Wednesday, February 29, 2012

the extra day

What to do... What to do...

It's an extra day of the year. Time to do something special.

Well, since it's rainy and cold here, I nixed going to Meijer Gardens. Instead I "celebrated" the extra day with some fast food. It's not every day that I eat fast food anymore. Just special occasions. Like when I have blood drawn. Or Leap Year. (Bill has a funny blog about fast food, you can read that here.)

I'll make a special dinner. We'll have wine. Maybe we'll light the candles and have a fire (in the fireplace). It's almost spring, so we better burn up that wood.

I'll take my walk and do yoga. I'll watch Ellen. I'll dance like no one's watching. And I've been kind to others. It's really just another day.


ps: my biscuits are still amazing! Check out the photo I added to yesterday's post. I'm still doing the happy dance. I may have to bake more!!!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

the homemade biscuits

Last night I went to Tricia's and we made homemade pasta. It's definitely a technique that is learned through experience. Watching how she added the flour into the egg is definitely a "feel" technique. No cookbook or tv show can explain how the dough should feel. But standing there asking Tricia if my dough was "ready" and her pulling on it, telling me no, was the best way I could learn.

We turned it into raviolis. They were delicious. And they were served in a homemade Alfredo sauce which was also delicious.

I dreamed of making pasta.

Then, tonight for dinner, I made biscuits and sausage gravy.

I have enjoyed biscuits and sausage gravy since I first had it at camp. Yes, even though we had a nutritionist we still had the best biscuits and gravy.

Then, when we lived in Southgate after we were first married and I worked at the Hallmark store, I learned how easy sausage gravy was.

Would you like to know? I'll share because I like sharing. Cook the pork sausage until you can't see anymore pink. Add flour and milk slowly until you get enough gravy and it's as thick as you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When I found out it was that easy I couldn't believe it.

My next challenge was the biscuits. Sure, you can buy a package of refrigerated biscuits, pop it open and pop them in the oven. But those are missing something. The best biscuits I've ever had were in Savannah. Even McDonald's biscuits were divine (rumor has it that they still make theirs from scratch, with lard, I cannot verify that, but I believe it).

I've tried to make biscuits half as good. From scratch. With buttermilk. With whole milk. With whole wheat. None have really turned out.

Today, on a whim I decided to try cake flour. Why? Because I had some in the cupboard. It seemed like the right thing to do. When the right thing to do pops into your mind, you should not ignore it. Especially when it comes to cooking. Follow the right thing.

Then, when I added the buttermilk, I mixed it in like we mixed the pasta dough last night.

I kneaded it just a couple of times (it was super sticky) like the cookbook instructed me to, rolled it out nice and thick, and cut out my biscuits. They went in the oven for twelve minutes.

They came out perfect.

They are flaky.

They are light.

They are golden.

They are delicious.

I jumped up and down.

I made Bill get the camera and take pictures. I conquered biscuits!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Juliette and the Oscars

I watched the Oscars last night. For almost the entire show, Juliette slept on my lap. I am surprised by this because I thought for sure when Bill went to bed that she would follow. She did not. She didn't even move when I lifted her up in the blanket (green binkie) and moved her so I could use the bathroom. When I came back to the sofa and moved the blanket back onto my lap, she stirred, and settled back in for the rest of the show. At the end, I started petting her to wake her up. Usually this works and she'll hop down. She didn't mind and didn't budge. In order for me to actually go to bed, I ended up having to physically remove her from my lap. It was a nice way to watch the Oscars.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

the art of stacking dishes

I have blogged about our "dishwasher" before. And in various posts I've talked about doing dishes.

Did you know there's an art to stacking dishes?

There is. And I've discovered it. And I'm going to share it with you.

You are about to be enlightened.

Trust me, this may come in handy someday.

I wash glasses and while the silverware soaks. I start with the glasses, because the water isn't greasy therefore the glasses will sparkle and shine. Then I move to the plates. Plates before bowls. I used to do bowl first, but then we got a new dish-drainer and now the plates go first. Then the bowls are stacked up against the plates, which helps everything drain. Then the big stuff, usually pots and pans.

Yes, the water is "dirty" at this point. There's a school of thought out there that you don't need to wash your pans as the greasy layer helps add flavor, etc to your cooking.

Um, ew. I'm not exactly from that school of thought. And trust me, if the dishwater is super dirty, it gets drained and refilled. But for the most part, two people do not create a lot of dirty, greasy dishes. So I can still wash my pots/pans in the existing water. Plus I rinse with super hot water. And by not refilling the sink half-way through, I'm saving the planet.

