a long one

I'm sure this will be way too long.

It's Valentine's Day. An arbitrary commercially induced holiday that I just can't skip. Growing up my mother always got up early and made grandmother's buttermilk coffee cake in a heart shaped pan. I've tried carrying on the tradition but my children don't like pecans. Pecans are an integral part of the coffee cake IMO and I won't leave them out. Rather then make it and have me eat the whole thing myself, I decided to make something different. I wanted to make these but I didn't have the time so I made these instead. I didn't go buy a bunch of candy or junky toys this year either. Everyone got a dollar scratch ticket instead. A scratch ticket is cheaper and healthier and has the potential to win $10,000. We weren't that lucky, only B won and he only got $1.00.

It is Valentine's Day which means I'm on room mom duty. I've been organizing the party for a week or so now. We're doing two crafts, folded heart envelope valentines & paper plate heart baskets (but with ribbon handles) and a game. My go-to moms who normally come to the parties are not coming today. It may just be me and the teachers. I'm not sure how this will go.

I found out 2 days ago that the mom who was bringing cupcakes isn't bringing cupcakes anymore. The mom is the mom of the dessert stealing girl. It seems that M has been permanently moved to the other class. I didn't know it. No one actually told the parents that they made this move. I'm not happy with the preschool organization, but that's a vent for another day.

Last night after addressing valentines, going to soccer practice, feeding children from the Wendy's dollar menu and attending a useless meeting on the bibical history of the Eucharist, I came home to make a treat for the party. J requested heart shaped choc chip cookies. I stayed up late enough to bake the sheet of pan cookies and cool enough so I could cover them and got to bed.

This morning I cut the cookies into hearts. I needed 13 and only got 10. My heart shaped cookie cutter is too big. I had to bake more but I was out of chips. I tried to steal some from my sister's house but she wasn't home and I couldn't find any in her pantry. I had to go to the store.

I came home to grab my purse only to have DH tell me that he has to get 5 jobs done in the next 2 days before I go out of town. (I'm going to San Antonio with my friend from Austin on Saturday.) Five jobs is a good thing, more money. It also means he won't be here at 1:30 for me to attend A's Valentine's Day party. I promised, promised, promised A that I would go to her party. I've attended all the parties for J this year and then I became room mom and I've been doing everything for his class. She's jealous and I promised. I'm still not sure how I'm going to pull that one off because B is not allowed to come to her party.

I couldn't worry about that because I had to bake more cookies. I ran to the store and bought the choc chips. When I got home B was watching tv and DH was "reading the paper." DH came out and asked, "What is this mess?" There were candy wrappers everywhere. While I was gone, B had gotten one of the goody bags and eaten (or tried to eat) most of the candy. All of the hershey kisses were eaten with bits of foil dropped from the dining room into the play room. He bit through the paper of the Reese's and used his finger to dig it out of the package. He abandoned it on the floor, I guess that was too much work. Great! I just enough bags for the kids and now I was 1 bag short. Luckily I had left over christmas candy in silver and red packaging. I mixed it in with what B didn't eat. I don't think anyone will notice.

So now, another sheet of pan cookies is cooling waiting to be cut into heart shapes. I have to go finish organizing stuff for party crafts so I don't forget anything. I still have to find something to do with B for the party at 1:30. I'll be very happy when this day is over.