Lesson Learned!

Yesterday provided a very teachable moment.  Especially for two little girls who love, I repeat love, baking sweet treats and all that comes with it.  The kitchen happens to be where we spend most of our time.  And it's all the more fun when what we're doing in the kitchen is baking something sweet.  It's always a meticulous process that Towns and Cate enjoy from start to finish.  Particularly the "finish" part, even though taking turns adding ingredients with such care is still high on the list.  We southerners are guilty of "licking the bowl" after it's all said and done.  It's part of our genetic make up or something.  One of my favorite things to do growing up was to eat the batter from the beaters after my mother or grandmother made a cream cheese pound cake.  Give my girls a beater, a spatula, a spoon or the bowl itself after the necessary batter has been used and they couldn't be happier.  I've taught them well, trust me.  So yesterday as we were making something along these lines for Cate's Valentine's party...

I turned my back for two seconds to grab a couple of eggs and noticed some of the cake mix had made its way to the counter from the bowl.  Hmmm.  Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Did y'all just eat some of the cake mix?

Towns: Noooo. We didn't do that.

Cate: Nope.

Towns: Actually, Cate did.

Me: So Cate did, but you didn't?

(Mind you they both have chocolate all over their mouths.)

Towns: No ma'am.

Me: So both of you feel good about telling me that you didn't eat any of the chocolate?  Because I'm thinking that's not the truth.  Why do I see your little faces covered in it?

Both of them: Wellllll....

Here's where the teachable moment comes in.  For a solid ten minutes they had to sit on their stools at the counter and watch me finish adding all the ingredients (this killed them), mix it with the hand mixer (borderline agony), drop the cookies onto the baking sheet (they're almost inconsolable), and then watch me eat the rest of the batter while making sure they knew just how good it was (pure torture).  And that, my friends, was the hardest thing I've had to do in a while, but it had to be done.  They've never been sorrier in their entire lives.  They told me over and over and over again.

I hope they'll think twice before trying to pull one over on ol' Mom again.  Highly unlikely, but...

J was out of town most of the weekend.  That, coupled with the fact that it barely reached 35 degrees means we spent lots of time at home watching movies, making friendship bracelets, playing babies, and crafting like crazy.  We stayed indoors as much as humanly possible.  I don't do cold weather.  I'm sure you're just as ready for Spring as I am after hearing me talk about it so much.

Towns had to take a decorated box to take school this morning in preparation for her Valentine's celebration tomorrow.  There's only one place to go to gather supplies for that.  Hobby Lobby, of course...

If it sparkled, glittered, had zebra stripes, polka dots, or was even remotely red or pink we had to have it.  Towns was in heaven.  I'm pretty sure it would be a toss up between Hobby Lobby or Disney World if the choice presented itself.

She worked so hard making sure everything was just so...

It's as gaudy and tacky in real life as it is in this picture in case you were wondering...and little blondie couldn't love it more.  Me either.  When we took it into school this morning Mrs. Propst and I sort of gave each other a look and she said, "well it's exactly what it's supposed to be."  It screams Valentine's, that's for sure!

We're gearing up for a fun day tomorrow...

A day centered around pink, red, candy and love is right up our alley!