Remember that Seinfeld episode that featured the black and white cookie? Like the Chinese restaurant and parking lot episodes, it takes place mostly in one setting on one evening. I actually hate those episodes (so frustrating to watch). So it wasn't really in honor of that episode that I made these cookies; they just sounded good. The recipe is completely "cheater cheater Pumpkin eater" as my boys would say, but it works, especially in a time crunch.
You'll need:
1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 box chocolate cake mix
To each box (in separate bowls) add:
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
Mix well. Take 1 tsp of each kind of dough and make a half-moon shape. Press together. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes on ungreased baking sheets. Makes about 36.
p.s. Don't use "butter recipe" mixes; they are too greasy.
I'm a bit dismayed as I look at these photos of my little breakfast nook (nook--is that a real word?) window seat cushions. They look so unassuming and kind of bland, masking the 8 HOURS of sewing that their construction required, including all 4 disks of Season One of Frasier and an entire can of honey roasted peanuts. This picture does not show the corner where the two cushions meet like puzzle pieces, nor does it show the many inches of hand sewing that had to happen once I forced the foam pad into each casing. (Did I mention the handmade piping?) Anyway, they're done, hallelujah! I wanted color in the kitchen, and I got it. I had to put the picture up here after putting in so much time on this project.
Happy, happy day! I just checked the Innocence Mission's website and their new album is due out in March (13th to be exact). And if you love beauty, gentleness, and music with a moral (but not preachy), or if you love pretty voices and folksy guitar, then you will adore this band. You can see their very nice site here and listen to clips of the album here .
Here's something funny... you know that Loverboy song, "Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend"? Believe it or not, stay at home drones are also workin' for the weekend. There's something about Saturday that is just a relief to me. No one has to be fed and out the door at 8:00; we can wear pajamas until noon if we want.
That said, tomorrow is Buy the Materials to Make Bunkbeds Day. We have a grand plan to save tons of money by building bunkbeds for the boys. They will look nothing like the image above. I really hope they work out... If not, we might be having a Sell Random Pieces of Wood Day.
Well, another "kids" movie has proven problematic for our family. The last one was Zathura, which the kids LOVE, but has a particularly nasty word near the beginning, which leads to a mad dash to the DVD remote just in time to skip it and to hear... "MOOOMMMMM!"
In the case of Air Bud, there actually were a few objectionable words, but nothing too serious. It was the scene near the end where young Josh, the nerdy-new-kid turned basketball hero has to drop his dog/mentor Air Bud off in the wilderness due to the fact that a semi-insane clown is after the dog. (Long story...you'll have to rent the movie/buy it at the dollar store to get the full context.) Anyway, Josh delivers these intense, emotional lines like "Bud, it's time for you to go...(sob!) I don't want you anymore! (hiccup) Just leave! Go!!"
I tried to explain to the boys the reason for Josh's betrayal (see aforementioned insane clown), but when I looked over at them, they were both breaking down, sobbing. I felt like SUCH a jerk for letting them watch this painful scene, and FF-ed the tape until we got to another basketball scene where Josh, along with last-minute substitute Air Bud, wins the state championship for his team.
I guess the lesson is to preview each and every movie before showing it to your kids. Or just avoid animal athlete films altogether.
Are you a loser? I am. As in, I lose my keys and lock myself out of the house, lose bits of paper with Very Important Lists on them, lose the names of people in the dusty cabinets of my brain and lose the ability to answer even one more curious question from a very verbal 4-year-old... If you're a loser, too, you might like this poem by Elizabeth Bishop, titled One Art. I'd put it all here but I think it's not yet in the public domain, and librarians are supposed to protect copyright, etc., etc...
I should mention that the scope of the poem extends beyond lost keys and might make you a bit sad at the end. And while you're sad, go ahead and read this one (The Embrace) by Mark Doty. It describes a dream in which a deceased loved one returns, alive and well, to visit the author. It's beautiful.
