A photo review

Because I am so festive I am going to do a little something special for this upcoming holiday (that and because I actually can). And it is this: a photo review of my past year. Yes. Yes. That is it. Exciting I know. I will start with a few today and then make it last for as long as I simply can.

It snowed a lot in January and February (though I suppose "a lot" is relative. For us it was a bunch). I mean, really, look at all that snow! (snow, snow, snow, snow ... it won't be long before we're there with snow, snow ... )

Over Easter I got to spend 10 whole days at my sisters' house way up north while she ran off to Mexico with her hubby. It was wonderful. The Easter Bunny came. We played at the park. Ate lots of candy. Visited. And there was lots of hugs and kisses. bliss. Shame I wasn't blogging back then cause I have a killer story. ... eh, I will just have to share it. one day. soon. Don't worry. It will be well worth the wait : ) ... I love the little ones ....

And then we went to adventure land ...

but that's all for today. ... I have to figure out how I can link older blog posts to a new one before I post more pictures (and I haven't the slightest idea how to do that...if you know, help would me most welcome!). But don't worry... there will be more blog. More pictures. And more stories. Soon. yes. yes.

Welcome Home Sweet Home

Thankfully I managed to gracefully munch on my soup and bread while the hubs was driving us home sweet home. Thankfully the trip was grand and passed by kind of quickly. Thankfully we made it home that night.

On the way home we talked about stopping and staying with some buddies in good ol' West Virginia, but decided that we just wanted to get on home. It was only a few more hours so we went for it. After stopping at a McDonalds and eating our packed lunch of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (for me), a meat deluxe sandwich (for the hubs), and some chips. Yes, we really are that cheap. Taking our own food into a place that sells food. Yep.

Anyhow we made it home and it was Wonderful! I love our home. It's simply wonderful, probably mostly because it is ours and home and just you know, home.

The hubs pulled into the dark drive and we grabbed some goods to haul inside. Naturally of course. But only a few of the most important things that we would need for the night. Toothpaste. Toothbrushes. Pjs. You know. Little did we know what was about to happen.

No. We did not. We did not know that the water in the upstairs bathtub was trickling. We did not know that the bathtub was slowly filling up with water. No. We did not know this. The hubs rushed up the steps and thought that maybe the water had just been left on (for the whole time we'd been gone?! Not a pretty water bill) and touched the knob to turn the water off. At which point the knob popped off and water started Gushing out. Wonderful. Curses. The hubs made a few calls to some smart people (his pops) and then tried opening the water thingy in the ground to turn off the water supply. It didn't open. The tub was quickly filling with water. I was running around gathering up all of our buckets and big bowls, just in case we needed them. After an eternity of the hubs fooling with the water thingy in the ground he made a call. To the Fire Department.

That's when the Firemen came to our house. At 1:22 in the morning. In 20* weather. After a 10 hour drive. They came with their lights blaring and sirens screaming. They came with their big fancy tools. They came in their heavy fire clothes. They came and saved us. Thank Jesus for wonderful Firemen. After another eternity passed they turned the water off. Just in time too, the tub was getting pretty full. Thank you Firemen.

And we had no water. After a 10 hour drive. After being outside and fiddling with dirty outside things. After drinking lots of caffeine. I could feel my teeth rotting. I could feel the dirt sticking to my skin. I could feel my slimy hands. ugh. I think I have never used so my anti-bacterial hand sanitizer at one time in my life. And I couldn't sleep. 1. Because I was nasty gross dirty. 2. Because I was paranoid our house was going to collapse from water damage. 3. Because I was worried a plumber wouldn't be able to come in the morning. brother.

Thankfully the hubs is a genius and thought of a great solution. I thought about calling every single person I knew in the whole city (not that many) and begging them to let me come take a shower or at least just wash my hands at their house. But the hubs' idea was better. We would go to the church, work out (for 5 minutes: so not really work out), and then take showers there. That is why I married him : )

O, I am so thankful for working running water. I love washing my hands with soap and water. What a treat it is. What a treat.

