A Spooky Halloween...Or Not

Yesterday was replete with little pirates, bumble bees, skunks, spiders and miniature William Wallaces. This all occurred within the home of my friends Kristi and Jeremy. Kristi went all out and the party was amazing!  There were fun activities for the kids, including a bounce house and pumpkin decorating. There was great food, both adult and kid-themed. Really, don't we all love a mummy dog? Above all else, there was tons of laughing and visiting.  Thanks K Dub!

Cookies, of course. I'm officially a fan of using royal icing.

My idea of a costume...I really needed one long cigarette to complete it, but just couldn't bring myself to buy an entire pack that I was never gonna smoke.

The best Lil Stinker ever!

His Crazy Mama blocking the stink....is it any wonder he's dramatic?

Here are the future Super Spies getting instructions from Home Base, all while incognito. The Pirate and Spider outfits were discarded in favor of service to their country.

The Baby Is Coming! The Baby Is Coming!

What do you get when you throw together one expectant mama, good friends, food to die for and cakes that are too cute? A baby shower fit for a little king!

Friends of mine (and others) are having a baby and we're all so excited we can't stand it!  Baby A will be here in just 8 short weeks - he won't know what to do with all the love and attention he's going to get. Luckily he has two very level headed parents who will not allow the rest of us to spoil him rotten.

She just might be the more level headed of the two...we'll see.

Now maybe it's where I came from or who I know or something cultural, but there is a huge difference between baby showers Down South and baby showers in Yankeeland...at least the ones I have attended.  There it is tons of food, usually held at a fire hall or community center, lots of crepe paper, fairly nice yet comfortable clothing, sheet cake and sherbet punch.  Here it is still tons of food, but different types of tons of food, usually at someone's house, so it's much more couches and easy chairs, dresses with heels or something equally trendy, couture cakes and champagne or punch with fruit in it (in apothecaries, none the less!).

The spread as we're setting up 

The decorations and diaper cake

Au Couture Cake


The differences end there.  At both places friendship, celebration, laughs, an outpouring of much needed onesies, bibs, baby monitors, bottles, and blankets, games and gifts and the satisfaction of loving a friend.

Now if you'll excuse me, there are bacon wrapped dates calling my name.

Who Likes Cats? I Do! I Do!

When I moved Down South from Yankeeland, I left my favorite man behind.  Sam, the only man to never leave me.  True, he's a cat. But also true, he's faithful as can be. 

He is a funny cat. Funny as in odd, not as in stand-up comedian. He adopted us the year that Pennsylvania got hit by a hurricane.  Sam came out of the woods a week or two before and quickly set up residence in the spare room of the garage.  Poor baby didn't even have a litter box when the rains hit that year....you could practically see him crossing his hind legs that day!  He would have washed away if he'd even attempted to leave the breezeway.  And ever since, he was mine. We made sure he was loved and fed and even gave him a nightlight. Yes, a nightlight.  In retrospect, you might say I was setting him up to be odd. But once Sam moved into the house we attempted to scar him in a variety of ways....all unintentional. He had been fearless while outside, treeing squirrels three times his side, running around like a crazy thing, not coming home when I called.  But once inside, he became a pansy.

The two times we attempted going back outside were disasters. 

The first involved an ill-timed wheelbarrow, a closed front door, Sam biting The Mother of All of Us, and a puffball of a cat fleeing into the woods. I sat on the back hill shaking a food bowl and crying.  He was still so little and he didn't have any claws! What would he do if he was threatened?  What would I do if he never came home? About half an hour after I gave up, he was back at the door with a touch of crazy about the eyes pleading to come back in.  He smelled and had something all over his fur, but he was back inside. He also eyed us warily for the next day. 

The second time was not long after that and The Mother of All of Us had bought a leash for him.  Yes, we now know this had disaster written all over it from the start. This time, we harness him up and go outside.  He becomes frantic immediately. As we had learned from our mistakes the last time, one of us was holding open the door to the house. We let Sam go as soon as he was back over the threshold. The idea in both our heads was that he would just calm down. Immediately. When, in fact, he continued to streak through the house and down the basement stairs, leash and harness chasing him. You could hear the path of destruction as he ran, bottles, brooms, boxes and bags all falling, tumbling and crashing (depending upon their contents) to the floor. It took forever to coax him out of the basement and even longer to remove the harness.

