The Lesser Holidays

When the kids were little, and even now that they're not, Karl's mom used to give them heaps of candy for every holiday.  And not just candy.  They'd receive cards, packages, and occasionally, money.  So it's no wonder that they began to think of St. Valentine's Day, President's Day, and the others as major holidays.  "Daddy," they ask, "why do you have to work today?  It's Groundhog Day."

Update 3/20/14:  Just saw this article about ending holiday inflation!

We've had some fun around here for these lesser holidays lately.

Do you remember these beignets we had in New Orleans last summer?




Claire got a hankering to make them.  So we did:

They were wonderful, just like last time.

Cat boy.

This is what the kids and I woke up to on Valentine's Day after Karl had left for work.  Sweet guy, huh?

A few weeks ago there was a grocery store closing nearby, so I bought a bunch of random foodstuffs at 70% off, including a box of British wine gums, a candy I like.  But when I went to open the box, nearly all of the candies were gone!  I asked who had eaten them.  Karl said he'd opened them, but had only had a few.  Claire admitted she'd had a couple, as did Brennan.  Hailey said she'd had no more than two, honest.  I told them I hadn't had any.  Everyone thought someone else was eating them, and they all thought I was!  So Karl bought me a whole new bag for myself, and another for the rest of the family.  These'll last quite awhile.

We enjoyed the President's Day weekend.  We sat around playing board games on a rainy afternoon, but suddenly there was a loud buzzing and a big pop! and sparks flying from an electric pole across the street.  Yet another transformer blown.  That's the third one I've seen from my livingroom window since we've lived here.  At this rate, these things must be going out all over town!  How we ever have power is beyond me.  I imagine the view from the air, as the entire state of Washington in a storm must look like it's being attacked by giant fireflies.

Well, if anyone's equipped for a power outage, it's us.  We just whipped out one of our Civil War lanterns and continued the game.  Then someone got the brilliant idea to break open some of those glow-in-the-dark bracelets that we always have left over from Independence Day.

Power-outage queen.

Just as we were considering going out for dinner, (since our stove is electric and no one felt like cold food), those clever folks at Puget Sound Energy got the power on again.  I don't know how they do it so fast, I really don't.  I mean, after loud bangs, and sparks flying, you'd think it would take them awhile to put things to right again.  Well done!