I don’t normally consider myself an obsessive person.  In fact, I think most people would consider me just a little too laid -back for my own good.  I tend to just take things and deal with them as they come.  Well…except for one minor little quirk.  (Not that I think it’s a quirk, it’s all those people that I live with) I seem to be just a tad bit…um…shall we say concerned…with the weather.

I started to get really interested in the weather this last winter when it was was more severe than it had been in the last five hundred years or so.  My greatest fear was not that we would all freeze to death, but that the internet was going to get knocked out and I wouldn’t be able to check the forecast every three minutes.  My entire family (and the many people they told) teased me mercilessly about my  “weather obsession”.  They just couldn’t seem to understand why it was so important for me to know what was coming.  ( As if something like that has to be explained).  When the Seattle area finally warmed up (due in no small part to my diligence, I’m sure) I slowly stopped monitoring the weather to make my family happy.   

Then, last Wednesday the forecast sent to my inbox (you do get those don’t you?) warned me that the next few days were going to rise into the 80’s and then it was going to get really hot. Now, in my book, if there is anything worse than being caught in a snowstorm, it’s being caught in a heat wave.  As I’ve never been able to tolerate the heat, one can only imagine what a panic this put me into.  I made ice.  Then lemonade. then of course, another batch of ice.  Then I went on a search for all the fans that had been shoved into the garage last summer.   I begged Shaun to surprise me with an air conditioner. (I’m still in shock that he simply laughed at me!) Most importantly,  I had to start checking all my  old weather haunts to see what was really going on. 

Despite the fact that all the forecast said it was going to get hot, it didn’t.  For the next few mornings, my forecast letter informed me that the heat wave was still going to happen, but that I should consider it a “bonus not-hot day”.  I was beginning to have doubts about my trusty forecasters. Yet somehow,  the heat delay drove me to check the forecasts even more frequently.  I simply had to know what was coming.  

I knew our heat wave was coming.  It was just the anticipation of it that was driving me nuts.   The heat finally started today.  (It may have been hot yesterday, but Shaun and I were waaaay up in the mountains where it just doesn’t get that hot.  I did learn that if you drive really, really fast most of the raindrops from a sudden storm will just hit the windshield and not drop into a topless jeep!)  I don’t know what the official high was, but my thermometer read 87 degrees.  Interestingly, it didn’t seem all that bad.   I do know that it’s going to get much hotter…only now that I know it’s a sure thing I shouldn’t be quite so concerned about it! 

Shaun sent me this screen shot the other day.  He thought the idea of just turning the weather off was hysterical.   (I have to admit that I don’t really get what he thinks is so funny!)  I do know that  I really should be in charge of the weather though…I would be so much happier!

Earlier this week, I purchased this book on a whim

I’d been eyeing it for a while and when I saw it at Costco for a really good deal…well, somehow that book just snuck into my cart and followed me home.  I was in my room,  parked in front of a fan and marveling at all the clever ideas when KT came in to chat with me.  Of course, my nosey girl wanted to know what I was looking at and arm wrestled the poor book away from me. 

The next thing I knew, she had me at the store buying all sorts of things to make some fancy Penguin Cupcakes.  She was planning on going to one of her friend’s birthday party the next day and desperately needed  to make these cupcakes immediately for her friend.

Once we got home, I ran off to hunker in front of the fan once more and left her to bake the cupcakes.  I had barely gotten settled when my little vegan appeared before me and asked me if I would help her as she wasn’t comfortable using eggs.  Somehow, I was once again duped into doing what I didn’t want to do. In this case, mix together (I prefer to bake from scratch but apparently “Funfetti” cake mix is all the rage) and set the cupcakes.  I set the timer and told KT that she was all set.  Then I proceed to grab my fan and an extension cord and nestled into the closet. 

