Tuesday, January 16, 2007

I be back

It's a new year and I had plans to do fun stuff. You remember - cook from a favorite cookbook, knit several projects from a favorite knitting book...

Well, it seems that folks are lining up early to throw me curve balls. Exhibit A -

Who needed a furnace when the temperature here in New Jersey has been so balmy? But, last night we got some ominous news by way of a power outage - the dang cold front that has iced over nearly everything past the Mason Dixon line was coming this way. When the lights came back on at 4am, I tested the furnace because the temperature is supposed to drop below the 20s. Furnace comes on ok but with an awful sound. After the furnace guy shows up, he took one listen and said, "hey, lady, youse guys are lucky, sounds like your pump is cooked." Two hours later, he fixes my 'cooked' pump and my house is hot again! One curve ball for a base hit (sorry for the sports analogies, I live with all men remember).

The curve ball before the busted furnace was with both of my cars. Two flat tires on one car, 1 flat tire on another and an expired AAA membership! You don't want to know what it cost to get out of that fix. Now I'm below the count (it's another baseball thing, look it up).

Before the 3 flat tires, it's college application deadline time for my senior in high school. I should be a drinking woman by now but, I manage to trick the pitcher into a full count and I squeeze out a walk. My son sent off his gajillion applications via a wonderful invention called the online, Common Application! I'm too dizzy to tell you what that cost me.

Before the college application deadline night, there was Martin Luther King Day speech writing marathon. My same high school senior was one of the youth keynotes. I hadn't seen his speech. I won't tell you what ensued but it was similar to college application deadline night. He wrote a wonderful speech and delivered it as if nothing ugly happened the night before...

Before the Martin Luther King Day speech marathon, I thought I'd have some knitting progress

Lovely, right?? WRONG. This is the Jo Sharpe Truffle bag I've been working on forever now. I thought I had finished it. Instead I realize that I knit the picot edge ON THE WRONG SIDE. I'll have to rip that some day but not now...

Here's the Rowan hat I modified for knitting in the round.

Something is wrong, I don't know what it is exactly. I must have mentally wandered off at some point. It will have to be ripped back too.

Lastly, my final report on how I had spent the most miserable last two weeks of this new year has to do with my middle school son. He comes home from school and announces that he needed a food item to take to Spanish class. The food item had to be an authentic Spanish dish that he can share with the class (read enough for 25 kids!)

"Hey mom, can you make a Tres Leches cake?"

So, 7am the next morning, I was up to my elbows in milk and flour and Karo syrup -







Oh, and aside from the cheers that the class gave me upon seeing my Tres Leches cake, I did have another delightful surprise -


This cheerful young lady arrived to my house for theatre practice (it seems my college application/speech writing son is directing a play this month). She is wearing a hat that I knitted last year for him. She said that it fit her better than it does the college application/speech writing/theatre directing dread head! I think she is right!

15 comments:

CrazyFiberLady said...

Deborah, all I can say is 'oy vey'. What a serious rough patch. That's more flats than I've ever managed at once, though I did take out both passenger side tires on mom's station wagon at Paramus Park Mall, but that's another story ;)

Hit one out of the park.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes it's just one of those days!

Cute hat on your son's friend! It does fit her well.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you need to fly down so we can have that margarita(or 10)SOON!But its cold and icy here too.Maybe we should meet in Cancun.Yeah-I'm up for Cancun.

Mary Anne said...

geez, that's one too many curve balls in two weeks, yet you handle them with grace and panache, even making a delicious looking cake on short notice. You impress the heck out of me, Deborah.

Anonymous said...

My life AND my knitting seem so much simpler now, Deb. :o) It seems you had about a weeks worth of Daily Dilemmas hit you at once. You seem to have handled it well, though. Congratulations! The red hat looks fab! Even without the dreds.

KMKS Pal

Anonymous said...

Your furnace guy sounds like the bradda of my chimney guy. LOL.

That little lady sure does look cute in that hat.

Anonymous said...

ooooh, I so want to give you a big hug. I think you neeeeed a few!!

The truffle bags colors are lovely (I am not commenting on the mistake, aside from Phew!! At least you caught it now!!) See, there is a good side in there somewhere!!

The hats are both cute though, like the red earflaps!!

I want some cake too!! Yum!! Looks great!!!

Anonymous said...

LOL LOL LOL Sorry, not laughing at all the stressful misery you've been through, it's just the way you wrote it!!
One big hug and ... breathe in...breathe out...repeat as necessary.

carlita dee said...

You let him get away with that hair?! I LOVE it. He seems like a sharp young man indeed.

I don't know what cookbook that cake is from, but it looks delectable!

Kirsten said...

I hope that furnace is pumping out lots of warm air! It looks like winter has finally arrived. It's COLD outside!!!
Your College Application/Speech Writing son is adorable! I'm sure you were able to forgive him the insanity of the night before when you saw the charming young man giving the speech the next day!
Wishing you less "excitement" in the last two weeks of the month!

Oh and that Tres Leches cake? YUMMMMMM!

Anonymous said...

*whew* sweetie, I feel you. Maybe we can share that drink in cyberspace, LOL.

But at least someone gets a great hat out of the deal!

Beatriz said...

Tres Leches? I'll say you outdid yourself. That is some seriously rich & delicious tasting cake. I would have reached for some authentic beverage like Patron or Herradura while making that blessed cake. A+ for Mom Deb.

AR said...

Sounds like my house sometimes. Hopefully you get a little break inbetween all of the crazy days. :)

sherry said...

Oh my. It's not fair for the house and the cars to gang up on you at the same time. You need to explain this to them. They are only allowed to have crisis singly, and in different months.

Offspring leaving things until the last minute and then causing a panic? Nah, never happens. . .except that it does. . .often. You totally get mom-points for pulling of a tres leches cake at 7:00 am. Son number one looked awesome giving his speech. Is his red scarf a match to the hat on the cute girl?

Anonymous said...

What a good mom you are!!! And it looks YUMMY!!!