Strategy

My son taught me a new game this evening: Stratego.  I didn't even know Ches had taught him!  He tried to explain it to me (while I was making a cake), but I had to just play.  Have you ever played?  It's kinda like Battleship meets Chess.  You have to capture they other players' flag.  And there are all these ranks of men-and long story short..we both lost our number 8 men (the miners), the only ones who can dismantle bombs, and our bombs were surrounding our flags...so we both lost/won.  I don't like to lose, so it was perfect. ; )


I used a recipe that I got for a chocolate cake at least 12-15 years ago.  The good thing is it tasted fine-it was so rich I couldn't finish my small piece.  Seriously, and I *love* sugar and chocolate.  I think it was the frosting.  It was homemade with butter, Hershey's cocoa, milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  I don't guess I ever used this recipe, because it was completely foreign, and didn't behave like my mom's chocolate frosting-pourable.  It was so thick (think THiCK buttercream!), I was having to wipe it on the cake, then it'd get soft on the warm cake.  I'd have to check with my friend now to make sure there wasn't supposed to be more butter (1 cup instead of 1 stick?), but I'll use another next time, thanks.  Although the kids loved the moist cake with super-thick frosting!


I'm almost done with this crazy tax stuff.  I've been reconciling every statement for the past year on my checking account, I thought it was done, but I'm finding transactions missing!  I'll be so thankful when the exam of our finances is done.


Ches is beginning to swell.  At first, I was super-worried, but he said forehead swelling was common for the first 3-5 days.  I'm trying not to freak out.  Then, as the day wore on...he began to get a wider nose bridge, and a bag on the right side of his face..and now his eye is all under a puffy cliff-hanger of an eyebrow.  I keep remembering the Elephant Man.(..do you remember that movie with Cher?)  By evening, I couldn't help laughing, and I think it lightened our tension (the stress that was keeping us on the edge of an ER visit).  Now, he's trying to name what he looks like, and it's really swollen.  I think he may not go to church tomorrow, but he asked if I'd come by and get him afterward to go out to eat.  Haha : )  I can't take a picture of him...it wouldn't be nice.  And we don't really want to remember.  I'm just praying it was worth it for him.  I SO hope it'll pay off and he'll be happy with his hair.  He'll still have to go back again (maybe, after this!), but at least we'll know what to expect.


I'm tired again, so I have to get some sleep.  Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!  Hugs and good hair wishes! : )