persephone33

( Visual aide, here. )
Behold the incredible cross section, y'all.

Yep. That's it.

Carry on.

I love cookbooks. Did you know?

My sister, mother and I have been known to sit down with a cookbook and a cup of coffee and read the recipes like they were a novel - except that we also have a pen and paper, scribbling notes about the cast of characters as we go. Anyway, I have a love affair with cookbooks - I have more cookbooks than pairs of shoes, if that tells you anything.

( Yummy pictures! )

Without the last two ingredients, these are 81 calories apiece. But I live dangerously. And by dangerously, I mean with butter on standby at all times. I gotta be me.

Enjoy!

We went to the family's cabin in Childress, TX (which is right between Quanah and Estelline, thanks for asking) for the long weekend. Below are the pictures to come out of it all.

Warning: There are a lot of pictures. I'm not kidding. A LOT. And there are cows. And strangely dressed children. And one victim of a hunting excursion. Be forewarned. I'm not listening to any whining.


The best thing about the cabin is that there's literally NO ONE AROUND. No people, that is. There are lots of cows. And deer. And cranes (minus one). And various other wildlife. You can imagine my moue of distaste on my face. But this weekend was fun. It was just the four of us. Well, six if you count the dogs. And we do.

( Home, home on the range... )

And I showed restraint by only posting HALF the pictures. The other half got lost in my second crappy camera. I think I'll buy a new one with my birthday money. Then I can inflict GOOD cow pictures on you, and not the slightly blurry ones.

Merry, merry!

Last year I did gift bags with homemade baked goods for my husband's clients. This year I'm getting more than a 5 day heads up on this, so yay.

Help me decide? For all the Food Geeks and Cookie Connoisseurs, I have included pictures and links.
( If you're into Food Porn and recipes and stuff. )

[Poll #1653993]

There are constants in the world. There are things that never change. There are things you just KNOW you can count on.

*E will always equal MC squared.

*Nolan will always tell me that I look beautiful, even if I have bedhead and haven't showered for two days.

*Pamela Anderson's breasts will forever and always point northward.

*The Dewey Decimal System

*Stevie Nicks' hair

*The speed of light in a vacuum.

*Carrie's consummate hatred of all things gourd.

However, my dear friends, I've been introduced to something whose utter and complete deliciousness will not be denied. Are you ready for this, people? Pay close attention. It is...The Pumpkin Muffin.

It's wonderful. Simply amazing. And it makes me wonder if, perhaps, I might have misjudged all gourds. Is squash really good? Is zucchini something that I should try more often? Should I actually order the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks?

(Right now, from the general direction of Louisville, Kentucky, I can hear my sister's shout of disbelief, and from Arlington, Texas, my mother's smugness.)

I just don't know, anymore. Up is down and left is right! Should I try tapioca pudding again? Is celery really not as nasty as I've always made it out to be? Are liver and onions really a taste treat? Are raisins actually good in cookies? IS TEQUILA REALLY NOT NAUSEATING (and something that I can really get over, given the events of October 1992)?

*snort*

I'm not drinking tequila. I haven't lost my damn mind, thankyouverymuch. You live and learn. And hoo, boy, did I ever learn.

Seriously, though, it does make me wonder if my tastes have changed. I'm going to have to do some exploring, that's for sure. Although I remain, as ever, skeptical. While I'm over here thinking about it, here's a recipe and how to for you nice folks. It comes from my friend filia_umbrae, whose entry was one of the winner's of my July contest this year. She entered Pumpkin Bread, and I made pumpkin muffins, because there's no slicing that way and I'm lazy.

( Pumpkin Muffin Recipe! )

*Currently, we have a missionary from Haiti staying with us for the weekend. She and her husband run an orphanage for AIDS and HIV+ kiddos down there. (As if the Cholera and the hurricane and the abject poverty weren't enough.) It makes my problems (what little I have) seem absolutely inconsequential. It's good to have some persepctive shoved at you every now and then. So that's what I'm doing this weekend: cooking and hostessing and entertaining and ...sewing?


*A good start on stock for my etsy store. Yes, I'm going to open one. No, I don't have an ETA on that. Etsy (and the way it's set up) is confusing and my photographic skills are a bit lacking. But it's on the horizon. Somewhere. This picture isn't all of the bags I have made; I think there are5 or 6 more hanging in the closet.

* Aaaaand lastly, Goldfish Vanilla Grahams are evil and must be stopped. I bought them for the children and I don't think the boys have had even one out of the (now) half-empty bag.

Curses.

When Veteran's Day rolls around, it always reminds me of three things:

1. My Dad. He's a veteran of the Vietnam War.
2. That I've forgotten my Aunt's birthday yet again (not this year, though!)
3. To be profoundly and sincerely thankful for all of the men and women that have served our country to ensure my life and freedom are safe.

Whatever your opinions are about war, and the military machine in general, you still have to appreciate the sacrifice that soldiers make when they serve our country. I find that I'm especially in awe of the men who were drafted into service. I can't think of anything scarier than going into a war zone at nineteen when it's not what I was cut out for.
( Pictures of my dad: 1967-68 Vietnam )

But even as a kid, though in my opinion, he looks a lot older than nineteen in these pictures, he's still got that quintessential thing that would later grow into being my father: A soft spot a mile wide. Especially for kids.

I can't think of anyone else that could ever measure up to my dad. He's one of my favorite people in the whole world, one of the only ones I can talk to for hours about nothing at all, and a hell of a good man. Even though he's computer-impaired and will probably not see this unless my Aunt forces him to sit in front of the screen, I want everyone to know how proud I am that he's a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, that he played his part in keeping our nation safe, and that he survived it all to become my dad.

Love you lots, Daddy. Happy Veteran's day.

My cute new purse!

( I must make more of these! )

And I got bangs with my haircut last week. :D

At least my BFA in Theatre Arts didn't go completely to waste.

After last year's complete and utter costume cuteness, this year my kids are going as a vampire and a zombie.

Boys. What are you going to do.

When they were smaller we made cupcakes together. Now we make fake blood.

Recipe for Edible Blood by Carrie Leigh

( Not for the faint of heart! )

Ew. I just grossed myself out. Sorry.