the long weekend

When Tyler went out at 6 am to start his car yesterday,

and couldn't even get into it,

he decided,

for the first time in 19+ years,

that he was taking a snow day.

Or rather, an ice day...

And just like that, our weekend was extended an extra day :-)

(and now I am feeling rather behind, because I keep thinking it's Monday,

only to remember, again, that it is actually Tuesday.)

~

We got to go to The Lego Movie on Saturday.

And get popcorn!

It was the first time we have ever all gone to the movies.

Everyone enjoyed it

(and I said to heck with it - I'm eating some popcorn, too! :-)

but honestly,

at $72.50

for 7 people to watch a matinee (in 2D) and share 2 tubs of popcorn & 2 waters,

it's not something we'll probably ever do again.

~

Before we spent a small fortune at the Malco,

we also spent a (larger) small fortune at Dillard's.

My friend, Nancy, texted me on Thursday

 to tell me they were having their awesome 40% off of their clearance price sale,

so we wanted to be sure to see what goodies we could find.

We got a really nice Ralph Lauren jacket for Brandon

(which we had to talk him into, as usual - he never wants us to spend money on him.

A few years ago, he was in desperate need of a winter coat.

The coats in the boys department were all too small,

but the coats in the men's department that fit him,

were, 

well, 

men's coats.

They just looked wrong on a 12 year old.

We finally found a coat (also at Dillard's, oddly enough. On sale, but not awesome sale...)

that we thought suited him.

But it was $70.

Tyler and I were so thrilled to find a coat that was suitable, we didn't care how much it cost,

but it nearly killed our sweet, tenderhearted, generous Bubsy.

He stood there in the store, tears just seconds from spilling all over his cheeks,

arguing with us 

about how many other ways we could use that money.

We bought that coat. 

And it's held up fabulously. And was most definitely worth the money we spent on it.)

We also got Tyler several more shirts for work,

and Lily a pair of boots for next year, which she needed, since she managed to melt (ahem) this year's pair,

and a pair of shoes for Lexi,

that she really didn't need at all,

but she is maybe a little bit spoiled.

And they were very inexpensive.....

But the thing I am most tickled about - is what I bought.

Not because I am totally self-centered ;-)

but because 

I found these shoes in July,

but wouldn't buy them, because they were

$90.

I had been looking for about 2 years for a pair of nude pumps.

I wanted them to be leather,

and I wanted them to not be shiny.

And of course, they needed to be comfortable.

I spotted them the last time I was at  the 40% off of clearance prices sale,

but they weren't on clearance.

They weren't even on sale...

I almost talked myself in to them anyways; I had been searching for them for so long.

But I just couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of money...

As you can imagine, 

I was so, so tickled

when the first thing I saw

 when I looked at the rack of size 7 1/2 clearance shoes,

was my nude pumps!

Right there, 

just waiting for me!

For $20.73, tax included.

:-)

We tried, again, to find Brandon some jeans, but still came up empty handed.

I'll need to order some, I guess.

~

Just about the time we were going to bed (11ish) 

(after watching 3 episodes of Leverage - we had to watch the 2nd, 

because the one before it was a to-be-continued. 

We had to watch the 3rd, because the second was the season finale....)

Josiah woke up.

I could tell he was going to have a rough time falling back asleep, so I called him in, 

and asked if he was up for a game of Rummy.

He was, 

so I drug my sleepy butt right out of  the comfy bed I'd just sunk into.

He won the first 2 hands, so I wasn't about to go easy on him.

I was winning when we had to stop playing around 12:15 'cause the old girl just couldn't hang any longer.

We talked a little bit about strategy 

and he kinda surprised me with how much thought he put into the game.

More thought that I would have at his age, for sure!

He climbed in bed with us sometime after 1:51

after wandering about the house in the dark.

~

Sunday was, of course, church,

followed by a lunch of roasted chicken, radishes, carrots, and for the kids, potatoes.

(I almost forgot to start it - but fortunately, I remembered in time).

I had plans of getting comfy under a quilt (while stitching on it)

but Tyler wanted me to work a little with Lily;

She  has been sewing up a storm lately,

but has been extremely reticent to receive any instruction.

I would try to offer up occasional help, such as,

"Hey, Lily, if you'd like, 

I can show you how to make it so your stitching and the fraying fabric ends don't show, so you have a neater finish."

To which she would reply something along the lines of, "No thank-you. If I want your input, I'll ask."

Not really.

But she really didn't want me to show her anything.

I didn't want to force anything on her, or ruin her creativity or anything,

but at the same time, I knew she was capable of better work.

Daddy thought enough was enough.

 Lil' needed a little lesson - both in being teachable, and how to sew a little less willy nilly.

So we had a sewing class.

(and she has since thanked me several times for teaching her this or that)

We took a picture of a little purse she'd just made for me

(which is what prompted the whole thing)

and then, after I explained a few things about the hows and whys of sewing a certain way,

we took her purse apart

and she remade it.

(Which, I'm sure you'll agree , was a brave and big thing for her to do!)

Then we took a picture of that one, and she compared the two.

I made a point of telling her there was nothing wrong with her first go at it,

but it wouldn't hold up to use like the remake will.

She decided that she did like things a little neater, after all ;-)

and was quite pleased with her 2nd version.

I'll refrain from telling you about Tyler coaching me on how to teach her.

;-)

Then, we got started on a quilt.

~

I don't remember the rest of Sunday,

and I am suddenly very tired, remembering how worn out all that made me.

I much prefer sewing,

over teaching.

~

Monday,

as soon as Tyler made the decision to stay home,

I crawled back in bed,

where I slept until he woke me up hours later

with coffee.

(coffee that he made in the Kuerig that he and Brandon found at a yard sale Saturday morning :-)

We (Tyler and I) played backgammon. (I lost 2, won 1)

We (Tyler, Brandon, and I) worked out in the gym

I made them laugh (and I'm fairly certain, swear under their breath to never, ever, take me to a public gym ;-)

(but I bench pressed 115#!)

(I don't know if that's good or not...)

Tyler worked on his house model.

I did loads and loads (and loads!) of laundry.

Commiserated with Lily when her 'design wall' fell off of the wall.

We (Tyler and I) ran to the farmer's co-op to buy a month's supply of chicken feed.

The kids had waaayyy too much screen time.

Oh, I tried the THM tomato soup recipe. It was actually quite good!

(I really didn't expect it to be.

I mean, when store brand tomato soup can't touch Campbell's, how could I?)

And I managed to get some quilting in while Bran and I watched a movie

(Next. decent movie; lousy ending)

while Tyler was at a meeting.

And then, our nice long weekend

was over.