WET WEEK

Monday, May 14, 2018
I didn't have Seminary class to get up for this morning. Jonathan took Analiese to Seminary and Ken picked her up to take her to TB for some online training. This all meant I could sleep in. Did I? Nope, I woke up around 6:30 when the kids left. Argh!

No, I didn't squeeze in a nap today, but kept busy with laundry, menu planning, shopping, and preparing for Jonathan's birthday dinner this evening. Though the main dish - brisket - Ken took care of, using a special recipe he found in a magazine somewhere.

It was good! He cooked it in the crockpot and it came out so tender! Of all the foods I've encountered in Oklahoma, brisket is my favorite! We didn't make a separate dessert, though, but just had more of the chocolate lasagna from yesterday. Who needs to make more sweets?

Birthday festivities

Birthday boy

Bucket o'goodies!

Card from grandparents

Goof with his goofy shirt

Sister gets in on the crazy!

Tuesday, May 15, 2018
After Seminary and after I took my shot (I have to wait patiently for thirty minutes before doing anything afterwards), the kids and I headed to OKC to shop at the outlet mall. Analiese and I had some clothing needs; Jonathan just came because he had the day off and no better plans.

There had been a small rainstorm last night with a slight prediction of  more today, but I didn't really worry or think much of it. Turns out, I should have. It got grayer and cloudier the closer we got to the mall. Only Analiese had the foresight to bring an umbrella. Jonathan didn't mind getting wet, but I don't like getting my glasses wet, so I squeezed under her tiny umbrella when there was no shelter between shops.

We did some serious shopping. I got some new shoes - always a complicated process with my feet, but so did Jonathan.  Funny enough, we got the same shoe, the same size! I also purchased a few new tops - my old ones are stained, holy or bleached. We covered Analiese's needs, too.

We came home through the continuous rain to find that a lot of Chickasha roads had flooded. There are signs all over town that I've laughed at - "Turn around, Don't drown!" Come to find, it's true! We were okay, but some areas were bad!

Branch member took this pic from the dash of her car!

Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Despite another rainstorm in the night, Analiese and I took a walk in the park this morning. The floods had dried up, mostly, and I hadn't done much walking lately. Plus, it was time to break in those new shoes!

Ants had invaded by bird feeder. No birds had been fed yet; Jonathan suggested we move it to a different location and maybe they'll catch on. The rain made everything a soup and since the seed mix had dried bits of fruit in it, the sweetness of it attracted the ants. So I sprayed out ant poison all over the feeder, waiting until they all died out, then dumped the stuff out and cleaned out the feeder.

Thursday, May 17, 2018
Ken took Analiese to Seminary and then to TB again to do training. Unfortunately, they were busy and shorthanded. So Analiese got to learn how to work the register and the front. She ended up working seven and a half hours!

Jonathan and I did a little needed shopping and he took me to lunch. I investigated Dollar Tree for Girls Camp ideas, picked up a prescription from Walmart, and got two packs of water bottles from Atwoods on a good sale. We oohed and aahed over the baby bunnies they had there. I wasn't supposed to pick them up, but they were irresistible! I cuddled a little white one with gray spots. So sweet! Besides, I'm an expert bunny whisperer!

Analiese was very tired and hungry by the time I picked her up. She grabbed a burrito from TB, but then we ran home. She still had her lesson work to do!

Friday, May 18, 2018
No walk again this morning. I had to go and get change for Ken for TB. I walked into the place and drawled, "Your administrative assistant is here!" A young gal sweeping in the front, giggled. Analiese did not go into TB with me. She was still so tired from her long work day yesterday.

I spent a good part of my afternoon making a big chocolaty mess. I was making a cheesecake to be auctioned off tomorrow to earn money for the girls for camp. I do not make cheap no-bake fake cheesecakes; this was a real four-eggs-and-four-blocks-of-cream-cheese-bake-it-in-the oven cheesecake. Oreo crust, chocolate cheesecake, with chocolate ganache on top and chocolate curls sprinkles. A chocolate lovers dream!

I drove with Ken up to Guthrie and back this evening for TB cups. He just wanted my company and the kids were fine at home. I was only along for the ride, but we chatted and had a nice visit. Better than him traveling all over alone.

Saturday, May 19, 2018
At 8:30 this morning, the kids and I were over at the church. Not my idea, but the YW camp fundraiser was a breakfast with a dessert auction. The auction was Analiese's idea that she brought from Altus. Everyone had pancakes, bacon, juice and milk. Then the bidding began!

It was fun; Analiese was the auctioneer. The girls earned enough money to cover their camp. One family wanted to buy up all of the popcorn balls the YW president made. Not for their kids, but for the dad who apparently loves popcorn balls! I bid on a loaf of pumpkin bread that my kids eyed greedily. The cheesecake was left for last and it went through an enormous bidding war! The popcorn ball family bid but didn't get it and one of their little girls was in tears! I told her I'd bring my cheesecake cookbooks (yes, it's real) to church tomorrow and she could pick one out and I'd make one for her, whatever kind she wanted!

Sunday, May 20, 2018
Not really a day of rest for me. Ken ended up leaving in the morning to drive all over creation looking for TB supplies. It wasn't his fault or his people, though; last night was graduation and I guess they had a $1,000 sales hour that cleaned out a lot of what they had! Plus, the store is really very small, and they only have so much storage room. It's a growing concern.

That meant I went to church by myself early in order to lead a "Teaching in the Savior's Way) discussion that I'd been asked to do a couple weeks before. It ended 20 minutes before sacrament meeting, so I rushed home to pick up Analiese, getting back in time to sit at the organ just before the meeting started.

After the meeting, I had to talk to three different people during the second hour, only making the last ten minutes of Sunday School. Then I rushed off to presumably take Jonathan to work, only to find that Ken had him. I gave Jonathan the car and went with Ken in the van for a few minutes of RS. Ken pulled me out (and Analiese from YW) to leave to do another (!!!) TB run. BTW, I did remember to give the mom the cheesecake book to look at with her daughter!

We got home and the two of them could rest up. I had to do a little prep work for tomorrow, and then I had to head out to Lawton for Seminary graduation there. I'm so glad I went; I got to see old students and families from Altus as well as my Lawton online students. One of my graduates gave a talk and said some sweet things that made me cry! Seminary is a pretty intense, heavy-duty calling, but the dividends are so wonderful!

L-R: Altus Graduate, Online Graduate, Me, Altus Graduate

Me & Lawton Online students