while the cat is away...

Tim and Will left this afternoon for their first overnight Cub Scout campout. Previously they had stayed for the activities, but not wanting to miss Mass they always came home before bedtime. However, due to Mass here not starting until noon, they equipped themselves quite handsomely at Target with new sleeping bags, lanterns, a camp stove, and mess gear. The rest of us didn't exactly see them off, as we had already left for a picnic by the lake, complete with a sailboat ride, face painting, and games. The only blemish in the day was when Timmy was standing in a swarm of fire ants and in the 15 seconds it took me to race down the hill and swipe them off he was bitten about a dozen times. He is quite a trooper though and only cried for a few minutes. Ever efficient I had all 4 of my charges bathed (bye, bye, unicorn) and fed by 6pm and in bed before 8pm.

You see, I have my own agenda for the evening and it doesn't include reading dozens of picture books or letting them watch movies. I have been utterly entranced by a series in the style and setting of Jane Austen's England by Elizabeth Aston. While I am still missing the first book, Mr. Darcy's Daughters, I have sped through The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy, The True Darcy Spirit, and The Second Mrs. Darcy. So, with only the last in the series, The Darcy Connection left in the house, I am going to shut down the computer, pull out a bag from my hidden stash of m&ms and make myself a little nest to read, without any pressure during an exciting scene to shut the book and turn off the light. I certainly love spending time with my husband but I occasionally enjoy staying up late with a juicy story. Love, intrigue, fortunes, scandal, and always a happy ending, what could be better?