Welcome home hubs and cupcake, as a welcome home present you will get broken water pipes and a flooded house. Merry Christmas!

The Not Treasure Hunt

The hubs and I made an agreement. Yes. Yes. We did. The agreement was that I would take him to work in the morning, go back to the apartment and pack up all of our precious belongings, go eat some lunch by my lonesome while he had a lunch party with his co-workers, meet up with him after finishing and head on our merry way home. That was the agreement. That was the plan.

But, as most plans, this one failed miserably. Miserably. I took the hubs to work just fine, mainly because he was the one driving and he knew the way. I paid really close attention and took mental notes in my head of where to turn and where to go straight to get back home. Mental notes. That's a joke. They Never work for me. No. They do not. Because as soon as I make the mental note to "turn left on Kingstowne Street" I have to make another mental note to "turn right on Mayfield Drive" followed by several other streets to make turns on (or not make turns on). As you can see that's a lot of mental note taking in such a short time. But it doesn't stop there, because shortly after making all of these mental notes I am put to the test and have to follow them ... in Reverse! ah! Are you crazy?! No, the hubs is not crazy, but perhaps I am. But we already knew that...

So the hubs is dropped of at his work place (fancy shmancy if you ask me) and I hop over to drive back home. Not only am I driving back home, I am driving for the first time in weeks, I am driving for the first time in a crazy and very complicated city (really though, it is very confusing). It was for this reason (the confusing roads, the new city) that I decided I would NEVER drive there. Eat your words, Cupcake, you are going to drive home and then Back to meet the hubs after a soothing lunch. Right? Wrong.

My first success was pulling out of the parking lot and turning back on the road to get out of the army complex place. My second success was turning in the correct direction and driving down the familiar road for a few minutes. ...but after that it all went down hill. I was trying my best to follow the hubs directions with the mental notes I had taken, and kind of sort of not use the GPS until I passed the one road the hubs told me about. Well, it didn't work and I was headed right for the interstate (not where I wanted to go. you see the interstate up around those parts is stand still that time of day and I would have been sitting there idle in traffic for hours). I did not want to do that. So I drove on and "explored" part of the city I had never seen before. Then, after about an hour I was able to turn around, and pass the road I knew I needed to turn on. Good grief! So I made a u-turn (when the light was green and no one was coming) and a car pulls out of some drive and nearly kills me! Ah! ... see why I didn't want to drive?

Five hours later I made it home, took the pup out to play for a little bit, and then I packed like a mad lady. Well, most of the packing was done, I planned it that way. So I totted all of our bags to the front door and one by one dragged them to the car and shoved them in. After three more hours and an escape-y puppy, the car was packed and we (the pup and me) were ready to go eat some lunch and meet the hubs.

Or not. Because what happened next was I had to return the cable box and cords and all the crap that goes along with it to the store so we wouldn't have to pay a whopping $5000 fine for not returning it. No big deal, right? Wrong. I get to the store (the one the hubs pointed out on the way to his work that morning) and they claim they have never seen that cable or internet box before and my address is non existent. Won-der-ful. Or is it? It isn't, I'll tell you that much right now. But I smile and laugh and say, "O! that's ok! I must have misheard my hubs, I'm sure you're right and it belongs to the other major cable company in the area." Smile, Smile, Smile. I shove the cords and boxes into my flimsy little plastic bag and walk out the door.

Crap. Where the heck am I supposed to take the flipping cable crap? I don't live here. I don't know where anything is. double crap. Then I have an epiphany, I thought I remembered seeing another cable store on the way here. After testing my brain on how to get back there I speed off (well, not really speed) and find the sign "Comcast". ahhh! (that's a good ahhh!). After parking and stepping outside I looked around for the store. All of the other ones in the shopping center are labeled, clearly, the one I am looking for is not there. So I ask another shop keeper where it is, and she kindly pointed it out to me. Naturally it's on the far end from where I am currently standing. So I walk. In the cold. Without a coat. The closer I get the more fearful I become. Because this is what I see: white paper covering the windows and a sign that says, "For Lease." Are you kidding me?! As I inch closer still I see a tiny bit of paper on the door that says they have moved to Pickett Street. Where the heck is Pickett Street?! How am I supposed to know where Pickett Street is?!

