Lady of the '80s

A guy in our ward threw a surprise party for his wife. The theme was the '80s. Not everyone dressed up, but among those who did, guess who won the prize for best costume?

Me with my friend Sarah, the co-conspirator of the surprise. Check out her side ponytail and my shoulder pads!

Whereas most of the party goers wore what teens in the '80s wore, I was the only one to dress like my mother, figuratively speaking of course. I found the whole ensemble for $5.

I did a little styling with the curling iron. (We only have one because the previous owner of the house left it.) This hairdo is remarkably similar to the perm I had in my 10th grade picture.

The next day was Sunday, and Sarah was disappointed that I didn't wear this outfit to church. Uh, no. It would have been okay 30 years ago, but now it's too garish.

Jason also dressed up. He wore a polo shirt--with a real Polo logo, pegged pants, scrunched socks, and Converse high tops. As he was folding and rolling his pant cuffs, he realized how easily it came back to him. He remarked, "Just like riding a bike!"

Valentine's Day Creativity

I'm trying to preserve the legacy of creative, handmade valentines, but this year my creative juices just weren't flowing. 

George and Ruth exchanged valentines in their preschool class. Ruth's were a basic cardstock heart stapled to a packet of fruit snacks. George's had those same fruit snacks but also included a heart cut from one of his many, many watercolor paintings. I wrote on each one, "I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day with all my 'ART'!"

For Paige's valentines, the snack was Fruit by the Foot, and I tried so hard to write a couplet or poetry that would relate to the snack and to the occasion and that would be understood by the 2nd graders. 

For instance, one of my favorite ideas was:

Sugar is sweet, Honey is sweeter.

If we lived abroad, we'd eat "Fruit by the Meter."

Too bad Paige's class hasn't learned the metric system, yet. And with very few words that rhyme with "foot," I had to resort to the roses and violets:

Roses are red, violets are blue.

Eat "Fruit by the Foot," 

But not your shoe. 

James helped write a few alternate endings, which we also gave to some class members:

Roses are red, violets are blue.

Eat "Fruit by the Foot,". . . .

... It's easy to chew. 

... You'll be glad if you do. 

The closest we came to a note that conveys friendship is this one, which Paige gave to a few close friends:

Roses are red, violets are blue.

"Fruit by the Foot" means 

"I like you!"

(Awww, isn't that nice?!)

From all reports, even the kids who got the lame poetry didn't complain. Because they still got their snack!