I made the usual big bang-up breakfast this morning, of course. Then he got a picture frame I'd made at a pottery place with a photo of all 3 kids. Around the frame it says "The answer to the question of Life, the Universe and Everything" -- a quote from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the answer is 42.
It has two blue and one pink star on it, but those didn't come out so well.
The accompanying card I'd hastily decorated, but had gotten the boys to write in also. On the back was the first clue to a treasure hunt, with 5 dorky rhymes on slips of paper made distinct with gold stars, sending him around the house.
Gabriel found this one:
Concentrate now, you've gone asunder
Think black and whites with melodic traits
This time the clue is under
Something not quite eighty-eights
Ultimately the treasure hunt led into the office, where a plugged-in and installed new printer was waiting under some wrapping paper. It was no mean feat smuggling that in and setting it up without his noticing, but like most married guys, Dave often can't find things right in front of him anyway!
Then after dinner, cake time. I'd worked on this for a few days, conspiring with Stacey and Betsy on how to make and decorate a chocolate buttercream cake. Betsy loaned me a stand mixer, a fabulous piece of kitchen equipment, if you have use for it. I'm a real amateur at cake decorating, but it's so much fun and so personal that I think I can kiss Duncan Hines goodbye.
I'd told the boys about trick candles that re-light when blown out, and they thought that was hilarious. They didn't work so well; Dave was able to blow them out pretty easily, but the boys still thought the the idea was funny.
Katrina...well, I won't mar the memory of a nice day with her biggest moment, mostly spent on the floor at a highly elevated decibel level. The rest of the day she was adorable, but I had to grit my teeth hearing the mantra Enjoy it now, they grow so fast in my head during the longest 55 minutes of the day. Good thing they're so cute.
Amidst remodeling, work, homework, not living at home (which is really starting to wear on us), distractions like cake-baking are very welcome! Wait, I think I have that backward: life is really about cake-baking and costume-sewing and scrapbooking and pronouncing words for new readers (Julian the book hound), soccer chauffering, and of course, birthdays -- work is the distraction from the important things.
10/19/08
1 comment:
Hey! It turned out great! It's hard to believe this is the cake (and the frosting) you were struggling with the night before.
And, yeah, I think I agree with your sentiment about life and work. It's nice if life *isn't* what happens while you're making other plans!
S.
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