Thankfully I'm not alone in this endeavor as there are two other people standing at the door reading the little bit of paper of a sign that says they are closed and to go to Pickett Street. I hear the nice lady telling the man where he needs to go, that she knows exactly where they are at. Right next to the Home Depot. I eagerly approach her and beg her to tell me how to get to Home Depot. I'm not from here and I don't even know where I live, so could she please o please tell me exactly how to get to Home Depot. Thankfully she does. She says there is only one turn. I repeat the directions she gave a hundred times to her and then I head for the car and set out. Again.

All the while I'm on my way I'm praying that the nice lady was right, that there really is a Pickett Street, that there really is a Home Depot., and that there really is the cable company. After turning on the street I kept driving, for hours there was no sign of a Home Depot. And those are hard to miss, there all big and orange and stuff. Well, there wasn't one. I started praying more and faster... then I saw it. A bright orange door. It could be Home Depot. But was it? Yes! O, thank the Lord! I have never in all my life been so excited to see Home Depot. Never. Then my prayers went to praise. Then quickly to prayers that there really was a cable store there and that it would be the one I needed. I pulled into the parking lot and ... Thank Jesus!!! I've never been so excited to see a cable store. Likewise, when the lady actually pulled up our correct address and said they didn't charge for the remote (because go figure it was the one thing I'd forgotten to pack up). O, thank you Jesus.

So after a year of packing up and driving around on an Easter Egg Hunt (for a cable store) I managed to only get half way lost on the way to meet up with the hubs. Except, at this point, he was the one waiting for me. I was sad I wasn't going to get to eat by my lonesome, but I found a little place that has soup in a bread bowl, I picked it and ate it on our way home (but that's another story altogether). O the soup. yummy yummy soup.

Christmas Shopping

With Christmas comes the joy of giving presents. Lots of them. And with presents come shopping. Lots of it. Kind of. Most years I start shopping after Thanksgiving, and when I start shopping I really only look around and think about what I should get the Mumsy and Papa and sisters and hubs. But that's all I do. Look. And think a little bit. But I usually never buy anything. Until it's really almost Christmas and I realize I only have a week left to get the stuffs I need.

Not this year. I am pleased to say that this year I managed to get all of the presents in one single day ... before Thanksgiving. yep. I know. It's a record. I even wrapped and mailed some of them off too. The reason I was so motivated to get this all done before Thanksgiving was because I knew that after Thanksgiving I wouldn't be able to get anything, well, unless I wanted to get everything from one store (that didn't have everything I wanted to get for everyone) and pack it in an already quite cramped car. I didn't want to have to think of ways to creatively pack our car for the trip home so I decided the best way to do it would be to shop and buy everything before hand. So I did.

Now all I have to do is wrap the pretty packages and stack them under my tree, and then I'll get to admire them for a whole day. Yep. One whole day of admiring. I usually like to admire the twinkling tree and the pretty packages underneath it, but I don't get to do that this year. Sad. But, true. And it's fine. I've come to terms with it. I will just wake up super early in the morning, wrap up the gifts and sit in front of the tree all day long. That way I will get maximum enjoyment from it. ... and hopefully the pup won't eat all of the pretty packages.

I'm sure he won't. He doesn't like to chew on anything. not.

Have I mentioned how excited I am for Christmas? I just love it! Not only because it's so pretty with twinkling lights and pretty trees and packages, but because you get to see family and eat lots of yummy foods and really enjoy being together. But most importantly it's perfect to remember what Christmas is all about. Yes yes. I'm thankful we have Christmas.

