Week 3, Day 1
I had high expectations for the day. It was going to be a perfectly run, we're-all-on-the-same-team kind of day. That is not exactly how the morning went, even after we "went to the river" and prayed for strength and Jesuslike behavior for the day. One of my buddies had a really hard morning. I do not know what set it off, and when I asked if he could tell me what the problem was, he said he didn't really know. The other one was rowdy beyond description. When he wacked the other one in the head with a rather large jingle bell, he ran after him apologizing yelling, "I don't know what got into me!!" Flip Wilson comes to mind.
My plan today was to educate the boys on what is involved in having a dinner party. We have discussed this night for a couple weeks. They decided on their menu quite a while ago. The main dish is a frittata with bacon and cheese only, no veggies. It's their party, so I agreed. As a side, there is a salad in a parmesan cheese bowl. Well, only the adults will have the bowls because we ran out of cheese and the boys have parmesan wafers, which, frankly, are much more appetizing than the bowls, and I use the term "bowl" loosely. A shallow, cheese, shape of some sort is more accurate. Toasted French bread rounds out our main offering. The piece de resistance is chocolate bowls with ice cream and toppings. We each chose two toppings for the ice cream sundae bar we are setting up. I chose caramel sauce which had mold growing on it when I opened it and whipped cream, which I won't whip because it was supposed to go on the caramel sauce. The boys picked almond M&Ms, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch gummy worms, and gummy figures of varying design. Yum?
They set the table. I let them pick out the dishes to use. Shock of all shocks, they did choose matching dishes. We had to use clear glasses because our ice is fish-shaped made with 2 ice trays Max gave me for my birthday. For several days now, I have been making fish ice cubes, storing them in a baggie in the freezer. I let them organize the flowers and they have placed them in front of each person's place, which is lovely. Two sets of salt and pepper shakers each. This is what prompted the most avaricious dictating of which sets they wanted me to leave them in my will. They did not seem to understand that I have to be DEAD (maybe they did understand) before they are getting my stuff. So, on the table, on July 10, we have a 2-in-one shaker that Simmy has always loved. It's very delicate and beautiful. He also chose a set that looks like the hot and cold water handles on an old fashioned sink. Max chose a duck riding a beach ball, and two Christmas rabbits nestled in a Christmas shoe. Probably not what I would have chosen, but they are pleased, so I am pleased.
We took a little break from party work to make a craft. It is a stained glass sun catcher made with glitter glue and food coloring. I think they are going to turn out well once they dry, but Simmy looked like a accident victim, he had so much red food coloring on his hands....and the bottoms of his feet. I don't even know.
Then, a movie on the den floor where they made a cozy nest with the cushions off the sofa. I was a little sad when I heard the end of the movie. I must admit I was a little shocked when one of them came running back to Frisby Hall in his superman underwear only. What is that about?
Well, after lots of starts and stops and arguments and tears and messiness and trips to "the river," dinner was a huge success. The veggies in the salad were in rather large chunks, but they cut them themselves. The recipe called for 16 eggs for the frittatas and we only needed 17. Only one went "overboard." I think that's pretty great. Part of dinner may or may not have been sneezed upon, but I figure we're all family. When it came time to eat, they served everyone, ladies first, with great aplomb. They filled the glasses with ice and cleared the table and ate like champs. Some frittata was eaten without a fork. We still have a little table manners work to do, but all in all, I'd say it was a successful day. This tired Mellie is hitting the sack. Week 3, Day 2 tomorrow. Who knows what wonders await.
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