The Case of the Missing Cookies (a nursery mystery)

The Adventures of Cagney and Lacey:

in the Case of the Missing Cookies

(the church nursery version)

Lacey I don't know about you, but I'm starving for some cookies!

Me too Cagney, I'm so hungry I'm eating my sock!

Must find Cookies.

Give me five momentos to get out of this contraption.  

I think the combo is: pull-tug-tug-place in mouth-tug.

I even wore my shoes 

 built for speed for our latest mission.

Detective Dora here. 

Here to help.

I know nothing about cookies. I swear.

Mayday!  Mayday!  One shoe down! One shoe down!

Get me outta' here.

Detective Dora at your service.

Need a shoe?*

(*special note- the shoe appears closer in photo than real life.  Camera holder was very close, making sure no one was kicked in the investigation.)

Detective Dora and Lacey- you are not helping.

We need Lt. Bert.

Oh, Lt. Beerrrttttt! BERT!

I don't want to get involved ladies.

I just want to read my book and run my mom around this room in peace ladies.

Lt. Bert I am going to sit hear nicely with my hands crossed. 

You have three seconds before I scream my head off to get out.

So get over here PLEASE.

Ok, ok.  Here I am to assist in anyway.

Just a little twist, twist, turn, twist...

and you will be out of here in no time to find the cookies.

BTW- I want my share.

Finally.  Now time for some investigation.

No clues over here Lacey.

Detective Dora over here.  

hmmmmm.

Just hangin' out making cookies...I mean um, errrr, 

making vegetables. Yeah, thats right. Vegetables.

I know nothing.

Well there are cookies over here, 

cookies for the COOKIE MONSTER.  

haaaaaaaa. haaaaaaaa.

I just made a Sesame Street joke. Man, I'm funny.

No time for jokes Lt. Bert.

I may have one shoe, but I still plan to scale this wall until I find those cookies!

Right On Cagney, I'm coming with you.

Lac-ey....on....my....toes....too...hard....

...me..too...sweating....too...far...up....

Maybe if you girls lifted heavy boxes like this for your mom to open you would not have any trouble climbing that wall.

Any sign of cookies Lt. Bert?

No, but I bet my mom wishes that lady would put down the camera while she is wrangling all of us.

Hey wait a minute....standing, standing...I might get to WALK to the cookies, creating speed and agility and....

and down.  Never mind about that plan.

Hey this book provides a clue.

God made everything.

God made cookies.

I knew we were on the right track.

Did somebody say cookies?

I know nothing of cookies.

What are you doing Lt. Bert?

I'm calling my grandma.  She is in the other room and she will bring us whatever we need.

Did she pick up?

No, but I'll text her.

As soon as she gets the SOS she will be here.

Ok Detective Dora...Where are the cookies?  

I know you know something.  

Cagney get over here. Dora knows something. Cagney??

Sorry Lacey.  I've got to get some type of nutrition before my next mission.  My mom thinks she is getting a nap, but that isn't happening.

he. he.

I'll just be over here.  hiding.

Really.  I know nothing of this word cookie.

At least I have you Lt. Bert.

Absolutely.  I will not STOP until every cookie in this church is in our........DADDY!!!

Sorry Lacey, I gotta go.

Woe is me.  I didn't find the cookies 

but I know looking out at this cold, dark world those wonderful cookies are out there waiting on me...and I won't give up until the mission is complete.

I thought they would never leave.

Cookie TIME!!!

Rooms and Burnt Squash

Last weekend was so crazy busy with the derby, two i.e.ps. to be written, a trip to w/salem, early/late church, dinner plans......   

I was really excited that this weekend I had no plans and no school work or meeting to prepare. Its funny how your body automatically goes into lazy drive when you have a down weekend. It took me all day to clean up and fold laundry, when last weekend I did it within hours because I knew I had something else waiting for me to do.  I guess we need those slow downed times or our bodies would just go on strike. 

 One thing we finally finished this weekend was giving our living room a facelift.  Our living room is TRULY a LIVING room.  The one room where we all gather, eat, talk, play, do homework, read, work on the computer, etc.  It is where we truly LIVE.   Our living room was much like me....in MAJOR need of a full body makeover and face lift.    Like most folks, we had to budget our money and purchase wisely.  Basically I was limited in what I could do, but I did put my living room on a diet of Burnt Squash.

This is the before:

no color. blah.

These curtains were well worth whatever was spent.  They were  given to me as hand me downs my first year as a teacher.  They were suppose to be temporary until we could save for a different set.

I've had them hanging at this window for 11 years! 

I had plans to add more pictures to this wall...I swear.

Before Carlee was born Darren bought us two beautiful end tables and a great coffee table that doubles as two backless chairs (on clearance).  

1.  The coffee table had to go to the basement with the promise one day we will have time, space, and use for a coffee table.  2.  The two end tables were already getting some wear and tear thanks to all the activity surrounding it with two children.

This describes our marriage perfectly.  

I wanted color.

He wanted cheap and white.

We compromised. 

One accent wall (Burnt Squash) with the rest white (Wedding Chapel).

Darren is a very talented painter.  

He is a perfectionist and carefully fills the holes, sands, and prepares before painting.

This is how it turned out.

Burnt Squash

Connor calls it gold (which I HATE).

I had to fix a place for the toys.

I have no problem with toys in the living room with the agreement that Connor keeps them separate from Carlee's bucket and that everything is placed in this corner (or the trash) by the end of the night.

Project II- Carlee's First Year

(like the gold Burnt Squash background?)

We hung the pictures above the television, to bring out the Burnt Squash- Man I love to write that word.  

It isn't Gold!!! You hear me, it isn't GOLD. 

I found some fabric to cover the end tables (would you say, Monroe Bisque??) until Carlee and Connor are a little older 

(we have some absorbent bath towels under those cloths too).  

I went bold with the curtains (and each panel was under 10.00).

I really like the color.  

The only problem is... if we close the curtains, the living room looks like a seedy night club.

Yeah. We will be keeping the curtains open. 

 I guess it's no secret I love, love, love photos.

This is what we have on the wall...with the hope of adding more as our children, cousins, and other family grow.

My picture frames before were a light and dark mix. 

 Darren thought a uniform color would look better.

Family- where life begins and love never ends.

While I was fixing up the living room, I found these curtains for Carlee's room.  The curtains are sheer with silk brown/pink ribbon and tiny pink/brown dots.  

These are also the colors in her room.  

$3.00 a panel!!!  

I think they look lovely.

In the world of paint cans Carlee's room colors would be 

Blushing Bride 

and

Rich Coffee.

I want to work as a person who names paint colors.

And then I went to the kitchen for a snack and I realized my kitchen wall looked like crap non-creative,

and I was broke.

Connor has been bringing home so many creative pieces of work from school, I thought I could showcase them.

I used my old light frames

and some of his past and present work. 

This is C's interpretation based on the Tree of Life painting by Gustav Klimt.

He did this in Art class (I want to go to this teacher's class!!!)

Would you say there is some Burnt Squash coloring in there? I swear I'll stop now.

This is a snowman designed in kindergarten from alternative materials from home.  

This is a picture of Connor when he grows up.

He is a reptile catcher who is feeding his Anaconda in this picture.

This is from Connor's Thanksgiving unit in kindergarten.  He was an Indian who designed his own vest.  This is a piece from that vest.

This is from music class.  This is Connor playing his favorite instrument- a guitar from his Uncle Joe.  Carlee is watching Connor play.

I'm exhausted...I think I'll go rest and make my self a delicious snack the color of Cabin in the Woods and drink a refreshing drink the color of Lobster Bake.

I could go all night on this color thing.