Putting in Edging and Moving Maman Cochet, Cl.

Our work continues in the garden! 

Chris has been working hard putting in edging.  It is amazing what a difference that a little detail like this can make.

I had to make some changes, though.

We had some very heavy rain last weekend and my Maman Cochet, Cl. rose bush fell over.

It made me really sad...but I cut it down and moved it to a better place.   It pained me, however, to cut it down when it was full of so many buds and flowers.

I admit that the current space was a difficult place for this particular rosebush, though.   It was continually striving to be so much more spectacular than that space would allow.   And Chris was really unhappy with having to mow around it with its brutal thorns.   Maman Cochet has some crazy mean claws!

So, she has been moved to the south side of the house...against a wall where she can grow till her heart is content!

Maman Cochet, Cl. before it fell :(

Maman Cochet, Cl. Before

Maman Cochet, Cl. After.  :(

I moved a more manageable hibiscus plant to the space.  

Chris is working hard at making the south flower bed larger
and getting it ready to put the edging in.  

Chris is working hard at making the south flower bed larger 

and getting it ready to put the edging in. 

The large rosebush in front of him is General Schablikine: 

one of my favorite purchases from Rose Petals Nursery!  

It's always super healthy. 

Before stone edging.

After stone edging.  

After stone edging.

After stone edging.

The trumpet plant froze and I cut it back again.
 I will take another picture of it in a month or so and it will easily be 10' tall.

A pretty chime I found at Ross for little $.  

I found this rain chain at Ross yesterday.
I love Ross for garden stuff!
 I think this is a more decorative than functional rain chain, however,
so I put it somewhere where it would not get too much action.  :)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog!  

Beachside Community Church

It's been a crazy few months!

In January, I was part of a new church plant in our town called "Beachside Community Church."  

Although we will begin monthly beach services in May, the name isn't a "location," per se.  It was inspired by these following verses from John 21:

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

My husband, Chris ~ who is the lead pastor ~ has a Lutheran background; our Worship Pastor has a Baptist background.  Beachside has a good balance of these two backgrounds, with an emphasis on "radical grace" and forgiveness.

We felt there was a need to start a church with a "community" feel; yet a church that still held some important traditions, such as the Apostle's Creed and the Lord's Supper.  

We wanted to create a church that had an open, welcoming feel and one that stressed positive relational experiences.

We wanted to be part of a church that would fiercely hold itself  as a "safe" place.

In our experience, church has not always been a safe place.  It is really, really sad  that rampant "bad" behavior (such as gossiping, sabotaging, tearing each other down) can damage peoples' relationships with each other and with God.  

This is beyond tragic.  Followers of Jesus need to be different.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  

Matthew 22:36-40

Christians are terrible loving each other.  TERRIBLE.

They can be some of the meanest, most judgmental people you will ever meet.  It shouldn't be like this at all.   AT ALL.

Christians should not be attending church on Sunday mornings, then acting like total a@@holes in their communities the rest of the week.    (There ~ yes, I said it.)

So here we are...four months later.  We really feel like we have something special.    We are doing things differently.

We had an amazing Easter Sunday.  It was outside and the weather was beautiful.  I thought I would add some photos today.

Spring Time 2015, Antique Roses and Gardens!

Spring is finally here!

My flowers have started blooming, which means that I am obsessively circling my home looking for new flowers to take pictures of.

I have been posting them onto my Facebook account; yet I realize that not all of my friends want to see dozens of flower pictures.  

It is, however, my personal opinion that if people would post more flower (and puppy) pictures on social media, the world would be an infinitely better place.

I started taking pictures this morning because the moment I walked out the door, I was greeted by a beautiful "Golden Showers" rose that had opened up overnight.

I ended up snapping photos of almost everything in my "garden."

This, my friends, is why I am using my blog platform to share these photos.  That, and I desperately want to "talk" about my roses...this gives me a better opportunity to tell you about them.

My garden is a work in progress; I am constantly fussing with it.  We are also doing some "Spring" updates.  My husband is in the process of widening the "garden" areas around our home, updating the island, planting some trees, rearranging and adding a much-needed edge around it all.

A little background:  we have lived in our home for a little over five years.  We had it built.   When we moved in, it was "landscaped" by the builder (Adams Homes).

Although the landscaping was perfectly adequate, I didn't care for it at all.

