Friday Fragments

I've seen a few people doing Friday Fragments out and about the blogosphere, and they are usually a crackup. Where's My Angels does them from time to time, and they are quite the little slice of life. I sometimes think I should do that, but the chances of it occurring to me on a Friday are slim to none.  But today, fragmented seems like a perfect fit.  So here we go...

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My posts about my two kids with different packages were actually going somewhere.  I had a nice post in mind to wrap it all up, but then I had a brain freeze.  Eventually there will be a part four.

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The brain freeze started yesterday morning when I sat up in bed and discovered how ccccold it was in our house.  Lee works from home nine days out of ten (at least), but as luck would have it, yesterday was the day he went in. And wouldn't you know, he jumped out of bed, threw his clothes on and headed out the door, without realizing he was even cold, minutes before the kids and I got up.  So Ben's in the kitchen getting breakfast and I'm staring at a blank thermostat.  I can surely put a new battery in this thing, I think to myself.  So I start trying to figure out how to open it, and think that maybe I should call Lee just in case there are any pitfalls to avoid.  So I dial him on speed dial and hear, "Ring, Ring".  It wasn't in my earpiece.  It was his phone. On the table.  In the bedroom.  So much for getting any help here.  

Let me just say that at this moment my inner Pollyanna was not glad.  Not even a little bit.  I must have growled or something because from the kitchen I hear, "Mom, it's ok, we'll be fine.   Some people can't even afford heat so they're cold all the time."  Just then, two completely divergent thoughts ran simultaneously through my head.  One was, "Are you crazy quoting me back to myself at a time like this?  Don't you know you're taking your life into your own hands??" The second one was, "Yeah, I know, and thank God this didn't happen three weeks ago when it was -30ºF." And amazingly I only spoke the latter.  But I think I growled again afterwards.

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To make a long story short, the furnace issue was resolved around 10:00 this morning. The temperature registered 54ºF. (Which, in February, is honestly pretty good for 30+ hours with no heat.) I went to bed last night at 9:00 because we have a heated mattress pad, and I didn't care to be anywhere else in the house.  Normally I would have taken my laptop into my bedroom and settled in contentedly, but it happens that for the past few weeks my wireless card has been broken.  Fortunately, someone in our neighborhood has a wireless service that I can pick up from my dining room, so I've had continuous free service the whole time.  That is amazing!  Unfortunately, I can't access it from anywhere else in my house. Until the heat went out, resolving the wireless card issue was at the top of the to do list. I really want it back.

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My agenda for yesterday and today had been to make a special Valentine treat and I was not about to be deterred by a little cold air. After all, that's what I planned to give my kids' teachers, along with my family and a few other people. So I visited Bakerella, recommended by Jenna C. of Christmas Cake Ball fame. I knew I could count on her! She did not disappoint, but I knew immediately the decorator frostings would have to be replaced by sprinkles. She is FAN-CY! Mine look like this.

In case you were wondering how to get shapes, I pressed the mixed together cake dough into a pan evenly and used a cookie cutter.  Voila!  

Does this plaque resonate with anyone???  

Actually, my favorite help is when they 

all leave me alone in the kitchen.

Let me just say that if you are using melted candy coating in a kitchen that is colder than 60º, you'll have to melt it again frequently. The chocolate was much more forgiving than the vanilla for some reason plus imperfections don't show up as easily.  I was quite happy with the final product although I may or may not have had to eat a few that didn't turn out "just so".

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If anybody sees Pollyanna, will you please tell her it's safe to come home now?