You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2007.
I was looking for something tonight in one of our junk drawers (every house has one; at last count we have three.) I started to pull out stickers, pens, rubber bands, trash, and pads of paper.
As I noticed my stack of notepads get taller, I decided to count them.
The AOL holiday party was Monday night. I think it’s the eleventh one that I’ve attended (that doesn’t count 2004, which I skipped due to my one-month-old baby and coordinating belly.) I’ve been going to AOL parties for so long that my first AOL party date was my old boyfriend, and I’ve been with my husband since God was a boy.
In contrast to the lavish, over-the-top events of years past, the 2007 party was significantly scaled down.
‘Twas one week before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature is stirring
No child or spouse
The children are nestled all snug in their beds
The babe with an ear infection in his head
We spent two long hours at the doctor’s this morn
The kids were quite good, but my nerves are now worn
Three fifths of my family are rather sick
First husband, then baby, then I got it quick
The poor child’s the worst, with his coughing and sneezing
His ear began draining; at least he’s through wheezing
I’ve always said motherhood is not for wimps
The faint of heart can’t handle things that you glimpse
I thought puke and snot were the gross things to fear
But then they sucked infected goo from his ear
No, I’m not (just) talking about my three kids!
One of the fundamental concepts in the project management courses that I teach is the idea of the “triple constraint” of cost, time, and scope. This means that no matter what type of project you’re working on, cost, time, and scope (a.k.a., your commitments, or the “what” that you’re delivering) are competing with each other.
I sometimes think of my life as the sum of my many projects: my marriage, my kids, my house, my job, my hobbies, my relationships, my body, my soul, my mind, etc. As I white-knuckle my way through this holiday season I’m keenly aware of the time, money, and commitments that are vying for my attention.
Last weekend we made a Christmas train cake using the Nordic Ware train cake pan and the chocolate cupcake recipe from the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It turned out great, and it was a fun family activity.
I have a big red sore on my chin today. Although it looks like a big ol’ zit at first glance, it’s not a throwback to adolescence. I got it from acting like a five-year-old — literally. It’s a moon bounce injury that I got this weekend at a five-year-old’s birthday party.
The party was at the new Loudoun Fun Bounce in Lansdowne.* The kids were having a ball the various apparatuses. My son, Colin, was particularly enjoying a steep slide with a swooping section in the middle. An expression of frenzied joy and surprise lit up his face each time he slid down. I couldn’t resist, so I made my way up the ladder steps.
I am a huge French pastry snob. Having worked in an incredible pastry shop (a patisserie for those in the know) for three years and lived in France, I am incredibly hard to please. I know my way around a petit-four and I can spot a good Napoleon from a mile away. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mallomars and Cool Whip too, but pastries hold a particularly special place in my heart.
With all of the French ex-pats, diplomats, and generally fancy pants people living in the D.C. area you’d think that good pastries would be easy to find.
Sadly, you would be wrong. There are a few good places in the District, but I’ve had no luck finding exceptional — or even acceptable — pastries in Northern Virginia. Good desserts are a dime a dozen at high-end grocery stores like Wegman’s, but honest-to-goodness European-style pastries are elusive.
Imagine, then, my surprise and delight in discovering Silva’s Patisserie in Vienna. I stopped in today to pick up a few — ok, six — pastries.
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