Remember when you were 5 and adults would smile and say things like "enjoy it while it lasts!" "Those were the days." "You've got it made!" "One day you'll wish you were younger." But you didn't believe them.
"Oh you get a nap! You are so lucky!" they'd say with enthusiasm and you'd look at them as if they were half-baked! Why waste a good day by sleeping in the middle of it?!
"I remember when I could eat all that sweet stuff." they'd mention morosely as they stared enviously at your ONE scoop of ice cream (liberally smothered in sprinkles). You would wonder...they get to have TWO scoops...they can have as many as they want really since they are grown ups! What is so difficult about being a grown up?
To top it off...your dad would decide not to get an ice cream and then eat half of yours!!! The irony. By the time you were 8 you'd feel sorry for him and pretend you didn't want much so that he could have more...
Such scholarly wisdom and strange words were not only spoken above your head...they stayed up there.
You couldn't wait to get older so you could have more freedom! Boy, when I'm 15 I get to start driving! You weren't 5, you were 5 and a half...or 5 and 2 months...every day drew you closer to your goal: to be a grown up and make the rules! Drive, buy whatever you want, paint your room, never eat what you didn't want to...
But then you grow up.
You finish college and look at your student loans.
You hunt for the perfect job and finally take any job in desparation.
You are in your mid-twenties and no longer celebrating each month...you're not 25 and a half...you are 25. The day before you are 26 you will still be 25.
Thirty looms in the distance like a mountain...sure 40 is the hill...you've already scaled a mountian by then...50 is probably a bump in the road...
You begin getting summons to serve on jury duty and you dread it! The first time was exciting and daunting...the second, you felt like a pro. The third? Can't we substitute people we know who have never been?
Saving for retirement begins now! Insurance has to be carefully selected and chosen (thank you Dave Ramsey!), cars have to be fixed, apartments must be rented...maybe one day (hopefully) a house will be purchased!!!
Suddenly you stop where you are and can't see straight. Your vision clears and you see a 5 year old skipping down the street. Carefree. No financial worries. No duties or obligations other than keeping their room clean and setting the table... You think to yourself...I will warn the next generation!!! They need to know how to enjoy their freedom while they've got it!
So you walk over to the little kid and say, "You are so lucky to be 5! You get to take naps! You can eat what you want and play for hours!" And the kid looks back at you with a confused look and says, "I'm not 5, I'm 5 and 8 months!"
And you mourn for another childhood being dreamt away...
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Gourmet at Midnight
I am of the opinion that certain things are just worth it!
Currently, I'm waiting on my grasshopper squares (a fancy term for brownies with mint and chocolate ganache toppings) to thicken. It may be after 11pm, but they are going to taste incredible tomorrow for my Girl Time date with Casey and Cynthia!
I've been working on them for 2.5 hours now and in about 20 more minutes I can put the last layer on, stick it in the fridge, and head to bed!
I don't know about you, but I'm not an exact recipe follower...I tweak anything. If I don't want the texture of something like onions in a certain dish I'll use a dash of onion powder.
There is some mysterious ingredient called "creme de menthe" required for this recipe I'm working on tonight and I have yet to find it. My parents do not drink alcohol, so when my mom learned that creme de menthe was a type of alcohol she refused to buy it. My dad and I searched tonight through the alcohol section of HEB just for the fun of finding out what it was...to no avail.
Therefore, I was forced to improvise and used mint and peppermint extracts as I have the last two times I've made these. Truthfully, they couldn't taste better! I stumbled upon this recipe in a magazine called Gourmet three or four years ago. I almost didn't get the magazine because there was an enormous squashed cricket on the back of it...but my tastebuds are very glad I overcame my disgust and bought it!
Speaking of baking and magazines...there is a way you (yes! you!) can win a cookbook or subscription to a magazine if you check this out by Feb. 20th, 2011! Check out the free giveaway from my friend Amy Rene by clicking on the title of this post! :)
I will now go add that chocolate ganache to my creation!
Currently, I'm waiting on my grasshopper squares (a fancy term for brownies with mint and chocolate ganache toppings) to thicken. It may be after 11pm, but they are going to taste incredible tomorrow for my Girl Time date with Casey and Cynthia!
I've been working on them for 2.5 hours now and in about 20 more minutes I can put the last layer on, stick it in the fridge, and head to bed!
I don't know about you, but I'm not an exact recipe follower...I tweak anything. If I don't want the texture of something like onions in a certain dish I'll use a dash of onion powder.
