Mama, I’m going to Disneyland!
Oh, ok, not really. I’m actually going to…uh, sleep.
But still, I pulled a rabbit out of my arse hat for the fifth time and completed a 50,000 word novel in less than thirty days!
Thanks to the amazing people at National Novel Writing Month for making it so much fun to rise to the challenge every year!
My personal genetic heritage is what The Good Man calls “your typical Heinz 57 pan-European”.
I’m German-Irish-Scottish-French.
And raised in New Mexico, so I have Hispanic roots, too.
The Good Man is Italian-English-Turkish-Lebanese.
Also a Heinz 57, but much different from my own. These are not all cultures I have a lot of background with, so I’m having a ball learning about my new family heritage.
My rock star Mom-in-Law (the Turkish/Lebanese side) has taught me much about delicious Mediterranean food. (I thought I’d had falafel before. I had not. I’d had a poor imitation. There is a HUGE difference).
Man, I can’t believe how long I’ve been missing out on the good stuff!
And of course, I’ve always loved Italian food, but oh I had lots to learn.
Like coffee. Now, I like coffee. Ok, I love coffee. It doesn’t always love me back (acidy!). I try to cut back, but can’t. And it’s not even the caffeine that’s a problem! I drink decaf!
I was holding strong, but then my Mom-in-Law gave us a peculiar little device called a Moka Pot. Ok, she gave it to us a while ago, but I’ve suddenly grown an unnatural attachment to it.
It looks like this.
Big deal, right? Just another way to make coffee?
No.
Oh no, no, no.
It’s just another way to make THE MOST DELICIOUS COFFEE EVER!
It’s way easy to use. Kind of fun, actually, and makes coffee super fast and delicious!
You don’t need some fancy high dollar espresso machine! You need this little pot and a burner. And some coffee to go in there.
Details on how to use it from my Mom-in-Law’s blog, Musing By Moonlight (used with permission).
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What is more delightful than an espresso (that’s eSpresso, not eXpresso) to help move through the day or a caffè correto to end a good dinner and aid digestion? This is an easy-to-learn process using a Bialleti Moka Express, an aluminum stove-top espresso maker. It’s well worth the negligible effort. I prefer the moka pot to a machine because I feel more connected to the process and the product, it takes up less real estate in the kitchen, and it’s budget wise.
Always, we start with the freshest ingredients: water – clear, cold, and filtered – and freshly ground dark-roasted coffee. My coffee of choice is Peet’s Espresso Forte® . Have it ground on #3. Buy it when you know you will use it right away, even if you purchase beans and grind them at home.
The Bialetti Moke Express comes in three parts: the reservoir for water, a coffee filter with funnel for the grounds, and a top piece to capture the espresso as it bubbles up from the bottom. This coffee pot comes in various sizes to make coffee for just two or for up to twelve.
(This is Karen, here’s a photo:
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Directions:
Fill the reservoir with water to just below the steam valve. Put the coffee filter in place and fill it with grounds, tamping them lightly with the back of the spoon. Screw the top piece in place.
Put the Moka Express on the highest heat. Watch it because it is quickly done. The espresso will gather in the top chamber. Serve immediately. Sweeten if you like. If you care to, you might add either a lemon peel or, for a caffè correto(corrected), a little grappa.
Caffè latte: One shot fresh, hot espresso for each six ounces of steamed dairy, nut, soy or hemp milk, your choice.
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Oh coffee heaven! I like mine with half and half and brown sugar.
I’m starting to like my new genetic heritage! A lot.
(By the by, while I prefer to use Peet’s coffee too, since I’ve been cutting back on expenditures, I’m trying a decaf Italian (water processed) I found at Trader Joe’s. Delicious!)
A nice way to begin the day. Sloppy greetings from my goddog.
Sometimes, you know you must be an ok sort of person if a dog thinks you rock.
My god cat was less sure about the necessity of my existence this morning.
It’s a gorgeous day in Southern New Mexico. I head back home tomorrow, happy from a great trip back to NM, and very happy to get back to The Good Man. I miss him so much it aches.
Well hey! This little ol’ blog topped a hundred visitors for two days in a row! Thanks to all 117 who stopped by yesterday!
Yes, I am posting at 4:00 in the morning. No, I don’t know why.
Juuuust kidding, on my way to see the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
I hope to make some decent photos this morning. Here’s hoping the weather holds.
More to come today!
Woo!
Ok, confessional time. Yes, I’m owning it here, publicly, on my blog.
Here we go
Due to the immense amount of food they provide here at my job, cookies, cakes, lots of candy, full lunches, parties, celebrations, the whole nine yards….
I *might* have maybe, sort of, kind of….gained some weight.
I know. *gasp*
Not a lot. But enough to make most of the clothes in my closet feel tight.
So, I do that thing that women do, “Oh, I’ll lose this. I don’t need to buy new clothes! I’d just buy them and have to give them away, what a waste of money!”
What do I do? I wear the few items that fit over and over. And wear the tight things and sit at my desk with a wince as I get marks on my body from the clothes.
So, I just…I don’t know…gave up. I started dressing like crap. If you know me, you know clothes and style matter to me. So this is REALLY giving up.
I’m not proud of it.
Well, as fate will do, I had a *very* important meeting today, one where I needed to be on my game. And I needed to dress in a businesslike way.
In preparation, I tried on all my current dress pants. Yeah. No luck. Ok, I could get them on and zipped, but they were tight and immediately began pressing into my waist.
This isn’t humorous.
With fear in my heart, a couple days ago, I took to the mall, shopping discount outlets looking for *something* I could make work. Something I could wear and look professional and still be comfortable.
Guys, you have to know. To a woman…shopping for pants is the seventh level of hell. I don’t know why, it just is. Only slightly more appealing than shopping for a swimsuit.
The mall I visited is all broke down and busted (like many malls are these days) and it was a very hot day in the Bay Area. The entire mall had NO air conditioning, so shopping for pants (ugh!) with a sheen of sweat on your brow is not amusing. May I reiterate: NOT!
And being the cheap ass that I am, I wanted something at a low cost.
So. I found a couple things. The quality was only so-so. I wasn’t overjoyed with the items, but ok. I’d have something to wear.
I was depressed.
Then, yesterday I had an inspired idea. There is a store I used to shop at quite a bit, but then drifted away from. Their stuff is good, stylish, but often a little pricey. Their last couple of lines were not attractive at all, so I had moved on.
But I remembered that they usually stock a good range of sizes.
Yesterday after work, I went to this store. And I almost cried. In addition to air conditioning, they had gotten in all their new Fall line and much of it was TOTALLY my style. And sizes! Oh the size choices. I tried on some stuff that was too big! Some too small, but they had the next size.
And their prices were not that bad, actually. Reasonable. They’ve clearly made a shift to help with the economy.
So I stocked UP. I mean, I went a little nuts. I bought good quality clothes that fit and make me feel *good*. I bought a whole new wardrobe!
I walked out smiling. Today I’m wearing one of the new outfits and I am walking so much taller. My pants fit! They don’t bind. My waistline has been spared for the day. My whole outlook has vastly improved.
Ladies! Don’t give in to stuff that cuts and binds! Wear clothes that fit and feel good!
(and yes, I’m cutting back on the feed rations and exercising. Lifelong battle.)
