I called Steve at work today to tell him about my crashed laptop, and I started the conversation with "I have some terrible news...," but before he could freak out too much I assured him that no one (well, at least no human) had died. He told me to relax, that they could probably retrieve all my info, but I'm still a little nervous considering the clicking noise my hard drive is making. Steve felt bad, and to ease my pain he told me he would bring home his laptop tonight so I can pile up a few blogs for the next few days while I am trying to nurse my MacBook back to health. I have an appointment on Thursday to have it examined. Wish me luck.Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Rest Easy, I'll Still Be Writing About My Personal Menutia Everyday
I called Steve at work today to tell him about my crashed laptop, and I started the conversation with "I have some terrible news...," but before he could freak out too much I assured him that no one (well, at least no human) had died. He told me to relax, that they could probably retrieve all my info, but I'm still a little nervous considering the clicking noise my hard drive is making. Steve felt bad, and to ease my pain he told me he would bring home his laptop tonight so I can pile up a few blogs for the next few days while I am trying to nurse my MacBook back to health. I have an appointment on Thursday to have it examined. Wish me luck.
CRASH!
A few months ago I mentioned to Steve how devestated I would be if anything ever happened to my laptop, and today it happened. The Big Crash. Maybe it was a premonition, maybe it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, but today I was just happily writing my daily post and got that nasty, churning rainbow wheel (you know Apple only made it look all sunshine & rainbows to buffer that it is the most annoying thing ever). When it kept on going for a few minutes and I couldn't get my computer to do anything, I force quit and restarted. After it just gave me a blank screen for awhile I got a flashing folder with a question mark that looked an awful lot like a "Sad Mac," so I did a little research and read some horror stories of hard drives being wiped out. So I called Mac. Long story short (I am typing this on my iPhone) their very nice tech guy could do nothing for me, so I have an appointment at the Mac store for a live person to acess the problem (and luckily I still have 51 days left on my apple protection plan). I'll keep you posted, and speaking of posting, I won't be doing much (and it won't be as pretty) until I get my computer up and running. I feel like I've lost a limb, but at least I have my iPhone, which feels a bit like methadone to a major junkie like me, but it should get me through the rough patches.
But it isn't all bad, and here's some major benefits that have come from this minor tragedy:
But it isn't all bad, and here's some major benefits that have come from this minor tragedy:
- I learned how to post on Blogger from my iPhone.
- I have no choice but to get better at typing on this tiny keyboard.
- I might actually interact with my kids again.
- I have learned, and hopefully not the hard way, that I need to back up my family photos (fingers crossed that my hard drive isn't completely fried).
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Eight Pounds
Ever since I lost the baby weight from both Max and Jack with Weight Watchers, I have been pretty conscientious in keeping it off. It does seem that I am always battling the last five pounds, but I haven't been much higher than that since I lost 30 pounds almost three years ago. But something happened recently.I just have stopped caring. More accurately, I have stopped eating well, and have enjoyed eating crap so much, I stopped caring about eating right, and the weight has started going back on. I had a rude awakening the night after eating way too much of Max's Birthday Cake when I got on the scale and I was EIGHT pounds over my ideal weight. EIGHT POUNDS! That's like carrying around a newborn 24/7 in extra weight. And I remember how tired I would get carrying a newborn around when my kids were babies, so I can just imagine what this is doing to me. Needless to say, I'm pretty disgusted with myself.
I was a little hesitant to admit this on my bog for a couple of reasons. I know some people would love to only be eight pounds over their ideal weight, so I don't want to sound like I'm being callous. And I also didn't want to admit it to the world when I am having a hard enough time admitting it to myself. But there you are. I have admitted in front of God, the Internet, and everyone that I have eight pounds to lose. I am hoping this will be enough to get me to stick to eating right. I'll let you know how it goes.
I was a little hesitant to admit this on my bog for a couple of reasons. I know some people would love to only be eight pounds over their ideal weight, so I don't want to sound like I'm being callous. And I also didn't want to admit it to the world when I am having a hard enough time admitting it to myself. But there you are. I have admitted in front of God, the Internet, and everyone that I have eight pounds to lose. I am hoping this will be enough to get me to stick to eating right. I'll let you know how it goes.
