Turtles are better that budgets

 I have been sitting in the corner of the couch for almost 8 weeks now. In fact, I am two days away from freedom. 

In that time I have caught up on nearly a year's worth of blogging (2021 to 2022 will be noticeably less rich in detail) (I'm sorry) (I can't help it. Sometimes life is hard and it feels soooo unbloggable).

I have had the budget book sitting within arms reach for over a month. 

But I decided to crochet this little turtle instead. 

Winnie helped. 

I can't get over his little shell back pack! I'm pretty pleased with my efforts. 

Winnie will try to take most of the credit, but she's lying. 

 

We are, in fact, "bird people"

We simply adore her. 

 

Papusas a la Megan

Hot Dang, she made papusas! 

I'll never forget the spanish speaking mamas laughing and shaking their heads at me when I asked for the recipe back in Rialto. They said even if they gave it to me, I'd never make it. 

They were right. It's ALOT.

But they hadn't met Megan. 

She found a recipe, shopped for all the ingredients and spent the entire morning making the filling from pork belly, mixing up the masa flour and making a batch of curtido. 

And she served me hot papusas in my corner of the couch. (Bonus: The Cracker Barrel apron)

Delicioso!

Self Reliance

 Don't look know, but I think Bug can officially start the lawn mower. 

To a tee

I can't count how many times I have said these words. It's substantial.

 

Homeschool Worries

 I sometimes worry about the kind of education that AJ is getting at home. She's independent and stubborn. 

And really smart. 

She can be totally engaged and completely aloof, all in one morning. 

But then I see this and I feel like everything is going to be okay. 

Different...but okay.

The birthday skeleton

When your wife is on crutches, your kids are all at work and at school, you are doing all the work for everyone and it's a Monday, for crying out loud....

You might have low expectations for a birthday celebration.

Because you are 47 now and so very wise. 

When she asks you what you want for your special dinner (as she lays strapped into the that leg machine for hours and hours), you say, "I've really been craving pizza from Minsky's, let's order in!"

When she worries about not being able to decorate, you say, "I don't care about streamers." 

And then you go to work and take care of business and you got to the gym and also take care of business. 

And then you come home for lunch and take your bored wife out to grab a burger and pick up your 12 ft skeleton that is kinda your birthday present because you really never could think of anything else to ask for. And you aren't mad about it, you don't silently pout or punish. Your 47 and there's no time for that. Not to mention, that skeleton is gonna be super cool.

 Megan picks up the Minsky's and Everly sets the table with the special red plate and one of the fancy glasses from the dollar store and there are all your girls. They love you and you are the man in their life and you get the best hand drawn cards in the world. 

We call up Mathew and Ethan and Kassie so we can all sing happy birthday, but despite your wife's repeated attempts to take a screenshot of everyone together, she absolutely cannot stop cutting someone's face out, turning down the volume or clicking the power button. Too many buttons!

Mathew comes to the rescue and offers to take the picture from his phone. 

Its a birthday singing, harmony finding event and then there is a clamor of "I love you!!"  "Happy Birthday Dad!' before the grown kids resume their activites.

It's cake time.  The best cake ever....made by the lady that loves you most of all. 

On crutches. Using her gardening roo pouch to fetch the eggs out of the garage fridge. 

Holy smack, we love you.  You make our world go around. 

Thank you for being our IT guy. You keep everything humming along, setting things right, fixing, automating, improving and loading the dishwasher. 

And not for nothing, that skeleton is very cool. 

We'll worry about where to store him in later.