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Our income tax return check came in the mail yesterday.

Frank was mowing, I was weeding the flower beds, and when he mowed past the mailbox, he picked up the mail.

Within 30 minutes, we were both changed and in the car and on the way to Spencer for Chinese food, mulch for my flower beds, and meat for the freezer.

Woo-hoo!

Oh yeah, we're real big spenders.

The rest of the check will be divided; 1/3 on the credit card, 1/3 into savings, and 1/3 for a new pair of boots for Frank.

Obviously, we are not the frivilous type.

When we got home, relaxed, with a movie just starting, company who called at 11 a.m. to say they were coming over arrived promptly at 8:30 p.m.
...
With two kids,
wound up on caffeine and sugar...

I actually feared for Daisy Dewdrop's well-being.

At one point, I finally declared it to be Daisy's official bedtime, and put her in her pen.

Amazingly, she didn't fight it.

In fact, she crawled as far back into it as she could, turned to face forward, and watched us all from within the safety of her pet porter.

Of course, after that, the kids decided they would jump back and forth over the back of my new couch with their shoes on....

"Do you have any Mountain Dew?" (Climbing on the arm of the couch.)

"No, honey, we don't drink pop."

"Do you have any Doritos?"(Stomping on the pillows.)

"No, how about an apple or a banana?"

"Yuck." (Bounce, bounce, bounce on my couch.)

"Maybe some popcorn?"

"Is is the kind for the microwave with lots of butter?" (Stepping on the couch arm and flipping over the back side.)

"No, it's the kind you make in a pot and add your own butter and salt."

"Do you have butter and salt?" (Back and bouncing, bouncing.)

"Yes, I have real butter from a cow and sea salt."

"Sea salt? What's that?" (Step, flip.)

"It's healthy salt."

"Yuck. Do you have any candy?" (Bounce, bounce, bounce.)

"There's some hard candy in a basket on the kitchen counter."

"What's hard candy?"

"Like jolly ranchers. You know jolly ranchers right?"

"Will you get it for me?" (Still bouncing, not even looking at me.)

"No, you can get it yourself. That's okay."

"I can't reach it."(As if he knew that without looking.)

"Then you don't want it very badly, do you?"

At this point, they both bring a stop to their constant motions, and I get the blank stare from them both.

"What?"

"If you want it, you'll have to get it yourself. I am trying to have a conversation with your mom."

Oh, to have a picture of the looks on their little faces while the wheels turned in their heads for about two silent seconds...

. . .

And then they were off and running, racing to the kitchen to see who could reach the basket first.

Sure, I let them have more sugar.

As long as I knew they weren't spending the night.

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Want to know more about DeLaHaye? Visit her web site at WV Travelers , or her online store at Impecunious Impressions, or read her weekly column at The Calhoun Chronicle.