O.K Mary Ann,I have a confession. I am blogstalking your blog.There, I said it.I can't help it,I really can't.Your blog is so clever and witty and "partying like it's 1929"just put me over the edge. I had to say something. YOU ARE A HOOT!Before you go for your gun, we are related. Doesn't that make it a little better? I'm Phil and Nelda's grandaughter,Heather(via Hallie).When I'm getting an update on Rick and Sarah's blog, the temptaion for a good laugh(laugh "with" not "at")is just to great. As I said before, YOU ARE A HOOT!
Oh noooooo. That's dreadful. At least we're having a warm fall so far--right?
We replaced our furnace and water heater last year, but our car waited until this year to have to be in the shop 4 times within two months. I like it much better with my home disasters spread out nicely like that.
Heather, we certainly know you and we never mind blogstalkers. In fact, we occasionally look at our stat counter and find that nearly everyone who reads this is stalking it! You'll notice though, that the professor is the really funny one. That is because is mother is powerless to do anything about it when he says inappropriate things.
Julie: our problem is that we're running out of money long before we're running out of big ticket items. Last night though, we had pizza made on the stone you gave us for our wedding and were consoled.
Everyone: the update is as follows: the truck got a new battery and now starts like a dream. I took the camera back to the shop where it may also need a new battery, but is having it's USB port replaced because it was completely *cracked* (can you say "impactive event"?). Rob was able to coax the dishwasher back to life temporarily and I contacted Bosch for service because there had been a recall on it; I'm hoping for some synergy in our entropy. And the van is getting a rebuilt transmission which will hopefully last us until we outgrow this vehicularly unsexy stage of life. As for the heater? I dunno. Put on a sweater. It's going to be a long time before we can fix that.
I finally got up the nerve to try my own Mohr im Hemd. This was the dish that we always ordered if we found it on the menu. It translates as "The Moor and His Shirt" which is so politically incorrect that it isn't easy to find, even though it is a traditional Viennese dish. It is a steamed pudding, like the Christmas dessert I grew up on and it is very moist and very chocolate, though not as sweet as an American dessert. It was successful enough that Rob had me make it twice more in the same weekend. Happily, after learning how to make it, I feel less guilty about eating the stuff. How often does that happen? Here is the recipe I used, as opposed to the top secret family recipe that I don't even have, or the recipe from my Austrian cookbook that asks for 'gratified butter': MA's Mohr im Hemd 3 bread rolls, crusts removed and cubed 1 c milk 3/4 c unsalted butter 1/4 c sugar 8 oz best and darkest chocolate you can find 8 eggs 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c walnuts,
Our Itinerary: Stuttgart to Atlanta and Atlanta to Salt Lake. It was a good schedule, flying out at 11:00am and getting in at 9:00pm on the same day (flying back across 8 time zones too, so about 23 hours of travel door to door).
German taxi driver: A+. cheerful, knowledgeable, efficient and with candy for the kids Stuttgart airport: C-. inefficient, poorly-designed, and not very helpful; had to show our passports 5 times in 5 different places. took 1 1/2 hours to process us from curb to gate. ugh. Delta: B-. The flight attendants all looked "rid hard & put away wet" and the bare bones service just can't keep up with their [government subsidized] European counterparts with their dewy-skinned attendants, steaming towels, toys for the kids, and gourmet meals instead of astronaut food served in foil pouches. They got us there and did it on time, but it feels more and more like riding on a bus with a lot of rules. German Family With Four Kids Who Sat Next To Us On The
I am behind this year on Christmas, and really noticing a difference. Normally I aim to meet Flylady's holiday deadlines to have my presents bought, menus planned, nonperishables stocked, cards mailed, and everything wrapped. This gives me the whole month to obsess over neighbor gifts (which I loathe). This year I'm playing catch up on all of those things. The one thing I've done right is to wrap and label the presents but not stick bows on them. This way I can hide and stack them, I know who they're for, and I'll have the perfect job to do while I'm helping the kids wrap their gifts. OK, the other thing I've done right is use Amazon. Not only do I love their wish list and the universal wish list button so that I can add things to the kids' lists as I think of them whenever I'm "looking for the end of the internet" as Liesl's sister calls it. I also love their gift organizer which lets me create an idea list for family and friends
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I'm happy to report that this year has been better. Hang in there. Eventually, you will run out of big-ticket items to break.
I was going to complain about being sick, but I think you win.
We replaced our furnace and water heater last year, but our car waited until this year to have to be in the shop 4 times within two months. I like it much better with my home disasters spread out nicely like that.
Julie: our problem is that we're running out of money long before we're running out of big ticket items. Last night though, we had pizza made on the stone you gave us for our wedding and were consoled.
Everyone: the update is as follows: the truck got a new battery and now starts like a dream. I took the camera back to the shop where it may also need a new battery, but is having it's USB port replaced because it was completely *cracked* (can you say "impactive event"?). Rob was able to coax the dishwasher back to life temporarily and I contacted Bosch for service because there had been a recall on it; I'm hoping for some synergy in our entropy. And the van is getting a rebuilt transmission which will hopefully last us until we outgrow this vehicularly unsexy stage of life. As for the heater? I dunno. Put on a sweater. It's going to be a long time before we can fix that.
Some warm ideas: Drink hot chocolate and herb teas and take a hot water bottle to bed with you.
My refrigerator keeps making funny noises, so I am expecting its death in the next little while. :(