Maple Maple Can It Be Fall Again?

It was 76' here yesterday.  I wanted it to be cool, dare I say even cold?  I did.  I wanted it to be fall again.  We have had so little rain and such beautiful sunshine that it just hasn't seemed like winter at all.  I don't want to go through another winter really but I want it to be fall again. 

I decided I would make it smell like fall even if I couldn't have fall.  I made Maple cookies with Maple glaze.  Maple Maple.  So good.  I used turbinado raw sugar cane which is really like brown sugar (think bigger crystals) so the cookies had the nice mix of crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.  They may ALL already be gone.  Yup.

Maple I'm-Falling-For-U Maple Cookies 

3/4 cup butter softened
1/2 cup turbinado raw cane sugar (Trader Joe's)
2 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp   maple flavoring
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp   baking soda
1/2 tsp   salt

    For Glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tsp   maple flavoring
2 - 4 Tbl   milk

Instructions - Heat oven to 375'

Cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs.  Add  maple syrup and blend.  In another bowl combine flour, soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until well combined. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet,  Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

For Glaze:  Combine all ingredients.  Glaze should be thick like frosting but it will firm up while air drying.

 

Red, White and Blue

Lauren saw a pair of shorts like these at a big name store that cost $54!  She really liked them but not how short they were OR the cost.  So, my little crafter thought up a plan.

She taped off the a pair of $9.99 Target shorts and bought some red fabric paint.

(We already had the white.)

This is the finished product that came in under $13.00. 

What do you think?

Question 162

Q:  Did you exercise today?

A:  Yes.  I ran 10.25 miles, 500 crunches, 100 side lunges and 75 pliés.

Questions 158, 159, 160, & 161 (It's been a busy week!)

Q:  How many cups of coffee did you drink today?

A:  Zero.

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do on a Friday night?

A:  Dinner at the food trucks (close and fun!) and relax with my family watching a movie.

Q:  Is something in your way?  Can you move it?

A: Sometimes.  I can change my attitude.

Q:  Something that made you worry today _________?

A:  Being late for the missionaries visit.  (We weren't.)

Food Trucks & Bucket seating... love it.

Questions 156 & 157

Q:  What makes you miserable?

A:  Tooth pain.

Q:  What makes a good friend?

A:  A mom (she makes the sisters).

(Before I get calls, I love you all, but I really liked this pic of Suz.)

Questions 154 & 155

Q:  Which family member are you closest to?

A:  Depends but either Suzanne or Debbie on any given day.

Q:  What do you feel grateful for today?

A:  School is out!

Reason 27 Not to Travel to Third World Countries

I had the weirdest dream last night.  I was studying a seemingly peaceful tribe when I discovered a bunch of freshly cleaned human bones.  They didn't know I now knew what type of people they were.  We were supposed to take a boat across a wide but fairly slow moving river but I 'accidentally' pushed off without the oars and couldn't get back to them.  As the river narrowed it got faster and a bit steeper but still rolling type hills.  But then (enter dramatic music) I snatched a child out of the river that looked in trouble and we starting to go faster ... and steeper.  We were just getting to some rapids when I noticed I couldn't see any more vegetation ahead.  I threw (gently) the child on to the short grass of a small fall (think Pirates of the Caribbean) and leaped off behind him.  It was just steep enough that we couldn't really go up so we started climbing down and it got steeper and steeper until it looked like Bridal Veil Falls (Utah).  We were clinging to this short grass and the incline seemed to start to be so that we were almost upside down in places.  I was climbing with the child underneath me so he wouldn't fall but he seemed fine with it all.  But the grass was getting sparse and I was starting to panic.  This is where I woke up... in a cold sweat ... wondering where the cannibal were.  Ugh.

Question 153

Q:  What was the last fruit you ate?

A:  Raspberry.

Question 151 & 152

Q:  Who do you miss the most right now?

A:  Debbie and Suzanne, they both know why.

Q:  Today you wore ___________?

A:  Stone colored slacks, navy nicer t-shirt, canary yellow short sweater and flats.

Questoins 149 & 150

Q:  On a scale of one to ten, how healthy are you?

