Happy 14th Birthday, Abbie!

Yes, our little baby, who is now taller than I am, turned 14 yesterday. She decided that she didn't want us to wrap any of her gifts because she feels bad about the wasted wrapping paper. I was perfectly happy to save myself the trouble of wrapping, but I also felt like it would be pretty lame to just lay gifts on a table and say, "Here."

Looking 14!

Given the pandemic and our complete inability to do anything exciting, I thought that it might be fun to have a little scavenger hunt waiting for her when she woke up yesterday morning. Emily helped me come up with the clues.

We started with a note that said, "If you are up to the challenge, your scavenger hunt begins now! :)"

Clue #1: Don't be a bore, look in the drawer. It's not in front of a Louch, its behind the couch.

This clue revealed a gift from Grandma and Grandpa P. in the drawer of the sofa table - an embroidery kit and a book about bees. And, do I have any idea what a 'Louch' is? No, but it rhymes with 'couch!' Emily thought that it sounded like a Dr. Seuss character.

Clue #2: Please don't "whine," think of where we "dine." It may not be an elf, but it is on a shelf.

This clue revealed a gift from Uncle Greg and Aunt Elizabeth in the wine cabinet in the dining room (which we now use as an office, rather than as a dining room) -  an LED light for vlogging. It has multiple colors, so it can be used to set a variety of moods.

Clue #3: If you are near the teapot, you are getting hot. To be hotter still, it's not the grill.

This clue revealed a gift from Emily in the oven - new PJs. Abbie has been wearing some of my cozy pajama pants, so it was time for her to have a set of her own!

Clue #4: For even more, open the door. It's where we keep the car, it's not that far.

This clue revealed a gift from Chad in the garage - the complete set of Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. I had no idea that there were so many, but it turns out that this takes of four rather large volumes.

Clue #5: Think of Dwight K. Schrute. This is where he might hunt for some loot.

This clue revealed a gift from me in the office - a t-shirt and a book that she had wanted. Of course, the book wasn't very thick and she had it completely finished before dinner last night.

Clue #6: This gift is snug as a bug in a rug. It may not be a honeycomb, but it is somewhere that Emily roams.

This clue revealed a gift from me under the hallway runner that leads to Emily's room - the first issue of a subscription to a bee magazine. The subscription also includes digital content, but she is excited to get something in the old fashioned mail, too.

It didn't take her long to find everything, but she seemed to have fun. It's a good thing because the rest of her day was filled with work. She decided that she wanted an angel food cake this year, but she also knew that it would require lots of egg whites. To salvage the yolks, she decided that it made sense to make fresh pasta. Chad helped with the pasta, but the end result was that Abbie spent most of her birthday slaving away in the kitchen. I felt bad that she worked so hard, but I didn't mind the result. We had a great shrimp pasta dish and angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream (which she also prepared).

Enjoying her fresh pasta

Perhaps not surprisingly, she is taking it easy today - lots of lounging around, watching videos, and working on her embroidery. :)