About fifteen minutes later, KT opened the closet door and wanted to know how to tell if a cupcake was done or not.  (Mimi knows, but KT has always preferred to be catered to.  It’s not like I haven’t tried to teach her these important life lessons)  I gazed longingly at my fan and went off to help my hapless daughter.  After the cupcakes had cooled off, I read the instructions to KT in an effort to help her correctly create her penguin. KT was perfectly willing to get started on this…until she realized that her hands were going to get frosting all over them.  With a sigh, I set about stacking and mortaring together the penguins.   (it wasn’t too messy)

While I was getting my hands dirty, KT set to work slicing up marshmallows and cutting up candy and cookies to create the various penguin parts.  I still haven’t figured out how she got the easy job.

We quickly worked together to create a small flock of adorable penguins. 

I was all set to reclaim my Good Mothering Crown and plop down in front of my lonely fan once again when KT started giggling to herself and fixed her evil eyes gave me her best “I’m such a wonderful daughter” smile.   She had the clever idea to add a few colorful penguins to the flock just to liven things up.  With a big sigh (because I had finally figured out that it was futile to try hiding) I pulled my mixing bowl back out and started making a batch of frosting. 

KT requested that I create just a few yellow, blue and green birds and then headed off to take a shower.  (she did have to work the next day and it was getting quite late by this point)  I suspect that she had envisioned some sweet pastel tints because her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the vibrant colors that I had created.

To her credit, she didn’t say a word about my color choices and set to work adding all those special penguin touches.  In the end, we had another flock of very colorful penguins…or something like that. Maybe pastel was the way to go…

Apparently everyone was charmed by the penguins that KT made…all by herself…

Now all I have to do is be careful what books I bring home from now on.

Nearly three weeks ago our home was invaded by a small army of alien creatures.  I supposed that I should clarify this just a bit.  The “Alien Army” actually consists of two five-year-old, red-headed boys.   When my sister-in-law first told us that she and the boys were coming out to visit us from New Mexico, we were beyond excited.  The last time I had seen the boys they were just starting to talk.  Knowing that they had grown so much in the short years since then,  I immediately started thinking of things that we could do with them.  Of course I drew from my experiences of things we had done when the girls were young.

Shortly after we picked the trio up from the airport, I realized what a reality check I was in for.  These aliens boys had a much different idea of what was fun than I could ever have had.  On the way home the boys proudly demonstrated how well their belching technique  had come along.  I was a little grossed out, but their Uncle Shaun was properly impressed.  He was even more impressed when the twins happily obliged Shaun’s suggestion that they reach over to Mimi (who happened to be sitting between the two of them) and pick her nose for her.  Um….ew.

I just knew the ride home had to have been a fluke as the boys later proved just how adorable, sweet and cuddly they could be.  I soon learned that the sweetness was merely a ruse.  It was a hard lesson to learn, but I have come to find out that boys are just….different.

Very, very different.

As dismayed as I was at this typical boy-like behavior, Shaun was in his element.  (I’ve always thought Shaun behaved much like a twelve year old boy…apparently he’s actually five!) It took a few days for me to accept that our already noisy home had now become even louder with the shrieks of rough-housing and excitedly barking dogs, really bad knock-knock jokes, belching contests and proud farts. 

How can one do anything but laugh outright at the sight of a small boy holding his arm over his head trying to bowl everyone over with the stench of his body odor?  Only to try stifling that helpless laughter at the disappointment his small face showed when he realized that nobody could smell a thing.    Then to witness this same small boy become elated when his uncle promised to rub a clove of garlic under his arm to help him along in his stinky endeavors….

As chaotic as it has been around here for the past few weeks, I already know that we will all miss the boys (and their mother…even though she doesn’t seem to belch or fart) like crazy when they head east tomorrow.  Who will fall to the floor in helpless giggles at the mere mention of the word “booger”? Who will we grin at as they excitedly jump over a sleeping dog?  Who else will gently tuck a huge rock in to sleep? Who will excitedly point out every Jeep they see?  I can’t help but think that tomorrow will be a very sad day indeed.

It’s been wonderful getting to know our nephews and to get glimpses of the young men they will become.  I have a sneaky suspicion that they will end up an awful lot like their Uncle Shaun….