Winter Break

I took this Thursday/Friday off.

Thursday, my sister came to visit. She dropped off my nieces to stay with our mom and that gave us some sister time. We had a leisurely lunch and went to Whole Foods which my sister hasn't got near her home.

She picked up a star fruit to try. How many times have I walked by the star fruit and passion fruit and other exotic fruit and wondered but never picked one up? Who might be the adventurous spirit in our family?

Then she went and collected my youngest niece and brought her to my house.

Olivia told me about Father/Daughter night at preschool and the big boxes of dirt and trowels with WORMS! Real ones. That were wiggling. They dug worms with Dad.


And while I cooked chili, she cooked bubble soup.

And then we all sampled star fruit. We all liked it's looks, both before it was cut and after. And Olivia was an instant fan. I thought it had a kiwi fruit like consistency, and a light taste but something else. My sister called it a green or herb like taste. We had to put away the remaining star fruit so my older niece could try it.

Last night we had a family dinner with both nieces and grandmother and my sister and me. And the dogs. Who were in heaven with so many people to love and sniff.

So today we made a matching/memory game with some Secret Agent Josephine valentines and scrapbook cardstock (I printed the valentine images on 8 1/2 x 11 paper and then cut them up and cut the cardstock into 3" squares and we all glued the valentines on the cardstock ). Then we played the game. When I was little we called it Concentration. Maybe it's not called that now. Anyway, it was a success and it gave me an idea for a family version.

Tomorrow I will go spend an afternoon with a friend.

And this little mini-vacay will be over.