The Pioneer Woman was supposed to be in Little Rock, Arkansas tonight. She probably was. I didn't torture myself with checking. I had planned to take Butterfly to her book signing tonight while the boys were scouting. A Girl's Night Out. A Road Trip. The Great Escape!

But then Sunday happened. Dog Sunday, that is.

My good friend and dog rescuer called to say she had a neglected, abused pup that needed a home. She figured we might be ready for a dog. I wasn't sure, but I said we would foster her for awhile.

Then we met her. It was love.

24 hours later, we still love her. Bunches. Oodles. More and more every minute. However, Dog Sunday wasn't quite ready for us to leave her home alone.

Sorry, Pioneer Woman.

It was Girl's Night In.

Really, do you blame us?

"Over the river and through the woods..."

It just doesn't fit. For a child whose Grandmother lives in southern Louisiana, we need a revision.

"Over the bayou and through the cane..."

...to Grandmother's 100th birthday party we went. Through miles of sugar cane. Through miles of Cypress trees and Live Oaks. Past sugar cane carts and refineries and over muddy roads.

No white and drifted snow there.

There were children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren present. Grandma hopped around from one group to the next, chatting and catching up. No wizened old lady is MY Grandma. She could run rings around the lot of us.

I'm pretty sure we'll have to throw a 150th birthday party for her.

Of course, she'll have to push us around in our wheelchairs and serve us our pureed food. But don't worry. She'll be up for it.

Love ya, Grandma.

Many happy returns.

We drove to Louisiana today.

Squish.

It rained on us...the whole way.

We saw TEN accidents.

I told The C.F.O. to slow down four hundred, sixty-four times. More or less.

We drove through Lincoln County, hit Pike County in time to hear about the Tornado Warning in Lincoln County. The Tornado Warning for Tangipahoa Parish was broadcast just as we were crossing the state line into...Tangipahoa Parish. WELCOME HOME!! We decided to stop for quality time with the nice people at the Louisiana rest area on Interstate 55. (They're our new best friends.)

We had clothes in the car topper. They got wet.

It could have been worse.

When we got to Mom's we found these waiting for us...

COOKIES!!! (There were more. Now there are not.)

Our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Thanks, Mom.

And thanks for letting us use the dryer.

Squish.

I have read the Fly Lady's book, and I consider my home to be free of CHOAS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome - it's a Fly Lady thing) at least 90% of the time. Okay, 80%, but that's my final answer.

In a related story...in preparation for the new bunk-beds-which-The C.F.O.-and-Salamander-will-construct-any-day-now, I decided it was time to do a little fall house cleaning, specifically targeting the boys' room. Yesterday I sorted through their clothing, eliminating three trash bags of clothes. Three bags. What can I tell you? They've grown a lot recently. I stored clothes for Tiger to grow into, and ruthlessly and obsessive compulsively organized the top of their closet. The formerly mentioned organization will last through the new year.

Leave me my delusions.

Today's project: sort through the toys in the BOTTOM of the closet.

In order to get to the closet, however, it was required that Tiger take care of the large infestation of jelly beans that had appeared on the carpet overnight.

Sigh. Jelly beans on the carpet.

No where in the Fly Lady book does it talk about the possibility of jelly bean infestations in an organized household!

Just clip my wings, and call me a lowly caterpillar.