Upstairs Neighbor

We are currently staying in an old apartment building, quaint wouldn't be the right word, neither would nice or modern. Maybe smelly. That could fit, it is always smelly when we walk out of our front door. Never a lovely smell either. Sad, but true. So Old and Smelly. That's where we are (thankfully not for much longer! ah! I am sooooo excited!) for right now.

Anyway ... it's all fine and such. Except for one morning... I was sleeping. The hubs had gone to work and I was napping in bed simply because I can and I decided that since I have nothing pressing I would sleep (I do love it dearly after all). So there I was, in far off dream land, very much enjoying the back of my eyelids. Then I heard it. A creek. A squeak. A groan. ... Someone was in our apartment, standing at my bedroom door, staring at me. I was not prepared for this, no. I was not expecting someone to be in our apartment. I didn't think a strange person could sneak in without the puppy barking in alert, but somehow they did. There was another squeak. I opened my eyes and squinted (as I am blind) to see what I could see.

There was ... no one. Nope. No one was there (thankfully, obviously). Who knows what I would have done if there had been. And I heard it again. Incredibly loud and close. You know what it was? Upstairs neighbors. It's true. The building is so old I can hear every movement of the people above me. Wonderful. It is crazy how close they sound. I mean, it sounds like they are really in our apartment! It the sound you hear when you are at home and in the basement: the footsteps pounding above your head, the creaking of doors, opening and closing of closets... all of it.

I'm just glad that they were the upstairs neighbors. Now that I know what the sound is it no longer creeps me out in the morning (or the rest of the day).

And that's my little adventure for today.

he got kilt there

I have noticed that there are no interesting people up here. No. There aren't. At least not like there were this summer in Sunny Land. There are no people hanging out in the town square, no people coming and making speeches about how Aqua Man is going to end the world, no people wearing moon boots. No. There's none of that up here. I suppose there could be and I just haven't met any of them as there is no town square to go to. That would probably be because I have been being as lazy as is humanly possible, and also because, well, let's face it, there aren't very many interesting people up in these parts.

So to add some pizzazz (that is a word) to our lives the hubs gave me an early Christmas present. Very sweet and loverly, and probably no big thing to most people, but I'm a little bit weird. I HATE getting Christmas presents (or birthday presents) early. I choose to wait until it is actually Christmas day (or my Birthday day) to open any presents or cards I get. I just put the presents under the tree and admire them, along with the tree trimmings, until Christmas morning comes and I can open them. The hubs has told me I have a lot of self control ... he always tries to open up his presents early, I won't allow it. I won't stand for it. It is simply unpermitable. But he has learned that opening your presents on the real day is much more fun and satisfying. It's true. Anyhow... I didn't want to open the present early. But he insisted. He actually said, "No, I insist. You have too." So I did. I reluctantly took the little present from his hand and opened it. And there, in my hand, were two tickets to see "A Christmas Carol" at Ford's Theater (and yes, that is the famous one where President Lincoln was killed). The play was for Sunday, it was Saturday, I suppose it was good I opened that present early, it would have been very wasteful if I hadn't (and I hate being wasteful even more than I hate opening presents early ... kind of...) Anyhow. We went to the play.

And that's how our everyday ordinariness was pizzazzed up. We went up to the city and walked around in one of the many museums they have up there. Obviously some of it I found to be more interesting that some stuff ... and other things I found to be super neat-o. We went to a science part of the museum, I finished walking around in about 15-20 minutes (and that's with reading some of the bazillions of tags and labels they have on everything). While I was walking around I was aware that the hubs was lingering on something I had walked past already, but after walking through another part of the museum, I decided I should go back and look for him, and there he was, half way through. I love how smart he is. I do. Really. But when I saw him reading and listening and looking at all of the smart science stuff I felt kinda dumb which in turn made me admire him more. Anyway... we wandered and looked and ooed and aaed and then we went to see our play.

Now, the play is not only sweet and thoughtful of the hubs because it's a Christmas play, or because it was at Ford's Theater. But it was a memory. You see, the hubs gave me tickets to see "A Christmas Carol" for Christmas three years ago, after which he purposed. ...I'd go into all of the wonderfully sweet details, but I will save that for another day. He's just the sweetest hubs.

