This just in...

So I'm sure many of you already know this, but...

man! FaceBook is a huge time-suck!

I can't forget that LJ is my first, my true online love. This is where my memories are written, where I first "met" a large portion of even my FB friends.

I need to be here more.

First Day of School.

Last Wednesday was the first day of school for my boys, and I can't believe it's already been a week since! My goodness, how behind I am!

A.J. is in the 6th grade this year, and I still shake my head at this, finding it impossible. How is it that he is already in his very last year of elementary school? *weeps* He has been placed in Mr. Loomis' class this year, and we are all very excited about the changes that his first male teacher may bring. This is his teacher's first year at the school, but he's no young'un: he's a retired Air Force officer with four grown children and eight grandchildren! He seemed very nice the evening we met him before school began, and I hope for good things this school year. From the get-go, he received props: for the first time in all A.J.'s school years, his items were labeled with "A.J." - not "Aaron," as usual. Success!

(As a child who never went by my first name, I can tell you what a monumental difference it makes to feel like a teacher actually CARES about you enough to get your chosen name down correctly from the very beginning.)

Jack is now in 2nd grade, and this is a bit easier to digest. After all, we kept him back for an extra year of preschool many moons ago (I'm sure some of you remember the tears involved in making that decision!). He is so bubbly, so confident, and so very excited about life in the 2nd grade. He snagged Ms. Wiebers for a teacher, and what a blessing - we are already very familiar with her from our church, as she is one of the most involved participants in the childrens' ministry! She had already labeled all his things (lunch card, desk, etc.) with 'Jack,' and that's a big plus from the start (usually things have 'Jackson' on them, and we only say that when he's in trouble!). She had also already heard his preference, and she gave him an orange-colored lunch card... WIN! The night before school started, she gave each student a large 'test tube,' asking them fill it with "something about their summer." Jack was ecstatic to pick something from our huge vacation and share with his class!

And now, on to pictures! :-)


A.J., the big 6th grader.


Jack-a-roo, the bouncy 2nd grader.

( And a few more. )

Now... I've seen a large handful of "first day" pics over on FaceBook, but not over here. I wanna read the stories that go with the pics too, people! Get writing! *cracks whip*

Cheesecake and brownies and salad, oh my!

It's college season, and that means that several of our peeps at work are heading off for the year. It's my tradition to make a special dessert for anyone leaving, and last week I took in both Patric and Chad's requests.

Chad wanted cheesecake, and that's easy. It feels like I make those all the time. My springform pan is really starting to fritz though (it won't hinge-lock, therefore it's not a tight seal), and while it was baking, I called up my Pampered Chef® consultant and ordered a new one. I made two cheesecakes, and I gave 1.5 of them away, saving just three pieces for us (Philip doesn't like cheesecake). Chad received half of a cheesecake, and it was a TON on the plate. And even though I cut the cakes into eight pieces, they were still too large and too rich to eat in just one sitting - eep! Chad yummed his cheesecake up with strawberry topping, but I like mine plain, thank you.


Classic Cheesecake.

Patric requested Brownie Cookies, which I'd never heard of before. I feared that he would only enjoy a family recipe - "Gram's Trusty Brownie Cookie" - or something of that ilk, but he promised me that anything I came up with would be wonderful and appreciated. So I set about researching recipes. In the end, I settled on a super-rich recipe: Double Fudge Brownies, and then I added three types of chocolate - Hershey's® Special Dark™ (one of those really large bars), a tin of Godiva® Dark Chocolate Pearls™ (about the size of my palm), and Nestlé® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (half a bag). The batter was very thick to work with, and when I scooped out the dough, it looked like I was serving up chocolate ice cream!


Close-up of the scoops.

And the final result, which the author suggests pairing with an ice-cold glass of milk:


Brownie Cookies.

I also made up a batch of Snickers® Apple Salad for Allison. It wasn't her last day, but I have a ton of leftover Snickers bits, and it's so easy to make. I ate a small serving of it, and Philip liked it enough for two bowls' worth, and then I took the rest to work for her to have. I believe she claimed her tastebuds were dancing. ;-)

And now Dan has requested me to make Butterfinger Brownies for him, and also a girl in the National Office has agreed to do a payroll item request for our store, but only IF... and she was very clear on this... I agree to make Peanut Butter Cup Brownies and mail them again!

Knitty love!

Look what was waiting for me in a box from mostcurious when we returned from vacation:



She sent me a ton more Coke codes, another little collectible bear-in-tin, and handmade knitted socks in 'Slytherin' yarn - how cool! And the socks were a perfect fit and are so soft and warm. I'm wearing them right now, in fact. ;-)


SOCKS!

Seriously though... don't my feet look just so happy? :-)

F...

As if I needed another time-suck, I've found one that's just hysterical. No thanks to welfy for this link, as I'll never get caught up with anything now. ;-)

F My Life

Hilarious!

The Mustache Men.

We babysat Catherine and John on Friday evening for a little. When Heather and Shane came to pick them up, we gathered up their belongings, said our goodbyes, and off they went to load up in their car. At that exact same time, Philip had stopped by the house on his security patrol, and after popping inside, he walked to the front door and asked me, "Why is there a mustache on the ceiling?"

...

... excuse me?!

...

I'm sure my bewildered look instantly told him that I didn't have the faintest idea what he was talking about, so he led me into the dining room, pointing up at the jamb between that room and the kitchen. First, I almost jumped - it looked like there was a gigantic black caterpillar hanging above my head. But Philip reached up and pulled the sticky mustache off, and then we walked to the door and out to the driveway just in time to catch Heather and Shane as they were about to leave. Philip yelled, "Shane, you forgot your mustache!" and the two of them began laughing. I guess Shane had hidden it, and was curious to see how long it might take us to find. (If it had been just me, probably a loooooong time!)

And then the boys wanted to play with it for a while, each modeling the new mustache. It was hilarious, and I had to take a few pictures. :-D

( The Mustache Men. )

Later, on A.J.'s way to bed, he kissed me goodnight, then piped up, "Oh, Mom, I put your Coke in the office on the desk for you, too." We'd all been watching the Disney channel together in the living room, but I usually do get on the computer once they're in bed and Philip's gone, so it was a kind, thoughtful move on his part. I put him to bed, followed by Jack, and then I got comfy in my office chair. Probably ten minutes later, I reached over for my can of Coke...

... AND JUMPED AND SCREAMED! That little twerp, he had wrapped the fuzzy mustache around my can, and I hadn't noticed! He came running from his bedroom, and I was laughing by then. I explained that he had gotten me GOOD, and then he was laughing so hard he was on all fours! He said Jack had known about the prank too, but by that time, Jack was far into snooze-ville already.

Oh, that mustache. :-}