While I Was Away...

Here's a look at some of the things that went down during my incredibly long lapse from blogging:

I managed to convert 1 to 2 to 3 (and in case it's not obvious from the last picture...make a little cash along the way!)

I made my first successful pie crusts ever!

Mac started a blog of his own!

(Oh, and hell froze over too.  Tiny joke, as Mac used to tease me about my excessive blog presence.)

And speaking of hell freezing over, Mac took a walk with me yesterday for Christmas : ]  A walk as in...outside...with no foreseeable destination!  My favorite.  I think this deserves a post all its own.

UPDATE

I almost forgot!  I also got a new job, which is as close as I'll probably ever come to a childhood Della Street fantasy.

(Not to be confused with this...)

Haha, thanks for indulging me.  It looks like I also acquired a new follower in my absence, which thrills me to pieces.  Hopefully I haven't lost everyone with the last few hours of blogging!

Donut Day Revival

I'll be the first one to tell you that I get really excited about little things.  It might be my favorite thing about myself, and about the like-minded folks I find along the way.  The most recent excitement in my life is the reinstitution of Donut Day. 

Donut Day was originally invented as a diet plan for myself.  I would eat healthy stuff (relatively...it is me we're talking about here) all week long, and then one day a week, I would allow myself the junkiest, tastiest thing I could imagine:  a mmmmaple bar.  I used to work the night shift during the week.  Friday mornings, my weekend would begin, and I would practice my weekly donut ritual.  This was back when I was a swingin' (hardly) singleton.  Now I've discovered a Donut Day built for two!

Sorry that I don't have a better photo of our excursions to prove it.  You will no doubt see more of those in the future.  So far, I'm partial to Randall's (the Safeway of Texas) maple bars...but you don't really get the full donut and cheap coffee experience there.  Shipley's is in first place so far for that.  I like the box they come in, too!  There's another place nearby I have to try though...it makes me think of home, for reasons I will explain in a future post (once we actually go there!)

So...the little thing I take joy in here is not just a weekly donut, but the fact that Heaven sent me a wonderful partner who seems to enjoy it, and other simple things, almost as much as I do.  I love him so.

(left:  Mac and Me on our honeymoon--6 months ago!)



Other little things that are currently delighting me more than anyone could possibly know...I have 3 blog fans now!!  I know other people have hundreds, but this is really exciting to me.  And the second morsel of joy...my best friend, after months--maybe years--of attempts to convince, and years of giving up all hope, has finally decided to blog.  I hope she doesn't stop!  Go and tell her not to right now!!

Last bit of news (I'm wordy today because I'm long overdue in writing!)...my church is hosting a donut-eating contest.  That's right.  Behold:  a 2-lb donut monster.  And because they don't want to encourage gluttony, of course, they're having people sign up in teams.  Oh my--can I really resist this?

Brrrr!

Brrrr + Texas = Weird, I know...But if there's one thing I've learned about living here, it's that you have an indoor wardrobe and an outdoor wardrobe.  Every day.  Mac teases me for changing my clothes so much, but it's not just me being indecisive.  Restaurants, coffee shops and stores (not to mention husbands) seem to keep the A/C just south of Arctic, so leave the sweater at home and you're in for a shaky meal/drinking/reading/browsing/shopping session.  Texas girls know this. 

Couple this phenomenon with a week of cooler, rainy weather which one of our pastors jokingly called "Faux Fall" (he's from Wisconsin and I think Mac and I were the only other people in the room who laughed instead of staring blankly), and you have my current state of mind:  Fall on the brain and in the house, 90 degree confusion outside.  Anyway, all this is to say...Hm, not much.  Just a glimpse into our surroundings and "Look Ma!  I made Chicken Tortilla Soup!" and "Look Sis!  I'm wearing the scarf you gave me from Russia (and I'm terrible at tying it)!".  I love Fall, even Faux Fall.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

You know the other funny thing about it all?  I think I see more pale skin here than I did at home (which sorta makes me fit in...right?).  I guess it's too hot to be outside so everyone hides and fades in the A/C.  Small irony:  I tried to resupply myself with sunless tanning lotion (speaking of all things faux) when we first got here, only to find that they only sell it for medium to dark skin.  ?.

P.S.  In accordance with my Fall brain, I plan to start a knitting project any day now.  Because Mac's not wrong that I am indecisive...I may have to ask for your help in deciding on a project : ]

P.P.S.  A word about ghosty hands (top photo).  They remind me of this video (proceed with caution), which Mac sent me the other day in an attempt to cheer me up.  If scaring me almost out of my seat = cheering me up, then...success!  Okay granted, we did have a pretty good laugh about my reaction hours later, but oh man...