It was around this time that Sam developed two of his rather entertaining tics....not sure how, but I am convinced they are related to the harness incident.  He has a phobia of shoes that he does not know. Literally. If you wear a new pair of shoes and he does not recognize them, he will run from you until he hears you saying "Sam, Sam, it's me!  Look up here!" Once he looks at the familiar face he acts as though nothing is out of the ordinary.  He also has a deep-rooted distrust of plastic bags and wind pants. These can sound similar, so I guess there's a link there.

But for all his foibles, he is my favoritest thing in the world. He is a love monster - when I am home and able to see him, he will let me pet him for hours sometimes. He loves to have his belly rubbed...maybe he's part canine? He purrs and purrs and purrs while shedding an insane amount of fur.  I tell him I know no one else loves on him when I'm gone. He puts up with Zippy and Boo, both of whom attack him at the least opportune of times, he sits with a quiet look of resignation while Boo yowls in his ear, he can be counted upon to go and find Boo when he gets lost in the house (which happens often despite the fact he's been inside 12 years) and can make sure Zippy is behaving when asked too (she is usually not).

PT Girl has a dark and twisted past involving the feline species and a not named member of her family. So even if I could inflict the cruelty of transporting Sam across the country, away from his counterparts in terror (the aforementioned Boo and Zippy), into an apartment with all new sounds to be terrified of, PT Girl would have boarded the door over and Sam and I would have no option but to become nomads.  Again, not a great outcome considering the large number of unknown shoes we would come in contact with.

So I have recently started volunteering with a cat rescue group. If you know anyone who is looking for a cat or two (they have lots of sibling pairs), please check out http://www.classycats.org/  

The cats thank you in advance.

Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes

While Little Sis here she expressed the desire to bake something with me.  Because I "make all sorts of unusual things" or something along those lines.  Cookies are my current specialty, but since that's a given for the Halloween party next weekend, we decided upon cupcakes with butter cream icing. Does this sound "unusual"? Not really. But I love these cupcakes, they're unusual because they area amazing but vegan, and neither of us had ever tried making butter cream. Before half of you say "Vegan cupcakes! Have you lost your mind?" you should totally make these and then tell me what you think. And I am a hard-core carnivore, so if I looove them, you will too. These little dark morsels of bliss are really moist and are good cold or room temp.

In progress...

At first blush, er, rather lilac. Ok, so the icing was a little grainy looking. After consideration, we've decided that I not only warmed the butter a little too much (Yes, I committed the sin of not softening the butter at room temp so I nuked it.  Heap judgment upon my pseudo-baking shoulders.) but I also didn't add enough powdered sugar. It's possible that I may have a new obsession....thoughts about sugar cookies with butter cream icing?

Our ghetto icing bag. I don't yet own an icing tip that is a 1B from Wilton. Just saying. Yes, that's just a coupler. Ghetto.

Little Sis about to reap the rewards of our labor. Not particularly hard labor, but labor all the same.

It Looks Worse Than It Is, Mom, I Promise

Let me just say, I love having visitors!  I enjoy the anticipation of someone coming to see me, of picking them up at the airport (especially DFW since you can sit curbside for about an hour before anyone checks to see if you plan on blowing up the joint. Try that at Pittsburgh, just try.) I love the weird disjointed conversation that people tend to have when they've just seen each other in a while, even when they're family. Then the whirlwind of spending time together, eating out, enjoying the otherwise normal view, watching really funny movies, and late nights. The return to the airport (we're Departing, D, not arriving!) is bittersweet.  Even more so when it takes three attempts to find the airport from two miles away...but I digress.

Little Sis came to see me and other family for the last week.  For those of you who are thinking "She has a little sister?", let me explain. Little Sis is 7 years younger, our moms are besties and we've known each other since she was born.  I have literally known her her entire life, including all things sugar bowl, doughnut and ice cream related. She spent the better part of last year as an Au Pair in Paris and has only recently come back to the States. We always have a good time, even when we're apart.  Skype was a huge lifesaver this past year.  Anyway, she came for a week and we got to play in Ft Worth.

