about the birthplace of modern surfing.  I’ve even tried my hand at “hanging ten.”  It’s so nice to have some downtime here since you’re both chasing your tails like usual when it comes to nabbing me!

One thing I’ve noticed is that no surfboard looks exactly like any other.  They all have their own unique color pattern and design to them.

In order to keep you distracted a little bit longer, I thought you might like to design your very own surfboard.  They may be a little too small for the two of you, but I’m thinking you have a toy or two that might like to ‘hang ten’ during your next bath.  All the materials you need are here.  Stay busy, it’ll give me more time to catch some waves.

HA HA HA

Nita 

They set off making their surfboards.  Got to say, these came out pretty cute.

And, in case inquiring minds want to know, they worked great in the tub, too.  

A few minutes later Noah came in and told me someone had forgotten to put down the flag.  I showed him the picture I had taken him earlier of him doing just that and suggested that perhaps another clue had been left and he and Kayla should check it out again.

This time they got the following:

My Silly Little Detectives,

Wish you were here!  No, not really.  That means you might catch me.  HA!  Who am I kidding, you have no idea, like usual, where I happen to hiding out this week.  Or any week for that matter.  I’ve already led you through eleven states so far and you’re no closer to catching me now than you were then.

But I’m off the subject, and honestly, messing up my relaxed attitude this week.  I was put at ease as soon as I stepped off my private jet here and was immediately given a gift!  I’ve since learned that this series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn is presented upon arriving or leaving as a symbol of affection.  

There are many customs and protocols associated with the giving, receiving, wearing, storing, and disposing of the gifts.  I’ve decided to break a few traditions though (isn’t that just like me!) and actually re-gift mine – to each of you!

Nope, not telling you what they are.  Or where they’re from.  Or anything else about them. That’s for you to figure out.  You are detectives, right?  So do your thing!

HA HA HA

Nita

And yes, they got real shell leis straight from Hawaii!  What the "silly little detectives" don't know is that my wonderfully amazing friend, Corinne (the creator of Flat Noah and Flat Mikayla from last year's project and countless other amazing ideas!!!!) just a few weeks ago made it to her 50th state - Hawaii!  And while there she picked up a few treasures for our project.  (I told you she's amazing!)

The kids loved the leis, and as soon as they put in an official guess of Hawaii (though Noah seems to think she's in Washington...) I will clue them in that their leis are authentic.  So Corinne, consider this a thank you from me as Thing 1 and Thing 2 are busy thanking Nita.  It's so neat to have people helping us out with this!

We thought we were in the clear with the Bean, but she refused to eat much at dinner and is currently 

in a little ball crying that her tummy hurts again.  So I'm going to go out on a limb and say probably no school tomorrow, either.  Have I mentioned that I give up on making plans?  Including my children actually attending school anymore apparently.  So I can't you what's on tap for tomorrow - 'cause I can't think that far ahead :-p  This is so ridiculously out of character for me.  If all this foot think is a message from God to "slow down", I'd like Him to know that I've got the message, heard it loud and clear, and I'm good now.  I'll tone it down a bit if everything can go at least a little bit back to normal.  Maybe?  So I'll be back (maybe - no plans, remember?) tomorrow, and until then...

Pineapples and Pierogi

Is it Tuesday?  I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Tuesday.  Between being stuck at home, Noah missing so much school, them being gone over the weekend and then a delayed start this morning I'm beyond confused.  But I think it's Tuesday.  I know it's pineapple and pierogi day, though!

Since there was a delayed start this morning, we had a little extra time for Nita.  So when the kiddos noticed the flag was up we got on it.

Here's what she had to say:

Dear Detectives,

As you know, Nita loves to try local foods when she is busy trying to steal a state.  From communication we have picked up this week between her and BAD henchman, it seems like she is basking in the cuisine of her local hideout.

It appears she’s been eating a lot of one food specifically, but we don’t want to put it in writing here that we’re on to her, so here is some information that we have picked up on it so far – maybe you can figure it out.

