Saturday 5.30.09

 

 

Strawberries for jam.  Aunt Karen.  Library books. Animal feed.  Chocolate ice cream. Cow licks. Farm garden planting. I ♥ Huckabees induced laughter. Leftovers. Camping out in backyard. A shooting star.

 

 

 

Head Hung Low

As I drove down my road this afternoon, I passed an older man walking, his head hung low.  He did not glance up as I drove past.

My heart aches a little when I see people with their heads hung low.  Anguish, pain, fear, uncertainty.

I want to lift up their chins and put a smile in their hearts.

If only it was that simple.

I hope that man finds some small joy today .

Mama-Baking Geek

You didn’t think I took the girls to the mall to Build a Bear and didn’t get myself something did you?  I mean we only go the mall one maybe two times a year.

So the girls have their fun and then I drag them into my toy store:  Williams-Sonoma.  It’s like Christmas for me in there.  Too bad, too pricey for me to do any good, but I did walk out with this:

 

Nielsen-Massey Pure Almond Extract in a 4 oz bottle.

 

I love almond extract, no it’s more than that, I obsess over almond extract.  It’s sitting there in that fetching little bottle looking like an aphrodisiac.  For years I couldn’t put my finger on what it was in my Grandmother’s Christmas tree cookies that made me wild until I was making another recipe and realized it was the extract.

If I could….I would wear it as parfum.

And it looks sweet up there in the cupboard with my own handmade vanilla extract and my non-genetically modified corn starch, yes, I want my corn starch in it’s own pure form, thank you very much.

If there was a club for baking geeks, I’d be right in line there, y’know.

The more I age, the weirder I get.

How (Not) To Spend An Evening

 

Now here’s what you should do on a night when your kids are finally spending a visit with their father after a few months.  A night all to yourself.

1. You should go to the grocery store.  Right?  That’s fun.  Hey at least no one will be fighting.

2. You should take your father.  He’s still with you after watching the kids while you went to court.  Come on and at least he’s well mannered.

3.  When you get home, you should invite him to stay for salad and sandwiches.  And go ahead and start that before you start putting the groceries away.

4.  Start brewing some iced tea, because after all, your father might want something to drink besides milk or water, your staples.

5. When you are thoroughly distracted between, groceries, salads, sandwiches and cutting up lemons, take the glass iced tea pitcher out of the refrigerator.

6.  Then absentmindedly decide to pour the piping hot freshly brewed iced tea into the COLD GLASS pitcher.

7.  Wait, when you get it almost filled to the top an amazing thing happens…..it explodes like a nail bomb.

8.  This is the really, really fun part where you stand stock still in shock and realize the exceedingly hot tea has soaked through your jeans and is causing first degree burns on your thighs.

9.  Now is the best part.  Watch your father come in and throw cupfuls of cold water on your legs.  You know the one who you expect should see you as a capable, dependable adult.  Then run upstairs and rip, I mean rip those jeans off.

10.  Now to make it even more enjoyable, be sure you are wearing your new white sweater.  You know the one you just bought two days ago.  Make sure it gets nice and tea-stained so that you can spend some time googling removing tea stains from clothing.

11.  While you are at it.  Pull that knobby thing on the sink that keeps the water in the bowl. Yeah, pull on it until it comes out and your plug is stuck.

12.  Now have fun finishing dinner, cleaning up glass, soaking up sticky sweet tea, putting groceries away and mopping counters and floors.  Now really, could you ask for anything better?

13.  Now in case you are too spoiled remember to be thankful for buying that aloe plant at the garden market a few weeks ago and also plan on wearing a dress to work tomorrow because those legs are gonna burn baby burn.

Do I know how to spoil myself or what?

Tea Party

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had another one after our  trip to Build-A-Bear.  With two new friends being welcomed into the fold, it was time to celebrate.  So, Sparkle the Puppy and Sugar the Panda (gotta love the names) joined three other bears, three humans and a pet rabbit for a tea party.  Snowflake seemed to like it better under the table (and rightly so) and I will try to forget how much sugar gunk I found in the bottom of Boo’s teacup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie and Julia

 

When someone told me they made Julie and Julia into a movie, i wasn’t sure what to think because i loved that book so, so much.

But now seeing the trailer…..i absolutely cannot wait.

All of my favorite things rolled into one…and i think i need my mom and sister for this one because they would so get it too…

 

A Celebration of Marriage

Boo Tells A Story

Involving a princess, a tower, a prince who was a frog, murderous plotting, some goblins eating hot dogs, a few butterflies and a beautiful queen.

With her own dramatic flair of course.

 

 

Random Bits…Again.

Even though I think some of the writing I do such as my post about Boo missing her Dad is some of my best because it’s so emotional to me, I sometimes doubt myself in posting it as to not come across to morose or moody.

But to me this blog is about my life and it’s not all happy all the time.  We have highs and we have lows and to me (personally) as a blog reader (and a single parent) it helps to see everyone having those same highs and lows.  I get annoyed by blogs that are all peachy sunshiney (word??) all the time.  Not that I don’t appreciate them, it’s just like come on, bad day????

So, Boo is better (for now).  It has been over two weeks since she’s seen her Dad and she seems more stable when he’s not around.  So for now we are okay.

In the meantime we are ramping up for a delightful weekend.  My best friend is getting married, a second marriage that instills hope for me for the future and since I am in the wedding the girls are going to my Mom’s Friday/Saturday which makes them happy beyond belief.

So here’s to a happy weekend and wishing one for you all as well!

 

****Oh and we are waiting on bated breath, Snowflake today has kicked up the fur pulling a notch in what appears to be nesting behavior.  I had about given up on it as a false “hormonal” pregnancy, but now am not so sure.  So here’s wishes for Snowflake IF SHE IS going to have babies to PLEASE have them before I go away this weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Berries