Sheridan's Day

The best part of MY summer is the week I take off, because I get to spend one whole day with each of the kids. Sheridan was first up on Monday.

We had kind of a rough start. We slept in (hello, JAKES just happened!) and got going an hour late. Sheridan had an itchy allergic reaction to the sunscreen from the day before (which usually only happens when it is a spray-on). Then her stomach started getting upset. Then we forgot the rocks she painted to hide. Then we got to the place she had been planning on for breakfast for a MONTH...and it is closed on Mondays.

Crap crap crap. She was fighting back tears. Not how the special days are supposed to go.

Okay, rocks: I have a few rocks stashed at my desk at he library, we can run by there and I can sneak one out for her to 'find'. Fortunately, I didn't have to!

Whoever painted this gorgeous kitty and left it at the library, THANK-YOU!!! You saved our day!!!

Things got much better after that. We only had half an hour before her hair appointment and still no breakfast, so we grabbed some fruit kabobs at the grocery store across from the library. Just the thing for an upset stomach!

She rehid the rock here, by the way...

Next up, haircut!

Just a trim, and the hair stylist (our favorite, Michelle) put it in a pretty braid that was perfect for the hot day.

We just had time to hit the Blue Stone to pick up her summer reading prize and stop at one thrift shop before making our lunch reservations at the Friendship Tea House. We have seen pictures posted by all our friends, but this was our first visit.

The tea house is in a small house, every room decorated in antiques and all things pink. Several cozy tables throughout,

plus a few requisite creepy dolls.

Ignore La Llorona in the mirror.

There is an optional dress-up area, but Sheridan decided to pass. Despite telling me half an hour before that she didn't like Barbies any more, she spent some time playing with this house.

Mostly it bothered her sense of order that everyone didn't have matching shoes, so she had to fix that. Definitely my child.

When lunch came it dodn't look like a filling meal, but we were both stuffed by the end! And so good!

Sheridan's ham and cheese sandwich was in a butterfly shape, while I had fingers of turkey and cucumber sandwich. Open faced, flower shaped strawberry and banana sandwiches, deviled eggs, and three types of scones with the YUMMIEST Devonshire cream! Mango tea to wash it all down.

We opted to share a piece of cake (angel food - my favorite - with a lemon custard filling and rasberries on top.) SO good, but we barely squeezed it in!

A little more play, this time in the toy kitchen, where she found a complete tea set. She decided to serve me this time.

And thus begins the quest for the perfect tea set, because we obviously need one at home!

School shopping at Walmart, which was rather ridiculous - how can they not have ANY rulers? Or shoes her size that are not pink? And literally nobody in town that sells clothing carried socks that are NOT ankle socks, which she hates. 

We stopped for a drink at the McDonald's in Walmart, and she asked if she could give her last quarter to the older gentleman behind us in line. That sparked a lovely conversation, and when he learned that she earned her quarters taking care of our chickens, he shared that he had studied chicken husbandry 60 years ago. And then when he left he gave her a different quarter ;)

We toured the mall in quest of socks (no luck), and spent some time at Alamo Jump, where we ran into half my library patrons. Our last stop was a quick stroll through the zoo.

When you are hungry, but just too hot and tired to do anything but eat lying down.

 Mostly we visited the aviary.

Does anyone know what kind of plant this is??

As you can see, we lost the braid somewhere around Alamo Jump!

We picked up the other kids and headed home, but the special day wasn't over yet. Sheridan had planned a dinner of hamburgers, applesauce and cutie oranges. She also made a special dessert:

Mykela, you may recognize these glasses from your wedding!

She even took everyone's burger orders:

and served sparkling grape juice in the plastic tea set we found for temporary use. A fantastic meal at the end of a fantastic day! Followed by a night of just her and I in the camper...because, you know, we didn't JUST spend three days camping in it...