There is some mysterious ingredient called "creme de menthe" required for this recipe I'm working on tonight and I have yet to find it. My parents do not drink alcohol, so when my mom learned that creme de menthe was a type of alcohol she refused to buy it. My dad and I searched tonight through the alcohol section of HEB just for the fun of finding out what it was...to no avail.
Therefore, I was forced to improvise and used mint and peppermint extracts as I have the last two times I've made these. Truthfully, they couldn't taste better! I stumbled upon this recipe in a magazine called Gourmet three or four years ago. I almost didn't get the magazine because there was an enormous squashed cricket on the back of it...but my tastebuds are very glad I overcame my disgust and bought it!
Speaking of baking and magazines...there is a way you (yes! you!) can win a cookbook or subscription to a magazine if you check this out by Feb. 20th, 2011! Check out the free giveaway from my friend Amy Rene by clicking on the title of this post! :)
I will now go add that chocolate ganache to my creation!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Valentine and the Nerd
I was very much a tomboy as a little girl. I could only handle so much time playing with Barbie...I preferred playing sports (or making up sports!) with the neighbor kids. It was not uncommon for most of my friends to be boys. Girls just weren't willing to get dirty- though I blame some of their neat-freak mothers for that...thankfully, mine let me play in the mud...sometimes. :)
When we lived in San Diego I had the pleasure of attending a private school for a couple of years. In 2nd grade, I was the valedictorian of my class. I had been working hard all year. I enjoyed learning & being competitive- it was not hard for me to put that extra effort into "winning" at school. Christmas had come and gone and now we were getting into February.
I knew that I only had a few more months until I got the ribbon and certificate for my good grades. (It's a shame I didn't feel as competitive in college...) I was such a focused little nerd.
One day, this focus was interrupted. The boy two seats over began passing notes to me. I had never thought about love and romance before and was a little annoyed to be interrupted in class. For about a week, the notes came...drawings with "Will you be my Valentine?" scrawled across the top. Poor boy. I was just not interested and became plain irritated by the end of the week.
My logical 8-yr-old brain had a brilliant idea...! If I say "yes" to this boy and agree to be his valentine, the notes in class will stop. So, the next time a note came my way, I looked over and nodded. It felt like I was agreeing to be on his team for soccer or something & I shrugged and turned my attention back to the teacher.
No more notes came and I was satisfied.
The night before Valentine's Day, I had put together all my paper valentines...and then remembered the boy! What are you supposed to do for a valentine? I didn't spend too much time thinking about it.
Grabbing a paper lunch sack, I put two brand new Lisa Frank pencils, some collectible erasers (you know the kinds that were colored and shaped like fruit, animals, etc.? Remember those?), and a little notepad into it. Surveying my handiwork I decided that would be good enough and stuffed it into my backpack.
I waited for a good time to give the sack to him...I wasn't going to give him anything if he didn't give me something because obviously I had no idea how this worked. I didn't want to be a valentine dummy or anything...and I liked those pencils...
Well, at the very end of the day, he presented me with a beautiful heart shaped box with four chocolate truffles and I thanked him graciously and handed him the sack. Then he was hustled onto his bus and I climbed into the minivan with my mom & sisters.
The next day, thinking that we were going to be good friends after such an exchange, I approached him at recess to say hi. On either side of him were a couple of the "cool" girls from our class apparently comforting him from his horrible experience with me as his valentine! I don't remember what they said, but I was dismissed from his lofty presence as he sat upon the large jungle gym of tires. Briefly shocked that he didn't want to be friends, I turned away and spotted the soccer game starting up. Leaving those three in the dust, I joined the game instead.
I am happy to announce that I received the valedictorian position! That boy was only my valentine because I was nerdy enough to be upset about being interrupted in class. Wish I'd confronted him outside of class and avoided the valentine mess...but I'm not a confrontational person by nature. And who can expect an 8 year old to know what to do in those kinds of situations?
When we lived in San Diego I had the pleasure of attending a private school for a couple of years. In 2nd grade, I was the valedictorian of my class. I had been working hard all year. I enjoyed learning & being competitive- it was not hard for me to put that extra effort into "winning" at school. Christmas had come and gone and now we were getting into February.
I knew that I only had a few more months until I got the ribbon and certificate for my good grades. (It's a shame I didn't feel as competitive in college...) I was such a focused little nerd.
One day, this focus was interrupted. The boy two seats over began passing notes to me. I had never thought about love and romance before and was a little annoyed to be interrupted in class. For about a week, the notes came...drawings with "Will you be my Valentine?" scrawled across the top. Poor boy. I was just not interested and became plain irritated by the end of the week.
