You get excited about getting cookware for your birthday. The new cookware is courtesy of my in-laws and my father. Spock and the java are courtesy of Jay, who also took me out for dinner. Instead of Spock, I almost got a Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man that I saw after Spock went into the cart at Toys R Us...The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man made me laugh out loud in the store for about 90 seconds, although I chose to stick with Spock because I am a geek, Vulcans are awesome, and it's been a really long time since I've sat down to watch Ghostbusters.

 

Those yummy veggies have now been pureed and are cooling in Gladware or Tupperware or some other reusable plastic bowls, so that I will have some lunch for the next week. I also have some bread sitting on the counter, working on its' second rising. In a few more minutes, I'll begin cooking up this evening's dinner--Tomato pork chops & rice. I'm also going to have a salad, although I don't think I'll make the bambino or Jay have one of those. The bambino only seems to like the croutons anyway!

 

I made up a batch of egg & cheese chicken soup (one of many versions of stracciatella) yesterday for Allison--Her boys have been sick, and when I've mentioned it before, she's said it sounds good to her, and I think I might've given her the recipe as well. However, I thought this might be a long weekend for her, and I wanted to do her a favor. She brings me coffee & rolls often enough that I thought this might help even the score.

 

This has been an incredibly long week where work was concerned. We have a mailing that has to go out ASAP on Monday, we had a department meeting last Thursday, the officers had a committee meeting on Wednesday, and there was a lot of regular work in between. And because we have a department audit coming up in December, I'll be pulling a bit of OT in the next month to help get ready for it. On top of that, mine & Jay's 3rd wedding anniversary was Wednesday, so I made us go to Sioux Falls for dinner. And I've joined Weight Watchers, because my arse is out of control, and I'm tired of it. I only need to lose 8 pounds in order to be reimbursed by the bank, but my goal is to lose more than that. We'll see how it goes--Our first meeting is next Wednesday. And on that note, I am off to go start those pork chops and get my bread in the oven.

 

It's been a crazy week as far as work was concerned. Our quarterly statements showed up at 3:55 last Friday, and since I worked Saturday, I spent close to 5 hours (instead of my usual 3) sorting and filing. Kevin, the bank president, stopped by my desk at about a quarter after 12, to remind me that it was time to leave. I told him that I had a bit of a compulsion, and I had to finish sorting Tom's statements before I left--I didn't want to leave them in a bunch of piles for Tuesday. I did manage to get everything sorted and out in the mail by Thursday afternoon. I tried playing catch-up with everything else that I'd set aside, but that didn't quite work either. I've got a few things on my agenda for next week as well, and I'm now down to having roughly a month to get my filing caught up. Joy.

 

I went grocery shopping this morning...As usual, I spent more than I wanted to, but I sort of stocked up on a bunch of meat...A couple roasts (one of which will be consumed for tonight's dinner), a value-pack of pork chops (since the bambino loves pork as much as his father does), and a couple of organic items that are always more expensive than their conventional counterparts. One of my organic items was some maple syrup--When she was here a couple weeks ago, my mom printed me off a copy of a recipe for something called Maple Indian Pudding, which sounds absolutely delicious. I might need to make it tomorrow, but I'm not sure what to make with it. I'll mull it over while I clean the kitchen and do laundry this afternoon.

 

In the meantime, I think maybe I'll take a shower, while Jay gets the bambino ready to take a nap. I think we might be going to Sioux Falls tomorrow, so I should probably start making a Target list!

 

We had like a month of summer, barely 2 weeks of autumn, and now it appears that winter is here. If this is a sign of what is yet to come, someone go ahead and put a bullet in my skull. I cannot handle a 3rd dreary year of oppressing winter in a row. I will probably have to kill myself...Unless I can find a way to the tropics.

 

 I have bread dough resting on the counter at the moment. I haven't made bread in probably a month or so, and figured it was high time. I need something for my lunch tomorrow anyway, that will fit in a brown paper bag, since I left work on Wednesday without grabbing my lunchbox. I figured a sandwich of some sort would be fine. Once I finally got an appetite back, all I craved was toast, so I finished up the loaf my mom bought when she was here last week.

 

I also have laundry going, although I'd really like to go and take a nap. I've developed a rash, thanks to the Bactrim I'm on for that bacterial infection, so I had to go get some Benadryl and I'll be calling the clinic in the morning to get different drugs. Fun.

 

The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur. I went home to Ohio for a long weekend 2 weeks ago, my mom came here to visit for a long weekend 1 week ago, and for this weekend? The bambino & I are sickly, him, moreso than me. I have some sort of bacterial infection that knocked me on my arse Wednesday afternoon, and while I was feeling better by Friday, the bambino was not. He'd had a bit of a cough and while I thought I'd try and let it run its course without taking him to the doctor, Thursday night, he started coughing so hard, he threw up all over me. And later, he did it again to Jay. He had enough congestion in his lungs that his doctor made him do a nebulizer treatment there in the office to see if his lungs would open up a bit. He also had a sore throat, and because another child in his daycare group already had been diagnosed with strep, she went ahead and put him on an antibiotic, to combat what's ailing him. I was shocked, though...For once, his ears weren't infected.