Our home (as far as I know) is still the only Craftsman style, two-story home built by Adams Homes in our town.  And I wanted my "garden" and landscaping to be a little more unique.

I love climbing flowers; I love bougainvillea (although I have had less luck with the latter).  I love cottage gardens and English-style flower gardens.  I don't know much about the specifics of garden styles, I just had a rough idea of what I wanted to do.    

So I started doing research.  

(By the way, I am in Zone 9a...near the Atlantic Ocean.)  

I ended up with a couple very specific roses that I wanted.  

Have you ever had something very specific in mind while shopping?   Why is it, then, that the very specific item is the biggest pain in the a@@ to find?    It is a million times easier to just have a general idea...  

Anyways, I specifically wanted a Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose and was unable to find her anywhere near me.

I ended up at Rose Petals Nursery in Gainesville, Florida.   My husband and I visited there almost five years ago.  The family that  runs it is wonderful.    If you are able to visit, definitely do so.  Otherwise, she does mail order, too.

Four and a half years later my garden has filled in a little bit.  

Here are some Spring pictures.  I will post some more later this summer, or as our projects are completed.

So, this is the "Golden Showers" climbing rose that greeted me this morning.  

I had to cut it back quite a bit last season...it was about 8-10' tall and gangly. 

"Golden Showers" partially open and bud.

 "Golden Showers."   
A couple hours later of the same flower.

Oh, Spring is one of my very favorite times of year because of the JASMINE! 

My mother bought me this small container of Confederate Jasmine after I had my daughter almost 7 years ago.  When we moved to Florida, I brought the pot with me and planted it as soon as I could.  

It has taken over, as you can see, and is about to flower.  If I have my front windows open I can smell it...and although I miss the lilacs from up north, the smell of jasmine is probably my second favorite flower scent!  

This hack job is an interesting story.  :)
I bought it from a garden center as a "Don Juan." 
It was "Don Juan" for an entire three months, then started a new shoot which produced a ton of small white flowers.  It bloomed only once every Spring.  

It looks a bit like "White Dawn," although I guess I can never be sure.  The trellis it was on rusted out last winter so I had to cut the plant down to the stump.  It has started to creep again. ~ I need to get a trellis very soon!

These next two pictures (BELOW) are of "Sambac" or "Asian" jasmine.  

They have not thrived quite as well here as the Confederate jasmine.    I wish they would bloom better...the scent is wonderful and is very strong ~especially on hot summer evenings ~ even when there are only a few flowers.  

I planted them on my entryway sidewalk because I thought the scent was inviting.  

Another smaller "Sambac" jasmine.   

The hanging plants are succulents jade (left) and "Burro's Tail" or "Jelly Bean" plant.  

Our lot is pie-shaped, so this is the southeast corner.  At the moment it is a little sad.  My husband built this fence (he can do pretty much anything) because we had people cutting through our yard.  This wasn't the worst thing ever, but the moment he saw someone ride a motorcycle across the yard (ugh, really), he decided a fence was needed.   

He also planted two Golden Goddess bamboo plants on either side.  

In the middle of the fence you can see (sort of) the Carolina jasmine, which has already bloomed for the year.  Carolina jasmine has pretty yellow flowers but they don't smell as nice (in my opinion) as Sambac or Confederate.  

Below is my "Maggie" antique rose.  
 She has always been very small, and I thought she might need a little more air because she was starting to get crowded by Mrs. B.R.Cant.  So last week I VERY CAREFULLY moved her out a little farther away from the other shrubs.   She seems to have tolerated the move very well.  I hope she will be happier in this spot...she already has several blooms.  

Below is Maman Cochet, Cl.   

I planted her about 4.5 years ago and she didn't do much of anything until last year.  Now, I have continually had to cut her back because she goes bananas and tries to grow into the flashing in the roof.  :/  

 Last fall another shoot rocketed out of the base and grew all winter...that new shoot is is probably 10-11 feet now.  Like I said, BANANAS.  

I just had to cut her back, which was probably terrible timing.  But she has lots and lots of buds on her now.  Her flowers are so pretty and have over 100 petals per flower (I counted one, once).  So I am waiting with great anticipation for all these buds to flower


Maman Cochet, Cl.  Front & Side.


Maman Cochet, Cl. buds (below)

This is a Mimosa (or Chinese Silk) tree.  

