Today we braved Costco with the kids. It was a daring plan, held together only by suckers and the promise of a churro on departure, if they behaved.

One of the first things the kids laid eyes on was this huge swiveling dollhouse. They. went. nuts. Actually, I was pretty impressed too! It was large enough that a Barbie type doll would fit in it and it was solidly made, even the furniture was sturdy. Problem is, its $280, which is pretty dern expensive. Then again, the way the kids latched onto that thing it might be worth it. Ethan could talk of nothing else on the way home. He loves imagination play and to him, setting up and acting out various scenarios in any setting (but especially one with a kitchen!) really intrigues him.

Thankfully, Costco was not crowded (yay Arlington Costco!) and there were plenty of food samples to quell any beastly behavior before it got out of hand. The weather was dreadful and we were soaked on both the way in and the way out.

We came home and I pulled out the turkey fryer to clean it. Truthfully, I hadn't done much to it after we used it last... oh, two or three years ago! The gunk at the bottom smelled like motor oil. Guh. I filled the huge pot with water, set it up on the propane burner and let 'er rip. After awhile it boiled and I dumped the oily water and luckily all the gunk went with it. Sometime soon I'll have to lug the beast of a pot into the shower and really scrub it out with hot water and dish soap. Next time I won't be so lazy and clean it up within a few days instead of a few years!