Bwaa haa haa !!!

Oh Martha! I will NEVER be this organized. My tool area will never be this clean. But we gotta have a dream, right?



If you want your own tool wall, (ha ha ha, oh sorry), go here for Martha's directions.

The Little Things

[This was a forwarded email to me. In case you haven't see it, it's good!]

As you might remember, the head of a company survived
9/11 because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was
his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her
alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike
because of an auto accident.

One of them
missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
time to change.

One's car wouldn't start.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man
who put on a new pair of shoes that morning,
took the various means to get to work
but before he got there, he developed
a blister on his foot.

He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am
Stuck in traffic ,
Miss an elevator,
Turn back to answer a ringing telephone ...
All the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself,
This is exactly where
God wants me to be
At this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to be
Going wrong ,
The children are slow getting dressed,
You can't seem to find the car keys,
You hit every traffic light,
Don't get mad or frustrated;
It May be just that
God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you
With all those annoying little things
And may you remember their possible purpose.

[Note: this was in the original email. I like it!]

Pass this on to someone else, if you'd like.
There is NO LUCK attached.
If you delete this, it's okay:
God's Love Is Not Dependent On E-Mail!!
(that's the cool part)

A M E N

Happy Birthday, Dave!*

For my husband’s birthday, I felt invincible. I thought I could do anything. I thought I could conquer the world. Smack! Reality set in. I cannot conquer frosting. I am no Duff. I think this could qualify as a cake wreck**, except I do not claim to be professional.

I decided to try the Rainbow Cake as found on Omnomicon's blog. I did not follow her recipe for a diet cake, just her technique for colors. I also thought that if I gave him a gray frosted cake, he might think something was up. So I went with his favorite color, lifeguard orange.

First off, no matter how easy she makes it look, it takes forever. I used two cake mixes to make three layers. (For some reason, my Pampered Chef cake pans came in a set of three so I feel obligated to use all three. I don’t want one to feel lonely and unloved.) The start to put-it-in-the-oven time was an hour! Bake time was 28 minutes. I let it cool as best I could but I needed to get it frosted before he came home.

In hindsight, I should have waited a bit longer or perhaps used purchased icing because my “buttercream” frosting did not hold it together very well. Our two-hundred year old house has a definite slant and the layers were sliding downhill as I tried to frost it. Oh well. Next time, bake the cake a day early. Lesson learned. Check.

In an effort to spruce it up a bit (ha), I threw on some candy sprinkles. Take that, you ugly cake, instant cuteness (ok, not really, but it was midnight and I wanted to sleep).

As he cut into the cake, he seemed really surprised to find the rainbow. Despite the disastrous frosting job, the colors came out vibrant. I will say that red is hard to come by. With a white cake mix, it simply turned pink. Then darker pink and darker pink until I had half the tube in the bowl. So next time, I will use a heavier hand. I love the blue and purple, though! In the end, Dave and the kids were impressed and pleased (I think Dave the chef was just happy he didn’t have to bake his own birthday cake). So it was all worth it.

Oh, and did I mention the burn on my finger? I will sacrifice my skin for you, lover! You are totally worth it.

*Annette!! I need your book! I fear that every comma placement is wrong. Gaaah!
**If I see this cake on Cake Wrecks, I will know who to blame.

oh. my. heck.

There I was, at my computer, innocently and unsuspectingly reading the unread posts in my Reader, when lo, I happen upon this post by Cake Wrecks. Did I just read correctly? There is an unofficial official Star Wars Day?? Well, break out my padawan braid*; it is time to celebrate.

But since I found out late in the day, I can only share this joy with you so we can get an early start on planning our festivities for next year. I will, in the meantime, share some of my beloved Star Wars collectibles with you. Just so you can be green with envy (hey, isn’t that a song?)

First, I present to you my R2D2 / Obi-Wan action figure collection. They are preciously displayed in all their glory on the spice rack. My dear chef husband tolerates this quite well.

Next, prowling around the house when I have enough batteries, is my R2 D2 robot, complete with cup holder. He responds to voice, either commands or instructions. He is a fabulous toy that any (almost middle-aged) Star Wars fanatic must have.

And finally, I present piece de resistance, my Wii lightsabers. Back in November, I discovered that LucasArts was releasing a new game for the Wii, The Clone Wars. From their website: “Built from the ground-up for Wii™, Lightsaber Duels features an intuitive motion-controlled combat system that puts the Lightsaber weapon in your hand. Mastering the Jedi's distinctive weapon is now within any player's grasp.” AND it has totally cool lightsaber sound effects. Drool!! I finally got my Wii for my birthday / Valentine’s Day / anniversary present. LOVE IT.

Alas, though, my collection is not complete. If only I had …

The R2 D2 trash can.

The R2 D2 DVD Projector.

The authentic sounding lightsaber (“And as you wait to strike, you hear that hum you've come to know and love.” Sweeeet!

And finally, if money grew on a tree in my backyard, I would totally get an iPhone, just so I could download the app that makes it sound like a lightsaber. Johanna Sterns calls it “the best, most useless iPhone application.” You realize I simply must have this someday?

Ah well, sweet fantasies. Some day … In the meantime, may the fourth be with you!

*yes, I do own a clip-on padawan braid…what’s it to ya?