Sidetracked again....

I'm on a homemade kick right now. My goal? Avoiding processed foods...or at least avoiding the ones I can make myself, and especially the ones I can make cheaper. So I started today with high hopes and big plans- bread, pocket pies (courtesy of Good Eats), pasta noodles, maybe some cookies....Also I wanted to make some pudding and Jello so it would be ready for lunches next week.

First on the list bread. I pulled out my new KitchenAid Mixer (thanks to Dad and Nick for my pretty red Christmas present). Pulled out the recipe that goes with it. Read through it, checked on the ingredients, and was ready to go. Well, of course, in order to make something in my miniscule kitchen, I have to wash the dishes. While I'm washing the dishes, I decide I might as well dry and put them away. So I do. While I'm putting them away, I notice that the rice is still in two different containers, so I combine, and create another dish to wash. And since I'm putting the pitcher away, I might as well make Kool-Aid and put it in the fridge so it's ready for later. And I need to pull out hamburger for dinner. Well, I might as well straighten out the freezer since I'm already moving stuff around. And I'll pull out the chicken for the pocket pies. After all this, I start the bread and get it to the point where I'm waiting for it to rise.

So I cook up the chicken, dice it, then stick it in the fridge. I reevaluate my plan, and decide not to make pasta today. Side trip to Costco for rice, yeast, and oil. Of course the roads were packed, and Costco had the longest lines I've ever seen. So our short sidetrip took much longer. Off the list comes the cookies.

I finished with the bread and put it in the oven. Time to make dinner- Hamburgers and French Fries. Luckily, I have a bag of fries that I was finishing from the freezer. So dinner didn't take too long. But now it's time for the Patriots game. We bought a new shedless brush for Stitch. While the game is on, we tackle Stitch and brush him. I was amazed at the amount of hair it pulled off him. Almost enough to make another dog! But that's less hair that will be on my floors, and on my bed, and everywhere else. Now, I hurry to make the pocket pie dough. Then I sit with Nick and shape it out while I watch the end of the game.

Mentally I start to reevaluate what I will truly have finished today. Not much, but my kitchen is clean, the bread looks, smells, and tastes wonderful, the pocket pie dough is all set for filling, the fillings are ready, and the dog is brushed out. Oh, and I have enough yeast, oil and rice for at least the next 6 months!

I'm seeing a White Christmas

"Let it Snow" is the current theme around here. Not just any snow, but heavy, wet, thick snow. It has been falling (and falling and falling) from the sky for the last week. It started with a bang last Thursday creating 3-4 hour commutes. All the lucky people who thought they'd be home early by leaving at 2pm found themselves in a snowstorm with everyone else.

I stuck around work until 5pm, with no real desire to sit in traffic. My 15 minute commute because 1 hour and 10 minutes. It was insane. There were too many cars on the road for the snow plows to get through. Luckily we only slid once. And Nick did a great job of controlling the car so no harm or foul.

It rained, snowed and then sleeted on Sunday. Some snow or sleet most nights this week and snow all day Thursday has resulted in no where to put it. The snow drifts are over 5 feet tall in some spots. Our backyard is about 2-3 feet deep. We did get to see them clean the streets in town Wednesday. They use a bobcat and a dump truck. The snow plow moves the snow during the day. At night the bobcat collects the snow and dumps it into the dump truck. I'm not sure where it goes from there, but I'm sure the open fields are used.

This was not the weather I was expecting when I came back from Florida.

Time Flies with Visitors

Sharon, Nick's mom came out to visit the end of October. We started her off right with a visit to the North End for cannoli's from Mike's Pastry's (the best. The absolute best!) My favorite are the chocolate chip ones. We also enjoyed Italian (there's no Italian like North End Italian, except maybe Italy Italian but until I make it there I can't compare. And of course I'm sure Italy Italian doesn't have the entertaining Boston-Italian accents.)

We took her to Boston on a "Duck Tour". It was my first one too. You ride an amphibious vehicle around the town checking out the architecture, listening to history, and "quacking" at walking Bostonians. It wouldn't be amphibious if you didn't splash into the Charles River to view Boston from the water. Of course it rained while we were riding. It wasn't too bad as plastic windows and heaters keep you warm.

We also visited Salem, MA. Normally, Salem is one of my favorite haunts. I love the small town feel, and how there's history around every corner. It's wonderfully dog friendly which makes it easier to bring Stitch. There's even a shop lady who puts out a large bowl and a small bowl of water for dogs. Sadly, due to it being October and almost Hallowe'en it was insanely busy. Too busy to really enjoy it. We did see some interesting street acrobats.

After she left, we had just over a week to reclean our house, and get ready for Adam. Adam and Nick spent most of the time playing videogames - their favorite thing to do with each other. We did drag him to Boston one night, and Nick took him again during the day to get some pictures. The hotel was full, so Adam spent the time in our living room which contributed to late night playing.

When Adam left it was time to reclean the house again. This time we hope it will stay clean! But I doubt it. Hopefully, it will stay clean enough that I can get some scrapbooking done.

They Might Be Busy

Wahoo! We went to the They Might Be Giants concert last Friday. I really enjoyed it! There was so much energy in the room. It was held at the Roxy in the theatre district of Boston. It is a smaller venue, so you feel really close to the performers.

In between preparing for my mother in law's visit and working, I have found time to enjoy the fall leaves. Oh, how I love all the colors. The combination of red, yellow and orange all on one leaf really catches my eye. Stitch likes to chase the leaves. His favorite days are the windy ones where the leaves are flying away from him and he has to run to get them. What a silly puppy. Fall is definately present in New England. Nippy mornings heat to warm middays which turn to crisp cool afternoons.

I was called to team teach the 3-4 year olds at church. What a great age. They are so open to what you are telling them, even with short attention spans. They are also very rowdy. I'm hoping they will calm down a little when we start church at 9 am instead of 3:30 pm. If not, oh well. They are still fun.

My Birthday

My birthday was great! Nick surprised me with a new 2 GB memory card for my camera and a new scrapbook to go with it. The scrapbook is Tinkerbell in honor of my Disney World trip this December with my family. Nick unfortunately doesn't have the PTO to go. My Aunt will be there too. Very exciting. At work I received a present that my Visiting Teacher dropped off. It was way cute-a pair of slipper socks, some fresh cookies, and some hot chocolate. It was neat because in answering who gave that to me, I was able to mention the church without being preachy. I like moments when missionary work just falls into life. It happens often in Boston. Not drinking coffee in a Dunkin' Donuts happy town, and doing something on weekends besides going to bars and getting drunk adds to the 'mystery' of who I am. I like the position also of giving just a few tidbits or facts about the church, and if they want more letting the missionaries do their job.

After work we caught the T into Boston and went to P.F. Changs. I love their lettuce wraps! The crisp, cool taste of lettuce against the slightly spicy, crunchy warm inside. We also had beef with broccoli, vegetable coconut curry vegetables, chicken lo mein and steamed brown rice. I love that they serve brown rice. It's nice to be able to find brown rice easier and easier.

After dessert of fried chocolate sticks dipped in caramel peanut butter sauce we wandered over to Barnes and Noble. I purchased "The Five Languages of Love". We covered part of it during our Eternal Marriage Institute Class, and I have been wanting to read it since. Nick bought the latest Nick Hornby and Harry Sherear.