We went back to the museums and looked around some more, and we also went and saw the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Washington Monument, and other equally important sites. Then we decided that we were done walking around and visiting all of the important things we felt obligated to see. We also decided that we had a lot more fun exploring Lake Tahoe and Yosemite this summer... there was something that was just more exciting and fresh about it. I feel like a bad person to say it, but I really don't think walking around and seeing all of the museums and monuments is my kind of fun. I feel like it's something I need to do, since we are here after all. The hubs and I talked about going to a few other very important places around to visit them, and I said, "You know, I came here about 12 years ago (wow that makes me feel really really old) and I'd have to say it's all still really fresh." The hubs said the same thing (maybe we were here 12 years ago at the same time and never knew it! ... or maybe not. either way, it was still fresh enough in both of our minds that we got on the train and went to have some dinner.

o yes. the sights. the sounds. ... and I am ready to be home, to see my own happy cozy comfy sights, sounds, and smells. soon. soon.

The hubs and I went to Ford's Theater on the weekend. We also went to some museums and such.

Things I have done...

During this, my last class of the semester I decided I would post a blog about everything I have done during my classes this past year, while I am in class : ) o the wonders of taking online classes.

1. Posted a blog.

2. Chatted with my Mumsy and Papa

3. Chatted with my bruter.

4. Watched a show.

5. Talked to my sister.

6. Posted a blog about what I've done during class.

7. Talked to the hubs.

8. Brushed my teeth.

9. Made a comment in the class discussion.

10. Checked my email.

11. Checked my Facebook.

12. Written emails.

13. Uploaded pictures to Facebook.

14. Flossed my teeth.

15. Played with my puppy.

16. Watched Glee.

17. Became a little bit addicted to Glee.

18. Brushed my hair.

19. Listened to sweet tunes.

20. Watched movies.

21. Said a comment in the class discussion.

22. Read a book.

23. Trimmed my finger nails.

24. Painted my finger nails.

25. Painted my toe nails.

26. Gone downstairs and gotten water.

27. Paid bills.

28. Written cards.

29. Read the class discussion.

30. Tweaked homework assignments.

31. Eaten dinner.

32. Admired my Christmas Tree.

33. Sipped hot cocoa.

34. I did Not drive to Taco Bell and come back (I say that because one of my classmates actually did that once! ha!)

35. Written a grocery list.

36. Looked up recipes.

37. Read blogs.

38. Paid attention to class discussion.

39. Written out my Christmas Wish List (if you'd like a copy I'd be happy to share it with you : )

40. Crocheted an afghan (part of one, that is).

41. Baked bread.

...and that's all I can think of for now. Now, don't get me wrong, I have paid attention to the class discussion, and I have even made presentations. These are just things I've done because I am able to multi-task so well. I have also turned in all of my homeworks, on time, and have been able to maintain the highest GPA I have ever had. Ever.

And now is my Christmas break. I am going to enjoy the dickens out of it : )

cheers

micro

My Micro Blog (a tiny short little sentence about what you are doing, where you are, how you are feeling, ext. kind of like that twirping stuff I think):

I am DONE!!! With my homework. Wonderful. No more. Nope. Not for me. Not now. Not ever!!!! BAhahahaha.... woot hoo!! : ) so happy! : )

5 away ... almost there

I only have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 assignments left to do. Then I am done. I mean, done. Finished. No more. I will have nothing school like to do from now on, unless you consider student teaching school like (which I don't for the obvious reason that I will actually be at school and so that is hardly schoolish, know what I mean? right. I thought you would).

With the remaining assignments, I know exactly how long each one will take me to complete and so I am putting it off for that much longer. Don't worry, I won't wait until the last minute to get them done and turned in, I want the luxury of submitting my work early (before it is most absolutely due) so I can sit back and twiddle my thumbs and say, "I really have nothing to do." And it will be wonderful and I just might even do a little jig.

