apples & acrobatics & asparagus

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, the girls and I set out to make gifts for their teachers. Last year’s windchimes were successful, but I we decided to go with something faster and easier this time. So we’re they’re giving apples— with cinnamon stick stems and de-winged dragonfly worms and all.

Total cost for both: $2.04. That’s 44 cents for each of the terra cotta pots, 39 cents for each of the “lids,” and 38 cents for a bottle of red acrylic paint. All other materials were found in my craft supplies and scraps.

Then we filled the apple jars with a few little goodies… school supplies, appropriately!

The quick trip to Wal-Mart after lunch, for the aforementioned goodies, ultimately led to the afternoon’s great adventure. After our shopping trip, we went to the house for a potty stop before heading to school. Because I pulled the shopping bags from the back of the car, the kids got out of the car that way, too.

And because they got out the back, my good-intentioned, well-meaning, awfully-considerate kids closed the doors after exiting the car…. closed them onto a blanket. While scooting their little bottoms out the back, they also scooted the blanket that is stored back there. The corner of the blanket scooted out right over the latch catch.

So I am driving to school with the “Door Ajar” message flashing at me. We get to the parking lot and find a space among all the other mothers waiting for classes to release. All those mothers means lots of onlookers for a quite comedic appearance by yours truly. I awkwardly climb over the back seats, carseats and children included, to somersault myself into the cargo area. Said ajar doors can’t be opened from the inside and said blanket can’t be tugged loose.

I somersault myself back to the front and get out of the car. Going to the back of the car, I attempt to close the doors fully, so that I will be able to open them. I was standing in the parking lot, pulling out all the fancy moves.

The great big hip-check and bump of the Monkey Moma bottom into the doors. Alas, no success.

The great big double-handed shove (which did absolutely nothing other than make a nice deep "thunk-thunk" as the metal pushed in and popped back out again). Alas, no success.

The great big lean (with all my weight) into one door as I attempt to open (with all my strength) the other door. Alas, no success.

Doors won’t close. Doors won’t open. Offending blanket won’t budge. Utter frustration.

Frustration turns to exasperation when Monkey Daddy comes home and goes to the driveway to assess the situation.

(I suppose it’s at this point I should mention that my dear, beloved husband got the doors open in a matter of seconds. Then he strutted into the kitchen, flexed his muscles, and grinned. *snort*)

Also climbing around… our kitties. They tasted freedom after some playtime on the closet floor with Moma Cat and Monkey Moma. As soon as they were back in the box, there was the scratch-scratch-scratch of kitty toenails clawing the cardboard to escape to sweet liberty among the laundry and the shoes. After a couple rescues (such as finding one of the kitties belly-flopped over the edge of the box), I went upstairs this evening to discover Matilda missing. She wasn’t making any noise (but it was because of all the racket the others were making, that I noticed she was gone), so I wasn’t sure where she was. I eventually found her on top of a big duffle bag in the corner of the closet. Near the kitty box, but even so, I’m not sure how she got up there! I got her down, put her in the box, turned around for 30 seconds, turned back and she had already climbed out again…

Asparagus! Asparagus! Asparagus!

It’s in season. I love it. BH loves it. The older kids love it. But since it can be pricey, I can be a bit stingy about sharing it. But that is when I buy it. When you’ve got a sink full of it, and it was free, you don’t mind gorging out on it. And you don’t hesitate to share the veggie wealth with friends. We have the inside scoop on where asparagus grows wildly right across the highway from us. Lots and lots of it. Fresh-picked wild asparagus. Mmm!

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