The Bangs Are Back
I am happy to report that after 2 1/2 months of growing out, trims, and seeing my miracle-worker of a stylist, Shelly, my bangs are officially back from the dead. Now, this is how bangs should look.Saturday, January 31, 2009
The Party!
After the turmoil of creating The Beaver Dam and Lodge, today was the day we got to enjoy it with our friends. We went to the local bouncy house place and then came back for cake, ice cream, and presents. It was tons of fun.
Max got the first (huge) piece of cake, topped with a beaver.
Luckily he didn't eat it all.
Friday, January 30, 2009
The Beaver Dam and Lodge: A Cautionary Tale
I'm a bit of an overachiever, especially in the baking department. I guess it comes from working in a bakery during college, but every time I go to bake something I have to make it as perfect as possible. I have thrown away perfectly good tart shells, cakes, and cookies because they didn't meet my standards; they were a little too brown, a little lopsided, a little less than perfect.
Once I started baking birthday cakes for my kids it got worse. Don't get me wrong, I love baking a special cake for them every year, but just any old cake would not do for me. Oh no, these things almost require a structural engineer and always involve way too many batches of cake and frosting.
I started the trend when Max turned three and we had a dinosaur party. At the bakery I worked at they made a really cool volcano cake, and I just had to give it a try. It took about five layers of cake, tapered at the top, and lots of chocolate frosting. The thing even had raspberry jam lava flowing out of the top, and the three candles were inside the mouth of the volcano so it looked like it was on fire. And a new obsession was born (I wish I had a photo, but I can't find one. Tragic).
The next year we decided to do a race car birthday for Max's fourth birthday. I searched the Internet for weeks and found a design for a race car cake on a blog (I'd love to give them credit, but in searching again I haven't been able to find it). The cake called for rolled fondant, which I have since decided was created as a torture device, and the thing took me four days to bake and assemble. I almost threw it out the window more than once, but I was happy with the final results:
A few months later for Jack's birthday I made a robot that matched the sheets to his new big boy bed. Again, I went with fondant, and again I wondered why I'm into self abuse. Here's a photo of that one:
The next year Max had a space party and wanted a Saturn cake. This was the last time I did the fondant, and I actually was pretty happy with how it turned out, but the rings almost pushed me over the edge. All in all it was not my favorite, but not from lack of trying:
When Jack's birthday finally came around I had finally learned my lesson and ditched the fondant and made a teddy bear cake to go along with the Build-A-Bear Workshop party:
Because of my overachieving, I ask Max months in advance what he wants for his birthday cake each year so I have time to research it on the Internet and come up with a plan. This year when I asked him he said, as if it should be obvious, "A beaver dam and lodge." I said "What?" and he said, "You know, a beaver dam and lodge." At first I thought he was kidding, and as the weeks went by I kept asking him, hoping he would change his mind to something easy like Batman or the Transformers, but he wouldn't budge; it was a beaver dam and lodge or nothing.
I took it as a challenge. If I could form chocolate cake, frosting and fondant into a race car, I certainly could make a beaver dam and lodge. At first I thought I would actually make the dam and lodge out of cake, but then I gave up that idea and went with something (a little) easier. After five batches of cake, three and a half batches of frosting, and three hours of decorating, this is what I came up with:
I let Max choose the blue for the lake and the green for the trees, which is why they look like they are out of a Technicolor film from the fifties, but he was happy, which is always the point. At first we were going to dip the pretzels in chocolate to make the dam and lodge, but in the end we liked the way they looked on their own, and we thought the broken ends made them look like they had been gnawed on by beavers. Steve had the idea of putting the pretzels around the edge, which I think looks cool.
In the end, it's all about the boys. When I think back to the birthday parties I had as a kid, it's always the cake I remember, and I want them to have that experience too. So, every year until they don't want them anymore, I am going to make them an over the top, extravagant cake. I have set a precedent, and I only have myself to blame.