I know. I would save the planet faster by purchasing an actual dishwasher. But that's in the kitchen remodel future, not in the immediate future. I just try to be careful with how much water I do use.

Oops, I was talking about stacking the dishes.

I digress.

Popcorn bowls, pots, pans and various other large objects get stacked up on each other. Until I have something of a sculpture, making use of long-handled spoons to keep everything in a stack, and blocking the cupboard directly above the dish-drainer.

As I knock on wood, I haven't had any large toppling "Jenga-ish" disasters. I have cracked a few glasses by stacking them along the back of the drainer, against the wall. But they only broke when they slipped down over another glass. Good thing we have extra glasses.

That is the art of stacking dishes. Any questions?

Saturday, February 25, 2012

before the snow

I had just noticed that our crocus were not only up, but some were blooming. That was on Thursday. By Friday, we had six inches of snow. It was warm enough that it melted down. But then it snowed again over night.

This picture is actually from last year. March 19th to be exact. But this is what they looked like just the other day. I just wasn't fast enough to get a picture taken.

Spring is coming... I always like this part. Especially when I look back at photos and realize how close we are. Yes, there will likely be more snowfalls. But spring will happen, it's just around the corner.

Friday, February 24, 2012

pasta carbonara

We watch "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on Food Network, frequently. One night we caught an episode where they made pasta carbonara (I linked to the recipe in case you want to make it). Bill exclaimed, "Pasta Carbonara is my favorite!"

This was news to me.

It's good that after thirteen and a half years, there are still things I don't know about him.

Like the fact that pasta carbonara is his favorite.

I don't think I had ever heard of it before that episode...

Thanks to the iPad, I got on my Food Network App and had the recipe in my "recipe box" before the chef had finished making the dish for Guy.

Tonight I made it.

It was easy to make and it was delicious. I can see why it's Bill's favorite. I think it might be one of my favorite pasta dishes now too.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

thoughts on a bucket list

We all know how life ends. We can't get around it.

Some people have bucket lists. Things to do before they die.

There was a woman on Ellen who has cancer and has been doing a "bucket list" with her kids (they actually called it their "fun list"). They did things like rent a limo to go get french fries.

I have a list of places I want to go. But I wonder if I thought of a true bucket list, what I might come up with? Do you have a bucket list? What are some of the things on it? Have you ever thought of making one?

Just wondering...

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

C.S.I.

Cat Scene Investigation

Last night Juliette threw up three times. We just started her on an antibiotic yesterday, so that seems to be causing the puking. It was several hours after she had eaten, so hopefully the medicine just upset her tummy a little (update: she just puked again, but the last time she ate was six hours ago).

The problem with Juliette throwing up in the middle of the night, was trying to find the spots. In the dark. I didn't want to use a flashlight, because it really wasn't going to help that much. I ended up waiting until this morning.

It was like a crime scene.

Only with cat puke.

If I had the little markers that they use on tv, I totally would have marked all the spots and taken photos (I may be on the verge of bored housewife).

I would have marked them so that after I found them, I could have gone downstairs, grabbed the stain remover and some paper towels and found the spots again.

But I don't have the fancy plastic markers, and the puke was sort of obvious enough to find on its own, so it was a modified "cat" scene investigation.

I hope it stops. Poor kitty. We just want her to be better.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

the scariest place

It exists. It's in your house, it's in my house. It's at the office, the doctor's and even the church. You can't hide from it.

That is of course, if you can even get to it.

The place I speak of? It's behind your desk.

Yikes!

It's scary.

I don't recommend going back there.

Unless you're doing something like hooking up a new printer. It's wireless, but it still has to be plugged in.

How's that for technology? We can now print, wirelessly, from anywhere in the house to this printer.

But to do that took some... magic. Maneuvers. Strength. And don't forget bravery. Bill is the technician, so he was in charge of hooking everything up and getting all the cords straightened out. I was in charge of crawling under the desk and passing cords to him.

It was really scary back there. The cobwebs and dust... whoa.

It's the kind of thing that Stephen King writes about. The things that get his creative writing juices flowing.

What I'm trying to say is that if you like to write and you need a topic, go crawl behind your desk. You might be inspired. Or you might want to think about cleaning.

