Sunday Shenanigans

 Some members of our family find Sunday to be an interesting challenge.  What do you do on a day when God asks you to take a break from working, roughhousing, and a lot of other ways you usually spend your time?

You could juggle squishmallows . . .

. . . learn something new (Joy honed her towel wrapping skills today) . . .

. . . or work on a puzzle with your sibs.

Anna found these three pieces stuck together in the box.  Maybe it's a 3D puzzle. :)

Our Furry Guest

In our church, all adults and teenagers (over age 13) are asked to be ministers to other church members.  Women are matched up with a couple other women in our congregation, and encouraged to keep in touch with them, strengthen their faith, and help them out when they need it.  I see ministering as an invitation to deepen an existing friendship, or make a new one.

Joy and I are assigned to minister together, and when we asked our friend Jennie how we could help her out, she said she'd love it if we took her energetic dog Ivy home for a play date.

Our family has toyed with the idea of getting a dog recently, so the kids were excited to have Ivy come visit.  We played with her . . .

. . . then took her for a walk . . .

. . . and a run!

Daddy even came home from work for a little while to meet our furry guest.

By the time we took Ivy home, she was tired out and ready to chill for the rest of the day, which is exactly what her owner wanted.  Ministering managed!

A Winter Scoot

Even though . . .

. . . it still looks like winter around here. . .

. . . the temperature got all the way up into the forties today, so we hauled our bikes and scooters out of the shed . . .

. . . and met up with some of our neighbors for a walk-ride-scoot.  Joy went off on her own to bike the neighborhood loop, and later reported that she is really out of shape.  She's set a goal to bike several days each week to build her endurance back up.

Back at home, Anna put some finishing touches on a unicorn drawing she has made using our fantasy drawing book.

The unicorn's long torso has led some family members to speculate that she has a dachshund in her ancestral tree, but otherwise it's a great drawing, especially for someone who's never drawn a unicorn or horse before.  Nice work, Anna!

Sunday Surprises

Last Sunday's snowstorm . . .

. . . turned into this Sunday's icicles on our chapel.  For such a righteous building, it has some pretty wicked-looking icicles hanging off its roof.  And if you think that's an unusual sight . . .

. . . check out Joy's Sunday footwear.  When her stunned mother asked why she was barefoot at church on a winter day, Joy explained that as we were rushing out the door, she realized she had time to grab paper or shoes, but not both.  She felt it was more important to have paper to draw notes on.

As we waited for the meeting to start, Daniel and Anna walked up to the front to talk with the organist and check out the screen where we read hymn lyrics and watch speakers (some people prefer to give their talks safely from home instead of at the church's pulpit).  Phillip glanced over at them and suddenly exclaimed, "Spider!"  When I looked in vain for a giant, hairy arachnid big enough to be spotted from ten or twenty yards away, he clarified that the computer coding platform displayed on the screen was called Spyder.  Oh.

Speaking of computery stuff, Daniel has been asking to learn more about doing family history research online.  Since teaching and assisting with family history is Daddy's current job in our ward, he spent some time this afternoon helping Daniel set up a FamilySearch account and explore our family tree.

They were both delighted to discover that they have over a hundred ancestors from the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland.  The Isle of Man is of special interest to Phillip because it hosts a famous motorcycle race he would love to watch in person.  Now we have one more reason to go visit that island someday: I think it would be really cool to explore an area where many of our ancestors lived two or three centuries ago.

Scones and a Good Trade

We got a bit more snow this week.

 We spent yesterday afternoon and evening admiring its beauty, then we spent this morning helping Daddy clear the driveway so he could get to work.

While some of us finished outside, Joy and Anna baked up a scone mix our friend gave us.  It's always nice to find something warm and yummy waiting for us when we come in from shoveling.

It's also lovely to see our Christmas/Valentine amaryllises putting out their second round of blooms in the bay window.  They seem to say that home can be cozy and vibrant even though the winter weather outside is still cold and bleak.  Huzzah for houseplants and heaters!

In other news, Joy and Todd decided to trade their small squishmallows Spike and Pip.  Joy likes the idea that trading unused toys offers countless free possibilities when she wants to try playing with something new.  I like the fact that both squishmallows (which used to have somewhat annoying personalities) are now friendlier and more pleasant under new management.

