Murder Mystery at the English Inn: Pheonix Protocol

For Christmas, Billy gifted me tickets to a murder mystery interactive theater at the English Inn, and I gifted him a night at the English Inn.  = )

Sadly, my mom was out of town, but Sarah stepped up, to sleep at the house with the kids (and was able to slip away first thing in the morning, since it was a Sunday-Monday night stay, but the kids were out of school for the week.)

I was able to reuse the hat that I bought for my murder mystery birthday party and wear my Grandmother's pearls.  I did buy a special dress (that I've since worn again!)

It was so nice!  The food was fantastic, we were each given a pin and pen to commemorate the event. The actors were soooooooo good.  They rotated through the tables and we were able to interrogate them!

I was so excited! We totally guessed the culprit, but got our sheet in too late, so we weren't the 'top team' but we had so much fun.  In fact, we came home and signed up for the next one, in October!

The October theme is a masquerade!  I'd never been invited to a masquerade before, and picked out a mask on the internet that I *loved* but was waiting to buy it.  However, the next Tuesday, while Emily, Grace and I were at the thrift store, we found a fancy mask for Billy (and it was only $4.50!)

I found a dress that would match the mask that I love and since it was only $10, I didn't feel bad about buying the mask in time for Jessica's birthday party (especially since I know I'll have one more occasion to wear it!)

So many murder mystery events lately have me feeling like I am just living my best life! = )

later days

edit: written 6-16-23 backdated for continuity.

Murder Mystery Party, Year 3: Hawaii

For obvious reasons, we did not party in the summer of 2020, but thankfully did not have to skip our on our mystery party.  I had planned a 100 year house party, that would have taken the place of our mystery party anyhow.  So, really, this would have been year three even without corona!

The day before, Sarah helped me fill the swimming pools that my mom had collected earlier in the year with sand.  We used her truck to pick it up, and ended up with half of a cubic yard, which weighs over 1000lbs!

This year's murder happened on an estate in Hawaii.  Present at the party: an island chief of Polynesian descent (Jared, in a Maui costume!), a swimsuit model all the way from New York (Jessica), a local luau dancer (Me), an unlucky tourist (Billy), former surfer and coworker of the deceased (Matt) and millionaire's wife, possibly lover (Deb, who in reality was 8 months pregnant!), stumbling onto the scene of the crime was a golfer (Juliana.)

Emily wanted to make some fancy tags for all the guest cups, and Grace hand colored flowers to label all the plates.  It all came out so cute!  All of the pictures are courtesy of Deb's phone, since I hadn't had a chance to take pictures of anything!

Just the ladies in front of the tiki bar that Billy helped me build.  

During our warm spell in March or April? Emily came with me and we found a metal workbench, some boards for a bunk bed and a mirror on the side of the road.  Billy helped me put the stand and boards together, then we found a board in the shed to use as the roof.  The thatched top is actually cuttings from our ornamental grass in the front flowerbeds. It sat outside for months between making it and the party, but it looked so cute!

I painted the mirror with chalk paint, then used marker pens to make up the drink menu.  Grace and Juliet were asking me for the juices off of the menu for the entire week leading up to the party.

Grace and Emily were big helpers setting up the party, because poor Billy had a sleepless night and still had to go into work Friday morning.  So, he was trying to catch a nap before the party.  I was trying to put the finishing touches on the decor and finishes cooking the food, so it was a hectic afternoon.

The bone in pork loin (that I ended up at 3 different stores to track down) took so long to cook, but came out really really tasty!  We also had caramelized onions, pineapple & avocado salad, and bananas and berries in cream.  

Jessica and Deb took care of the kids food with pizza, pasta and so much fruit!!

The pig is kind of lost in the circle, so here it is before the party.  We had toyed with the idea of a real pig, but they only sell sucklings, and I didn't like that.  A search on the internet showed that I could also buy a dissectible pig, but same issue.  I found a life like looking magician's prop, but when I signed up for the site and went to ship it, it would have run over $30, just for a prop.  So, thrift shop for the win, sadly the only one they had was a tiny little Hamm, from Toy Story. lol 

He got to hang with us the entire time, since it was warm enough not to need the fire.

At one point, there was a cat that the kids found under our side deck, and thought that the correct course of action was to bring it inside the house.  Like I wouldn't notice when everyone is spending all evening in the girls room instead of on their computers? Or they all 'suddenly' want to sleep in the same room?  The cat was very sweet, but the kids would not leave it alone.  When our neighbors came home, they said that it was a stray, but that they were considering adopting it.  I was relieved to be rid of it, and it had only been a few hours!