·       Once picked, the food does not get any riper, it becomes juicier, but not sweeter once harvested.

·       European explorers discovered the food about 500 years ago.

·       The food was given its name because an explorer thought it looked like a pine cone.

·       They are a good source of Vitamin C and Fiber

·       It has a rough skin that has pieces that look almost like scales.

·       The flesh of the food is pale yellow to golden yellow and has a tough core in the middle that cannot be eaten.

·       The food (which is a fruit) is known for having a sweet and tart flavor. 

Hopefully you will be able to figure it out!  Once you do, solve the riddle below.  The location that is the answer to the riddle starts with the same letter as the food we’ve described above.  There is something waiting for you in that location.  Good luck, Detectives!

MOMG Intelligence

Riddle: If you need something on Mom’s computer to be on paper, send it here!

They weren't quite so quick to pick up on the fact that the clues were about a pineapple, but they did figure out the answer to the riddle pretty quickly...

Once there they got this:

Good work, Detectives!  That earns a sweet treat using pineapple!  Ask the Chief for assistance, we’ve provided her with the needed ingredients for you to make the enclosed recipe to enjoy.

MOMG Intelligence

Dole Whip Popsicles

Ingredients

·        1 20 oz can crushed pineapple

·        1 8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed

·        juice from 1 lime

·        2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

1.     Blend together crushed pineapple, Cool Whip, lime juice and sugar.

2.     Pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze.

And with the delayed start we had just enough time to 'whip' them up.

Into the freezer they went!  We were going to try them out tonight, but something way more important came up (more on that later)

The kiddos were off doing their own thing so I set in on my own project for the day - pierogi making!  My dad has requested some for Easter and I have also told some others that I would hook them up with my Polish masterpiece.  Amber and the adorable Mr. A and newbie Mr. E joined the Bean and I for the morning, and it was lovely to catch up and hang out.  Pierogi are not difficult, just time consuming!

So LJ, these are all for you!

This afternoon, Grant grabbed Noah from the bus and then picked up Kayla and I so I could make an actual trip to the grocery store.  I trust Grant, but there's some things that a girl has just got to do on her own.  Grocery shopping it definitely one of them.  I haven't really been menu planning because the fun things I like to make take lots of different items that I don't necessarily keep on hand all the time I don't want to keep asking Grant to grab random things from the store.  So for the next few weeks, I think we're going to be doing up some classics.  Or as my family calls it "real food"  I'm working on cleaning odds and ends out of the cupboard (I may actually resort to using that box of Hamburger Helper that's been in the cupboard forever :-p) and making do.  It makes me laugh because they're loving it.  Me, I'm missing 'playing' in the kitchen so the pierogi were a good distraction today.

Anyway, I got to go to the grocery store.  Then I got another night off cooking since we were invited over to the Aben's for homemade pizza and breadsticks to celebrate R's 5th birthday!  (And bumpy cake!!!) It was a fun evening and we were so glad to celebrate.  I heard Colleen call them "The Three Musketeers" tonight and it made me smile.  She also told me the other day that R and the Bean are acting more like siblings than ever - one hit the other so the other bit back.  Oh to be five again...

Woo hoo for 5!

I'm going to get to escape the house again for awhile tomorrow to help out at the Book Fair at Beechview.  Apparently I've been relegated to cash register duty, but I'm still glad to be able to go and help!  And NJ has a Den Meeting tomorrow night, so maybe something fun for the Bean and I while they're gone.  So until then...

A Rockford Weekend

Did you think we'd disappeared again?  Nah, we're still here and kickin'!  But it's been a strange couple of days again (I think strange may be becoming the norm at Casa de Gatchel) so, to catch you up....

Friday found a sick Noah at home again...

Making lady bugs!

And playing Lego with the Mama (this was a reminder for me that I was NOT meant to be an engineer...)

