The one where we talk about the weekend...

So first off...here's the picture of Morel mushrooms that everyone asked for. The Mountain Dew bottle in the picture is to give you a visual for size. Yes they were gigantic mushrooms. I'm still convinced gnomes are going to come after us for stealing their homes.

But whatever! So Lu and I went to the movies last Tuesday night to see "Water For Elephants". We had both loved the book and I was convinced they would screw up the movie as they so often do. Fortunately, I was wrong. They did a really good job. Oh, they changed a few things, left things out, ect. but all in all, it was well done. I highly recommend seeing it even if you haven't read the book. Lu and I had eaten dinner before the movie so we'd only gotten a soda during. Afterwards, I said I was going to the bathroom before we left.

Me: Don't you have to go again? (C'mon, she's seven and a half months pregnant. She goes a lot!)

Lu: No.

Me: Must be because you leaked all that water out of your eyes during the movie.

Lu: Don't talk to me.

I had to laugh at this because before pregnancy, Lu almost never cried at movies. I used to call her the Ice Princess. Mostly because I cry at movies all the time. Hell, I even cry at animated movies. This gives my family no end of entertainment in making fun of me. Once when Sean was about nine and we watched "Monsters, Inc" I cried when Boo had to go home. Small Sean looked at me and said, "You know this is a cartoon, right? These aren't real people." Other times they'd just pass me a tissue box as soon as we sat down. So now that Lu's hormones are kicking in, I'm enjoying the payback.

We went to CJ's prom on Friday. It was bittersweet, knowing it will be the last one. Not that CJ has ever seemed to really care about Prom itself, he's just happy to see Lu & I.

 

He did not win king, but no matter, he didn't seem to care and the boy who won did care. He was very excited. CJ was more interested in the hors-d'oeuvres. Can't say I blame him, they were delicious. Many people stopped by our table to talk. The principle of the school stopped to shake my hand and put his arm around me.

Lu: Is that someone important?

Me: He's the principle.

Lu: So that's what kissing ass looks like.

She said that because I've been called multiple times by the school after they mail out their survey forms. I don't pull any punches and they get my honest opinion. Its not always favorable. There is always an apology call and a look what new opportunity we've opened up for your son. Its sad, but that's the way the world works. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Don't get me wrong. I'm never mean. That doesn't get you anywhere. I'm polite but firm. And I back up my opinion with facts. And since I worked in the field (eons ago), I'm still on good terms with important people. As Sean once said, "I've never seen anyone say 'things are going to change for the better in this situation or you're going to be very sorry' with a soft voice and a smile on their face before." Naturally, those weren't my exact words. But mess with my kids, and I'll show you Mama Bear. And now, we have to find a new place for CJ since he's turning 21. He transitions from school to adult care. I'm not looking forward to the transition. He doesn't like change much.

I'm sure some people are wondering why we don't just bring him home to live. Don't think I haven't thought about it. I miss my son dearly. And saying good-bye when we drop him back off at his group home never gets easier. Ever. Its like leaving a piece of your heart somewhere. And more times than not, tears are streaming down my face the minute I get in the car. The only thing that makes it bearable is knowing that he has good people working with him and he has a good relationship with them. And now we have to find a new home. And the reasons we don't bring him home are many. Mostly because he craves routine. He likes to know exactly when things are happening. Unfortunately, our house is usually chaos and its nearly impossible to keep to his routine. Also, he is more independent at the group home. He does things there he refuses to do at home. Mostly because he knows I'm a sucker and will do it for him. And the biggest reason is this...if anything happened to his father or I, he would be okay. He would miss us but his life would continue on in a predictable manner. If he lived at home and something happened to us, his entire life would change and he would be devastated. See, it really is about thinking realistically about what's best for him.

Other highlights of the weekend included getting to see my uncle from Arizona some more. Getting to visit with my sister and her family. And doing some shopping with Lu. Baby Dylan is going to be the best dressed kid on the planet because I can't seem to stop buying him clothes. We had to get some more for Lu too, since she just keeps growing. She's super uncomfortable now as Dylan is taking up most of the room in her abdomen and keeping her awake at night with his nocturnal rolling and kicking. He's going to be a wild child.