Is it too late to point out that Bill works for a janitorial company? We clean our house regularly. But the desk is a behemoth. I can't move it. I can barely get the vacuum nozzle between it and the wall. So it's no wonder that it was that scary back there. But it's okay, because I survived. And now it's clean. We can go another five-ish years before we have to worry about it again.

Monday, February 20, 2012

chocolate

I bought a new lotion and it smells like chocolate. It is divine. And it makes me want chocolate all day. I have a sweet tooth, specifically when it comes to chocolate. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I bought the lotion. Apparently I had a desire to drive myself bonkers by wearing a chocolate scented lotion.

It smells so good that a child decided to eat it in the store.

That's according to the clerk. I didn't actually witness it. Nor would I attempt that myself. I witnessed a similar scene when I worked at Bath and Body Works and we sold a pumpkin mask.

It was supposed to be all natural and it smelled very much like pumpkin. The girl who tried it didn't get sick, so that's good.

I don't recommend eating body care products.

But you can smear coffee grounds on your thighs. It's supposed to reduce the cellulite. It can't hurt?

I already smell like chocolate...

Sunday, February 19, 2012

call first

This is my new rule. If you're going to come over and visit and we're not expecting you, call first.

I will no longer be answering the door.

I have had the misfortune of answering the door three times in the last week to sales people. I understand they are just trying to do their job. I politely listen to their pitch. Then I politely tell them no thank you.

If I want to buy something, I'm going to do research and then I'll call the "right" people. I don't think I'll ever buy something from someone who knocks on my door, save for the Girl Scouts and their cookies or Boy Scouts and their popcorn (or the neighbor kids and whatever fundraiser they're selling, so basically if you're older than fourteen, I'm likely not going to buy something from you).

We frequently have people knocking on our door because they, "noticed our old wood windows". Yup. We have the original windows. And why would I replace them, when they are just as efficient (or will be once Bill finished restoring them), replacing them only adds more trash to the landfills, and the replacement that the salesman is trying to get me to buy are vinyl.

Our house in Jersey had vinyl windows. They were crap.

Wood clad windows are a better choice. No one is selling those door-to-door. Do you know why? Because they're expensive. If you want those windows, you know you want them.

Vinyl is the cheapest solution. And there's a reason. Because they're made cheaply.

I wasn't going to get on this soap box, but the guy at the door gave me something to blog about.

He tried telling me that his aluminum windows were better for the environment than our wood windows. This is what I told him, "I'm not going to stand here and argue with you because it's Sunday..."

That threw him. He had no reply. I wished him good luck and told him that I was glad he had sunny weather in which to do his job. I made it clear that I wasn't going to listen to him any longer.

Did I mention I'm in my pajamas? Tonight at youth group, we're having a pj party. So when we got home Bill suggested going ahead and putting on our pj's. I did. He did not.

He didn't answer the door because dear, sweet Juliette was sleeping on his lap. She's still there. Lucky me.

Unlucky for the poor salesman.

Bill is still chuckling.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Michelle Obama arms

I want Michelle Obama's arms.

Well, not her arms.

I want my arms to look like hers.

She has great arms.

I want my arms to be toned like that.

I'm working on it. Maybe by the time I'm her age, my arms will look that good.

Friday, February 17, 2012

free beer and hot wings

If you live in Grand Rapids, or anywhere in the U.S., there is a morning show on the radio called "Free Beer and Hot Wings". I actually don't listen to it. But that's because I don't really listen to the radio. Or the station that it's on. But I think it's syndicated, so pretty much most everyone has probably heard of it (I think).

The title just made me laugh out loud. Not because I find the morning show funny (again, don't listen to it). But because we had our free wings (well I ordered the wings) the other night.

I just sent an email to the other Commissioner who just opened his brew pub, Harmony (remember? I mentioned that too). He missed the first meeting February because that was his opening night. He mentioned there might be some free beer for us Commissioners as an apology. I mean, we can miss meetings, so he doesn't really need to apologize. But free beer sounds good.

Hence the Free Beer and Hot Wings.

We had the hot wings now we're trying to make a date for the free beer.

It was funny to me.

See? I told you I'd have something better to blog about today!

Okay maybe not.

Are you still reading?

I'm finished now.

Wait.

Bueller.

Bueller.

Okay, now I'm done.

(Did you get it?)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

blank stares

Bill came down stairs to find me staring at my laptop screen. He said, "I can't think of anything either."

He didn't have to explain, I knew he meant blogging.

Sometimes the blank screen just stares back.

Thoughts that were running through your head mere minutes ago vanished like the bottles of wine in our house.

