Making time while waiting.

When you are waiting for a "life event to happen," time can wear on and on. Whether it is for the birth of the latest baby, or the passing of a loved one, time takes on new meaning. Once the waiting period is over, though, it seems like it was no time at all. Well, this family is in a waiting period. So I had the brilliant idea of baking cookies. Always a good timefiller. (I use the term "making" very loosely here. Mainly I just broke off pieces of cookie dough and plopped them on a cookie sheet.)

Best chef in the house! (that day)

While we "baked" we talked, and joked, and talked some more. Turns out cookie making is an excellent time filler.

Grandpa was pretty darned good. Of course, I said I would make them, but then my hands just happened to be full with camera documenting the event.

We got them out of the oven and taste tested them to make sure they weren't poisoned.

And, yeah, they came out burnt. I mean crispy. Cookie making really should be left to the grammas!

And after...

First up, a dimmer switch! (Ok, so this post will probably only be interesting to homeowners, but I gotta brag on my daddy and his skills)

Got the light in the hallway working again. Nice!

Brand spanking new faucet! It even pulls out and has 2 spray settings. It was a bear to get all into working function.

Brand new garbage disposal that works very well!

Another view of the new disposal, as well as somewhere back there the new hose going from the dishwasher to the sink.

New spiffy elegant hardware for the kitchen cabinets made the room feel so much more home-like.

And finally, the light in the kitchen is fixed, and it is just amazing how much brighter and happier my kitchen is now!

Thank you Daddy! I mean Jose! It looks great. You are awesome!

Parents in town

I am very happy about my parents being in town, and the kittens have new favorite people in the world! What a family!

Yup, my momma worked hard!

Before and after shots to follow...

Dear Dad,

OK, Dad, here's the pics you asked for. For everyone else out in bloggerland, my awesome Dad has volunteered to come out and be a handiman slave for me for 2 whole days!!!! The kittens requested that they play jingle ball with them the entire time, but I have some other plans. I am sure they will get a bit of jingleball in though.
The kitchen light:

Closer up of the light in the kitchen.

Top of sink:

Underside of sink:

CLose up shot of the disposal.

An undershot of the sink and disposal. The disposal is an optional project. I don't have the new one yet, since I was a bit nervous to buy the wrong one.
This is the light I installed that worked before I put it up, and now it doesn't, and, yes, I changed the bulb and also switched the wires. They are lavender and pale yellow.
This is the light in the bathroom that I would love to have moved over to at least be over the sink. I am going to be getting a new light fixture, so maybe we don't have to move it, just get one that will cross over?

...and these are the kittens who need to be entertained.

Thank you Dad!

Mint.

Last night I decided to celebrate the last of my 4 day holiday stretch off work. My "celebration" consisted of a nice hot bath, candles, (OK, just 1 candle) 2 kittens snoopervising, and some nice music. What celebration bath is complete without a fizzy-ball? None.
(Fizzy balls are fantastic solid powdered bath salt thingies, that once you drop into the water begin to fizzle, releasing pleasant aromatherapeutic scents, soft skinned fantabulousness.)
So I had the bath all prepared, slipped into the water and dropped my newest fizzy-ball into the water.
Now, I was all into the Christmas scene yesterday, so I grabbed the one with the shiney green wrap. Most are lavender, or melon, or strawberry or some other girly smell.
What I was not expecting was the intriguing scent that then filled the room.
Mint.

I felt like I was in a tub of toothpaste.
I tried to relax, I tried to think of relaxing, but I simply could not get past the mint smell.
I felt the draw to go brush my teeth taking over me.
So take it from me. Mint is not relaxing. Mint is not a soothing scent. Mint is not romantic, calming, or anything else happy.
Unless toothpaste makes you happy.
The bath ended up being cut short. Not even the kittens liked it. They wrinkled up their nose at it. Very unkittenlike.
Anyhow, learn from my mistakes. Don't choose Mint for your next fizzyball bath.
YOu can thank me later.

Pictures from Thanksgiving

How Thanksgiving is going

2 nights before:

~Decide to make chicken with cranberry glaze, sweet potatoes mashed, greenbeans, pumpkin pie.
~Go to grandparents to invite them.
~Get invited to grandparents for Thanksgiving dinner.
~Convince grandparents to let me cook instead.
~Discuss plan for dinner.

Conversation:


Me: I'm going to have chicken with cranberry glaze.

Gma: We already have the turkey.

Me: Ok. So we will have turkey instead. And Sweet pototoes mashed.

Gpa: Nope. White potatoes.

Me: Ok. White mashed potatoes.

Gpa: And greenbeans.

