Valentimes

I finished up the valentines for Caroline's re-scheduled class party. The kids are excited that they can call this an actual "party." The school system rules stipulate that each class can have no more than two parties a year; all other events are referred to as "celebrations." Doesn't that make you want to roll your eyes?

We tied the valentines to baggies of candy and of course, I forgot to take a picture. I did, however, take a picture of the bag housing the valentines. It's a big brown bag that lends itself to decoration; Caroline took it upon herself to label and decorate her bag.

Is it a rule that all (or most) kids say valentiMes instead of valentiNes? I don't think I did, but I said ordaments instead of ornaments, so I'm hardly a model of success. Heck, I know some adults that say valentiMes. I shant fault Caroline for her error. After she wrote it, I said, "you wrote valentiMes." She said, "I know." To which I replied, "it's valentiNes."

"Oh" she said, "I didn't know."

Even though Caroline's understanding of popular holiday vernacular might be sketchy, she is an excellent student. Yesterday was report card day and she brought home a glowing report.

We've never been one to give gifts for a good report card, but I was feeling particularly generous today. I figured a white terrier Webkinz to add to Caroline's growing collection would be a nice way to say "good job."

Even non girlie girls like Caroline and I can appreciate a cute white dog with a pink bow in her hair.




Also on my shopping excursion, I stopped by Bed, Bath and Beyond and purchased an immersion blender.

I've been wanting an immersion blender for quite some time; they're particularly helpful when it comes to pureeing soup. As you know, I'm a big fan of split pea soup. I'm an even bigger fan of smooth split pea soup. I've been pureeing it in the food processor, which is a messy job. I'm not patient enough to puree in batches, so I dump it all in the food processor bowl and let er rip. Soup flies everywhere. Oh, and food processors are a bear to clean.

The immersion blender is the perfect tool to make creamy soups without the mess. I made a batch of split pea soup this evening and tried out my new purchase.

Success was had, I'm happy to report. Creamy smooth soup and no green liquid on the cabinets and floors.

I just hope Craig isn't mad that I used his Bed Bath and Beyond gift card. It was a joint gift, but he had grand plans for it. However, that thing called deployment got in the way and he never quite got around to using the gift card.

Oopsie.