One of the most amazing moments of the trip was when Little Sis was opening a bottle of bubbles. The cork was much flatter than a regular champagne cork so we decided to uncork it like a wine bottle. As Little Sis is slowly and carefully uncorking the bottle the top of the neck shears off and we're left with an open bottle but via an epic fail. It was a clean break, so we just shrugged and poured some stars.

One of the things that is a must when someone comes to visit is a trip out for a really great margarita. Now, moms, we did eat....a lot. I just didn't take any pictures of said sustenance, except for the great french toast. So please know we were safe and full of food!

Joe T's is the quintessential "see and be seen" spot in Ft. Worth.  It's easy to see why....

We attempted to go to a place called "The Usual" which is a prohibition style bar. They weren't open during the day - guess that's part of the reason it's a prohibition style place - so we traveled on down Magnolia to The Yucatan Taco Stand. Great drinks, pretty good food.

Little Sis is getting excited for The Flying Saucer! This is the CSI shot of the bunch.  Can you find the photographer?

A little Breckenridge Vanilla Porter rounded out the day. The Rangers were on and kicking some Yankee butt, the crowd was all riled up and we were relaxed.

And finally, a shot that could only warm an audiologist's heart.  We made Little Sis some earmold impressions so she can get fancy-pants earphones for her iPod.

Insights from The Hunger Games Trilogy

Ok, so I waxed poetic earlier in a post about my new found love for Suzanne Collins' series The Hunger Games Trilogy and have hinted at the ways it has made me rethink my surroundings and habits.  I will try and not give away particulars about the books but if you are loathe to know details prior to reading a novel, then you may want to skip this post altogether.

This sums it up: I am intensely aware of the freedoms I have every day due to the future setting of these books.

The more detailed explanations and thoughts:
Food: So one might think that with a name like The Hunger Games, the books are centered around some sort of competition for food.  And in one sense you would be completely right...and completely wrong. The setting of this series is in the future in North America. The United States no longer exists, instead there are only 13 Districts and a Capitol. Each district is responsible for a trade that keeps the Capitol running.  Our heroine is from what we know as Appalachia. In her world, hunger is an ever present concern - how to get enough to eat, how to get outside the Fence to hunt, to use whatever she has gathered and killed to barter for other supplies or payment, how to avoid having her mother and sister starve.  In order to accomplish all of these tasks, she has to break the law, because this future allows no individual thought. She can't just walk outside and sit in a deer stand with a rifle to take down a buck every now and again.  She has to provide daily by escaping the electric fence and then using a bow and arrows to hunt small game, to use what the woods gives up as a natural supermarket. Literally living from the land because the Capitol will not provide for it's people. I won't even get into what the Hunger Games actually are because that's a whole post on it's own. Suffice to say, Katniss has to use those skills within the Games in order to survive.

I have found myself being very aware of the abundance of food and the ease with which I can procure it since reading this series. The ability to go to a store and choose what I would like to eat, to not have to hunt or harvest my food, to decide when I would like to eat and to be secure that, at least for the foreseeable future, there will be no shortage of food. I have been conscious of what other people are eating, buying, choosing. I have come to one conclusion: I take it for granted that I have a vast amount of freedom to not have monetary or governmental restrictions on my capability to feed myself. I take it for granted that I never have to have an empty stomach unless I plan poorly or choose to go hungry. I have also come to a resolution: I will attempt to be more aware of the money and resources I spend on food as well as being more sentient about what I am eating and being appropriately thankful for the simple blessing of having enough to eat.

Frailty: Of our bodies and of our society. The whole deal with food was easiest to put into words. The concept of how we're frail and our freedoms (in the next paragraph) are much harder for me to pin down in words. I guess I'll start at the easiest most obvious point. Out human frailty is amazing when you stop to think about it. I work in a pediatric hospital setting, so perhaps I am more tuned in to this fragility than some people. It is no small miracle that we are all born developed as we are, that we are equipped for basic survival, with the ability to learn how to better survive. It is terrifying to think of the myriad of ways that endanger our survival every day.  I sit on my balcony and am in imminent danger from a badly shanked golf ball. Every time we get in a car and proceed from the parking spot we are moving targets. Our own bodies can betray us in a heartbeat, literally. When faced with an adversary, how long would I last? A minute, an hour? Could I out run or out maneuver? What if they were armed? I can't run fast but I can run long. I am crap at anything that requires any adept hand-eye coordination so hand to hand combat is out. I'm not a bad shot, but that'd be a complete gamble. What if we are not our own worst adversaries?