It doesn't help that I'm distracted by Ellen.

And the sun, which keeps peaking out from behind the dark clouds.

And Ellen giving away free gas.

And my pretty Valentine flowers that are sitting on the mantle.

And that tomorrow is Friday.

Maybe by then I'll have thought of something to write about.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

before the grand opening

The new BW3 is opening in downtown Grand Rapids on Friday. I was fortunate enough to receive a V.I.P. invitation through various connections in the HPC. One of the other Commissioners and I decided we would go check it out. Bill had a meeting at the B.O.B. so he would join us after our HPC meeting.

Everyone did a nice job and seemed to know what they were doing. My (boneless) wings were delicious. We got appetizers too; fried pickles (good, but not as good as the Corner Bar in Rockford) and the "southwest bites". Those were yummy.

The best part? It was all free.

Beers were $1. I think there were some other alcohol related beverages that cost money, but all that food was free.

We will likely never eat there again. I love the boneless wings, but there are too many other (locally) owned restaurants in GR that we would chose over BW's.

For instance another Commissioner has just opened a brew pub with his siblings. We need to get over there and check that out. "Harmony" is the name (in case you're a local and want to check it out, it's on Lake Dr. over in Easttown). Right now they're only serving pizza and beers. They will have more beers on tap as the days go by (and the beers get brewed).

GR is known, as is all of Michigan, for the micro-brewery and brew pubs. That's a good thing. It means lots of choices.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day

In a completely oblivious state, I came home from the grocery store. These were on the mantel. But I didn't go into the living room. I put the groceries away and then I ate lunch. Since we both work from home, I had said over lunch that I would be going upstairs to work.

Bill silently (and stealthily) took these from the mantle and put them on my desk. That made them sort of hard to miss.

They are quite lovely. They came from a member of his BNI group (that's a networking group).

I hope you remember to share love every day. It's not just the one day we need to be happy and spread love.

But it was especially nice to get flowers.

Monday, February 13, 2012

beans, beans the magical fruit

I realized (and read) that dried beans are cheaper than their canned counter parts.

I made the black-eyed pea dip for the Super Bowl. I soaked the beans overnight, I cooked them for the right time and they turned out just fine.

Today, I'm making a dish that uses black beans. I bought those as dry beans. I forgot to soak them. I followed the "quick" cook instructions. I'm crossing my fingers that they are cooked. I'm also crossing my fingers that the dish turns out.

I'm famous for reading ahead and skipping steps. Dishes usually turn out just fine. But there's a lot of frustration before the final product is actually sitting on the table.

I made scones to take to the Cool Cats tomorrow.

Um, those gave me some trouble too. I made notes and am confident that I won't have the same mess next time. Again, they turned out just fine. There was just a brief moment of panic when I tried to move them to the cookie sheet that created a bit more of a mess than I had planned. (I still had the same amount of scones as I had started with, there was just some excess flour that decided to jump ship.)

Now I'm making a jam crumb cake for Pastor Gary's February dessert. It calls for sour cream. I'm pulling out the ingredients to get it ready. That's when I realize we are out of sour cream.

You can substitute plain yogurt for sour cream, but all we have is vanilla yogurt.

This has not been a good day for me in the kitchen.

Thankfully, Bill graciously offered to go pick up some sour cream. He's my kitchen hero.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

binkie

Here's the blankie I crocheted for Julie, Pete and their baby (it's actually not quite finished in this photo). They don't know if it's a boy or a girl. This was the best choice the store had in variegated colors. It was this or pastels and Julie isn't a pastel kind of person. These colors are perfect and she said they'll match the room.

Whew!

That makes me happy.

It was a super simple pattern and it really didn't take me that long to make. I had trouble with the edge at first, but once I looked it up and adjusted my instructions, it was easy too.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

brr, it's cold

I'm waiting for my car to warm up. I'm leaving to go to a baby shower.

It's cold outside.

Huh, imagine that. It actually feels like winter out there.

That's pretty much all I have to say. I did take a picture of the blanket, so as promised, I'll post the picture after the recipient receives it.

I'll probably be getting home late. Check back tomorrow.

And make sure Bill stays out of trouble.

Friday, February 10, 2012

hot house

First things first. No. I didn't blog yesterday. I was just too busy. Since this isn't a contest, I think it will be okay. Thanks for understanding.

On to today's post. We have a "hot" house. Okay, warm is more like it.

Let me explain.