My logical 8-yr-old brain had a brilliant idea...! If I say "yes" to this boy and agree to be his valentine, the notes in class will stop. So, the next time a note came my way, I looked over and nodded. It felt like I was agreeing to be on his team for soccer or something & I shrugged and turned my attention back to the teacher.
No more notes came and I was satisfied.
The night before Valentine's Day, I had put together all my paper valentines...and then remembered the boy! What are you supposed to do for a valentine? I didn't spend too much time thinking about it.
Grabbing a paper lunch sack, I put two brand new Lisa Frank pencils, some collectible erasers (you know the kinds that were colored and shaped like fruit, animals, etc.? Remember those?), and a little notepad into it. Surveying my handiwork I decided that would be good enough and stuffed it into my backpack.
I waited for a good time to give the sack to him...I wasn't going to give him anything if he didn't give me something because obviously I had no idea how this worked. I didn't want to be a valentine dummy or anything...and I liked those pencils...
Well, at the very end of the day, he presented me with a beautiful heart shaped box with four chocolate truffles and I thanked him graciously and handed him the sack. Then he was hustled onto his bus and I climbed into the minivan with my mom & sisters.
The next day, thinking that we were going to be good friends after such an exchange, I approached him at recess to say hi. On either side of him were a couple of the "cool" girls from our class apparently comforting him from his horrible experience with me as his valentine! I don't remember what they said, but I was dismissed from his lofty presence as he sat upon the large jungle gym of tires. Briefly shocked that he didn't want to be friends, I turned away and spotted the soccer game starting up. Leaving those three in the dust, I joined the game instead.
I am happy to announce that I received the valedictorian position! That boy was only my valentine because I was nerdy enough to be upset about being interrupted in class. Wish I'd confronted him outside of class and avoided the valentine mess...but I'm not a confrontational person by nature. And who can expect an 8 year old to know what to do in those kinds of situations?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Guilty Feet Run Faster
I have three sisters. We spent much of our lives being homeschooled and moving every 2.5 years due to our dad's job with the Navy.
We're pretty close. One of our favorite things to do, was listen to our parents' stories about growing up. We took them carefully to heart. One day, it clicked in our heads that some of those jokes and pranks my dad and his brothers had pulled...could actully be done! We could do them!
Suddenly, pouring a jug of ice water over the shower curtain or soaking a sister's underwear and sticking it in the freezer sounded like great ideas!!!
However, with those actions came consequences...sometimes mom and dad had to dole out some type of punishment to prevent a reccurrance. (The frozen underwear episode was only attempted once...)
The most recent story involves two of my sisters and pranking on facebook...
One sister had left her profile open before dashing off to Bible study. It was a quiet evening at home. I was reading a book and most of the family were downstairs. Suddenly, the silence was broken by smothered giggles. One of my sisters was on the computer and I assumed she was watching a funny clip or looking at a friends' pictures. However, when the giggling continued for about 10 minutes I finally got curious and went to check it out.
Said sister was on the other's facebook profile and in the middle of editing and adding on to her information! A changed status is normal. A changed picture...you have to be a little cautious there...
Changing the info? Hmm...
Well I admit, I did not stop her. I merely sat down and watched, even offered a couple of suggestions. My best suggestion (to change her birthday to the very next day) wasn't allowed since the sister who was pranked is under 18 and facebook wouldn't allow it without a password...
Instead, Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, and Barney and Friends were added to her favorite shows and music.
Wrestling was added to her sports and our cousins were listed as her wrestling buddies. Sponge Bob was a favorite movie. My sister has an incredible imagination...
She also added a couple of jobs, her favorite was Waste Management! She was so racked with giggles and laughter that I just watched her and smiled.
However, when the other sister arrived home, she was very upset and warned the first sister that retribution would come.
Since that day, my sister (the one who pranked the other) has been extra cautious to never leave her facebook page open.
Last night, as I was calling a friend to get an e-mail address for my resume, my sister heard me mention the word "facebook". I was telling him that I didn't want to log into facebook and search for his address, and suddenly in the middle of my sentence a blonde fury descended! Her guilty feet carried her faster than she's moved in a long time!
She began pummeling me with questions, manhandled the mouse out of my hands and clicked around on the screen to find her facebook page and log herself out. In shock I watched her and barely had the prescence of mind to apologize to my friend on the phone (who could hear every word). I barely was able to finish my brief phone conversation because I was trying so hard not to laugh.
I am convinced that there are no feet swifter than those followed by a guilty conscience...or the desire to avoid pranks! :)
We're pretty close. One of our favorite things to do, was listen to our parents' stories about growing up. We took them carefully to heart. One day, it clicked in our heads that some of those jokes and pranks my dad and his brothers had pulled...could actully be done! We could do them!