It's really quite exciting, the prospect of finishing up with my last class. I had forgotten what a wonderful feeling it was to finish something up. ...well, school I mean. Cause I've finished lots of things since I've graduated: an afghan, job applications, baby booties, house cleaning (although is that really ever done? I think not), making dinner, bread baking, baking cookies, candy making, eating all of the above mentioned yummies, walks, 3 mile runs (crazy, but true), and even a second afghan. Now, these aren't the only things I've completed, I've done lots of other things, but you get the gist of it right? I've done a few things with my days.

But it will be exciting and wonderful to be done being a student! O how I dislike school. It's a good thing I decided I wanted to be a teacher then huh? I know. pretty smart on my part, I'd have to say. but, eh, what can I do about that? nothin. I'll just keep baking my bread on the side and it will all even out. Maybe one day I can teach someone to bake some yummy bread, that would be the best of both worlds. ...you see, I was going to be a baker (a professional one) but then I decided to be a teacher. It was a toss up. Well, not really, but I do love both. A lot. So that is good.

Though, I will have to say I miss baking. I haven't done it in Forever! I'm even tempted to buy the bread kits at the store just so I can say I kind of baked something... but when I pick it up to put in my cart to buy I realize that I don't have any bread pans. So... that won't really work. I put it back and try to humm a cheery tune and forget about the wonders of baking.

I have been enjoying days filled of crocheting. I was going crazy at it too. ...until the puppy learned how to jump on the couch. And even though I tell him no and push him off, he bounces right back up. Eventually I relent and he stays on the couch. And really, I don't mind him being on the couch (especially since he has learned that it is not ok to chew my arm off) cause he will sleep or nibble on his bone. But, and here's the kicker... if I were to have my bag full of yarn up on the couch... ya, there's a sight I don't want to see. For a few reasons: 1. my sweet granny squares would be no longer. 2. the yarn would be no longer usable. 3. the living room would look like it was tee-peed only, it would be impossible to salvage my pretty blues and greens and oranges... yarn, that is. So far I haven't figured out a way to crochet in peace yet. ...if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear em : )

So anyhow. My homework. I don't want to do it. It's what I should have been doing the whole time I've been going on and on about how I despise school ... but like a good student, I was procrastinating : ) kehehe... or maybe that's not a good student. At least I will understand my students procrastination.

alrighty. I'm gonna go bake. a boxed pizza. o yes.

four plates

I've been trying to think of some wonderful dinner foods. ... ones that I don't fix on a weekly basis, you know noodles, tacos, and the like. I've cooked up a few new things, but am feeling a little bit constricted by the foods and cooking tools that I have (or rather don't have) available to me at the moment. It's probably not really helping that I've been watching the Food Network off and on a lot lately and it just makes me want to fix stuff. And I can't really do that. shame really.

So far I've thought of: noodles, tacos, pizza, and hot dogs. O, I need me something new to fix. Sometimes I want to just throw a bunch of this and a little of that, pop it in the oven and see what comes out. But I can't do that, some of us don't like things like that. Which is why I'm on this new recipe mission. It happens occasionally, unfortuantly I feel like it's been happening a lot more frequently up here. I like to think it's because I don't have the joy of using my own kitchen. ...o how I love my kitchen. It has more than four plates and spoons. It has a baking dish and cake pan. It has a sink that is divided so I don't have to fill it with an inch of water when I start washing dishes, and then empty when I only have three more things to wash. ooo.... It also has flour and sugar and mixing bowls and all kinds of useful things. I miss it. I especially miss having more than four plates and bowls. It is so tempting to just buy more plates at the store, if not real ones, paper and plastic ones. And silverware too. But I haven't. Maybe I'm too cheap. Maybe I feel bad for throwing away so much rubbish. Either way... I haven't done it yet, so when I want to eat or fix anything at all, I have to wash all of the dishes first. ...my favorite thing ever. Or maybe not.

so. there it is. I am stumped for dinner. think, think, think...