The moral of the story: Aim Low.
I started the trend when Max turned three and we had a dinosaur party. At the bakery I worked at they made a really cool volcano cake, and I just had to give it a try. It took about five layers of cake, tapered at the top, and lots of chocolate frosting. The thing even had raspberry jam lava flowing out of the top, and the three candles were inside the mouth of the volcano so it looked like it was on fire. And a new obsession was born (I wish I had a photo, but I can't find one. Tragic).
The next year we decided to do a race car birthday for Max's fourth birthday. I searched the Internet for weeks and found a design for a race car cake on a blog (I'd love to give them credit, but in searching again I haven't been able to find it). The cake called for rolled fondant, which I have since decided was created as a torture device, and the thing took me four days to bake and assemble. I almost threw it out the window more than once, but I was happy with the final results:
A few months later for Jack's birthday I made a robot that matched the sheets to his new big boy bed. Again, I went with fondant, and again I wondered why I'm into self abuse. Here's a photo of that one:
The next year Max had a space party and wanted a Saturn cake. This was the last time I did the fondant, and I actually was pretty happy with how it turned out, but the rings almost pushed me over the edge. All in all it was not my favorite, but not from lack of trying:
When Jack's birthday finally came around I had finally learned my lesson and ditched the fondant and made a teddy bear cake to go along with the Build-A-Bear Workshop party:
Because of my overachieving, I ask Max months in advance what he wants for his birthday cake each year so I have time to research it on the Internet and come up with a plan. This year when I asked him he said, as if it should be obvious, "A beaver dam and lodge." I said "What?" and he said, "You know, a beaver dam and lodge." At first I thought he was kidding, and as the weeks went by I kept asking him, hoping he would change his mind to something easy like Batman or the Transformers, but he wouldn't budge; it was a beaver dam and lodge or nothing.I took it as a challenge. If I could form chocolate cake, frosting and fondant into a race car, I certainly could make a beaver dam and lodge. At first I thought I would actually make the dam and lodge out of cake, but then I gave up that idea and went with something (a little) easier. After five batches of cake, three and a half batches of frosting, and three hours of decorating, this is what I came up with:
I let Max choose the blue for the lake and the green for the trees, which is why they look like they are out of a Technicolor film from the fifties, but he was happy, which is always the point. At first we were going to dip the pretzels in chocolate to make the dam and lodge, but in the end we liked the way they looked on their own, and we thought the broken ends made them look like they had been gnawed on by beavers. Steve had the idea of putting the pretzels around the edge, which I think looks cool.In the end, it's all about the boys. When I think back to the birthday parties I had as a kid, it's always the cake I remember, and I want them to have that experience too. So, every year until they don't want them anymore, I am going to make them an over the top, extravagant cake. I have set a precedent, and I only have myself to blame.
The moral of the story: Aim Low.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Kalamata & Garlic Tapenade
I went to my book group last night, and can I just say, I love my book group. I love them so much, in fact, that even though I had an insanely busy day yesterday, I took the time to make one of my new favorite things to share with them at our meeting. I had this amazing Kalamata & Garlic Tapenade at my sister Liz's house at Christmas, but since it was made by her neighbors, she had no idea how to make it. Steve loved it even more than I did, so I got online and tried to find a recipe. The first one I found was just okay, but I found a second one, and combined the two, and hit it right on. I had many of my beloved book group members ask me for the recipe last night, so here it is. I like making the crostini from whole grain bread toasted on a grill pan brushed with olive oil so it doesn't get too greasy. Enjoy.Kalamata Olive & Garlic Tapenade
1/4 cup olive oil
14 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 cups Kalamata olives, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained
Dash red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Dash freshly ground pepper
1 loaf fresh whole grain bread or baguette, sliced and toasted
Finely mince garlic in a food processor. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over low-medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Pulse olives, capers, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a food processor until finely chopped and then add to garlic and heat until garlic is lightly browned, approximately 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and spoon tapenade onto whole grain bread slices or crostini. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
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