Suddenly, pouring a jug of ice water over the shower curtain or soaking a sister's underwear and sticking it in the freezer sounded like great ideas!!!
However, with those actions came consequences...sometimes mom and dad had to dole out some type of punishment to prevent a reccurrance. (The frozen underwear episode was only attempted once...)
The most recent story involves two of my sisters and pranking on facebook...
One sister had left her profile open before dashing off to Bible study. It was a quiet evening at home. I was reading a book and most of the family were downstairs. Suddenly, the silence was broken by smothered giggles. One of my sisters was on the computer and I assumed she was watching a funny clip or looking at a friends' pictures. However, when the giggling continued for about 10 minutes I finally got curious and went to check it out.
Said sister was on the other's facebook profile and in the middle of editing and adding on to her information! A changed status is normal. A changed picture...you have to be a little cautious there...
Changing the info? Hmm...
Well I admit, I did not stop her. I merely sat down and watched, even offered a couple of suggestions. My best suggestion (to change her birthday to the very next day) wasn't allowed since the sister who was pranked is under 18 and facebook wouldn't allow it without a password...
Instead, Sesame Street, Bob the Builder, and Barney and Friends were added to her favorite shows and music.
Wrestling was added to her sports and our cousins were listed as her wrestling buddies. Sponge Bob was a favorite movie. My sister has an incredible imagination...
She also added a couple of jobs, her favorite was Waste Management! She was so racked with giggles and laughter that I just watched her and smiled.
However, when the other sister arrived home, she was very upset and warned the first sister that retribution would come.
Since that day, my sister (the one who pranked the other) has been extra cautious to never leave her facebook page open.
Last night, as I was calling a friend to get an e-mail address for my resume, my sister heard me mention the word "facebook". I was telling him that I didn't want to log into facebook and search for his address, and suddenly in the middle of my sentence a blonde fury descended! Her guilty feet carried her faster than she's moved in a long time!
She began pummeling me with questions, manhandled the mouse out of my hands and clicked around on the screen to find her facebook page and log herself out. In shock I watched her and barely had the prescence of mind to apologize to my friend on the phone (who could hear every word). I barely was able to finish my brief phone conversation because I was trying so hard not to laugh.
I am convinced that there are no feet swifter than those followed by a guilty conscience...or the desire to avoid pranks! :)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tucked Behind My Ear
Occasionally, I will find a flower in the packing boxes that has accidentally broken its stem. This means it's fair game! Usually I will pass these colorful posies to one of my many coworkers with a smile. It's fun to see their faces light up!
Today and yesterday I put a flower in my hair...and then forgot I had.
Yesterday, as I was in the middle of wrapping an azalea plant with some beautiful florist paper for a customer my cashier approached. "That's a pretty flower, Hannah!" she said. Assuming she was talking about the azalea and forgetting the yellow daisy I'd tucked behind my ear, I replied: "Oh thank you! It's for a funeral, and I wanted it to look nice." The look on her face was priceless! "Um, I meant the one in your hair." "Oh!" and I almost smashed it with my hand in surprise as I searched for it!
Having not learned my lesson, I did it again today. This time it was a tiny sprig of orange begonias. Because we had snow...and I spent most of my time outside in it...I wanted hot chocolate for lunch! I head to McD's...not my favorite, but they do have amazing hot choco. It wasn't until I was halfway back to work and saw something in my mirror (the flower in my hair) that I realized why I'd gotten those strange looks from the two ladies in the McD windows. Oh well! They probably used to put flowers in their hair when they were little girls...and in some things I refuse to grow up!
Today and yesterday I put a flower in my hair...and then forgot I had.
Yesterday, as I was in the middle of wrapping an azalea plant with some beautiful florist paper for a customer my cashier approached. "That's a pretty flower, Hannah!" she said. Assuming she was talking about the azalea and forgetting the yellow daisy I'd tucked behind my ear, I replied: "Oh thank you! It's for a funeral, and I wanted it to look nice." The look on her face was priceless! "Um, I meant the one in your hair." "Oh!" and I almost smashed it with my hand in surprise as I searched for it!
Having not learned my lesson, I did it again today. This time it was a tiny sprig of orange begonias. Because we had snow...and I spent most of my time outside in it...I wanted hot chocolate for lunch! I head to McD's...not my favorite, but they do have amazing hot choco. It wasn't until I was halfway back to work and saw something in my mirror (the flower in my hair) that I realized why I'd gotten those strange looks from the two ladies in the McD windows. Oh well! They probably used to put flowers in their hair when they were little girls...and in some things I refuse to grow up!
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