No Shicken

playing in the rain

The kids didn't have to go to school Friday or Monday, so I was able to take some time off to fly down and spend one last "one grandchild" weekend with Meg and Reid. Eddie had to be out of town and I didn't want her to be alone (5 weeks left!!!). We also needed to finish up the nursery and I wanted to play.

We finished up everything except a couple of mobiles that are still left to make. I didn't get the idea until after we finished the room, so now we are back to not completely finished. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish them this week so she can pick them up next week and then we will be finished (for reals).

I needed Reid to try on the baby chick costume that I had been laboring over for the past few weeks. I got the idea from Martha Stewart, who I'm sure would be a personal friend of mine if she knew me. I even graciously attended her trial in New York to lend my support, and only a true friend would do that. But I digress...The costume was to look like this:

I drove around trying to find the right shirts to layer so I could stuff batting in between them. I got the red felt for the comb, made a white beanie and got the gloves for the feet. Two pairs, in case I messed up. I also bought 2 white boas and then had to go back twice to get another because I didn't have enough and Michael's had run out. I HAND STITCHED all 24 feet of white feathers to the body and stuffed it. He was going to be adorable!

But wait, take a look at the kid in the picture. Does she kinda look scared? Maybe like she's been crying? I didn't notice it until later. Martha can be a little intimidating.This is what Reid looked like in his:

This is as far as we got. (The gray square is to preserve his modesty and an aura of intrigue for future bridal prospects. It may or may not be drawn to scale.) He took one look and the billowy pile of feathers and shuddered. We asked if he would put it on and he said "no". Then we tried the Diet Coke bribe, "no", the candy, "no", and the Thomas video, "no". Finally, brute force (8 month pregnant mama) was called in, but was also soundly defeated. We stopped, acknowledging defeat. When he sensed surrender, he trotted his naked booty over to the candy, picked it up, popped it in his mouth and smiled. I love that kid! The room looked like a fox had gotten into the hen house. Feathers everywhere. We are now on plan B for the costume. More to come.

Today, we decided to play hooky from church and go out for brunch. It was rainy and I wanted breakfast tacos. The first place we went to was closed so we headed out looking for another place. Place #2 looked open, lots of cars parked, but wasn't open yet, either. Drenched by now, we finally found a diner.

We were so hungry when we got there our normal sense of concern was not stirred by the half dozen 5-gallon buckets that were arranged to catch (unsuccessfully) water dripping from the leaking ceiling. Or the steady stream of water coming out of the lights. Or that Reid's booster seat had to be wiped dry because of the rain that had blown through the window. There was also the odd mix of Rihanna and vintage Johnny Cash music and a strange, eclectic mix in patronage from church skipping crowd to the under I35 homeless.

We ordered and it was delicious. The breakfast taco was all I could ask for. I even commented that the salsa was really good and tasted homemade. I was curious why they brought me such a large bowl for one taco. I took the spoon out for Reid to use since they didn't bring one for him and just used my fork to scoop. After I finished eating, the waitress came over and silently picked up my bowl of salsa and took it over to the table across the room. WAIT! My fork, which had been in my mouth, had been in there! DOUBLE WAIT! The man that had been at the table across from us had eaten breakfast tacos, too, and had a very similar bowl for his salsa!!!!

The bathroom measured up to the standard already set. The door didn't lock or even shut all the way and the stall door didn't have a latch or flush (I learned too late). It did have reading material, though. A current copy of the Star. Based on the food and the bathroom, this place could be on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Lesson learned. Never skip church for brunch. Even if it is for breakfast tacos.