It was a great time, our previous murderer was the prime suspect most of the evening.  But the cases against each suspect were fairly strong! 

It turns out that the murder was:

*Matt, as Bo-Jo*

which lead to a very entertaining conclusion for our evening. ; )  

I am so so thankful for this fun group of people, who show up in full costume and pour their energy into their characters! <3

Unsurprisingly, I'm already excited about next summer's murder!

later days

*the text here is white if you'd like to see who the guilty party turned out to be!

Our fun from last year can be found here.

The first year can be found here.

1st Week of June

86th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today was a very cool 77F.  It wasn't too bad sitting out in the sun, but in the shade I didn't last long.

I got out of bed to the sound of William throwing up again.

The church has opened up this week (by reservation) but will continue to stream online.  We will be part of the 'at home' camp for the foreseeable future.  Today though, this sick little boy watched with me from his sick bed.

He's not been able to keep anything down all day. = (

During obligatory outside time, the four girls played in the warm water of the pool we set up last week.  Since four is a tough number to fit in that space, we set up the second pool for Alice and Juliet.  They were mostly wading, and not 'swimming' so the cold water was not as much of a deterrent for them.

For dinner I heated up leftovers.

I was able to snatch up a Sam's order for tomorrow (my first one since March!) So I am pretty excited to be able to go without having to "shop." = )

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85th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today was 80F.  

I made some pancakes to celebrate the first day of Summer Break!

Emily could not wait to get back in the pool.  The hope was that it would warm up after being in the sun all morning, but it was still pretty cold!  Grace was shivering, so we cut our time short.

I came in to knock out a few chores, then watched Emily and William for another hour or so.  It was warmer then, but William was still shivering and spending longer and longer out of the water.

Sarah came by to drop off the summer reading binders for the little three, and they roped her into watching them for 20 more minutes. 

A couple of hours later I watched them again until it was time to make dinner, and by that time they were able to convince daddy to go out and watch.

For dinner we had a frozen PF Changs Ramen, but I had to supplement with the cheap packaged stuff too, since it was a lot of liquid in each pack. Billy thought it was good, I prefer the cheap packaged stuff.

5 of us ate al Fresco (Alice and Juliet were inside.)  After spending another hour or so outside, the shade was starting to creep up on the pool, William was shivering, and it was time to call it a night.

When Emily and I were getting set up to watch Kim Possible (we missed our usual Friday night) William retched on the kitchen floor.  My poor little boy.  The only place he could have gotten ill was from the hospital trip yesterday.  = (

I set him up on the sick bed, and he had a calm night.

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84th Day of Quarantine, 52nd and Final Day of School at Home.

The highest I saw in my cart today was 78F, but I think it warmed up a little beyond that, making for a very pleasant day.

WGJ had an 8:10am appointment in grand rapids.  With such an early appointment, we were back home before 11:30, even after a stop at Sonic.

Sarah came over to do the lawn, while the kids were finalizing all of their assignments.  She also gave Alice a quick driving lesson, which Alice thought was pretty amazing.

I promised them help setting up the pool as soon as everyone finished their work. And, the kids wound up with a bonus surprise from Aunt Wanda: a giant inflatable unicorn sprinkler!  

It took a long time to blow up the inflatables, even with the compressor, and waiting was tough.

Everyone was excited to go out and play, but that water was cold!

Emily and William lasted the longest, getting in a few hours before it was time to come in.

For dinner we had pizza.

We are all so happy to be done for the year, though next week we will be heading up to the school to collect things and say goodbye to the teachers.

I got to meet with one of my BCUMC people last night, everyone else was MIA.  But Kristey and I had a nice conversation until my phone died.

Once my phone had recovered a bit of charged, I dialed into a local bonfire with all my Dimondale ladies.  We are pretty much self quarantining at this point, now that everything is opening back up.  It does make it harder to stay home when all sorts of get togethers are happening, but my children's health is worth it.

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83rd Day of Quarantine, 51st Day of School at Home

The expected high today was 85F.

Sarah and I met up at a thrift store, we scheduled an appointment, but they have fully reopened as of today.

I found one book from our homeschool list, but we already had it.  I did score some poetry books though, as well as a few other titles for our sets.  I bought a bubble maker for the kids, it went over very well!

For dinner we had chili cheese dogs.

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82nd Day of Quarantine, 50th Day of School at Home

The expected high today was 82F.

Grace and Juliet received their birthday gift from the Helterbrand Cousins!