We received it as a sapling from a neighbor and planted it about three years ago.  As you can see, now, it is gigantic.  I know some people in the south consider these trees pests because they drop seeds, but when it flowers in the summer it is just so, so pretty with pink "fan" shaped flowers that smell so wonderful.  It loses all of its leaves in the winter, and just has now gotten some leaves on it.  I will take some pics of the flowers this summer! 

This is probably my favorite antique rose that I bought from Rose Petals Nursery, Mrs. B.R. Cant.  She has thrived, blooming almost constantly since I planted her 4.5 years ago.  I have had to cut her back a little, trying to train her a bit on where I want her to go. 

  She was bumping into the Confederate jasmine on one side and a Knockout rose on the other.  I moved the Knockout rose to make more room for her.  She is just beautiful.  She is planted on the south side of the house and gets full sun and is probably 4-5' tall by 5-6' wide.  

 (Below) Mrs. B.R.Cant close up

Here is another antique rose bush that has thrived, General Schablikine.  He has one little flower that is a little sad, but has a ton of buds, so I will be out taking pics of his flowers very soon.  

He has done really well on the south side of my house, where it is very, very hot in the summer.   I bought this plant at Rose Petals Nursery.  

(Below) 

Another climber I need to cut back frequently, "Sally Holmes" antique rose.   There were no great flowers on her right now, but she is a great producer so pics will come soon.  Her flowers come in giant clusters and are just beautiful.  

Someone in my neighborhood threw out this little Valencia orange tree this winter.  I marched up there with my little red wagon and brought it home!  We just planted it, and hopefully it will have better luck than our other citrus trees.  It is in the middle of the south yard where it will have blazing hot sun and I hear citrus trees like that.  So, fingers crossed!

This is the flower that started my antique rose search, "Zephirine Drouhin" and which led me to Rose Petals Nursery.

I had envisioned her climbing on either side of my garage and myself training the vines to meet in the middle of the garage, but alas...no.  :)  At least not yet.  I haven't given up on her yet, though, although her blooms are scarce and far between.   

 She is a thornless rose that can grow in partial shade.  Although now, in my personal experience, she MAY not like the partial shade quite as much as being in the sun...because my one plant that has more sun generally does better.    

The  Zephi shown below is on the north side of my garage and rarely has blooms.  

(Below) The Zephi on the south side of my garage...and she has the first flower of the season!  

Above & Below, Zephirine Douhin blossom.

My husband is working on this island...he is going to put edging around it soon.  

The two palms on the ends are Bostonian palms, and the one in the middle is a Sylvestri, I think.   The shrub that looks off-balance is a Walter's Viburnum and my husband wants me to pull it out because it looks dumb.  It will look better when the Lantana catches up on the right...which right now has been cut way back.

Some of the edging my husband is doing...not finished quite yet.  

I normally don't pick flowers, but I picked these to take to an elderly friend last summer.  I think there is a filter on this photo because it showed the raindrops much better.  

The top is a Mrs. B.R. Cant, and the bottom is my Maman Cochet, Cl.  I cut these right after a summer rain storm.  

I need to begin working on the north side of my house, which is pretty much a total disaster.  I have rows of hydrangeas that have done pretty much nothing...and again, I am holding out hope that this will be the year for them.  

Also, in Florida the weeds grow all year round.  This gets exhausting, no matter how much one loves gardening.  I ran out of steam last Fall, and have not touched the north side of the house since then.  

I have lots and lots of weeding to do.

Oh, and finally, another one of my favorite things:  my German Shepherd.   I wanted to take a picture of her by the roses, but she wouldn't cooperate. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Christmas 2014

It usually takes the impending arrival of guests for me to clean up and appear presentable.  

Tonight we had a few friends over for dessert and wine.  

I still hadn't gotten my Christmas decorations looking semi-organized.  I am not really a huge Christmas decorator ~ other than a tree, of course.  

But this year, I pulled out every decoration I had gotten over the years.  And things looked festive around here this evening!   I thought I would add some pics!    

I had shined the stainless steel appliances...perhaps you can appreciate the elbow grease involved.  ;)

We have to do something special on my husband's family's Swedish chest.  It was brought over from Sweden, and is several hundred years old.   My "something special" is cards from friends.  

We have a real tree this year.   

Christmas music playing on Spotify Premium through the Roku.  State of the art way to play the classics!  

A friend in Sweden sent us this linen, as well as the ram.   My secret sister gave me the cute snowman and the candle.  I had to do something special to show off my treasures from friends.