Despite the strangle hold that the Capitol keeps over the people, there is a fragility to the whole enterprise that one teenage girl is able to threaten with a handle of berries. This world is a carefully constructed house of cards or some other such construct. No District knows anything about the others except what the Capitol tells them. How hard can you squeeze people before they shatter? How fragile is our own government and the way it cradles us? Are we as secure or as perilous as we think? It is clear that some of us do not accept what is given to us through media or other sources through the dissent seen in our papers, online and spoken of person to person. However, hesitate a moment and consider how large a percentage of the population this is. I have no earthly idea myself whether the loudest of us are a good cross section of what we all really think. Do I close my eyes to situations around me or do I peer into the corners in search of what is not there? If we could be brought down with a handful of berries, would any of us have the will to fight for what we need or would we accept it and proceed with life as dictated?

Freedom: The books also deal with the idea of no democracy existing in any of the Districts or the Capitol. This future world is kept under strict reign by one man. Not sure whether he would be a dictator, a communist, a totalitarian, a tzar, or just a complete control freak. Whatever the inspiration is for this character, I sincerely hope that I never have the opportunity to be in a place where a man or woman of this design would dictate my quality of life. The freedoms I have as I sit here in my apartment are a wealth and, again, I take them for granted. I can attend church without fear of retribution and punishment, and then discuss the sermon afterward in public. My simple blog is something that I assume will still be here tomorrow. I can write pretty much whatever I want and there is no censorship to stop me. (Except for my mother, that is.) I have the freedom to say what I think, where and when I want. Sure there may be consequences, but those generally include a huge dose of foot in mouth for me. I have the common sense to not endanger my job. What if simply stating an opinion on the current government or policies would result in far harsher punishment?  Would I still speak my mind or would I become part of the cowed crowd?

Well, these are some of my overriding thoughts and stirrings that this particular series has brought to the front of my mind. The amount of thought the books have spawned makes me want to buy copies and give them to everyone I know and meet.  Collin's publisher would love that! 

A Little Recap

I just got home from being a fashion model.  Yes, that's right.  I had my world-wide modeling debut tonight.  Sadly, the paparazzi were not in attendance. Seriously though, my friend works for a salon that has a biannual event for area buyers (I think...or maybe they're stylists?) and you can have your hair cut and colored the week prior and then you model a look.  I was a last minute fill-in for a model, so I was strictly a fashion model. Friend of mine put me in a great dress and they made my hair all big and girly - I shudder to think of trying to wash it tomorrow morning.  My favorite piece of the whole ensemble?  A peacock headband.  Yep.... Peacock feathers in my hair, bubbly in my hand and helping out a friend.  Pretty good evening!

I just pulled a baking experiment out of the oven...no idea if it turned out until I eat one in a couple minutes.  I have had this insane craving for basil this week.  I bought a huge container of it and have been eating it on and in everything short of my cereal.  Tonight's semi-homemade recipe is crescent rolls with fresh mozzarella and basil rolled inside.  Sounds delectable, but I've been known to destroy tried and true recipes.

If you're a fan of bacon, you must read this post by The Polymath immediately! I now want to try and construct my own dining accoutrements from bacon.  Maybe this coming week while Little Sister is here...that way I don't have to eat a pound of bacon by myself.  Not because I can't, but because I'm looking into life insurance and I'm pretty sure that would null and void my policy.

Speaking of eating a pound of bacon, I'm starting a new eating lifestyle tomorrow.  In short, I will eat less.  I will be the first to admit that I love to eat and I love food and I love trying new foods and I love love love cooking and baking.  But with all that said, I am not at all a, shall we say...judicious, consumer.  I will eat the finest delicacies with the same enjoyment that I eat a corn dog from a convenience store (um...I have actually NEVER had a corn dog from a convenience store). You get my point. In the last week I've become much more aware of what I am putting into my body and the ease with which I do so. More on this in a forthcoming post.

The mozzarella basil rolls can stand some improvement.