Dumb daddy/son fun

Jack built this marshmallow rifle at Myth Busters camp, and he and T took full advantage of it tonight. I watched and drank some tequila. For real.

Back to the races

I would be lying if I said home has remained a Zen state since the boys returned. Oh my lawd!! The talking is as if to make up for lost time, we've already been to the pediatrician for Ol and cleaned up one of the most explosive, large-scale pukes ever. I am definitely having to reset myself and could not help but take a nap earlier today. While I am so happy to see them, the remaining weeks until school resumes are sure to exhaust and challenge.

Last night, Mom and I went to Wolf Trap (a great, open-air venue for concerts and performances in Virginia) to hear Diana Ross. We'd bought tickets just the night before in a fit of enthused spontaneity which refused to acknowledge price inflation and the fact that she woke up at 4a yesterday to fly the boys home. It was totally worth it! Diana was incredible, a 69-year-old star from a time when that really meant something. She had a huge band -including two drummers- and changed from outfit to glamorous outfit SIX times. Sequins, feathers, floor-length diva-flair was everywhere: fiery red, coronet blue, a black gown with a neon-yellow boa coat, orange... She sang so many hits (except Reflections; so sad), and the almost-best was the crowd. Everyone was psyched, knew all the words, sang them with abandon, danced the night away in both standing and seated positions. There were young gals, older men and everything in between. We had an absolute ball and on the way home, bought Reflections from iTunes and played it the whole way.

This morning we all started in on a harder-than-get-out puzzle of Hedwig and the Harry Potter crest, went out and gorged on tacos and tonight I'm cooking a feast of short ribs, hominy salad, watermelon and feta stacks with serrano vinaigrette and dessert TBD. Sadly, Mom heads back home tomorrow.

If you love avocados, tomorrow's One Day Deal at participating Whole Foods is: Hass avocados, $1 each.

Now cooking...

I have been a whir of action today: exercise, grocery shopping, pedicure, random errands, the first jam, and now a second. With the two pounds of beautiful Italian prune plums that I schlepped home from the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC, I have just made a batch of a foodie friend's Spiced Plum and Port Jam. I omitted the pectin, added a bit more sugar, cooked the jam down longer (and so ended up with less jam than the author got) and will be so thrilled that I made this when fall ushers in cool mornings that just beg you to slather this over warm bread. I will also willingly part with a few at the Circle Yoga Arts Market on Sept 7. See my Events Calendar for more information! I whirred through all these activities so that I could be all ready to go pick up my boys and Mom tonight. Sadly, their flight from Lake Charles was delayed so long that they'd then miss their flight from Houston. Instead they'll fly in tomorrow afternoon. Mom is wiped from having been up with sick Ol the past three nights, and he has just today started to improve, so she's actually glad about the delay: she can sleep; his ears can get a bit better. I can get behind that good logic and so instead of greeting all my loves who I've not seen in a week, I will instead have a last empty-house date with my hubs.

Inexplicably, I am singing The Farmer in the Dell to myself. Be gone with you, irritating song!