I worked a little on Leon's Birthday gift.  Thankfully I have until December to finish it.  Hopefully I'll get it off of my todo pile long before then. = )

For dinner we had Tikka Masala (but not our usual brand.) It was okay.

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81st Day of Quarantine, 49th Day of School at Home

The expected high today is 88F!  I'm ready for it, after the cold snap the past two days. 

Online school is still going about as well as you can expect for my tired, ready for summer crew.  

Emily had a class meeting, and all the end of year feels are starting to creep up on me.  I'm ready for this virtual learning to be over, but I am going to miss their teachers so much next year.

I took some time to make my supplies look pretty, and got all the flash cards ready for reading this summer.

Juliet had a lengthy conversation with her friend Kennedy.

We had our first virtual appointment for the kids with the endocrinologist. Everything seems in order, and we're not due again for 6 months!

I found time to make the three masks Sarah requested, since Billy bought us Arby's for dinner.

The new elastic is very soft, but I don't know how durable it will be for the long term.  Luckily, the elastic is easily replaced if needed.

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80th Day of Quarantine, 48th Day of School at Home.  

The high today was a chilly 73F.

I met Sarah at the VOA on Cedar and we enjoyed some distance shopping for 1 hour.

The twins were excited to open their (belated) birthday gift from Avia.

Grace had a sweet conversation with her friend Zoey.

For dinner we had egg fried rice.

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later days

May 9th, 57th Day of Quarantine

The expected high today was a sunny, misleading, cold 51F.

In the morning I worked on some masks for the Helterbrands. Since I'm doing them all at once, my goal is to do one or two steps each day, so they are all still unfinished. = )

Sarah came over and detailed my car.  She enlisted the kids to wash the mats with the hose, since they could do that without getting too close to her.  So, they helped, for a few minutes, but she spent hours making my car cleaner and shiner.  I love how clean it is!

For dinner I made General Tso's chicken with rice.

Emily made some Bueno Nachos for us (her, me, Grace, Juliet, William, and eventually Billy!) to enjoy while we watched Kim Possible.

later days

March 13th, Corona Virus

The highest temperature my car registered today was 43F.  It was so windy I ended up with trash(mail) from my friend's spilled can across the village!

Last night, right before bed, Governor Whitmer announced that all school K-12 would be closed starting Monday.  I could not rest, trying to plan what the coming weeks would look like for my crew.

When I did sleep it was quite restless. I waited until the kids were dressed before telling them what was coming.  I let them know we would have a regular schedule and that this was not a 'break' just a taste of  homeschooling. = )

I met briefly with Emily's teacher, since Emily was leaving with her friend I wanted her to be in the loop.  She also let me know what time the girl's mom was bringing snack, since my phone was withholding messages again.  Obviously I don't' need to know anything important....

After leaving the school, I had to wait for a second shipment of medicine, since Billy's was delayed from needing a prescription renewal.  They called me the day before the shipment was out to discuss Juliet's but didn't realize that Billy's was part of the same order.  So, I had to wait for two shipments this week.  Luckily, I had pulled the cooler from the first one as a prop for Alice's bit in the talent show, so I hadn't already run the recycling to FedEx.  Since the talent show is currently on ice, I put the box back together and loaded them both into my car for recycling.

I finally had the time to fry up all the hamburger meat that I'd bought on Tuesday, so it went into the freezer, then I was off to fit in last minute chores before picking up my children.

Carl's was the busiest I had ever seen it.  I didn't have my choice of parking spots and stood in line behind 2 people (and three lanes were open!)  I was still in and out in less than 20 minutes, and they were super well stocked.

From there I met with Sarah, she'd bought me some lunch (from Panera) and beer (to weather this out.)  After leaving her house, I went to FedEx to drop off two boxes.  Aldi was in my plan, but after seeing 0 spots available in the parking lot, I quickly abandoned that expenditure.

When I made it home I put away all of my collected items, then it was up to the school to meet with the parent of Emily's friend, to solidify the plans. = )  I caught her in the parking lot, which was lucky for me!

I'd received a notice that they needed help with packets and various prep at the school.  Since they are sanitizing, everything was going home, being packed away and taken down.  It was a lot like summer break prep, with a lot less celebrating and far less time.

I stayed until the end of the day and said goodbye to the teachers and students for at least the next four weeks.  Poor William was outwardly the most distraught, but I think all of them were a little sad.  Except for Emily who didn't leave with us and was off to a party. = )

At home I found a container to keep our work in, and made up a schedule to follow, but now having the actual work from the teachers, I need to revamp it.