We also had a quick visit from my parents in the morning who were on their way to see Neil Diamond at the Palace.  All was well and good until about 3pm when Noah started screaming and crying uncontrollably about his ear hurting.  I have not felt so "mom-helpless" in a long time.  I knew I had to get him in to see the doc ASAP, but it wasn't like I could get him there.  And what little comfort I could offer him in the meantime wasn't doing much good.  I was able to get Grant home from work within an hour or so and Noah over to the doctor, who confirmed he had one nasty ear infection.  The doctor told Grant that whatever bug Noah had been fighting since Wednesday had probably taken up residence in his ear.  Poor kiddo.   They put him on anti-biotics and told Grant that as long as he felt up to it that he was still able to go to Rockford for the weekend.

So Friday night found Grant and I wrestling with the call on what to do.  It was really important for Grant to make it to Rockford to celebrate Minna's 92nd birthday, and normally I would have told him to go and the kiddos would just stay with me (who wasn't making the trip already due to the very long car ride) but I knew if we ran into another situation that I would be stuck since I couldn't drive.  We decided to wait and see what things looked like in the morning.  Unfortunately Noah was up coughing (a lot) almost all night and the Bean was up with leg cramps repeatedly.  The whole set of us were exhausted.

So back to debating.  I suggested that maybe they could hang for most of the day, take some good naps in the early afternoon if everyone seemed to be improving, and then head out.  This seemed OK, and Grant kindly took me up to Amber's for the morning so I could hang out, watch The Lego Movie, catch up and snuggle the adorable Mr. E!  I was overjoyed to get to see Amber for a few hours :)

The gang headed out around 4 (thought I wasn't entirely convinced and I don't think that Grant was either) that it was the best idea...  They made it safely to Rockford and Bella and I hung out here.

Where I did things like get my schedule ready!  Only 2 weeks until Opening Day!!!!!

I had a pretty good time while they were gone, the highlights of which included FINALLY GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE!!!!  Sunday afternoon I escaped with Colleen for awhile (Freedom!) and then I went on a mission with Tess Monday morning.  This is where I digress for a few minutes and say how eternally thankful I am for the three gals I have mentioned herein.  Lots of people have been supportive, offered encouragement, prayers, checked in, helped out, which I appreciate immensely.  Not going to lie, this foot thing has been rough of me.  I don't do "slow down" and I definitely don't do "stop."  And I am not good at asking for or accepting help when it is offered.  So just gotta say thanks to everyone, but particularly those three, who put up with me and don't give up on me.  Mad <3.  (Oh, and no, not forgetting Grant at all.  He has been a rock, my rock, through this.  I'm at a loss for words with how important he has been over the last couple of weeks.)

Anyway, I had a pretty good 48 hours here and it seems that the trip to Rockford went really well, too.  I know it meant a lot to Grant to be able to go.  And the kids loved seeing Minna, Grandpa Gary and Uncle Keith.  And the snow!  Apparently Rockford had about four inches of snow this morning when they got up.  So it was a bit of a crazy ride back.  They made it home in time to drop Noah off at religious ed class tonight, grab some dinner and catch me up for a few before I had to head out the door to this month's PTA meeting.

While I was gone, they checked the mail box.  The flag had been up on Saturday but they weren't able to get to it before heading out.  They found the following:

Dear Detectives,

I missed you a last week!  I’m not sure where Nita was off to, my Intelligence Team completely lost track of her!  Perhaps she was off plotting her eventual escape route.  Something to keep in mind.  But this week, she’s back!  In the land of peanuts, presidents and spies apparently!

I received your email on Friday saying that you felt that Miss Direction was in Virginia.  Noah, I was most impressed when I hear that you were able to exclude so many states with the Jamestown clue as the states did not border the ocean.  Also, great cooking both of you!  I hear that peanut butter lasagna was awesome!

