Night Games

Two times in a week our alarm clock, which hasn't been set for years, has mysteriously gone off in the middle of the night

The first time I suspected the power had gone off during the day and somehow it got accidentally set, when it was reset,(or something like that), but the second time at 2 am I was a little more suspicious of a certain dark-eyed roving gang member.

Perhaps you aren't aware that my James is a night Owl.

Not to say he stays up late, he goes to bed by the usually 8:30, but unlike others this is really just a refresher nap for his night games.

Around 2 or 3 the games begin, he begins by sitting up and giving me a juicy kiss on the cheek then crawling over to Dad, standing up to gain access over the human wall Barry tries to create with his back and planting a juicy kiss on his forehead. Or perhaps wedging his head under the pillow Barry has clamped over head to bestow his nightly kiss.

There are many games, hanging off the bed, inspecting the nightlights, dropping various objects left on the bed down the gap between the wall and the headboard,(almost impossible retrieve) climbing UP the headboard, handing me my glasses, re-handing me my glasses, trying to put my glasses on me and giggling, handing Barry his headlamp, singing me a lively wake up song, etc. etc.

So I admit that in the past I might have helped perpetuate this behavior.

I know, I know I should put him in his crib and let him cry himself to sleep and maybe after 14 days of heartlessly listening to him scream for 3 hours straight and then throwing up all over the crib the blankets and the floor, ending with sobbing himself to sleep, he would would learn. (of course then I would be crazy and living in an asylum so there would really would be no point whether he slept through the night or not)

Because this option isn't very desirable, and when in middle of the night I see my Sweet Baby James grinning at me, his dark eyes so alert, so alive, so happy, and mischievous I almost always make the same choice, tolerance for my Night Owl and his habits.
Yet, Unable to take a nap like my nightly playmate has taken it's toll on me, and my temperament. So I've started to ignore his nightly rituals and pretend to be asleep. To say the lest James does not approve.

Yet who could be pretend to be asleep when startled awake by a creepy chirping of birds at 2am, (Yes, that's the noise my alarm clock makes, the sound is straight from the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds".) it's disturbing enough that it can keep me wide awake for a solid hour of night games.

But how you might ask, did James figure that out???



................Doesn't he look smug.

The smorning(it's what I say, I also say "I says" sometimes too, so spank me and send me back to grade school, at least then I wouldn't have to always be........well anyway)

This morning I woke up to a smell, a smell soo strong it almost burned the little hairs in my nose. The smell was permeating the whole of our house, no room had escaped, even my clothes shut tightly in my closet I'm sure will smell of this smell. Now this smell is not offensive in itself, but in it's intensity.

Something had to done, so I began a search of the area for possible smell offenders



Nope.(More of a dirty sock smell)





Nope.





Not here either.





Nope.





NOPE not in here, but YES I do know what you're thinking, we'll get to that later...





Hmm the smell seems to be really strong over here.........it's becoming hard to tell





Mmmmm Nope. (Psss... the emptiness of the fridge is for dramatization purposes only)





Hmmm Nope. .......Wait!! Go back, I think I saw something....








Got ya!!!!! YES I was almost fooled by a clever disguise, but I still see you for what you are. The fattest, the most gigantic hickory smoked summer sausage in the world. Just sitting in my fridge open, open to the air, open to the house.....open to the neighborhood. .......ahh and there is more than one. AHHHhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!











Okay, ... so now back to what you were thinking. Actually, the point of my blog WAS to show you the pictures of my clean house. These are the parts I recently reclaimed from the roving gang that literally destroys my house and my sanity each weekend.(Un-reclaimed parts not pictured)

I have asked them to stop picking on me, and to go elsewhere for their destruction, but they always have ridiculous excuses like "This is OUR house too, and WE live here, and blah blah blah blah blah.
So for my sake I have taken some photos to soothe my soul, and so later I can relive the memories






I've titled this picture "Ferociously Happy".

Miss Eleanor is Ferociously happy after fun but belligerent play with friends.

p.s. Miss Eleanor is a highly active member of the roving gang.

So about a week ago.......

SO about a week ago I lost my appetite in a big way. Just GONE. Nowhere to be found. Not to be found in any kind of cheese(a personal favorite), not to be found in homemade pizza or toasted homemade bread with melted peanut butter.

After losing about 4 pounds I realized drastic measures must be taken, so I went to the store for the cure-all for loss of appetite. Returning home with 2 cartons of ice cream, 2 bags of chocolate chips, sweet and condensed milk and a plan.

First I whipped up some amazingly delicious Chocolate Chip cookies. Then I whipped up the cure. Hot Fudge Topping. Yummy, Yummy, Yummy. This is something I cannot resist.

Here you go
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons margarine
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla.

:Mix the top three ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl, microwave until chips mostly melt, stir until lumps disappear. (Watch carefully, don't scorch)

:Remove from microwave, mix in vanilla.

:Serve warm over your favorite ice cream and warm cookie.

Sadly now the hot fudge is gone, having eaten it for breakfast and dinner for the last several days. With my regular appeptite nowhere in site, out of chocolate chips, and short on money I shall have to devise a new plan. I think it shall involve BACON.