2 More Days!

Must......stay..................awake...............................zzzzzzzzzzzzz... I tell you what -- I'm ready to put my feet up, lay my head against something, ice my wounded leg, have a good deep back massage, and just think about NOTHING.  I don't want to read. I don't want to browse the internet. I don't even want to sit by a fire with a cup of hot cocoa.  No. I just want to close my eyes and drift off into peaceful sleep! That, however, isn't going to happen simply because I know I'll lay in bed, thinking about everything that I did today, what I need to do tomorrow, and what still needs to happen for Friday.

Productive, non-stop, and creative describe today perfectly.  I woke early to the sound of Boots and Jax howling and baying in the kitchen. Worried they'd wake EG before she was ready, I jumped out of bed, and ran to the other side of the house...looking out the glass door in the kitchen I saw three deer meandering along the side of the house, oblivious to the beagle who was about to pop a vocal cord because of their presence!  I quickly silenced the dogs, but knew that getting back to sleep would be impossible, so I just decided to go ahead and get my day started!

I love that on my way to feed the horses every morning, I have to drive across our dam -- inevitably the view is just magnificent!!!!!

It was definitely the coldest morning we've had this month...

But, man, is this beautiful!

After picking up Victor and Lorena, Ellie Graye and I dropped them off at the house and headed to the Vet's office to get paperwork printed up so I could actually SEE what my charges were.  I swear, the amount I pay them each month is more than I ever paid for rent in Los Angeles!!!! It's INSANE -- and not because they charge an arm and a leg, but because my damn animals are just constantly having issues...

As I stood there at the front desk going over all the charts with Jennifer, Leah took Ellie Graye to the back (I'm assuming to see animals or vets or something).  I was able to concentrate on what I was doing, and EG was entertained!  Jennifer had to remind me what several visits were...

ME: "What the heck did Jax come in for on September 28?!?!?"

JENNIFER: "Um. Let's see. Well, the chart says Dr. Fisher checked her tail after you slammed it in the hatchback of your car."

ME: "Oh. Right. That."

ME: "But this can't be right - it's only a couple days earlier."

JENNIFER: "Yeah, that was when Jax got her stitches in her front leg after chasing the deer a mile and a half up the road."

ME: "What's THIS???"

JENNIFER: "That? That's Boots' monthly anal gland infection."

Seriously, Dr. Fisher's kids must have a herd of horses by now - God knows I've given him enough money to pay for at least 10!  Anyway, a few minutes later, Leah came back with Ellie Graye, and we finished up.  As I picked my darling little girl up, I noticed a dark, chocolate looking thing in her hand.

"What's THIS, Leah? A chocolate covered cookie???? Ellie's never had a cookie, let alone chocolate!!!"

I looked at my 15 month old, chocolate melting all over her hands and jacket, and thought , "What the heck."

"Put it in your mouth, Graye."

It took a second for her to register the taste and then a HUGE smile broke out on her face, her eyes lit up, and she started signing "Thank you, thank you."  All the while, she held that chocolate cookie up to her lips.  It was one of those genuinely happy moments that children experience from the simplest things!  All of us in the lobby burst into laughter.  She didn't finish the cookie.  She took a bite or two, then handed it back to me and asked for water...which I was beyond happy about!  Ellie's first chocolate cookie is definitely a memory that I'll keep forever.

Frank seems to be doing much better.  The swelling is still there, but will go away soon, I'm sure.  At least he seems like he's putting on weight, is moving better, and is in much better spirits...in fact, his "hand walks" are more like "body walks" - it takes my entire body to keep him in check.  He's so freaking hyper right now!  If I let him, he'd tear around on the lunge line like a mad man!

The rest of the day was spent baking and decorating and working on things that needed to get done...including decorating the entry to our driveway...

Left side....

Right Side...

Victor got into the spirit of things - he brought a few bales of hay to the entry way, decorated them with the rest of our homegrown pumpkins, and even created his own little scary dead guy and hung him from a tree!  It was quite a surprise to see him getting so creative!

Victor's creation...

In the kitchen, I managed to make the Skull Ice Forms (they're so freaking cool), Candy Apple Cakes (with apples from our neighbors' trees), Rosemary Marinated Mozzarella bites, Plain Scones, Orange Cranberry Scones, Stewed Beef Phyllo Rolls, and Deer Park Farms Berry Cheesecake Bars (with my homemade blackberry-syrah jam and blueberries from the garden).  I think we might have enough food. Just MAYBE.

Ok, so fine, I stole a corner of the Cheesecake Bars!

Plain scones (I'll serve with Blackberry Jam and Cream) and Candy Apple Cakes

Candy Apple Cakes finished with Homemade Caramel

After taking Lorena and Victor home, Ellie took a long bath and then we played in the kitchen while we waited for daddy to arrive from the airport.  Yep, Jeffrey is be able to work from here the rest of the week, so we'll have lots of family time over the next few days!  It's so incredibly nice to have him around!

When I say "long bath," I mean an HOUR. Seriously, this child loves water

Trying to climb into her chair by herself!

Daddy rocking and spending time with his baby girl before going to sleep...

Tomorrow will be another full day of preparations...I'm so excited (is there something wrong with me that I LOVE this stuff????).  TWO MORE DAYS!!!!!!