Too good not to share

Tonight #2 prayed, "That the salami won't get the people in Japan."



I love that toothless boy.

It was "crazy day" at school

My newest vice

Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. I thought I was biting into a peanut M&M, because that's what it looks like. But instead of waxy chocolate and a nut, my taste buds were most pleasantly surprised by smooth, creamy, Reese's peanut buttery goodness. I ate another. And another.

I love you Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Even though you are going to make me fat. (Fatter).

You may have overtaken Peeps as my number one favorite Easter treat.

In no particular order, the details of my life

Joe and Spot have gone onto greener pastures. Or maybe it's bluer waters? #1 took it hard. She was especially disgusted by the funeral arrangements I insisted on. I should have been more sensitive about the deep attachment #1 must have made with those fish in the 6 long days they were with us. They were practically family!



I accidentally killed about twenty of my precious tomatoes. Now this is a real reason to mourn! I was trying to turn a branch back so it would grow under the wire cone and SNAP! In shock I looked down at the severed branch and started counting all the tomatoes....19. All 19 cherry tomato lives flashed before my eyes. I could taste their sweetness and feel the fresh burst of juice as I bit into them. Their whole future, gone in a careless instant! Curses.



On the way to the bus stop this morning #3 asked Jimmy to hold her hand. He looked back at me and I nodded so he sweetly took her hand and they walked the rest of the way to the bus stop hand in hand. She didn't stop talking to him even as he waved to his own daughter getting on the bus. He laughed at all the right spots and encouraged her by asking her more questions. On our way back home, after an exaggerated farewell to Jimmy, #3 gave a big sigh and said contentedly, "Jimmy keeps getting gooder and gooder."




On the way home from baseball practice yesterday #2 pronounced, "Girls don't go to college. College is only for boys."

"Well, that's not true #2," I answered. "Lots of girls go to college. There's a girl in this car who went to college. That's right, it's me. And your Grandma J went to college and your Nana went to college. Dr. Stevenson who you saw today went to college. We are all girls and we all went to college."

It was too much for #1. She had to get in on this. In her best, I-know-more-than-you-do voice she explained to #2, "You have to go to college to get a job."

My turn, "Well, not exactly. There are lots of jobs you can do without going to college. But most jobs you would be interested doing require you to go to at least some college. For some jobs you have to go to lots and lots of college. Can you guess which jobs require the most college?"

#1 rolled her eyes like I had asked the dumbest question in the world. And just to show how smart she is she clicked these answers out in her best expert voice:

a teacher
a pilot
a lifeguard


So glad she's got it all figured out.

All the Little Live Things - my desert garden update

Do you remember my fall garden? How much basil it produced? Well, I'm at it again. My second attempt to coax life out of our acidic desert soil. I planted more basil and green onions and I'm trying cucumbers and tomatoes for the first time.

Here are the beginnings of my very first tomatoes!! Aren't they beautiful? They'll be even more beautiful when they're big and red and chopped up into salsa. Or tomato sauce. Or sliced onto my pizza.... I can't wait!


I'm also growing this girl. She is almost as excited for our "potatoes" as I am! She has been my little garden pal. Helping me water and always begging to plant more seeds. Today I acquiesced and let her dump a packet of zinnnias around the corner of our plot. (I hear they do well here?)


Another thing growing is this lovely girl:

A few days ago she made reference to the bible story of the "minnows mite" and how even though she only had a little to give it was more than the rich priests.

Then on Friday night she won a goldfish at the school carnival. She was so excited I didn't have the heart to burst her bubble, because there was no way we were bringing that fish home. We are a pet free home! I whispered as much to Spouse. "We've got to get rid of this thing before we leave tonight."

I left the family to retrieve the jeep which I had had to park a few blocks away. When I pulled up to the pick up curb you can imagine my horror at finding #1 carrying not one goldfish bag, but TWO goldfish bags.

As she climbed into the jeep she chattered excitedly about the nice lady who told Daddy to take her son's fish because there was no way she was bringing home.

And that is how our family acquired our first pet(s). {Unless you count the cricket we captured and held hostage for a week before it almost died and I let it go while the kids were at school because I felt bad for it.}

Meet Joe and Spot.

Fish food is horrible. It smells like dead bodies.




Here is something else growing at our house.


The above picture was taken Friday. The below picture was taken this afternoon. Can you spot the difference?


Yup. He is changing too fast.