 

The brief hours I spent in Cincinnati with my dad made me realize once again, how homesick I am, and how much I miss the city. Since we're heading there at Christmastime this year, I'm hoping to have a little time to hang out there. This past time, instead of a usual wait at the airport, I met up with my friend Beth, who works there, and we got to do a little catching up. But it would've been nice to catch up with some of the other friends with whom I've been in touch, thanks to Facebook. Maybe next time!

 

We've had rain out here on the prairie for what seems like forever, and I think it's starting to get to me. That, or the 2 1/2 days I've been home are making me a little cabin-feverish. And as usual, I'm suffering from good worker-ethic guilt, and feeling like I should've somehow found a way to go into work either yesterday afternoon or this morning. However, that nebulizer treatment scared the crap out of me, because I was afraid the bambino was going to be hospitalized with pneumonia or something, so I opted to just stay at home with my little guy. Not that Jay couldn't take care of him, but there are just some things a mom needs to do herself. Jay did watch the little tyke while I went grocery shopping this morning, though, and it's a good thing. I'd underestimated the crowd for Hy-Vee's 6-hour sale this morning. Egads, but I swear the only people NOT at the store this morning were either working, or too hungover to have been up at 8:30. Every place else I passed on my route home was deserted. 

 

After I finally woke up enough to check email on Thursday, I spent a good 2 hours or so reading French Revolution Food. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon it--I think I was looking for croissant recipes (which I'm not even going to attempt making--They sound like enough of a pain that I think I'd rather just settle for what's at the store), and came upon a recipe for pain au chocolat cinnamon rolls. Anytime puff pastry is involved, I'm hooked. And Kerry, the author, leads a much more exotic and fascinating life than my own somewhat pathetic existence, so I started with her first entry and worked my way forward! And while I'm not a huge fan of French cuisine, she had a TON of recipes (including the cinnamon rolls) that I'd love to try.

The bambino has had a fascination with Batman ever since Christmas, and Papa bought him the Fisher-Price BatCave. Since then, Robin (who came with the BatCave) has gone AWOL, but we've gained Mr. Freeze, the Joker & Penguin and their getaway van, the Riddler and his car (which I can't seem to find a picture of anywhere, but that's okay), and a second Batman & Batmobile. Since there's precious little on TV this evening, Jay opted to pop in a movie. I suggested The Dark Knight, and even though the bambino recognizes the Heath Ledger version of The Joker, Jay & I agreed that that's a violent enough movie that it might give the bambino nightmares. So they're watching the rather scrap Tim Burton Batman instead. I do have to admit, though, that it's pretty cute hearing how excited he gets every time "O-ker!" comes on the screen. 

Jay popped in some Tom & Jerry for the bambino, who seems to delight in cartoon violence today. Which is fine--Tom & Jerry is tame compared with a lot of stuff out there these days. And since it's Mama's favorite cartoon (I just ordered Tom & Jerry checks a couple weeks ago!), I really don't mind.

 

I'm trying my hand at homemade English muffins this afternoon. I do hope they turn out alright, as I'd hate to waste them. I had no idea until reading my recipe, that they're not baked at all--Just toasted on a griddle (albeit for 30 minutes per batch), once the dough's gone through its process. 

 

I am excited now that we have a Culver's here in town. It opened on Monday, and I've eaten there twice so far. We may be popping back over there again this evening, although that will be largely up to Jay & the bambino, and whether or not either of them wants to actually get dressed today!

I should probably be washing and chopping up my lettuce and prepping my salad stuff in between changing sheets and making beds and loads of laundry, and while my bambino is napping...But I am tired. I woke up shortly before 5, got up at about 6.15, and have been on the move ever since. Well, it feels that way at least. I even did a bit of yard work this morning--Chopping down some severely overgrown weeds that were on the verge of eating our mailbox. Consequently, my forearms hurt, and thanks to my predisposition to carpal tunnel, my hands were falling asleep as I was attacking the weeds with the hedge trimmer (yes, that's how bad they were). 

 

The bambino & I went and did the grocery shopping this morning, which was good. I spent a bit more than I wanted to, but bulk packs of pork chops were on sale, and we needed water softener salt. But I got lots of goodies for next week's menu and I'm going to make it a goal to go an entire week without eating out (unless for some reason, we go to Sioux Falls next weekend). I baked bread yesterday, and made brownies, and while I should probably find something to take for lunch for the next week, I think I can get by with leftovers. 

 

I suppose, I should go and hang up pants to air-dry, and go remake my bed. Maybe by 9 I can collapse into bed!