The downpoint of the weekend? CJ flushed the ring Mike got me for Christmas down the hotel toilet. I freaking loved that ring. CJ has a fascination with flushing things down the loo. If its not nailed down, he'll try to flush it. And he's quicker than I am, and crafty about it. Mike says he'll buy me a new ring, but I loved THAT one. You should have seen the look on the face of the desk guy at the hotel when we told him. I'm sure he was wondering how our room looked and what else had been flushed.

Also today there are posts up at my other blogs. Stop over at See Spot Read and find out about zombie goldfish. Visit The Author Spot and read an interview with Lisa McCourt Hollar. Start following her blog, if you aren't too squeamish.

Happy Monday Y'all,

♥Spot

The one where we talk about Morels...

Do you like wild mushrooms? I don't remember ever eating them until I met Mike. My mother's family always lived here in Illinois and they hunted and such so I'd eaten a wide variety of critters since childhood but Mike introduced me to deer (which I can handle), duck (gag) and turtle (never again). He also introduced me to Morels. I love the taste of them. I even like hunting for them when I get the chance. But I really hate frying them. It takes too long, it makes a mess and I'm over it. Unfortunately, I live with the "mushroom whisperer".

Yeah, that's Mike. For real. I couldn't even make this up if I tried. The man can spot a mushroom growing under a tree from his truck window as he barrels past at 40 mph. We've all gotten used to him suddenly braking and yelling "Mushroom!" At which point someone has to get out of the truck and pick it, because heaven forbid, we leave one behind. When the kids were little and we took them out to the woods mushroom hunting, we'd be traipsing through the woods and as little kids will- they'd be bickering, singing, generally making noise. Mike would bellow "SHHHHHH!" To which I'd reply "Really?! What? Are we going to scare them away?"

I'm not sure how other mushroom hunters are doing this year, but Mike is having a good run. Too good, in my humble "I have to cook the damn things" opinion. We've eaten tons of them, we've given some away, we fed them to my parents on Easter, and still there are bowls of the damn things taking up room in my fridge and taunting me with their "you have to cook us soon" smiles.

He sent me a photo when I was in town the other day that had a mess of mushrooms he'd picked and a mountain dew bottle. Why the mountain dew bottle? For size reference. The mushrooms were fully as big as the bottle. I texted him back and asked if he'd picked some Gnome's home? Because those little buggers will come after you. Even mowing the grass the other day he braked suddenly, climbed off the mower and picked about 20 mushrooms in my front yard. I told you, he's the "mushroom whisperer". And I'm the fry cook. Fab. Is mushroom season over yet?

In other news, CJ's last prom is Friday and he's up for Prom King. Molly is escorting him and I will take tons of photos. We are going to stay in Springfield and visit because my sister's family and my uncle will all be there as well. My uncle lives in Phoenix and comes to visit once a year. He & my Dad will be here tomorrow to fish and barbecue and load up on the potato salad and lemon pies I make from their mom's recipes.

Lu had an accident last night on her way home from work. She hit a deer, which happens a lot around here. Luckily, the deer jumped at the last minute and landed on her hood instead of her impacting it with the front of her car. Someone was watching out for her. As there was no front impact, the air bag didn't deploy and the seat belt didn't jerk her. She and baby Dylan are fine. Waiting to hear what the insurance says about the car though.

And also, I started a new page...an author page. I've linked to it on my sidebar or you can find it at The Author Spot. I will be moving my author interviews over there as of next Monday as they fit in better there. I will be talking about my writing, writing in general and the trials and tribulations that go along with it. I'll also be posting some current works-in-progress. It would be lovely if you checked it out. I would, of course, appreciate a follow by those of you who are interested and you can even like my page on Facebook.

Happy Tuesday,
♥Spot