Eye of the storm

Thank all the lords and ladies above, today was mostly quiet.

BaconFest went well. It was a smaller crowd than we've had the last couple of years, and all but two dishes were savory rather than sweet. My experiment with Bacon Jam tied Beloved's Bacon and Kale Adobo for third place. Once again, my ice cream wasn't ready. *sigh* I simply HAVE to get started on this stuff sooner! Nighthawk decided I was too stressed and worked out some knots, which was wonderful...no drool, so not over the top, but I was grateful for the work. He and I have contemplated a playdate to see how far he can push my masochistic massage fetish. Over all, though, it was a delightful afternoon.

As soon as the guests left and Beloved disappeared to play games, I wandered off to take a hot bath. The respite allowed me to come back and even play some Dominion later in the evening. Feed the introvert and be rewarded. hmmmm....

Sunday morning, Beloved pushed us all through chores. While I wasn't excited about it, I am extremely grateful. The whole second floor got scrubbed, the kitchen was tackled (and after BaconFest, that's a huge mess!), and I ran lots of laundry. For the afternoon, Beloved took the kids out so I could work on the scrapbook. *smiles* He went to the mall with his facepaints and did kids' faces for four hours for free. "Just another parent who appreciated the challenge and wants to spread some joy" was what he told people. He was brimming and overflowing Sunday evening.

Monday was hectic. I tried to work on the scrapbook, but Girl was insistent on participating. I shared what I could, but it's a paying JOB! We got frustrated with each other, my anxiety over not finished skyrocketed. The afternoon was shot...missed swim lessons because we were running late, ended up going out for dinner because I didn't make anything (and to bribe the kids into forgiving me for the missed swim). Blech!

I took it out in my workout, though. I burned 900 calories and walked out feeling much better...enough to tackle the last pages and FINISH scrapbook! I am very happy with the final results. I may not be a professional scraper, but the pages were all fun, unique, and not just photos stuck on a page. I am, however, very glad to have the project done and off my plate. I turned it over this morning.

Girl and I both took naps, which helped, and despite the fail on picking up Boy (why do sibs HAVE to pick at each other ALL THE TIME?), I wasn't frazzled making dinner. Baked Eggplant Parmesan that came in at 97 calories/slice. Awesome!

I need to clean up the kitchen and take out the trash, but I am happy about the day.

It's the eye of the storm, though. Tomorrow, everything returns to reckless calendar chaos. Every. Single. Day. Though Sunday is at least double-booked. *face plant* When will I learn???