I am always confused about what to put above my cabinets.  Found a couple things at a thrift store, and used some hand-me-downs (always my favorite things!).  

And finally, my hand-me-down (also, AWESOME!) tree that I acquired this past week.  And put upstairs in front of a large window:

I had the kids mostly decorate it...with candy canes:  my ultimate, cheap, super-great looking ornaments.  

We have so many things to look forward to in the immediate future.  My mother and father-in-law are coming for Christmas from Minnesota...which is a GREAT thing, because I have have awesome in-laws.  

We are having Christmas dinner at our house.  Both sets of parents and many of our immediate and extended family are all going to be here.  I am so excited and SO nervous.  

But also very aware that I am blessed.  

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have a blessed holiday season!

Mary Ann

"How are YOU today?"

Earlier this summer, we had a group of Swedish students visit our church and perform a free concert.  

To save money on lodging during their tour from New York to Miami, the group asked if members of our church would open our homes to them before they set off for south Florida the next day. 

We happily obliged. At the end of the evening we caravanned home from the venue with seven Swedish young people in tow.  

“One thing I am confused about,” shared one of the young men after he became comfortable with us,  “Is how I should answer the question ‘How are you today?’  What should I say?”  

As Americans, we just don’t realize how “American” this question is.  

It is the safe and acceptable question to ask when other topics, like football or the weather, elude us.    “How are you today?” is the Wonder Bread of American questions.  

Because we HATE silence.    

I recently had an experience at Walmart in which the woman behind the counter didn’t ask me any of the “usual” questions.  I was met only by a tired silence.  She looked harried and battered down by life, and hardly seemed able to have ANY more interactions with her customers that day.    

And you know what?  That entire interaction (or lack thereof) was horribly awkward.

A new television show called “Welcome to Sweden” began airing on the NBC Thursday night line up this summer.

Bruce (Greg Poehler), the main character, has moved with his girlfriend to her native Stockholm.  His clueless, wide-eyed ignorance to the subtleties of her culture is providing endless amounts of comedic material.

In fact, this very question came up in one of the very first episodes.

“I mean,” Bruce says to his girlfriend, Emma,  “What’s wrong with asking people how they’re doing?”

“Well,” Emma replies, “it’s fake. In Sweden, we just do that if we really want to know the answer, you know?”  

“But I DO want to know the answer,” Bruce exclaims.

“No, you don’t.”  

“Yes,”  Bruce insists.  “I genuinely care about how people are doing.”  

“Okay,” Emma says.  “But if you care about Swedes, leave them alone.  Okay?”

Bruce doesn’t buy it. 

“Say, ‘Hej, hej’ at the most,” Emma says.  “If you do more than that, people will think you’re weird.”  

Confused, Bruce says, “Well how do you get to know new people?”

“That’s the whole point, honey.”

Yesterday, Maggie’s Girl Scout leader asked me,  “How are you doing?”

Now, I almost always attempt to answer this with the accepted “I’m fine.”  But suddenly, I just couldn’t.  

Perhaps she seemed  SAFE.  Perhaps I felt as if she really “wanted to know the answer.“  I am not sure.    

“I am sooooooo happy the kids are back in school.  I am not going to lie: this summer really was difficult,” I blurted out.

Summer, the time when activities ~ such as Girl Scouts ~  ceased, was ironically the time where we NEEDED  those activities the most.  

Summer began full of hope and dreams of sleeping in, adventures  and fun-filled days.

But it ended with fighting.  A LOT of fighting.  

And tears.   

And “I’m BOOOORRRRRREDs.”   

And unreasonable, tyrannical demands.  

The “adventures” we had tried to incorporate just turned into different, more exotic places for the kids to try to scratch the other’s eyes out.    

This particular summer melded into one giant blur of angst and crushing thoughts of inadequacy about our parental competence.  

I AM damn happy the kids are back in school.  

There, I said it again.  

And the children are happy to get away from us, too.There have been zero tears. There has been much excitement on both ends.  

And this school year has started afresh with different kind of hopes and dreams, adventures and fun-filled days.  

So.  

“How are YOU today?”

Jacked-Up Front Loading Washing Machines

It's been over five years since my youngest child was born.  

In April of 2008, I had a hormonally perverse distortion of my functioning skills and a brand-spanking new front-loader washing machine.  Front-loading washing machines were all the rage back then.  

