Writer's Block

I'm not sure what's going to make me keep up with posting.  I think about pictures and things I want to remember, and if I don't write it down immediately, it will become overwhelming, and I'll just skip it another day.

[Looks like I should have skipped today.  In trying to post a recipe below, I messed up the background and the font and who knows what else.  I've edited and changed, and I think it keeps getting worse, so I think I will never deviate from just straight typing.  I even went into HTML and looked around to see if I could see what the problem was, but nothing jumped out and said, "Here's how you fix it."]

So, deep breath.  Maybe I can write just what I've done today and get started.

We're still in the nicest rainy spell.  I've enjoyed it a lot because I haven't had to go out, and it really storms in the early evening and night when I'm ready to sleep.  Nothing better than being ready for bed with a good book and rain coming down like crazy.   A  little wind would be nice to go with it.

So, today.  Monday is usually my day with no kids to do with exactly as I choose.  And I chose laundry - washing sheets - and making a couple of phone calls I've been putting off.

I call every couple of months to see why the funeral home has not put the date on Mama's headstone.  It's been nearly a year now, 10 months, and the girl I talk to is always so apologetic and says she will be sure someone gets on it right away.  It's too cold.  It's too hot.  It's been raining a lot.  People have been out.   I'm sure she can't do anything herself, but today I talked to someone else, the owner maybe, and told him my story, but he only said he would have Nicki call me back when she got in.   I told him I had had great patience but that if Mama had known this was not done,  she would NOT be happy.  He understands, blah, blah.  I'm not sure what I can do since they don't allow anyone else to work in that cemetery.  I can't exactly take my business elsewhere.  As it is, I'm going to ask for a discount on the price (which is not a whole lot).  That would have pleased Mama, to get it on sale.

Then I walked up to the apartment office with two loaves of pumpkin bread for Carly and Tom.  Tom had gone above and beyond with some maintenance issues last month, and I wanted to thank him some way.  He said, "Make me some of that pumpkin bread."  I've never made any before, but I found a good-sounding recipe and just did it.

Since I don't usually eat sugar and flour, I make a mini cupcake to taste before I gave it to him.  I saw him last week, and he was raving about it and said he was sharing it with everyone.  I hope that means it was good!  I told him I would make some more, so I made Carly one too.  She keeps the place running since we still don't have a manager, and I couldn't ask for better maintenance help.  Just ask, and it's done.

Here's the recipe.  From Once Upon a Chef.    I love the pictures.  I did add a handful of walnuts, because nuts make everything better.

So that's 4 pumpkin loaves baked this fall.  While looking back for a picture of the pumpkin bread, I found this.

I really do have to be watched, as I'll explain later.  I had seen an easy recipe for some pumpkin spice muffins and bought the ingredients that morning at the the grocery store.  I also bought some sauerkraut, and when I was putting up the groceries, I mistakenly put that can with the other ingredient. 

 Disaster narrowly averted.  This is better.  

I can't remember if the girls liked them or not.  Probably not as much as I thought they would have, but they went home with them anyway.  How could I not make something that just wants you to pour a can of pumpkins into a box of cake mix and call it a recipe?  

The latest disaster wasn't averted, and it just made me so mad.  In my baking mode (I also made some blueberry muffins with vanilla yogurt for the girls, which they DID love), I decided to make banana bread since I had some way overripe bananas.  I didn't have any buttermilk, which my usual recipe calls for, so I looked for a new one.  I think this is it.  It also uses yogurt but plain yogurt. 

 I took my time on it because I knew I didn't have time to do the whole thing then, so I mixed the dry ingredients and took out the butter to soften and the eggs to come to room temperature.  Look at me, being ahead of the game.  

When I finally did get around to making it, I was feeling pretty good about my domestic successes and already planning who was going to receive this.  I got it all mixed together, but it looked a little soupy.  Since it was a new recipe, I didn't worry long about it but popped it into the oven for an hour.  After an hour, it still wasn't done, and even the little taster muffin was looking sad.  I cooked it another 30 minutes and still not done, so I just marked it up tomething different, maybe the yogurt, and tossed it.  

Finally, two days later, I had the sudden feeling that I had not put in the dry ingredients - NONE of them.  Just mashed bananas, eggs, butter, and brown sugar.  I even wasted a cup of nuts on it!  And tried to cook that mess!   I went to the kitchen and looked beside the mixer (which is white), and there sat my white mixing bowl with the flour and baking soda and salt, etc., still there.  

So, I hope I'm over my sudden desire to bake.  It really is deflating to think about how stupid it is to forget the main ingredient in a recipe.  And to not have  clue when I looked at the batter.  Because I remembered that I had measured out all those dry ingredients, so no way I could have left them out.  I then had to wait for four bananas to ripen, but you better believe I jumped right back on that horse and made that banana bread.  I gave it to Emily, and I think she gave it to their new neighbors.  

So, no baking today.  My sheets are nice and fresh and on the bed, and I left the office and walked to the library in the misty rain.  Not cold but just fresh air and beautiful leaves.   These were from Friday but just breathtaking.  I've been trying to get a good picture of this row of trees all week and finally did.  

The office main room is so pretty this morning and so inviting.  I thought about bringing my books back and settling down there to read a little bit.  

This is always a welcoming sight at the library.  All mine!  

Except really only two.  All the others are Halloween books for the girls.  And the top one about me!  Unfortunately, not...

This one is a HUGE thing. 

 If it's any good, I'm going to be reading this for the full three weeks.  

I don't know.  700 pages.  And the reviews sound pretty serious - like wars, and immigrants and history, Oregon and logging.  It must have been on some best-seller list, because it doesn't sound like my usual fun reading.  Maybe I'll learn something.  I'll give it a try anyway when I finish the two I have started.  

I just saw my planner all decorated for Halloween.  Checkin' off that list today!  

I was planning on finishing a doll skirt today, but I'm bringing Graysen home while Emily takes Katherine to ballet.  I bought them a couple of 18" dolls from Target this week for Christmas to see if they keep being interested before I fork out American Girl money.  They're really cute and at Target prices, I was able to get them doll luggage sets, a spa set with a bathtub, two bicycle seats for their dolls and a couple of horses.  I'm not sure girls here are interested in American Girl and whether it will ever matter if it's the "real thing.  

The dolls and other things are packed safely out of sight, but here is the travel set that Graysen admired in the Target flyer. 

 I did this top yesterday and started the skirt front.  Gathering those little pieces and putting in elastic is quite a challenge, but I think I've worked out the kinks and can make another top and pants pretty quickly.  With Velcro closures and even a little gluing in places, it's a little easier than sewing for people.  

The girls also want Halloween shirts with BOO on them for themselves, and my fall sewing should be ending - except for more doll clothes.  I did make Graysen's present doll a Halloween skirt and lost it.  I took it over to their house, and Gray wanted me to add a ribbon, so I brought it home with me.  I went by the grocery store and came home in a storm.  I saw the skirt on the seat and stuck it in my jacket pocket - I thought.  I lugged all the groceries up those stairs, and when everything was unpacked the skirt was nowhere to be seen.  I retraced my steps, but the maintenance guys were blowing leaves, and that skirt probably looked like a big leaf if I dropped it.  I rechecked all the bags and all my pockets and looked in the car twice but no Halloween skirt.  

I'm wondering if I need to be allowed to go places on my own.