A:  Let's see, I have high cholesterol but it isn't clogging my arteries.  I have borderline medicatable thyroid levels but I don't have a single symptom.  I have bad teeth that will probably fall out someday.  I run a lot.  I work on my core.  I eat pretty well - I go with the theory of 10 good, 1 bad (or for me, not so bad).  So, overall, I'm giving myself a 9.

Q:  Should you trust your instincts?

A:  Definitely!  I read Blink years ago and really think we need to trust ourselves more.

Question 148

Q:  How much money do you have in your wallet?  In your bank account?

Q:  $11 plus change.  Checking $3972.12.

Questions 146 & 147

Q:  If you didn't have any responsibilities for the day, what would you do?

A:  Get up and run a half marathon, eat a lazy breakfast of cereal and fruit while reading something, shower, go for a walk, while reading something, to get a pedicure, have lunch with a sister, walk home while reading something, bike to the store for dinner stuff, make a fancier than usual dinner for my sisters to come to my house (baking dessert will be involved), watch some sappy movie and fall asleep on the couch.

Q:  What's the best thing you read today?

A:  Quiet.  I'm reading a section on sensitivity and how to not be overwhelmed or to recover quickly.

Question 144 & 145

Q:  What gives you comfort right now?

A:  Prayer.

Q:  East Coast or West Coast?  Or in between?

A:  West Coast!!!

Question 143

Q:  List the things that nagged you today.

A:  1.  Getting to church on time.
2.  The shower faucet being broken.
3.  The other shower being dirty (I may have cleaned a bit since I had to shower in it.)
4.  Cleaning the other shower.
5.  Still being annoyed with my hubby about yesterday - glad I have one more day.
6.  Not reading my scriptures daily. (I typically get in 4 to 5 days but I could do better.)
7.  All the things I want the kids to do this summer that aren't going to happen.
8.  Dinner. (Eve is bringing over ribs, I made German potato salad and crisp broccoli salad and Lauren made brownies.  Is that enough?)

How a Perfectly Good Plan Went Awry by the numbers...

First mix 1 husband and a fishing trip with 2 buddies from high school.  Shake vigorously until thorough combined.  Be sure to strike all 3 on the head so the brains get mixed up and aren't chunky.  Stir  in 4 oz of espresso to give it a good kick. 

Have soccer team mom send word about a 5 game tournament in SF.  "Team down players can #6 come play?".  Fully caffeinated husband spends 7 minutes on phone with son and plans game strategy. Son is sooo excited to play he actually smiles 8 times while telling mom about playing up (team that needs help is the next age bracket).  Mom has now been put in a no win situation.

Connor eating his favorite pizza at Boudin

Mom can either disappoint son in soccer OR disappoint son and daughter on fun day trip to SF.  So, mom comes up with a 9 step plan to be the hero of the day. (There is too much.  Let me summarize.) Drive to SF, drop soccer son at game, drive across town to Wharf feed son and daughter and daughter's friend, run (literally) back to car after paying $25 for parking to go pick up soccer son across town, drive back to pick up Wharf rats, eat a too heavy lunch too late (calamari at 3 was not a good idea), and decide to drive up 19th Ave to miss Mardi Gras only to hit SFU graduation and 2 hour drive home.

Kids said all but the ride home was fun for them.  I am a hero but my tuchus hurts.

Lauren & Syd with 'Turtle' sourdough loaf - they ate the whole thing!

Question 142

Q:  If you could travel anywhere tomorrow where would it be?

A:  Monacco.  Gran Pre, fashion and sun.

Questions 140 & 141

Q:  When was the last time you had an inspiring conversation?

A:  1981.

Q:  What's your hairstyle?

A:  Straight to my shoulders with bangs swept to the left. (stupid cowlick!)

Question 139

Q:  What's your salary?

A:  Since I am self employed, zero.  Benefits are great though. :-)

Question 138

Q:  What is the craziest thing you have done for love?

A:  Ballooning when I don't care for heights, nah.  Deep sea fishing when I knew I would get sick, not close.  Driving from SF to Provo (10 hrs each way)over a weekend to return a jacket, yup. (He didn't even know for months because he was moving and thought it was just another bag. Doh!)

Question 137

Q:  What's the most creative thing you have done lately?

A:  Tylor's silhouette for 8th grade graduation.