Today’s Fortune: You are far more influential than you think.

Boy, I sure hope this fortune is true.  It took a lot of convincing to get Mom to let me blog today.  She said I could, but only if I’m quick about it, because she will have dinner ready in a little while.  I haven’t been able to blog for over a week this time.  I hope my friends don’t think I’ve disappeared.  Maybe I can influence her to let me have a lot of blog time this week.

I have so much to talk about, I don’t even know where to start, but since I have to make this quick, I guess I will tell about one of the packages that came last week.  Mom is in something called a “Stitch Marker Swap”.   Stitch markers are used so you don’t lose your place when you are knitting.  A lot of Mom’s friends have been sending a box around, and they can take stitch markers out of it, as long as they replace them with different ones before they mail it to the next person on the list.  Here is what all was in the package when it got to our house.

As you can see, there was much more than just boring old stitch markers in there.  Mom chose three sets of stitch markers from the box.  One set I really like has some skulls.  They remind me of piratey stuff, which there was more of in the box.  The other sets are kind of girly.  Mom needs to get busy this week and make some stitch markers, so she can send the box on to the next person.

I looked carefully at everything in the box.  It was very interesting.  There was a bunch of stuff we did not recognize.  There was something called “Marmite” and packages of stuff called “HobNobs”.  Mom did not know what those were, either, but she said she thought they were snacks from the United Kingdom.  That is where Miss Mari Mwnci is from (and incidentally, she left for her next stop on the TSM tour this morning, but that is another story.)

There was a small box labeled “Kinder Eggs”.  Mom said she thought she knew what those were – they are chocolate eggs like the Cadbury ones that the Easter Bunny brings, except the Kinder Eggs have toy surprises in them.  Mom asked her friends, and they all said I could have them.  They were so much fun to open and play with!  I let Dad have the chocolate.  It was kind of crumbly, but he said it was very tasty, anyway.

I also got to have a “Grow A Pirate!!”  I am very excited to do that, because I have always wanted to have my very own pirate.   All you have to do is put it in water, and it is supposed to grow to up to 600% of its original size.  I don’t know for sure how much that is, but it sounds pretty big.   Mom is a little worried, because on the back of the package it says, “The slimy, icky texture is normal and harmless.”  I don’t know what she is worried about.  I think a big, slimy, squishy pirate will be very cool to have.

The rule for this swap is that you can take out stuff as long as you replace it with the same number of things, so Mom has promised to take me shopping this week, so I can replace the cool stuff I got to take out of the box.

Mom is fussing at me to finish up.  She says I have had enough computer time for one night.  She does not understand how far behind I am, I guess.  I am glad her job is just about over so we can get back to normal around here.

Aaaaarggghh, Mateys!!!

Today’s Vocabulary Words: Stitch Marker Swap, Marmite, HobNobs, Kinder Eggs