It's not over yet! Over 900 people have signed the list, and I'm sure there are lurkers out there who prefer to keep their anonymity!

I've just made a fresh batch of fruit tea, in honor of the warm weather that has come our way here in Tennessee. For those of you who are still stuck in winter-land, there's some hot chocolate with marshmallows... the microwave's broken, though, so let me know if I need to heat up some more water the old-fashioned way. Or hot tea. If you want coffee, Tech Mom will be here tomorrow night, and she'll be glad to grind and brew enough for all of us. Or, if you like, you can go crash her blog. She hasn't officially joined THE party yet, so we could just skip over there for a quick blog-crashing event.

I attempted to make cookies for the occasion, but said microwave being broken made it hard to soften the butter, so the dough is actually in the fridge. I'm doing a little experiment to see if it can still be salvaged. Things like this tend to happen when I attempt to make anything from scratch. It's the thought that counts, right? I have not wasted the white or milk chocolate chips yet, so if the dough looks/tastes unsalvageable, the most important part can still be used another time. I had to take a break from solving that mystery to vacuum the fruity cheerios that baby bear had pulled out of the cabinet and emptied onto the carpet.

Oh, please pardon the blocks, stuffed animals, and board books all over the living room.Would you believe I vacuumed the whole downstairs yesterday? Baby bear (my 16 month old daughter) and I have been playing outside. She discovered mud today, when I added some soil and water to the aloe plant that I have managed not to kill yet. (I think I've had it for at least a year. My Mom is always giving me indoor plants to ruin with my brown thumb.) The roots were almost exposed. I guess that happens when dirt settles. She also discovered rocks are fun to play with, as is the dirt on the curb. She also helped me put the holly-bush clippings that hubby had left scattered about into a trash bag. Who needs fancy toys when dirt, rocks and shrub clippings are abundant? I have managed to keep the laundry going... there's a mountain of it on the guest bed. I suppose I need to fold that tonight, because tomorrow promises to be a busy day, and the in-laws are driving over to visit their youngest grandbaby.

Sweet dreams, friends. Hubby made it home safely, so we should rest well tonight.