We continued to the ice cream shop for dinner as planned.  It opened last week and we hadn't been yet, so I promised the kids we would go Friday.  I kept that promise, but it will probably be our last outing (aside from doctors and groceries) for a while. = (

As of right now, Billy is still going in on Monday, and I have my eye appointment.

We completely cancelled our 13th anniversary trip to Detroit.  We got our money back for the hotel, and most likely will for the hockey tickets and concert.  The escape room is likely the only monetary loss we will take.

I also called to cancel the twins' birthday party.  We'll have to move it to the end of may, or possibly even later depending on how long things are closed.  I told Grace and Juliet we would still celebrate here and they would still have gifts and cake and singing. = )

They've locally closed down many public spaces like the library, zoo and museum.  State-wide no more than 250 are allowed to assemble in one space.

So, our life is about 30% upset right now, the school closing hitting us the hardest, and not knowing when Avia will be able to return a close second.  The grocery stores are still open, so Click List will be my new normal for a while.

later days

January 21st

Today we did not get above freezing, the expected high was 29F.  The main roads were good, but any roads that were not plowed in a timely manner are now just ice sheets with ruts on them. Ew.

This is the grand river as it cuts through the west side of Lansing.

After dropping my children at school, I came home to wait for our cleaning lady and the orkin guy.  I was working on the main body of Billy's cape when Sarah called.

She needed a ride from the airport where she was dropping off my mom's car.   From there we went to the thrift store for leather straps, and I found books for our Scooby Doo & Fairy collections.

I also bought a book that has been quite enjoyable to read so far.  When I got up from reading, this is how I found William watching his tablet (his legs were up on the side of the couch as I was pulling out my camera.

For dinner we had BBQ sandwiches.  They were a hit.  In fact, William scarfed down 2.5 of them!

After all the kids, Alice as the exception, were in bed, I was calling for Alice when poor Juliet started retching. = (  We set her up on the sick bed, and she fell back to sleep.  Here's hoping for a smooth night.

later days

January 10th

Today the high was estimated for 49F, but we aren't supposed to reach it until late tonight!?  It was cold at 47F according to my car, but without the wind, it didn't feel like a biting cold.  As the day progressed it became foggier and foggier.  We are anticipating our first winter storm of the new year tomorrow.

After sending my dear ones off to school, I checked the mail, and sorted it in my car.  My next stop was to pick up some potting soil, because I woke up several times last night worried about my wilting outdoor, but currently indoor plant: Ward.  His new leaves are browning and a few of his shoots were wilting. So, I bought some rich soil, and moved him to a bigger pot.  I hope he makes it through the winter, because he was thriving outside all summer!

Once I had the soil, I headed to Meijer for Billy's ice cream cake, but we decided to meet for coffee, so I stopped by the bank and then went to a thrift store to bide my time. = )  I spent almost two hours shopping, but only ended up buying a handful of books.  One of them was a Geronimo Stilton, a series I hadn't found a supplement for since May!

I went by Burger King to redeem the last of our 'prizes' a freebie chicken fries!  Then on to Panera to order some real lunch. = ) I had a gift card from my mom, so I splurged and bought an iced cookie to go with my sandwich.

Billy and I spent a nice lunch at Biggby (since we'd both already eaten) before he had to go back.

When I got home I started in on my plants (because I knew that once I went inside, it would be hard to go back out in the cold. Also, I tried out the new mower key that came yesterday.

While I was moving Ward (far left) into his new home, I also mixed in some fresh soil for my other plants.

While I was working on my 'gardening' (lol) Sarah called to see if I wanted to take in my mower.  I was excited to do so, now that I had the key!  It took us a bit for just the two of us to maneuver my lawn tractor into the bed of her truck, but we made it work.*  After checking it in, it took him a lot less time to take it out, than it did for us to get it in.  Hopefully it's something simple and cheap to fix.  At least if it takes them a while to look at it, I have the time.

After we left the repair shop, we went to Carl's to pick up an Ice Cream Cake for Billy's birthday tomorrow!

I had just enough time to sort through my catch-all (Texas) bag that had the mail, trash, receipts, thrift store purchases, etc. before running to collect my dear ones.

Fridays are a shortened piano practice time, and since Grace and Emily had both worked on their time this morning, piano practice did not drag on as long as it normally does.

