If scatter-brained = genius...

This morning, I decided to be a good little wife and make dinner in the crockpot before leaving for work. I put it all together, took a couple of pictures, set the crockpot on low, got ready for school, packed the car, and left. I looked forward to this dinner all day. I usually make mashed potatoes and peas with it, and it's simply heavenly. Finally, the day was over, and I made it home to start my potatoes and check on the part of dinner that was in the crockpot. When I checked it, it still looked like the picture above.

That's right. I set it on low, why didn't it cook? It wasn't plugged in, that's why. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time this has happened. I am a total, complete, and entire scatter-brain. Here's what gives me hope: most of the big "genius" types are scatter-brained too. My conclusion is this: I must be a genius. OR, I could just be a big dork who forgets to plug things in.

After failing to create a meal (and lacking in back-ups at the end of the week), we decided to go out to eat. We went somewhere REAL NICE where we've never been before in our married life: Wendy's.

At Wendy's, Eli had a first. He ate with a spoon--completely and entirely by himself. He shared a frosty with us. But, really, aren't frosties quite the motivating force? He scooped.... He opened wide... And there was sweet success!
Once we finished our dessert, we decided to go walk it off across the street at Home Depot. We ran into the lawnmowers, which reminded me that Eli's PawPaw Keith is in the market for a new one. So Eli rated a few mowers for him based on what he felt was important.

The first mower Eli tried was a John Deere. He liked the color and the cushy seat. He liked the feel of the tires. But he wanted to try a few more.

The next mower to check out was the Cub Cadet. He thought it was pretty cool. It was cozy. It had fun armrests that were dual purpose: they're comfy and they helped him stay in. The only problem was that he had a bit of trouble seeing over the wheel. Regardless, this is a definite option.
After this came the orange one (named something we've never heard of). The inability to remember the name doesn't much help it. However, it's a cool color and it has some pretty swanky cup holders. That would be great for a Sonic tea or a sippy cup--all depending on who's doing the mowing.
Eli's favorite mower, by far, was the Toro. It had a really cool steering wheel (that's not really a wheel). It has a cup holder AND a spot to hold Cheerios. Yep, this is the winner.
Eli's a really good helper. He pushed the cart all over Home Depot. Bye, bye!
Lingering thought of the day: If there's one thing I've learned in teaching, it's this: teenagers, ultimately, are good. So many of them today told me they're praying for my dad and his surgery. Many more told me they hope & know all will go well. They really are sweet creatures!