The rest of the squishmallow herd seems happy about the change as well.

Greedy Toast

Yesterday morning, I came downstairs and found that the kids . . .

. . . had discovered a creative use for our checkerboard.  Inspired by our friend's Dungeons and Dragons grid map, they decided to plan out encounters with obstacles and adversaries positioned around the checkerboard, so they could tell how far things were from each other.

These short scenarios are a good way to practice playing without having to make up a big, involved quest.  The little encounters also make it easier for Todd to play, using a character Daniel helped him create.

This afternoon, the kids invited me to join them for this encounter, where we were trying to get something valuable back from a goblin thief.  We retrieved the item, only to be ambushed by two of his accomplices.  After we defeated them, Joy noticed something shiny in a pond infested with quippers (which are a lot like piranhas).  I told her that if she went after that treasure, she'd probably be toast--greedy toast.

Joy was sure she could get in and out of that pond without taking any damage at all, but she miscalculated something, and the quippers chomped her within an inch of her life.  Fortunately, her friends hauled her out of the pond and revived her, then persuaded her to let the fishies keep their treasure.  Her character's new nickname is GT (Greedy Toast).

Loving Our Neighbors

Happy Valentine's Day!

Anna and I made heart-shaped pillowy sugar cookies this afternoon to give to several of our neighbors.  Some people accepted the gift with a polite thank you, but others cheerfully talked with us for twenty minutes or more as we stood on their porch.  Anna and I really enjoyed connecting with our neighbors and lifting their spirits.

Meanwhile, a couple of our Christmas amaryllis bulbs are getting ready to bloom a second time.  It would have been perfect if they bloomed right on Valentine's Day, but it still warms my heart to see them valiantly putting up beautiful flower buds on a day that celebrates beauty and love for others.

Busting Bullywugs

When there are still many new COVID cases in our area every day, it's hard to know where to draw the line with social gatherings.  When are they safe, and when do we just want to think they're safe?  Everyone has a different opinion and comfort level, and while I try to be socially responsible, every now and then I probably prioritize connection and sanity over caution.

Which is a roundabout way of saying that we had a couple friends over today.  They're experienced D&D players, and we wanted to see how they would lead or play an adventure.  And they thought that would be fun.  And we all thought it would be really nice to hang out with friends after months of isolation.  So we broke out some snacks, rolled out our friends' game mat, and busted some bullywugs.

Since every player in our family is a rookie and we had to keep stopping to look things up, the adventure took much longer than we expected.  Anna started to get antsy around the second or third hour, so she got up and did some jumping jacks to burn off some energy.

And speaking of jumping, guess whose birthday jump rope arrived today!  Daniel's having a lot of fun with it . . .

. . . but he and his sibs still like using my longer rope to jump together too.

Families Break Stuff

Remember the succulent plants I was so excited about last week?  This morning, the kids were throwing a toy around the dining room, and it hit my favorite succulent . . . 

. . . sheering off the top.  You know, the pretty part.  The part that grows.  I banned them from ever, ever throwing anything in the dining room again, then I went in another room and cried.  It's painful to find joy in something during a tough time, then have the source of that joy broken.  Fortunately, the Internet says that succulent will keep on growing, creating a new little rosette where the old one snapped off.  As I gratefully read that, I reflected that if you want to live in a house with a family, you have to be resilient.  Even when a family has rules and people are trying to follow them, accidents happen, things get broken, feelings get hurt . . .

. . . Christmas trees get inadvertently knocked over* and ornaments get shattered.  It's sad when something important to me gets damaged, but it would be sadder to be alone with pristine objects that I like and no one around that I love.  I care a lot about beautiful and growing things, but I care a lot more about my family.

*Let's just say that the kids and my exercise ball got 2021 off to a memorable start.

Caution and Strategy

Daniel asked for a pocketknife for Christmas, probably because his dad often uses one to open packages or cut things when scissors aren't handy (or even when they are).  Being a typically cautious mother, I was reluctant to hand a sharp blade to my boisterous son.  I also wondered how often he would actually use it.  Phillip, on the other hand, believed that Daniel would have lots of opportunities to use it, and he felt that gift would be a good way to express our confidence in our maturing son.  