Everyone was jumping on the front-loading washing machine bandwagon, myself included.  A front loader was SUCH a fabulous idea until I  realized how much bending over I had to do ~ an activity that I try to minimize by picking things up with my feet.  

I had to BEND OVER to pick the clothes up and put them into the washing machine.  

I had to BEND OVER to take the clothes out of the washing machine to transfer them into the dryer. 

And finally, I had to BEND OVER to retrieve the clean, wet clothes that had tumbled out of the washing machine into a puddle at my feet when I opened the front-loading door.   

(And as I bent over, I would get a good whiff of a rotten, mildewy stench coming from my front loading washing machine.  And if I bent over far enough and poked my head inside, I could see the science experiment from hell growing inside the drum and around the seal.   This might have greatly disturbed me at one time,  and I might have gathered my cleaning agents  and tried to scrub away the mini greenhouse growing rampant in my front loading washing machine.  I might have scrubbed, scrubbed for a while, as I BENT OVER, and realized that that black shit was never coming off.  My family is SURELY breathing spores of something unholy that could potentially kill them.  Ah, but I digress.)

So, with my brand new washing machine and my brand new baby, I had a hormonally induced idea  to use cloth diapers.   

Anyone who knows me probably would agree that this wasn't the best idea I have ever had.  And predictably, it didn't last for very long.  

The cloth diapers would be sold on Ebay to some other new mom who had a skewed sense of efficiency.  

And the child would quickly grow up to be delightful, a princess, and now, a kindergartner.  

Yet the washing machine is still here, mostly unchanged... until a few days ago when the "door ajar" alarm sensor alarm ~ and it is a God-awful alarm ~ broke.  

Thankfully, the washing machine is in a laundry ROOM.  Room.  As in, with a door.  A door that can be shut to partially mask the screaming "door ajar" alarm.   I put up with this all, because a.) we are so close to Christmas and I don't want to pay to get it fixed right now, and b.) the washing machine still technically washes clothes.  It still WORKS.

I said all of this because in some sort of rabbit-hole way, it reminded me of a  couple of interesting things that I have heard in the past day or so.  

The first occurred this evening, via my husband, who was reading his course work in Officer Training School for the US Army.   

In a crude nutshell, he told me that he read that "death is not a good enough motivating factor" for unhealthy people to get off their fat asses and help themselves become healthy.  

Not a good enough motivator to get up and  exercise to maintain to a healthy weight.  Not a good enough motivator to make themselves a salad.  Not even good enough motivator to get up, waddle over to the medicine cabinet, and pop a tiny pill every day.  

When looking at the cold, hard percentages and health statistics, humans are big, fat failures.

Which is entirely incomprehensible to someone like to my husband.  Because he is disciplined, rational and ~I'm pretty certain about this ~ is not befuddled by a million different voices inside his head (one, which shrieks at approximately 11pm to FEEDMESOMEFREAKINGNACHOSORIWILLCLAWYOURFACEOFFYOUWEAKBI#%&!).   

Another epiphany occurred while listening to my favorite podcast, Radiolab*.  It was a broadcast from 2011, titled "Help."

"You want to DO something, badly," says Robert Krulwich, Radiolab host.  "But then another part of you says 'No, I DON'T want to do that.'  When it's you against you, what do you do?"    

I'll say that again, because in my simplicity, this was astoundingly profound:  "When it's you against you, what do you do?"

And this pretty much sums up my life.  

Because somewhere, deep down,  I have an addiction to immediacy.  

I want it now.  

And I KNOW I'm not alone there:  my entire generation WANTS IT NOW.   

But in my case, 99% of the time what I want now is not good for me.   It will make me fat.  Or it will put me in debt.  Or it will cost more than researching it online and finding it somewhere else much cheaper.   

Getting something right now is addicting, it's thrilling.  I open my computer and my internet is RIGHT THERE!  I don't even have to wait for the computer modem to dial the online service anymore ("You've got mail!" Anyone?).    

What I also want, is months (or years) away.  It is difficult for me to envision.   I get distracted and have no imagination. 

My washing machine works.  It's jacked up, dirty, smells and makes a horrible, loud noise.  But it works.  It's limping along and I'm PROBABLY not going to fix it.  

My body works.  Technically, however, it's slightly fleshier than I want it to be at this moment...but it is working okay.   My last pregnancy jacked it up a bit, but I take a few pills every day.    