Billy went out to celebrate one of his co-worker's retirement news, so for dinner we had a choice of a hot roast beef & swiss or PB&J.  Most of my children chose the peanut butter. Even going out after work, Billy was still home by 7:30, but the kids thought that was "so late. It's dark!" lol

I also had to fill out the annual forms for the kids' supplemental medical insurance.  I never regret having it ready to roll for when we file our taxes, but man is it a pain to fill out. Luckily, I had the foresight to keep last year's so it was just a matter of copying all the information that never changes. x3.

later days

*After clearing it out of the shed, naturally I had to sweep, and much to my dismay found the missing key in the leaves that were underneath the mower.  The safety pin was closed, which probably means that when I had 'attached it to my shirt' after my final mow, I had missed my shirt and it had fallen under the blade. = /

January 6th

It was a bright and sunny, but cold day.  The anticipated high was 39F.

We were only one minute behind schedule pulling out of the driveway this morning!  Not too shabby after a very relaxed two week break from our regular schedule.

I checked the mail, possibly for the first time this year.  Then went to the bank and then to Sam's.  I was running quite early, as I had already pumped my gas and was pulling up to pick up my internet order and it wasn't even yet 9!

They had some cuuuuuuute Easter dresses out, so I bought them.  Sadly, the twins were too small for the same pattern as the big girls, so theirs are similar, but a little different.  I grabbed a rotisserie chicken (which I usually eat as my lunch) and then headed to the counter to pick up my order. Lansing sometimes feels like a small town, because I ran into one of my MOPS ladies there today!

I headed to the Dollar Tree to gather more things for our party. I found a Lisa Frank calendar at the Dollar Tree that I just had to send to Chelsea. My next stop was to pick up Sarah.  She provided me with a shipping envelope for the calendar, since I was headed the post office anyhow.

It was a short trip to the dealership to reclaim Avia's car.  Then I was off to the post office.  I mailed some German books to Brian and the calendar to Chelsea, and it was still before noon!

Once I made it home, it was time to unload the groceries and put everything Sarah had given me away.

Then I worked a little on our Amazon store, and ended up having to message Haley for help.

Once all of my chores were done, I got to work on my decorations.  I was soooooooo happy with the napkins.  Hopefully Emily and I will get to work a little on the plates tomorrow.

The afternoon felt long and quiet without my children home, so I was really excited to go retrieve them from school.

Homework took a particularly long time, maybe because we were out of the habit or maybe because they were exhausted from school?

For dinner we had 'loaded' French fries to use up the last of the ham!  I thought the were pretty good, but not amazing.  The kids ate well though.  The side of oranges were a big hit though. = )

And my evening took a sad turn when I found that someone in our household has lost the riding lawnmower key!  Sarah and I were planning on taking it in tomorrow, but without the key, I can't = (

I looked on every shirt I would have possibly mowed in (the key has a safety pin on it, so that I can hook it to my shirt while I'm putting the gutters back on, picking up branches, etc.  I also checked the machine's ignition without success.  So, I cleaned out the most likely suspect's computer cabinets: William, Grace and Juliet.  No luck.  at least their cabinets are clean now. = /

Billy braved the cold and dark with me to find the replacement part number, and hopefully we've ordered the correct thing.

Here's hoping that the key comes quickly, is correct and I can get my machine looked at before I need it again!

later days

January 3rd

Today was cold and overcast with a high of 38F, no precipitation.

Sarah came over and spent the morning fighting William's computer.  She was ultimately victorious.

There is a lot of waiting around when you format computers. William and Seven didn't seem to mind.

She also helped me put my emails into storage to free up some space in my google account.  It's still running, but the prompt says it may take up to two days, so I'm also waiting.

Emily and I watche a video to learn how to play Game of the States, since our copy is missing the insturctions.  When we sat down to play, the twins also wanted to join in.  Since it was an open kind of game we were able to help them, but they were bored and entertaining each other the last 4 rounds or so.

We've had an almost a full bottle of white wine in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks now, so last night I made Chicken in buttered white wine pan sauce.  The chicken was marvelous, the sauce was pretty good on the rice I served.

Once the kitchen was cleaned up, I headed out to a Busy Mom's party.  One of the moms at the school gets us all together.  It was really fun.  It was so close, I was able to ride my bike there!  You certainly learn where the hills are on a bike. ; )

Rachel brought a bolle of 19 Crimes.  She showed us that if you scan the label and download the app, the label will talk to you!  It was pretty cool.

And our new set of kid dishes, color coded, came in today.  I needed a way to hold my children accountable for the insurmountable number of cups and plates they leave on the table and don't claim. So, now everyone has a color.

It was a nice, productive, social day.

later days