After some thoughtful discussion, we agreed to put a pocket knife in Daniel's Christmas stocking.  We also gave him instructions on how to safely use it.  In the months since Christmas, I've been surprised how often Daniel has found useful ways to employ his gift.  And I've been impressed that he has been very careful with it.  Nice work, Daniel.

In other news, the boys are enjoying playing Otrio, a game Red Grandma gave Daniel for his birthday.  It's basically tic-tac-toe with multiple ways to win that make the game more complex and interesting.  I suspect there's some sequence that could guarantee victory every time, but I don't want to know what it is.  I'm enjoying the fact that rounds which all seem to start the same way end up going in very different directions, and that a round can quickly go from anyone's game to the Otrio equivalent of checkmate.

The Game Master's Birthday

It's Daniel's birthday today . . .

. . . and his Young Men leaders from church surprised him with a treat, a balloon, and this fun card (with pictures supplied by yours truly).

We declared Daniel's birthday a district-wide school holiday (which is easy to do when your home is the entire district), and the kids spent most of the morning playing with my new jump rope.

Daniel had so much fun jumping rope that we decided to use Pink Grandma's Amazon birthday gift card to buy him a jump rope his size.

Daniel requested steak for his birthday dinner, so Daddy and Joy shoveled a path to the grill, and Daddy grilled up some savory perfection.

The warm, fuzzy finale to Daniel's birthday was that Joy let him feed Doc this evening.  Awww!

Happy birthday, Daniel!  I love your exuberance and your gift for inventing fun games to play with your sibs.  And thanks for reminding me when it's time to cook dinner.  Sometimes moms need someone to keep them on track too. :)

A Cheesy Sign

Joy was a fan of the word "cheese" long before I brought Port Salut, poacher, and "debris" home from the cheese shop last year.  She uses the word in some unconventional ways though, and one of her favorite catchphrases is "Take that, ya cheese!"  So when she recently sketched a morning prayer reminder to hang in our upstairs bathroom, I wasn't surprised . . .

. . . when it turned out like this.

Heroes

I saw this plastic toy medic bag at the grocery store, and the title on the package touched my heart.

Medical workers are always heroes to me, but especially during this pandemic.

 

Snow on Sunday

It's been lightly snowing outside most of the day, and I must say . . .

. . . there's something soothing about a gentle Sunday snowstorm.  Nowhere to go, no pressing tasks, no need to shovel just yet.  I just get to spend a quiet day with my family, and admire a picturesque winter scene every time I glance out the window.  I'm sure we'll all be out clearing the driveway early tomorrow morning, but for today, winter is a beautiful and peaceful thing.

 

Succulents and a Spiderwort

Through most of December, I kept a potted poinsetta sitting on Susan in our dining room.  I loved having something beautiful and alive on our plain brown table when we weren't using it.  Christmas is long past now, and the poinsetta is looking a bit spent, but I wasn't ready to go back to having a boring table again . . .

. . . until I walked into Trader Joe's today and saw these little guys.  AWWW!  I don't think I'll keep the pink heart past Valentine's Day, but I love these cute little succulents in their shiny, gold pot.

I also bought this little plant for my nightstand.  The photo doesn't do its coloring justice (it's got beautiful, iridescent leaves, streaked with deep purple).  I had no clue what it was, so I Googled "sparkly purple plant" and immediately found a bunch of webpages about my new little friend.  According to this page, my plant is a tradescantia zebrina, commonly known as Wandering Jew.  It's a member of the spiderwort family, so I've decided to call it "Spidey."  The webpage also said it's "very tough and will thrive in almost any conditions indoors."  My kinda plant!

Zombies Have Lousy Aim

The kids have been asking to go sledding ever since the storm dumped a bunch of snow on our area the other day . . .

. . . so we headed to the slopes after ELA this morning.  The nor'easter's strong winds blew most of the snow off the top of our favorite hill, so starting our runs was a little tough . . .

. . . until we switched to the other side of the hill, where the snow was thicker.

Joy decided to climb a tree shortly after our arrival, then realized she was cold and shouldn't have taken off her mittens before beginning her ascent.  Daniel tried to hurl them up to her, but that didn't work out very well.

I guess zombies have lousy aim.

After a few trips down the snowy side of the hill, the kids discovered that someone had built a snow jump halfway down.  It was just a little jump . . .

. . . but we had a lot of fun with it. :)