Get a piece of the rock

Last night, Angel #2 decided to make peanut butter fudge. She's got the same fudge making skills as her mother because her turned out just like mine always did. Once she got it pried out of the pan, she started chipping away at it with a knife. We're using the crumbs as ice cream topping. I tried whapping it on the side of the counter to break it up, but it didn't even make a dent. The few times I've made fudge, it's always turned out hard and nasty too. Guess candy making isn't our forte'. I had a friend who loved making candy. She's make things like peanut brittle and chocolate covered cherries and they were just awesome. I suppose some people just have the candy-making gene and others don't.

WE loses his shoes all the time. Saturday he lost his flip-flops when he was trying to stay away from the guy beating up the druggie on the beach when they were camping (long, weird story). Sunday when we went to church, he couldn't find his tennis shoes and his flip-flops were still at the beach (maybe the druggie is wearing them) so he stole Angel #2's flip-flops and wore those. Now, he's done this before and never puts the other person's stolen shoes back where he found them. Since it's usually #2's shoes he steals because she's very scrupulous about always putting them in the same place so she can find them (as can someone who wants to swipe an easily accessible pair of shoes in a hurry, #2 gets pretty mad about it. Last time he did it, we told him he'd be kicked off the computer for a week if it happened again - so that's what happened Sunday. We told him the only way his sentence could be lightened up is if #2 did the lightening. Yesterday, he asked his sister what he could do to get his computer time back. They all have to work a half hour in the yard before they can turn on a computer and he'd just finished his 30 minutes. #2 asked how much time she had left and it was about 15 minutes - and she looked pointedly at WE, then at the rake, then at WE again. But then she changed her mind, deciding that yard work is good exercise and she needs the exercise. So, WE's punishment was to WATCH #2 do her yard work. He sat there on a rock wall, watching his sister pull at weeds and renegade vines. When her time was up, they both bounced off into the house, him to play WoW and her to make rock-hard fudge. It didn't seem like much of a punishment to me, but it worked for both of them and I guess that's all that really matters. But I think if he steals her shoes again, she won't let him off so lightly.

there's no accounting for taste

We've got a friend who lives a couple miles away. His wife works nights and has a condo comped from work, which is over an hours drive away, so she doesn't come home every day, so he gets relatively lonely by himself at home. Once a week he comes over to our house in the evening and joins in our family Bible study and often joins us for supper. Things were in its usual chaos around here, supper was being made, a tree house was getting built and WE decided he wanted to make a pumpkin pie, which involved preparing an actual pumpkin someone had brought over, and roasting the seeds for munching. There was also a chess game going on along with the usual arguing and horseplay. Then, our friend said he came from a family of 10 kids and he enjoys coming over here for the familyness. I can't help thinking that after a couple hours of familyness, he enjoys returning to his nice quiet house.

Yesterday, Angel #4 has a band concert. Every year they hold family fun day at the high school. Different agencies and schools put up demonstration booths for things like composting and nutrition, there are bouncy houses for the kids and free cotton candy, sno cones and chili for everyone. Also during the day is constant entertainment from school groups. The high school band played, the intermediate school Polynesian dance team did a couple dances and #4's elementary school band played. They've added a new song to their playlist since I saw them last and they now can do Old McDonald. They were also giving away some awesome door prizes, but I didn't win any of those. Last year there were about a gazillion people there and I really didn't want to go again this year. Others must have felt the same way since there was only about half a gazillion there this time, which made it much nicer.

#4 also had a friend over Friday night, Angel #2 had 2 friends overnight and WE and hubby went camping. So, Angel #1 was home with six females, 2 of which were cute 15 year olds, though he didn't really seem to notice or care. Fortunately for my nerves, he's still more interested in computer games than girls. But it was #4's friend's mother who I fell in love with. She said: you've got a 16 year old? You must have been awful young when you started having kids. I almost gave her a hug right on the spot. Of course, #4 was quick to chime in that I was actually really old and just turned 41 last week. Kids, don't you love 'em?

Slacky McSlacker

Boy, haven't posted since I went zombie hunting on Tuesday. I'd like to say it was because my life was so exciting I just didn't have time to write, but then I'd be a liar as well as a slacker.

Angel #4 has a friend over, WE went camping with hubby, #1 is drooling in front of the computer and #2 is wandering town with her friends, and it's pretty quiet around here. When I pick up #2 though, I'm also bringing 2 of her friends here too, so things won't be quiet for long, I'm afraid. Both the friends are vegetarians who like to sleep in in the morning, which is massively different from her other friend who's up at 6:30 (on a Saturday morning!) and frying slabs of Spam for breakfast. Though I like all her friends, the smell of Spam in the morning isn't something I like to wake up to.

