{Highlights}

I realize that my title may suggest that I've done something new to my hair. This is not true. (Although I'm starting to come to grips with the fact that it's just about time to take on the sneaky grey in a pretty serious fashion. I'm thinking caramel.)

Really I'm thinking along the lines of the week's highlights. Which were not caramel. But colorful, nonetheless.

The first highlight comes in the form of a lovely bouquet of pink flowers. Last week while checking out at Trader Joe's, an Irish tune started to play on the radio. How fun. St. Patrick's Day and all. Then it got personal. The checker, usually rather taciturn, suddenly piped up, "I'll give you a free reusable bag and a bouquet of flowers if you dance an Irish jig!"

I was taken aback. I hedged about the issue, eager to bolt. As he pulled off my receipt, he gave me a final challenge. "C'mon! Don't be shy!" I thought about the truth of the matter. I am shy. Which is why I now have a free bag and bouquet of flowers. Sometimes shy people just need to suck it up and dance a jig.

The next color is sage, represented by my teacup. We've been without a microwave for a while now, and it's actually working out just fine. Every time we think about replacing it we realize that it hasn't been too tricky to live without one. We kind of like it. I've discovered that butter can be softened for cookie making purposes by sticking it in a plastic Zip-loc bag and smacking it with a rolling pin. This is fun.

I've also discovered that drinks can be reheated using a double boiler method. This is effective but cumbersome. So I've been on the lookout for a candle warmer. Last week I found this candle-thingy which, now that I think about it, looks rather precarious. But. It heats up a cup (or a pot) of tea quite nicely, and it's much more quiet than a microwave.

Highlight number three is red, yellow and blue (and fuzzy). We celebrated Jamie's birthday this week, and I came across this picture from our beloved high school days. We were dressed as Jack and Jill (note the broken crown) for a church carnival. He was a good, good boyfriend to not run away from the many dress-up opportunities I so eagerly embraced. Oh, the pictures I could show you.

The kids celebrated him with many coupons and hugs and giggles, which is just the way he likes it.

My fourth highlight is brown. (And red. But that's gross.) This would be the salamander that I found in my washing machine on Thursday. After I had run the cycle. The kids had scooped up the outside towels from drying off the trampoline, and I'm assuming that he innocently wriggled his way into the pile. He became very clean. So clean that he died. I am extremely grateful that he was not washed and dried. It still gives me the creeps to think about it. I do not have a picture to show you. You'll have to take my word for it.

My fifth highlight is actually a real highlight color: a lovely gold. These muffins will be my undoing, I tell you. This morning after dropping off Drew at the church for a youth project, I suddenly needed French Breakfast Puffs. So I made them. (And will have to walk miles to pay for it.)

Little Miss was very eager to help, and hoped to be the one to remove them from the oven. "Can I take them out? I've had lots of experience." I was curious what "lots of experience" looks like in the mind of a seven-year-old. She defended her position. "I can prove it. One time when I was four." Well then. She removed those muffins. And did a mighty fine job, I might add.

She also rolled them in the butter . . . and the cinnamon and sugar. And then we devoured them.

Which is why I must now walk for miles. And so I bid you adieu, hoping that your weekend, too, is filled with a rainbow of memorable highlights.