Per your request, I sent the SWAT team off to Virginia.  They hunted high and low, through the Pentagon, Langley and Arlington, but no Nita!  They did spend some time at the remains of the Jamestown settlement where they found a puzzle piece which I’m giving it to you for safe keeping.  We know that this means Nita was here but is, as usual, just one step ahead of us.  So we may have missed her, but with all the information we gathered we were able to alert Virginia authorities and the borders are safe!

I am passing along some further information from MOMG Intelligence.  They first ask that you remove Virginia 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.

Close one more time, Detectives, but not quiet there.  We’ll catch her, I promise!  Until then, keep up the good work.

The Chief

So it looks like we missed her once again.  That Miss Direction, I tell you...  Who knows where she'll turn up next.

Tomorrow morning is a delayed start, which is good because I think after such a crazy weekend the kiddos could use a little extra sleep!  Then the Bean and I will be hanging here for the day.  I think some pierogi making may be in order, and perhaps some bagels.  We'll see what we end up tackling.  So until then...

Finding My Happy Place

Apparently I just needed a kick in the butt (like the thought of a second day at home with both of them needing a lot of attention and supervision) for me to find my happy place and get back into my 'groove'.  So with a still not school ready Noah at home, we've had quite the adventure around here today.  Probably a little more than I should have given my current pain and fatigue level but, meh!  It was fun!

After breakfast we got started on a couple of experiments.  I had frozen some small ice blocks overnight, which we sprinkled with salt.  I then gave them some colored water and pipettes and...

We had a blast seeing the rivulets made in the ice by the salt (check it out here for the instructions)

Then we put those "rainbow seeds" to use by creating a rainbow in a jar!  We talked about sugar, density and what happens when you add less dense items to a base

We got our skittles mixed in and the water had to cool (the temperature of the water effects the density) and took a beak for Nita

Dear Detectives,

Since its founding, 44 men have served as President of the United States.  We are hearing rumors that quite a few of them came from the state we believe Nita to currently camped out in.  In fact, we believe that is tied for first as to the total number.  Further, though “Old Dominion” is the official nickname of the state, it is sometimes called “Mother of Presidents” as well.

Nita seems to be tracking us very closely right now, so we do not want to say too much.  Instead, we are enclosing a word search with what we believe to be the names of those Presidents.  Further, there are instructions on the puzzle on how to use it to uncover a further clue.

Good luck, Detectives!

MOMG Intelligence

They're still thinking Virginia but are waiting for one more clue.

Then it was back to the skittles.  This was so neat!

And it actually worked!

Then we set out to do some art projects for Great Grandma Minna's birthday

Mikayla did these

And Noah made this dragonfly

We took a lunch break and then decided to try our hand at.... 

Marshmallow Dough!

They both loved this.  I would definitely make this again.  It does stiffen up eventually but it's almost more like a putty than a dough.  I would also recommend lessening the amount of oil if you try it on your own...

Like I said, a good time had by all

They also took a few minutes for us to fill out their NCAA brackets.  Noah has Dayton and Kentucky in the finals (with Kentucky winning) and in true Mikayla fashion, she picked Butler only because it made her giggle hysterically to say Butler....

Later this afternoon we tried making Homemade Facepaint

Wouldn't recommend this one....  Found that the food coloring stained their faces and took quite a bit of scrubbing to get off.  Which now has Mikayla's face broken out a bit.  But, live and learn!

Just before Grant came home I gave them a bag of mini marshmallows and told them to go to town....

I did equip Grant when he got home

Shortly after this, though he'd been fine all day, Noah started complaining of an upset stomach and got sick.  He's still running over a 100 degree fever so no school yet again tomorrow.  So no school.  Again.  *sigh*  It's frustrating because he's fine otherwise, and then all of a sudden.  Same thing happened about when Grant got home yesterday.  We're waiting to decide about them going to Rockford until tomorrow night now...

We did sample Nita's creation - YUM!  Wherever those peanuts are from, they're mighty tasty.

So looks like I'm home with the big one in the morning while the little one is at school.  We'll see what we come up with...  So until then :)