Bill has been working on our windows. We have casement windows that are original to the house. I refuse to replace them. They are just too beautiful and can be just as efficient as new windows (actually more because there's no waste in the landfill, and new windows just don't last as long, these have been in the house since it was built in the 1920's). The key word is "can be". One of the Commissioners does window restoration. He spent a lot of time talking to Bill about re-glazing windows. We actually had his business partner out to give us a quote.

That was eye-opening. So we decided to re-glaze the windows on our own to save several thousand dollars.

Bill has been working on the storm windows, one at a time, after work and on weekends. He started in the dining room, because one of the panes in one of the casements was cracked. We actually started with the casement, not the storm.

It looks a lot easier on tv than it actually is.

Then we found out the product we were using is quite possibly the worst one of its kind.

After research and several trips to the store, we found a better product and got the casement glazed. It's not pretty, but it was the first one. I say we, because I did 1/80th of the work. Bill did most of it. He really should take all the credit. Although I am trying to be the cheerleader to keep him motivated.

I should also explain, that it's not just about re-glazing the windows, although that is a major part of it. Bill also stripped the wood down, re-stained and put polyurethane on them to help them last longer.

There used to be felt around the edges as weather-stripping. Most of that has worn off, so Bill also found a rubber weather strip that will not only keep the cold air out in the winter (but keep the cool air in, in the summer) but it also helps hold the storm in place. That means no more screws. Did I mention that the storms used to be screwed in place? Big ugly screws, with big gaping holes.

We also had new glass cut. Mostly because as Bill was trying to remove the old glass, a couple of panes may have broken in the process. He learned that just simply trying to scrape out the old glazing wasn't the easiest way and could potentially break the glass. Using the heat gun, however, loosened the old glazing and makes it much easier to pull the glass out in one piece, thus saving money because we don't have to buy new glass.

All this to say, yesterday he got the new/old storms back in the windows in the dining room. What a difference!!! You used to be able to stand next to the one window and actually feel the cold air rushing in through the gaps around it. Now you feel nothing but warmth. The dining room is significantly, noticeably warmer.

I am so happy with how good of a job he has done. The windows look fabulous and I'm just so geeked that we (Bill) can do this to save us money. He'll be a pro by the end and he'll never want to do it again.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

groups of things

Bill and I blogged on this topic on our joint blog, here.

This morning, while I was putting away the dishes, I had a new thought. After opening the cupboard with the dishware and chuckling to myself about all the glasses we own (approximately two shelves worth), I thought of what a group of glasses is called.

Are you ready for this?

Can you guess?

A spectacle.

A group of glasses should be called a spectacle.

Get it?

Did you go look it up?

Is it really called that?

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

what happens when I have too much sugar

The other day I had a brownie, a piece of rum cake and strawberry shortcake. Now I feel a head cold coming on.

The two have nothing to do with each other. However, it is a coincidence that in the past when I've had a lot of sugar, I have gotten a cold immediately. I don't know how the two relate to each other, but it happens.

Today, to fight off the cold, I had blueberries with my yogurt, a large glass of o.j., a Clementine, and freshly squeezed lemon in my water. I'm having butternut squash and spinach risotto for dinner.

Besides the five glasses of water I've already consumed, if this doesn't help me get better faster, nothing will.

Monday, February 6, 2012

a new rice dish

You might think I could blog earlier in the day. Or you wish I would blog earlier. I think most of you read my blog and "catch up", none of you are reading it for the timeliness.

Some days I just don't have time until after dinner. Or some days, I want to blog about dinner.

I like to wait until after dinner, you know, to make sure it turns out.

Tonight's dinner did. I have a recipe book called "Back Home Again in Indiana". It was a wedding present. I had started looking through it for the Hoosier Pie recipe. I decided to go through from beginning to end for other recipes, after discovering that it did not have the official state pie recipe (an oversight for sure).

I found one for "Southwestern Rice". I'm pretty sure the only thing that makes it "southwestern" is the chopped green chilies. It was rice, layered with a special sauce comprised of sour cream, plain yogurt, Worcestershire, the chilies, and garlic. Between the layers of rice and sauce was a layer of Monterey Jack cheese. It was topped with cheddar and baked until "golden".

For the record, the rice was a long grain brown rice. Possibly the only healthy thing in the entire dish. Oh and the yogurt, it was Greek.

I liked it. I thought instead of the two cans of chilies, I could have added one and an onion.

We had it with grilled chicken breasts.

Tomorrow night we'll be having leftovers.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

and by rum cake I mean Rum

Just kidding.

