Sayid rocks the tux, and the hair--oh YES!

Sunday

• All day spent on Sunday chores and getting homeschool work ready for Mon., Tues., & Weds. (when L. is at my mom's).


• Mark makes his award-winning chili.


• Clean kitchen


• Bake vegan cupcakes, as I promised L. I would make a batch for her to decorate. I made half cherry chocolate and half plain chocolate (for L.). Pastry bag breaks as I start to frost (with fudge buttercream frosting), of course. Have to use crappy spoon to put frosting on, which is so not pretty. H. was over, as usual, so they both decorated. They didn't mind working on the ugly frosting canvas. There were several decorated with little mice and hamsters, but the kids already ate those. Of the remaining designs, I see a heart, a flower, and some other things that I can't quite identify.


• Clean kitchen again


• Finish blogging, and go watch an episode of Ghost Hunters, which we rented for L., for family movie night.

Saturday

• Mark and Luciana leave at 8:30 for an adventure. They go to Olbrich Gardens in Madison, Chasen Art Museum, and had Tai food for lunch. They left me home alone (Dej was working), so I could fully enjoy the misery of:


• Spend day grading homework and peak of my year...taxes. Super, we owe federals this year. That's quite a reward after spending several hours doing something that no human should have to experience.


• Sulk.


• Leftovers for dinner.


• Perform next horrible task for the day--grocery shopping for the month. UGH! It was an absolute cluster f*ck! Between shopping, waiting in long line to check out (at 9pm on a Sat!), and putting groceries away--almost four hours down the drain.


• One of the Beloit Burger King feral cats we've been trying to trap is finally caught and turned over to RCHS. She needs immediate care and altering and no other arrangements could be made (after over a month of trying). Kris (RCHS director) promised she would work with us on our B.K. ferals (we still have two more to catch) and NO cats would be put down as a result of them coming in temporarily. Still need homes, though!!


• L. to bed and A. comes over again so at least my shitty day ended pleasantly.

Friday

• Normal lunch at El Jardin with Denny and Carrie. Orinda couldn't make it--Colton sent home sick. Food was good, my weekly Mt. Dew treat was delightful. Service sucked! That NEVER happens there. Service is beyond superb normally, so not sure what happened. I was crabby (still aware of newly discovered fat beasty status) and that did not help!


• More homeschooling--history (still on the ancients), language (action verbs), philosophy.


• Start dinner--split pea soup and bisquits. Everyone liked it; yea!!


• Family game time


• Luciana goes to bed and is STILL sleeping in her own bed. WOW!


• Allegrea comes over to hang out. It's great to have a fellow night owl to keep me company until late into the night.

Thursday

• 5:30 am - something isn't quite right; can't explain, but knew I better investigate. Found Baxter with tail hanging out of mouth. Shit! Carry Baxter into bathroom and shake repeatedly over tub, while yelling, "Drop it, Baxter!"; Baxter drops it; scream for Mark to bring a safe container while trying to keep seven nosy cats away from tub.


• Notice that precious little house mouse has a broken back leg but is completely healthy and intact other than that; Set her up in nice little habitat with food and water until I can arrange care; find out that my vet clinic is shorthanded and can't see her. Call Fellow Mortals wildlife rehab in Lake Geneva to schedule a drop-off time.


• Mark, Luce, and I take mouse to Fellow Mortals where I sadly let her go into loving hands that can fix her leg and take care of any pain she may have. She will be released in a wildlife sanctuary in the spring.


• Feel sad all the way home, because I had to break up a mouse family, and they are extremely social creatures. :( That's the reason I decided not to live trap this winter when they moved into their favorite spot. I thought if I fed them in a cat-safe area, they would never have a reason to come out and the cats wouldn't be able to get them. I was wrong. Drowning in guilt!


• Run into old high school friend on my way out of Fazoli's, where we stopped for lunch. Not much sleep and a lovely skin breakout ensure that I look like an ugly fat beast. He's been modeling since he moved away after high school, and looks perfect and young.


• Finish running exciting errands, like Menards and Target, acutely aware of my hideous, old, ugliness the whole time.


• Come home, curl up and feel lots of self pity.


• Dinner at mom's--not hungry.


• Teach class. That was fun, as usual.


• Home on slippery roads, as it's snowing, AGAIN.


• Give girls their Valentine's Day gifts.


• LOST! O frabjous day, callooh callay, I chortled in my joy!! Gets better every time!