It's Spring Break and I'm Breaking.

On the first day of spring break, my true love gave to me...

Yep, it's spring break. That means I actually have time to blog! Recently I haven't had time to get a good night's sleep let alone blog. I've tried to stay current on email and work stuff and blogging has fallen to the wayside. I'm sorry about that. I know that all 2 of you are upset about that. Well, I'll try to do better.

My car is green. Everyone's car is green. Green cars mean pollen. The pollen count today was some ridiculous number like 2800. Why? I know that the bees need to pollenate the flowers but can they do it without spreading the spores all over the place? If I could get the camera to work correctly (stupid camera - I'm gonna buy a real one soon) I'd show you what my car looks like.

Pollen means misery. Well, kinda but not as bad as last year because I've been neti potting!! In the past I've been doped up on meds and I'd be sleepy and my eyes would be glazed over and my nose would be red and raw. This year I'm stuffy and snotty but nothing I can't handle. Yesterday was ickky cause I was outside most of the day but I came in, I rinsed my nose and things were better. Today things are a lot better. Am I going outside today? Ummm, no. I was planning on going to the hair dresser for my day of beauty but my hair dresser is coming to me. No need in going out into a pollen count that is a bajillion. (Side note - did you know bazillion is a real word but bajillion isn't? I'm gonna start a petition).

Other than that, the first few days of spring break have been fantastic. I've slept in, read a lot, cooked a lot, laughed with the siblings a lot and today I'm relaxing a lot. Oh! And I bought sandals. Whats a vacation without a shoe purchase? Well, it's nothing.

And, this give me time to work on stuff like writing and family tree searching. And, going to see all the teenie bopper movies that the princess wants to see. And reading the 50 magazines that have been piling up beside my bed. And cleaning out my closet. And eating, then exercising so I can eat some more. All in all, I can't complain.

I think I'm going to have some ice cream and brownie right now. After all, spring break calories don't count.

Dear Martha That Lives In My Head...

Dear MTLIMH (Martha That Lives Inside My Head),

I am sooo sorry that I have been neglecting you. I've watched other people's inner Martha hard at work and you have been stuck, "sat sitting" doing nothing. Not a casserole, not a shepherds pie, not a stitched pillow, nuthin.(Well, that's not true. I made brownies Saturday. Of course they were a hit. You want the recipe? Of course. I am more than happy to give it to you. Look at the bottom).

MTLIMH, there were so many opportunities for you to come out and play. Remember when I needed cute bathroom towels? I bought plain towels and pretty embellishments to put on them and where are they now? In a bag in the closet. What's hanging on the bathroom wall? Worn out towel that I should be ashamed of.

Well no more! Beginning this weekend I'm going to let the MTLIMH out. We're gonna cook and decorate and make everything so pretty it could go in a magazine. AND, I'll post it so you can see. It will keep me honest.

Now I won't be so embarrassed when I see what my fellow bloggers are doing. I'll be one of the crowd. And really, isn't that what we all secretly want? To be one of the crowd?

The Worlds Bestest, Most Easiest Brownies
(1) box of brownie mix (fudgelike is best)
(1) large bar of Hershey's Symphony chocolate

1. Mix the brownies according to the mix.
2. Poor half of the mix into the baking pan.
3. Break the bar of chocolate into pieces (there are lines on the chocolate bar. follow them) and place on the brownie mix.
4. Poor the remaining mix into the pan.
5. Bake according to the directions on the box.
6. Let it cool.
7. Eat 1 piece.
8. Go to the store and buy good ice cream (not that crappy kind).
9. Eat another piece topped with ice cream.

Q&A
Does it have to be Hershey's Symphony? Well, yes. Otherwise I wouldn't have said it. Really, it has a wonderful taste and doesn't completely melt into the brownie. You don't have to use it, but I would and well, the MTLIMH would too.

Melted plastic and rum cookies.

Every day should be a new day with a new lesson learned. I learned a new lesson today. Do not place Rubbermaid container tops on the stove and then turn the oven on. The top will melt. I know, I know, it doesn't seem logical to me either. Indirect heat will melt a flimsy piece of plastic? If I pay $7 for a 26 piece set of plastic, 375 degrees of indirect heat (for 40 minutes) shouldn't melt it, even if the box tells you not to place in oven or on stove. Perhaps if they had pictures with a red "X" over it, I would have understood. (deep sigh).

I also learned that melted plastic, once cooled, will pull up off of a stove in a nice, deformed pattern that is ready for the trash. Nothing ruined, but of course, 24 cents worth of plastic (okay 48 cents...it was two tops that melted).

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The baking began in earnest this weekend. Last week I made fudge. That’s not baking. This weekend I made muffins and almond crescent cookies. Except, I didn’t have any almond extract. I used rum extract instead. Do you think that will alter the taste? Yeah, probably. Do you think The Princess and I will care? Will it prevent us from eating them? No, probably not. It has to be a burnt, nasty mess for us to not at least taste them!

Fa la la la la – la la – la – la!

NOTE: the rum flavor made a great cookie. I cut the batch in half and ended up with 20 cookies. Next time I'll make the entire batch.