Dear Tooth Fairy, I Lost My Tooth But I Swallowed It

Big news at our house yesterday. This is tooth #2.


The tooth fairy came in through the window and left a trail of glitter (fairy dust) and some plastic groceries for R's toy kitchen.

School Bake Sale Cupcakes

The school had a bake sale today to benefit a family with six kids who lost their home and are living in a motel. It was kind of meditative to spend an afternoon piping and sprinkling.

And a good reminder to thank God for my house, my kitchen, my family's peace and security. My box of sprinkles and pastry bags and piping tips that is always in the same place in the cabinet. The stairs we go up at night and the roof we sleep under. I pray that the bake sale family is sleeping under a roof of their own very soon.

And finally, here is today's lunch--heavy on the Vitamin C.

Geranium Bento

Halloween, Or, Mama's Got a Glue Gun

R was a Snow Fairy. I had a bag of sequins, some glitter and a glue gun, and things got a little out of hand.

Her hair was plain white water-based tempera paint, some glitter hairspray, and some tinsel. I put acrylic jewels on her face with Elmer's Glue and it worked fine. I would have been more elaborate with the silver face paint, but she ran out of patience.





First Grade party.



My personal favorite was the little Elvis.

Trick or treating. The snow melted just in time. It was perfect. We went to a neighborhood chili-cookoff/Halloween party. They announced my name and gave me a ribbon and I thought I had won. I put it on my Facebook because I was so excited. The next morning, I retrieved the ribbon from D's pocket where I had stashed it, and saw that it only said "Muy Caliente." I guess it was the hottest? Not the best. It's amazing how crushed I was. I should have come clean on my Facebook status. But it had been so much fun for those 14 hours when I thought I had won, that I dishonestly left it up. If you bring it up, I'll admit that I didn't win. But I'm not going to go around telling people.

And this is how you get over the flu

That was harrowing. Almost a week of missed school, a fever that almost landed her in the hospital. But she did get better, and we got the doctor's ok that she's not contagious any more. So today we took her to Sunflower Farm in Longmont, for a day in the sun playing with the animals.

First she wanted to make dinner for us in the little playhouse.

(These are pictures taken with my cellphone, so sorry for the quality.)


She never pays any attention to what's in her lunches or what she eats, so I was happy to see that she made such balanced pretend plastic meals. Since I'm am still getting over the tragic evidence that my fresh, organic vitamin-packed bento lunches didn't keep her keep her from getting the flu. She still looks a little peaked--I hope a day running around in the sun helped that.

Pony ride

Feeding the horses


And a stop at every tire swing, rope swing, tree fort, hay bale climbing maze, goat feeding station, duck pond, poultry coop and tractor fort on the farm. It was a beautiful sunny 70 degree Saturday. So that should put the roses back in her cheeks.

Flu Bento

Here is where I would put a picture of ginger ale and saltines if I had time to take one. R started to get sick Monday night, and now she is full-blown with a high fever, body aches, cough and (thank goodness only once) vomiting. It certainly seems like the flu. Poor little thing. At least she had a great time on Halloween. I'll post pictures of that soon.

All Saints Day Bento

Remembering all of our loved ones in Heaven at Mass this morning. Especially D's grandparents and mine; my Uncle Lu and his son my cousin Freddie; and the two baby souls we lost in 2007 and 2008. May they all rest in peace with the angels.