And we're back

This morning, I baked pumpernickel rolls for Jon & Kimberley's beach wedding. My mother in law is coordinating the food, and this is my small way of helping her. I tried not to cough or sneeze over the dough, heh heh. I even tied my hair back. Ever have an experience with hair in food? The one firmly etched in my memory is--back in the day, now--a piece of homemade pizza at my school's weekly hot lunch, served up graciously by school moms. I have that old Saturday Night Live sketch playing through my mind--I forget who was in it, but someone had on a black, long-haired wig and was stirring up some spaghetti sauce. The taste testers kept pulling long strands of hair out of their food and gagging. Eww, gross. I'm making myself queasy.

This morning I also got my computer back from Southern Computer, with sparkling new memory and wonderfully restored e-mail.

Owen is now allowed to climb the tree just off the back porch. I expanded his boundaries. The little booger has handled his new freedom carelessly, I'm afraid. I have already found him out in the shop, "driving" the mower, which he clearly knows is off limits without an adult along. (We found a black widow spider out there several weeks ago.)

Helen is just getting over 3-4 days of fever and a runny nose. It took both Jason and me to hold her down and suction her nose well with the snot sucker. Yesterday, she was finally over her fever, but she dished up a huge helping of cranky with a side of mommy-hold-me. Today we finally found our sweetheart underneath all the crabbiness that sickness can bring.

And here is the little flirt making the acquaintance of one little gentleman we were babysitting. This was after a meal of--gag me--baby cereal eaten rather distractedly, which was after getting sweaty while playing on the back porch, attracting all sorts of dirt and bits of yard clippings with said sweaty limbs and face, which was after a new sweet and clean girlie outfit (yellow eyelet lace skirt is hidden), which was after her bath.