It's a Mystery

Once upon a time in Muffin Land where bunnies were pink and green polka doted and bears were blue and wore bow ties there live a little boy called Shooy. Shooy was a little guy with sandy blonde hair and a stout frame. Wire framed glasses rested on his nose and suspenders held his britches up. Worn brown clogs kept his feet cozy.

Shooy was as sweet as boys came. He always listened to his father and mother and he was kind to all of the animals he met. As an only child Shooy had a lot of friends: bunnies, bears, puppies, and ponies too. All of his friends loved him very much and Shooy spent most of his time playing with them. In Muffin Land boys and girls didn't have to go to school they could play all day and run through the fields picking cotton candy and wild gummy bears. Oh, it was a glorious life. All of the children were polite and the animals were as friendly as could be.

Now, Shooy loved playing with his buddies all day long, their favorite place to play was in the Marshmallow Mountains where they could run and jump and land in a pillow of fluff. Sometimes they would fall so hard they would be buried by a landslide of fresh marshmallows and have to nibble their way out. Of course the marshmallows were full of nutrition, so there was no fear of consuming too much sugar.

One day as Shooy and Toodles the peach grizzly bear were running and jumping and plopping across Marshmallow Mountain they caught a whiff of a strange and curious aroma. Shooy and Toodles hopped up from their marshmallow beds and stuck their noses in the air.

"What is it?" Toodles said after a long sniff.

"Taffy?" guessed Shooy.

"Licorice?" suggested Toodles.

"Chocolate?" stabbed Shooy. But none of their suggestions seemed quite right. They just couldn't put their nose on it. The scent suddenly became even more potent as the wind started blowing harder.

"Toffee?" they kept guessing, but still they couldn't figure it out. So they decided to call a meeting of their buddies and crack the mysteriously foreign smell.

"Eeeio! Eeeia! Eeooooo!!" Toodles yodeled across Marshmallow Mountain.

"Gaaa Laa Faa!" they heard yodeled back. It was Buttons the pink and white polka dotted bunny.

"Hooo Haaa Heee!" They heard next. Fluffy glittery blue pony was on his way. Soon they would all be gathered together.

Before Toodles could return his yodel, "Joo Foo Soo" Buttons and Fluffy were hopping up and down on the marshmallow right next to Shooy and Toodles.

"Wow, that was quick!" Shooy marveled.

"Well, you know, we were only munching on some fresh gummy bears, nothing too serious to keep us busy," Fluffy said.

"Thanks for coming, Chums!" Toodles chirped. "We've got a mystery on our hands. Do you smell that smell?"

Suddenly four noses were sniffing the air above them. They all looked at each other, eyes wide. "What is that smell?" asked Buttons.

"That's what we want to know," said Shooy. "We've never smelt it before in all of our seven old years. It's a mystery and we want to figure it out. Will you help us?"

"Yes, yes," neighed Fluffy.

"Of course!" chimed Buttons.

"Great! Thanks! We were hoping you would say that," bellowed Toodles. "Say, where's Puddle the red puppy?"

"Hey, yeah, where is Puddles?!" Shooy exclaimed.

"We don't know, but he wasn't munching on fresh gummy bears with us in Lolly Meadow when you yodeled, that's for sure," Fluffy stated matter of factly.

Buttons quickly bobbed his head up and down in agreement.

"Well, that is very uncharacteristic of Puddles. He sure does love picking those fresh gummy bears," observed Toodles adjusting his red and white plaid bow tie. "We will have to find him and the mystery smell."

"I wonder why he didn't come when we yodeled?" wondered Shooy sadly.

"I don't know," said Buttons, "but we will have to find him before we find the smell."

"What a mystery. Two in one day. That's more than we've ever had before..." Fluffy murmured.

"What a mystery indeed," agreed Shooy.

And it was. It was the biggest mystery that Shooy, Toodles, Fluffy, and Buttons had ever encountered in the whole of their seven years. Only time will tell where Puddles is and what the new aroma floating through Muffin Land is...