After two rum cakes, there's not a lot of rum left! Plus we don't have any Coca Cola. (I know I blogged about how much I like Coke vs. Pepsi, but I cannot find the post. The only post I can find is this one. So if you can find my Coca Cola one, please let me know what it's titled... thanks)

I'm in the process of making a black-eyed pea dip for tonight. I'm also prepping for this evening by listening to Madonna's Immaculate Collection.

It's nice enough outside, I should go take a walk. Maybe I will once the beans are cooked... In the meantime, I'm crocheting a gift. Once it's given, I'll post pictures of the finished product!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

and by frosting I mean Rum cake

Do over for the Rum cake was today.

It turned out! And it's beautiful!!! And it is quite delicious.

The other thing that went well was the window repair. Bill bought the weather stripping. After finishing the polyurethane coat (and letting it dry), he applied the new weather stripping. Then he tried fitting it into the window opening. Not only does it fit, but it looks good too! I never had my doubts about the looks of it, I think we both had our doubts about how well the weather strip would work. It seems to be the right trick.

Now all we have to do is glaze the glass in place, let it dry and repeat sixteen times. For the storm windows.

Then we start all over with the casements. So sixteen times two.

I know that's thirty-two. I'm trying to ignore that number.

Maybe I'll go eat a piece of rum cake.

Or the whole cake.

Friday, February 3, 2012

and by cake I mean frosting

Tonight was our "young" couples dinner. We get together with a group of friends from church every once in awhile. We try to get together regularly, but they all keep having kids and buying houses and stuff. So the best we can do is once every other month. But it's been several months since the last time. Several months as in, it was summer. We tried having one in the fall, but half of the group ended up not being able to make it. I think it was the weekend I was in Iowa.

Anyway, we all bring a dish and we have a good time. Sometimes we try to impress each other with new recipes. Sometimes we pick a theme. Tonight was "international". Bill bought egg rolls from someone in his networking group. They were selling them as a fundraiser. Bill was very kind to support them. And they were really good. The main dish was fajitas and the appetizer was bean dip. Dessert was chocolate cupcakes.

Amy brought them and she brought the extra frosting too.

For some reason we had segregated ourselves, men in one room, women in the other.

That was fine. Sometimes it's good to have the separation.

So when it came time to dessert, I brought in a container of cupcakes and the frosting.

I added a large, heaping spoonful of frosting onto my cupcake. And then I proceeded to eat more frosting.

So this post is really a play off of yesterdays post. I feel the need to explain it because it's a quarter to twelve and I realized I hadn't blogged yet today.

If you got it, I'm sorry I explained it. If you didn't get it, then you're welcome.

Good night!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

let's have cake and eat it too

I've been trying to figure out what to blog about today. Nothing exciting was coming to mind, that is until Bill talked to our friend Heather W.

He had called her and left a voicemail wishing her a happy birthday. She had called back and they were chatting.

Bill had to ask how old she is because we always forget. He was going on about how old his Grandma would be (because today was also her birthday, she would have been 108) and that Heather had babysat for her, so she must be...

Heather interrupted with, "Eternal".

Touche.

So next year will be a big birthday for her. The best news is that it will be on a Saturday! It only makes sense to start counting down now!

I'm sure it'll be a big blow-out party. We can go to the casino, and eat at the buffet and be partied out by 7! Oh, that's pm by the way, not am.

What?

She's going to be... eternal.

(I was told not to say how old she'll be, not by her wishes, but Bill's. I'll abide, because someday -hopefully, I'll be that old!)

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

scones

I haven't ever made scones. I have enjoyed eating quite a few. Including one this morning. But the first time I had them was at camp.

Yes, camp. We had a nutritionist who was the head of the kitchen. God Blessed that camp food. Brown was not the food group of choice that summer. Although it totally spoiled me. Brown camp food does very little for me except raise my blood pressure and jack up my sugar levels.

Back to scones. I think she made them because of Ian, who was our... I forget his title, but he was British and he worked at camp. He was a counselor for at least one summer. Anyway, back to the scones. I think she made them for Ian. They were good. I had nothing to compare them too (well, muffins, I guess) and I liked them.

This morning, I had a meeting at the local bakery. They had double chocolate chip scones. Yum! I've had scones there before. They rate right behind croissants, which is another post on a food I love.

But I haven't ever made scones. So I checked out PW's website to see if she's made any. Guess what? She has. It looks like I'll be making these soon.