NINE Planets (Before they kicked out Pluto)

Tyler left us for week nine. He took a whole group of boys to Scout Camp. He definitely had the harder week, also compounded by the car breaking down. But I'm not fooled. Although it took some cash to repair, the car should have been beyond saving. The mechanic said he had never seen a timing belt break without ruining the engine. Somehow we got lucky? Hardly. What a huge blessing. I believe Tyler going to camp and taking off a week from work to do his calling and benefit these boys was paying off in different ways. There are certainly tender mercies all around.

The girls and I were doing our regular week of packing in the activities. The week began with June doing a 5K. The Temple to Temple run is very popular. You don't have to pay unless you want a shirt or chip. (I got June the shirt.) I dropped her off and then took Ivory to gymnastics. I had enough time to get back to pick up June at the finish. (Don't be so surprised that I didn't run. Remember...the last one almost killed me.)

The temple to temple run is nice. Mostly downhill if I remember correctly. It was a lovely morning for a run. I hung around until I saw June run by. I think she sees me too!

She did a great job. She ran a little slower than her last 5K, but we had just gotten back from Lake Powell, and we were still recovering. I got a picture of her by the temple, and then we went to celebrate with Kolaches. (If you are close enough, they almost suck you in like a magnet. It is better not to resist.)

We went home to work on our craft. I was excited because I found this idea online and it was supposed to be easy and fun. Spoiler: It was NOT. We made confetti bowls. First thing...you need confetti. Now, you can probably find confetti at your local craft store, and I implore you to buy it, if you can find the right stuff. Confetti is usually crepe paper or glittery stuff and we wanted the construction paper variety, so we thought we would just make our own. That way, the kids could choose their own colors as well.

I totally underestimated the time it would take to punch out all those little circles. We borrowed hole punches from half the neighborhood, so we could all punch at once. But the time and effort was incredible.

Your hand starts to cramp after a while and several of the kids wore gloves to keep from getting blisters.

I finally had enough confetti to attempt a first and possibly second coat. This is the easy part. Put some modpodge on a balloon and sprinkle the confetti on top.

Let it dry and do a second coat. Maybe even a third, if you bought enough confetti or still have a hand left to punch out some more. Let it dry and it is time to pop the balloon.

The balloon peeled back nicely from the inside. It was pretty cool to watch.

You can see from this picture that despite the second coat, there were still some holes, but the glue holds everything together nicely.

Then trim the edges for a finished look and it makes the perfect...hat.

Or bowl. Over time it settles a little more. I don't feel like it kept a great bowl shape over the weeks.

June got the closest to finishing hers. She still wanted more confetti and ran out of the oomph to punch more. (I don't blame her one bit.) There are still several balloons with a smattering of confetti on them in the house. When is it okay to throw them away? I feel guilty though. I gave those kids hand cramps for no good reason.

Library day was fun as always. At the school library, all the kids came for the first time, since Robyn was finished with swimming. They entertained themselves making geometric patterns. (And probably reading some.)

At the public library, we were getting into a good routine. The kids found a good hangout and I could spot them easily from down below. (Yes, I have lost kids before. The library is big and there are many different places to read.)

Wednesday was swimming again. Oddly, that never got old.

Our treat of the week was Tiger Butter. Ever heard of it? I hadn't. Start with white chips. (Not my favorite.)

Add Peanut Butter. (Okay, it is getting better.)

Melt those together and pour them into a half sheet pan. (Thanks Curtis for helping us out. We always love it when Curtis stops by for games or activities.)

Now melt some chocolate chips and dish that on top. The recipe says to let the bottom layer chill and then add the chocolate later, but if you want to make the cool swirls, just pour it on right away. And take a kebab stick and swirl those layers together.

Now let it chill. It finished while I was out and I told the kids to cut it without me. June said it didn't cut well, so they just broke it like toffee. Works for me.

It was pretty tasty. Chocolately peanut buttery goodness. Recipe here.

Friday we went to a little carnival put on by our Orthodontist. It was a little cheesy, but the kids still had fun and it was a nice distraction for the day. There was rock climbing which everyone enjoyed.

Face painting is always a favorite.

Fishing.

Minute to Win it games.

Photo booth. And we ended with pineapple whips. (Not pictured, but highly tasty.)

And Saturday was the best day because Dad came home. Yay!! The girls helped him shave, although he wasn't too bristly. But it sure was good to have him back.