Newsreel

1. It is very chilly in MN again. We had a brief glimpse of spring on Saturday, but on Friday, it was real winter. So, how did I end up going out the door to run some errands wearing just this???Of course I'm numb to the cold, so I didn't realize my stupidity until I noticed the temperature reading in the van was 6 degrees. That was about the same time that it dawned on me that Eva was wearing a leotard, tights, and rain boots. And just so you don't call social services I'll divulge- she was smart enough to throw on a coat and hat.

2. We've been sharing the stomach flu around here. Actually, only Hope has thrown up, but Eric and I have had some activity in our Southern regions. Not fun, but no joking folks: Everyone we come in contact with has had this bug, and most have had it far worse than us.

3. We had a happy, little Superbowl party on Sunday. For once, we managed to invite a quantity of guests that wouldn't overwhelm our itty-bitty home. It was a fun game, and I was giddy with gratitude that there was a full hour special episode of The Office afterward.

4. Sunday was my birthday. I am now 28 years old. On Saturday, I vowed that I would do no dishes on my birthday, and I refused to bake my own cake. I followed through on 50%, doing a large stack of dishes thanks to the Superbowl Party... I had a very small part of the cake making though. Didn't Eric do a fantastic job??? It was absolutely delicious too!

This represents about half of the Superbowl/Birthday party gathering.

5. Monday nights are our regular date night, but we haven't been out for quite awhile on account of the holidays and a string of illness. Yesterday, we finally made it out again, and we celebrated my birthday. Since I had been feeling less than stellar all day, I let Eric decide where we would eat. He chose Buca di Beppo (mostly since we had a gift card...). The food was great, but the company was even better. We had a good conversation and just really enjoyed being together.

Here is my gift from Eric:The heart shaped piece of paper was folded in half, on the outside it read, "For your birthday..." And on the inside, "A new band for your... (ring sticker). Love you, Eric." ***a little backstory here- when we got married, we weren't sure what kind of wedding band I wanted to go with my engagement ring. Then life started moving along and we weren't really sure it was a good use of money anyway. But lately, 7 years later, I've thought I would like a band. A few times, Eric has said, "maybe for a big anniversary." Anyway, this was very sweet, and we will go shopping soon for just the right band!***

We got two HUGE pieces of cake on the house, which we couldn't finish of course. I had never had Red Velvet cake before... someone tell me, is there some kind of pepper in it???

6. Remember my maiden voyage into the blogosphere? We had a re-run of that incident (x 2) this week. I found the evidence before seeing the guilty parties. Hidden under a couch cushion...

And littering the floor... Eva is the primary suspect, and Hope is Exhibit A. As if the child didn't have enough trouble growing hair, now she has spiky, horizontal lines across the top of her baby locks. Eva's hair has had difficult time regaining stability since the initial incident in September, and this did not help matters. I know that we typically reserve the term "mangy mutt" for dogs, but I might coin the phrase "mangy muchacha" soon!

7. We made a small improvement on our home this weekend. Removing a door, we now have rear entryway that is infinitely useful as we head in or out from our recently completed garage. It actually makes the kitchen feel bigger too, which is a major plus from my point of view.

That's all folks. I've emptied my camera and my brain. :)