I won't be calling him to go zombie hunting

This morning I was telling hubby about a dream I had last night. I was being chased by zombies and, like all dumb women in horror movies, I thought hiding out in a cabin in the woods by myself was a good idea. So, there I was in my cabin, killing zombies like a regular Buffy. I told hubby that the odd thing was that all I had to do to kill the zombies was to stab them anywhere with a knife and they'd go down instead of having to shoot them in the head. The hubster gave me a blank look and I said, you know, the real way to kill zombies is that you have to shoot them in the head. Then he revealed to me that he didn't know that you had to head-shot a zombie to kill it and I was amazed at his ignorance. Latter I was telling my brother about hubby's cluelessness regarding the disposal of zombies and my brother - my own brother who is closer to me personality-wise than anyone else in the world - told me he didn't know you killed zombies via the head. I thought that was common knowledge. Doesn't everyone know you have to shoot or otherwise debrain a zombie in order to kill it? Personally, I'm appalled at my family's ignorance regarding self defense against zombies. If we're ever invaded by hungry zombies, they'll be lucky to have me around, I can tell ya that much.

Talk about my brother. My family practically never calls me. The last time my dad called, my first thought was that somebody must have died...I was right. This morning, my brother called me to wish me a belated happy birthday. I was surprised to hear from him, but it was nice to sit and chat with him for a bit. Within an hour after I hung up with him, one of my sisters called me. Two family phone calls in one hours time - it's a new family record! BTW, she called to tell me that she was mailing my birthday card today. It looks like the guilt induced by forgetting your sister's birthday prompts people to pick up the phone and call. My sister, Kim, is the only person who managed to get me a birthday card by my birthday this year. So, if you see Kim, give her a big atta girl! (for you late ones, I'll be expecting lots of chocolate compensation :P )

aerodrone

After this crass promotional message by Angel #2, we will come back to our regularly scheduled blog post.
angel #2 has an awesome playlist! go to myspace.com/imurpeep to hear coolness that will blow your eardrums!!! be my friend =]

Isn't it pathetic that she has to go online and beg for friends?

you're one to talk!

btw I'm jacking her computer! the entire USA must send me a dollar (that would be per person) or I will wipe out your favorites! bwahaha! anyway...

Angel #2 had a can of Mountain Dew when she got home from school. Her caffeine tolerance is pretty much nil and she's been bouncing off the walls and basically driving us all nuts. Now she can drive you nuts too.

Happy Birthday to me!

My birthday this year is on a day also commonly associated with candy - mainly chocolate. Coincidence? I don't think so. Neither did my family, since my birthday presents consisted of 2 Hershey bars (one plain, one king-sized w/almonds) 2 bags of Doves chocolates and 4 king sized bars of Cadbury chocolate. I think I'll be set with chocolate for a long time. Angel #2 (the one who gave me a tube of wrinkle cream last year for my birthday) also got me a book from the library book sale we went to yesterday titled Fit After Fifty. She thinks she's soooo funny.

In honor of my birthday, in true daydreamer family tradition, we did something new and exciting. If you call mucking mud water out of a big rock wall swimming pool thing new and exciting, that is. There's this big circle-ly thing in our backyard, that kind of looks like a silo (you can see it to the right on the picture below. Well, it was full of weeds and muck, a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and noisy frogs. We had most of it drained, but it still had water about mid-calf in it that we couldn't drain or siphon. So today, hubby decided that the whole family was going to work together to get it cleaned out. We did it, but not without getting covered in muck in the process. You can't really tell by the picture, but the round rock wall is about 10 feet high, so a lot of the draining was filling 5 gallon buckets with sludge, pulling them up with a rope and dumping it over the side. Not particularly a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Angel #4 tripped and ended up covered in crud. When we finally finished, the boys, Angel #4 and hubby decided to clean themselves off by jumping off the roof of the house into the huge water catchment tank we use as a swimming pool. Angel #2 and I took a more traditional route and just showered off in the bathroom like normal people. Eventually, the whole area will get cleaned out and become my garden. This picture was taken about 2 weeks ago and the area looks incredibly different already.


Afterwards, I got a real hankering for KFC, and I was pleased to find out that they were open tonight, despite its being Easter Sunday. I sent Angel #1 out to get me a bucket of original recipe for our supper tonight. I figured KFC was the least my family could do for me since they made me muck out a round stone thingy on my birthday.

Experiments

WE had invented a time machine. It consists of standing in a cardboard box filled with empty tin cans, placed next to a running microwave. He said it was hard to explain, but it had something to do with radiation going through the metal of the cans and speeding up time. It's still in its experimental stages though. He's lost interest in it at the moment though and is arguing with his brother about whether or not it's easy to build a nuclear bomb.