Me: And greenbeans. With the onion thingies on top. And pumpkin pie.

Gpa: Pecan.

Me: Pumpkin.

Gpa: I like pecan.

Me: Ok. Pecan pie. And pumpkin.

Gpa: What about apple?

Me: I wasn't going to make apple.

Gma: I was going to make apple.

Me: That's fine. You can make apple.

Gma: And I will make the dressing to bring over.

Me to myself: What the heck is dressing?

Me outloud: Is dressing the same as stuffing?

Gma: Yes.

Me: Ok. You can bring that too.

Gma: Do you have a turkey baster?

Me: No.

Gma: Do you have a pan?

Me: No.

Gma: Do you have turkey bags?

Me: No.

Gpa: Do you have anything?

Me: Some of it!

Gpa: Do you have cranberry sauce?

Me: No. But I was going to go to the store first.



~Load up my car with defrosting turkey, turkey pan, baster, timer, turkey bags, cranberry sauce and turkey rack.

~Stop by store to pick up everything so I don't have to go to store the night before Thanksgiving.

~Get home.

~Review ingredients.

~Realize I need a few more things, including vanilla icecream for pies.

~Decide to go to the store after work, even though I know it's the night before
thanksgiving.



Day before Thanksgiving (or Thanksgiving Eve)

~Wake up.

~Go to work.

~Be excited all day cause I'm gonna make pies with Heather after work.

~End up working til 7.

~Drive home cursing the fact that now I'm too grumpy to make pies or socialize.

~Decide to make pies in morning.

~Find pecan pie recipe.

~Discover I need Corn syrup, which, of course, I don't have.

~Decided to go to store in morning.

~Love on kittens and go to bed early.



Thanksgiving day:~Wake up.

~Play with kittens.

~Feed "starving" kittens.

~Run to store to get corn syrup for pecan pie.

~Walk to second store cause 1st store is closed.

~Walk back after purchasing dark and light corn syrup cause I can't remember which.

~Play with kittens.



~Put out all serving dishes with pieces of paper in each indicating what will go in
which.

~Be happy cause I have enough!

~Make pecan pie.

~Wonder if pecan pie is done if it's still jiggly.

~Decide it's not.

~Stick pecan pie back in a few times til I decide it's actually ready.

~Stick pumpkin pie in over.

~Do happy dance for not spilling pumpkin pie mix while putting it in oven.

~Shift laundry.



~Decide to attack turkey.

~Freak out cause turkey leaked all over me and my counter.

~Get brave and tackle turkey, ripping out necks and gizards.

~Wonder what to do with this metal thing.

~Move turkey to sink cause it leaked on me again, this time on the floor.

~Ponder calling grandma cause I can only find the neck.

~Flip turkey over and find baggie I had heard people have accidentally left inside
turkey while cooking.

~Give myself back pat and glow in another mistake averted!



~Read next step of directions :"Season as desired." Wonder what the heck THAT means.

~Decide they aren't asking Fall vs Winter. Opt for rosemary.

~Wish I still had some needles and syringes from old floor nursing days to be able
to inject flavors.

~Make turkey do a little dance.

~Giggle at kitten licking up turkey juice at my feet.

~Wish I had second pair of hands to get this stupid turkey into the bag.

~Add a bit more seasoning just for kicks.



~Run down and switch out laundry after washing hands for the hundred millionth time
today. No salmonella in MY kitchen!

~Come back, put cooked potatoes into bowl. Reach for cream to add.

~Put cream back before I realize it's French Vanilla. Not Original.

~Get original and add to potatoes.

~Mash.



~Take pumpkin pie out of oven.

~Wonder if I burnt it or if it's underdone.

~Pick up turkey in pan.

~Put turkey back down.

~Adjust shelves in oven to accomodate turkey.

~Pick up turkey and put in oven.

~Take picture of Cessa helping.

~Close oven and set timer for 2 1/2 hours.

~Breathe sigh of relief.



~Look down at bowl of neck and giblets and wonder what to do with them

~Call grandma.

~Start to simmer neck and giblets per grandma's instructions.

~Taste test mashed potatoes. They are good, but need a bit more salt and butter.

~Add said salt and butter.

~Tidy up again.

~Look down and discover I didn't put thermometer in turkey.

~Wonder if it matters and decide it doesn't.

~Shred an onion.

~Jump back as onion fumes burn my eyes.

~Add onions to neck and giblets.

~Take a kitten break.

~Take a shower.

~Set table.



~Respond to all the texts that came through since this morning wishing me a happy
Thanksgiving.

~Blog, blog, blog.

~Call mom and leave a message that Cessa likes smoked salmon. A LOT!