Calm Before the Storm

As president of the Junior Woman's Club of Fort Worth, I have the privilege of attending the opening and closing dinners (or brunches or lunches) of each JWC department. Two openings took place last week, in a week already crowded with the club's official opening, JWC board of directors and my grandmother's 91st birthday. Eight openings will hit between Tuesday and Friday of the upcoming week (you read that right - Thursday will be particularly interesting, with a lunch and two dinners, back to back), and Monday is our new member orientation, so basically I've said a temporary "goodbye and see you Friday" to the family (and then I remembered that "Fame" opens on Friday and promptly scheduled a girls' night at Movie Tavern, causing me to revise my au revoir to "goodbye and see you when I wake up mid-morning-ish on Saturday").

This weekend was the proverbial calm before the storm - only two JWC events (sad that I consider that "calm"?) - and I actually had time to (1) work on birthday party plans for both boys, (2) work on plans for our annual Halloween party, (3) buy some fall clothes (goodbye, patio dresses - you will be missed) and (4) organize the closet. I also spent some quality time with the boys (highlights for Mom - making Halloween party invitations and reading storybooks; highlights for boys - watching "The Batman Superman Movie" and playing Wii Bowling). Sunday evening marked a very special occasion - a holiday that we call "Mom-is-home-and-we-can-see-the-surface-of-the-dining-room-table" - so the big kids celebrated with rosemary-ginger-rubbed salmon and sweet potatoes and the little kids made fudge cupcakes with peanut butter icing and decorated them as - well, as random things. Candy eyes were purchased for the upcoming Halloween party, but it was too tempting not to try them out. Photo #1: Connor's whale and Parker's snowman. Photo #2: Cookie Monster, a lion and an attempt to create an image of Parker's friend Lauren Grace out of pastry (note the TCU purple Twizzler bow).

Here's a slide show from our "weekend about nothing" - first pics are of Mom and her friend Elizabeth at a new member tea for Culinary Arts (Mom and Elizabeth are celebrating a certain "big" birthday two days apart next spring, and friends are plotting a joint b-day blowout, so I'm trying to chronicle the days leading up to the shindig - when I remember to bring my camera). Next couple of pics are of the boys post-TCU game (they had a night out with Dad while Mom went to the mall to try on jeans and then came home and worked on "the big closet project" while occasionally catching a glimpse of the UT/Tech game). Last photos are from the fall festival at our church . . . .

We ended the weekend with a little impromptu Emmy-watching party. Dad declined to attend - something about a Cowboys game? - and the boys conked out after the first hour, but it was fun while it lasted. As per his usual, nine-going-on-thirty-nine-year-old Connor had something funny and/or insightful to say about everything: "Mom, is it ironic that "Pushing Daisies" is pushing daisies?" Now it's Mom who's pushing something - the clock, as it's close to midnight, and I'm blogging instead of picking up toys, etc., in anticipation of the maid's triumphant return after a four-week absence. Miles to go before I sleep!