Yesterday, I met Weaselmomma and Melissa with two S’s for lunch and cookie dough. (If you read World of Weasels, you might remember the last lunch/cookie dough adventure that Weaselmomma and I shared…) Anyway, Weaselmomma and I have been trying for more than a month to mesh our schedules so that we could enjoy lunch together again. Part of the problem originally was our clashing of styles: if I’m going to do lunch with someone, it needs to be with fair notice and in my calendar so I can juggle it with the other thousand things I have on my calendar. Weaselmomma on the other hand is no less busy…
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy V-day to all of you! While my sister is up north at a party with a theme that is so funny (and risque’; consider yourself warned before you head over there) that you’re just going to have to read about it yourself, it’s a very low-key sort of day here in Suburbia. The younger boy is on his way to Washington D.C. for his eighth grade trip. We’ve been up since 5 so we could get him outta town. After I taught my spin class, I came home and made chocolate cherry pancakes to go along with the blueberry muffins I made last night, and the three of us…
- Family Fun, Food, Fun in Chicago, Jim Has Mad Skillz, My Sister Has Mad Skillz, Something That Could Change Your Life
Frozen Birthday Fun in the Windy City
Jim’s birthday on Friday was one for the books. Poor guy had to spend the morning home, waiting for a tow truck (I happen to know lots about that, having had my car towed 4 times between late September and November…) because his truck sprung a fuel line leak. The -50 degree windchill didn’t help matters. But at least he got to wait for the tow at home, while I taught class and took the boys, who were off from school, on a birthday errand. In the evening, we went to dinner at Lou Malnati’s for Chicago deep dish pizza. YUM-O. Although the downtown area of our particular suburb has…
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It’s Getting Crowded In the Coffee Aisle.
Last night, I was writing up my grocery list. I wanted to go to my new favorite store, I sent Weaselmomma a text saying “I’m headed over your way tomorrow!” Not a minute later, my cell phone rang. It was Weaselmomma. I answered like anyone would answer their phone when they are happy to hear from someone, “Helloooo?” And this is what I got: “Hi! Who the hell is this???” Geez. Put the big “L” on my forehead. She didn’t have my number stored with my name and didn’t know who in the world was headed her way. So *that* conversation got off to a great start, not. I think…
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We Interrupt This Blog For Two Special Announcements…
Now that it’s 2009 and you’ve turned over a new leaf (or whatever), are you feeling the urge to reach out and help others? I’ve got two opportunities for you right here, and they require very little effort! First, my buddy Mags from Ms. Maggie Moo Talks 2 U has opened an etsy shop to sell some yummy goodies!* Mags is not only a CHEF, which–to me–makes her quite qualified to open up shop like this, but she is also lost her job a couple of weeks ago, and every purchase you make will help her out. In checking out her shop I noticed that there is only a shipping…
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Eight Crazy Posts! (#1)
The older boy, many years ago.Tonight at sundown, the Jewish holiday Hanukkah begins! We have already begun celebrating; last night our old friends came over for a pre-holiday dinner (because we couldn’t match schedules during the holiday!) and we had our Annual Hanukkah-palooza. I wrote about it last year when I had about three readers, and frankly this year was almost exactly the same: same food, same people, same fun, so I think last year’s post still holds. Click here to read about our fun evening and see photos of the phenomenally fattening–but delicious–food we made. Now, a little about dreidels. Basically a dreidel is a four-sided top which has…
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Sugar Rush, Part Two
Seems like everyone who read yesterday’s post wants it, so here is the easiest truffle recipe you will ever make! The recipe is from a book called Homemade Candy: By the food editors of Farm Journal. It is a hardcover book, originally published in 1970 and cost my mom $4.95, according to the cover flap! Years ago when Julesie, our mom and I started making these yummy candies, I pilfered borrowed this book from Mom’s kitchen and just never gave it back*. Of course, I *did* write the recipe down for her, so she’d have it. TrufflesToo delicious for words to describe (it really says that, under the title!) 1…
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Sugar Rush
Nothing like a little sugar (okay, a lot) to take my mind off the pounding headache and nausea that came about partly as a result of my two hour, fifteen minute commute home from work in today’s blizzard (two hours longer than my normal commute). First, I want to show you the gorgeous candy gift I received from the younger son of Movie Maven, who is in my second grade Religious School class. Movie Maven told me she has been making this candy for years. It not only looks beautiful, but it tastes awesome, too! Next, tonight I finally got around to making those truffles I was tweeting about earlier…
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Who Knew An Empty Bag Could Contain So Much Bad Ju-Ju??
When my parents came up from Tennessee for Thanksgiving, they brought a big bag to me from Kate, which contained a few Yankee Candles I purchased from Bean during a preschool fundraiser (they’re getting those kids out earlier and earlier!). As I was taking the candles out of the bag, I noticed something in there that I didn’t expect: it was a quilted bag/purse that I had given to Kate two years ago. This bag is awesome. My aunt, who is a phenomenal quilter, gave me a couple of them and when I saw this particular one I knew I would have to give it to Kate because of the…
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A Really Sweet Weekend
So, my parents are on their way back home to Tennessee. It was a nice Thanksgiving weekend, though a little crazed with two extras in the house 24/7. I tend to walk around sort of wondering “Who moved my cheese?” because I’m such a creature of habit, and holiday weekends definitely throw a wrench into my cherished routine. We had a great visit, though. More about Thanksgiving dinner later, but I wanted to show you what my mom and I did on Thanksgiving morning. We baked. Yummy. First, we made a bunch of pumpkin bread and chocolate chip banana bread, and a pumpkin pie. The chocolate chip banana bread recipe…