Madame Gooseberry?

Gooseberries are more of a sickly yellow colour, if my memory serves me (of course it does, who else would it serve?). That's a little closer to puce (see last entry if you're confused....).

So, it's evening now. The kids are in bed, finally asleep. Doug's on the other computer, winding down from his day. The grocery shopping is done.... well, .... The dishes need to be finished, lunches made, and the table set for morning before I can go upstairs, but for now I'm having my Pepsi (what a girl needs after shopping), an orange, and blogging away. Running on at the keyboard, if you will...

My darling took care of the boys' baths and suggested I finish my list and leave for shopping before they were in bed. I almost made it, too. I was headed for the door when we both realized that I'd forgotten to clean and remake the boys' beds. Still, I managed to get out about 1/2 hour earlier than usual, and since I didn't need water today I could go to Extra (close by) instead of making the trek out to Superstore.

Now, you'd think that with extra time to compose my list and more time at the store that I would remember everything. But you'd be wrong. Not only did I forget the whole wheat flour (didn't even make the list!), but a plethora of other needs. Some were even ON my list, and I STILL walked out of the store without them. Now, on top of making a list of what I can remember I forgot (welcome to my twisted brain), I have to hunt down a source of suet, and find a fresh turkey for the weekend after next(18th).

My muffins got made (a new recipe at that). And my bagels got done (I tried something else new this time, too). Once lunches are made they'll make their way to the freezer. We had that wonderful soup (Hamburger Minestrone - see Breathe recipe blog) and watched Kelvin sit at the table for about an hour not eating it. No biscuits, though. I ran out of table space to make them. Sometimes I miss my old kitchen....

So, could I save myself some energy and buy bagels and muffins and whole grain breads? Yeah. But I like to make my family fresh, healthy stuff. I've tried out quite a few new muffin recipes. We're not getting sick of banana muffins anymore... The breadmaker takes care of the bread. I just have to remember to load it. I like knowing exactly what's going into my family's tummies. As for the bagels, well that's my new passion. The bagels we like at Safeway were out of stock for a couple of weeks, so there was my chance to try out those recipes. Basically it's just bread dough, so my breadmaker can take care of the bulk of it. The difference is in how you cook it. Shaping it has taken some practice, but I've found a way that works without making them look like alien artifacts. Sadly, Kelvin is not able to assist me in the new method. His hands are just not big enough. Once they're shaped, you let them rise and start your water & sugar to boiling. Boil, drain, put on a cookie sheet and bake. It takes a bit of time, but they taste good. When I've got it down to a recipe I'm really happy with I'll post it on the recipe blog.

I shoveled snow three times today, and got everyone where they needed to be on time. Dinner was a little late, but no-one complained. About the time, anyway....

I suppose I should quit stalling and get back to work. Those dishes won't wash themselves (did I mention that my old kitchen had a dishwasher). And I need those water bottles clean, partially filled, and in the freezer so they can keep lunches cool tomorrow. That's the bare minimum. The food's put away, and I'm not doing anything now but stalling.................maybe if I just hide out it'll all get done on it's own .........................

is it working?................................


Nah, I didn't think so.

Hi ho, it's off to work I go.......

And it's taken me 1/2 an hour just to compose this....