The finances work, despite our mucking things up.  We muddle through.   We are not fiscal rock stars.  

Why is it so difficult to be "all in."  Not just with diet and exercise, but with ALL ASPECTS of our lives?  Is it not broken ENOUGH?

When will I be broken enough to fix everything?  

I don't have the answers; I'm a work in progress.  

As I listen to the horrible buzzing of the washing machine "door-ajar" alarm, however,   it seems that the front-loader washer will be fixed before I am.   

Naturally.  

Snickerdoodles in the Air

When we lived in the Midwest, some friends of ours had two little girls.

They were hardcore girly-girls, and loved the things that girly-girls seem to gravitate towards:  twirly dresses, tutus, Hanna Andersson and above all, glitter.

I saw the father on a regular basis, and for at least two straight years, I never saw him without glitter on his face.

I would be in the speaking to him and my eyes would wander to the piece of glitter stuck on his eyelid or nose,  which had temporarily caught the sun and had momentarily blinded me.  

It was endearing.  

I say this all because Maggie is now a glitter-phile.

I find  glitter glue that some schmuck bought her ~ not me ~ on tables, cabinets, in her hair.

She is mesmerized by  this loose glitter that I bought three years ago, for some craft project.

(And never used.  Crafts?  Me?  I MUST have been on crack.)  

It is pourable, and one of these days, I am certain  it will be dumped somewhere that I will be finding it for years to come.


And I said all of that above because it is Christmas time.

And there is glitter everywhere.  It is in every project that Maggie brings home from pre-school, on nearly every ornament.  

I open each Christmas card gingerly, lest a cascade of some glittery substance that some turd thought would be festive, falls out all over my floor and forces me to get the vacuum (it has happened).

I'm basically a Scrooge.

I don't like opening presents in front of people.  I let others put up the tree and put on the ornaments.   I have ONE Christmas candy recipe that I have managed not to lose, and I use it every year.

But today was different.

It has been raining and cold here in Florida for the past three days.  

(Okay, all right, not COLD.  I used to hate assholes in Florida who said that when I lived in the Midwest.  It is "chilly.")

And since it usually is sunny here, I welcome the not-normal days where it is a little gloomy.   It feels like winter in a place that always seems to feel like summer.

Which is great, mostly, but sometimes it is just nice for a change.

I was driving in the fog and gloom today and suddenly the urge came over me to make cookies.

I used to make cookies.  At least more often than I do now (which is NEVER).  

I have literally not made cookies for over four years.  (::As a mother, hangs head in shame.  But for only one short moment.  I'm fine now::)  

I have mostly bought those pre-packaged little squares that you just tear off and bake.  Which I think are disgusting and  don't taste like "real" cookies.    

I have not felt like making much of anything in the way of dessert, so my 11-year-old son learned how to make cakes and cookies.

Which I think is fantastic.  My laziness bred resiliency and innovation in my son.  I couldn't be prouder.

 I had snickerdoodle ingredients at home:  butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, etc.

So Maggie and I set to making snickerdoodles.  When Chris came home from lunch,  he was startled and wondered what the catch was.    He was unsure if he should eat one or not.  (I assured him that it was all right.)

I guess it goes without saying that I am medicated again.  

I feel a little more like me, which is so weird.   Only those who are as crazy as f**k will probably understand this.

The person I was off of medication was like this psycho shrew who lived in my house, slept in my bed, and didn't clean very often.  I hardly knew her.

Oh well.

I feel much more able to deal with glitter now:  vacuuming it up, washing it off,  peeling it off of furniture.

And I haven't felt like writing anything in a long time.  So, hellloooooo.

(And for those who like Snickerdoodles, here is a great recipe.)

Best-Ever Snickerdoodles

3 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking SODA
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 large eggs
2.5 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease baking sheets.

In a large bowl, mix first 5 ingredients well.  Set aside.

In another bowl, add next 5 ingredients, except for the eggs.  Beat well, like 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, then slowly add the flour mixture.

The dough will be thick and you will roll it into balls.  Try to make them the same size, then roll them in the sugar/cinnamon mixture and put on a cookie sheet.

Bake in the oven for 11-12 minutes.

You can't put these close together because they spread out a lot.  I learned that the hard way.

These aren't the crispy snickerdoodles; the corn syrup makes them chewy.

Hope you have a great holiday season