A Funny Thing Happened at a Wedding

Only the second wedding for me this summer, thank goodness. And it couldn't have been more wonderful: raw wood planks on straw bales, burlap boutonnieres, sunflowers and hand-picked bullrushes, and to top it all off, the bride went barefoot.

But the funny thing wasn't the wedding itself; on the contrary,
it couldn't have suited the couple better. But there was a moment before the ceremony when I heard Erin (of previous 2013 wedding fame) make a crack about her hay allergy. I'd never thought of that, but even when Naomi offered me her seat so I wouldn't have to sit ON the straw bale,  I declined. Sure I had a runny nose for most of the winter and spring due to new allergies, but I've been around enough straw in my life to know it's never been a problem.

Of course, by the next morning, my eyelids were itchy and swollen. A brief check showed me that most of me was itchy and swollen. A couple tablets of Benadryl, a cold shower, and I thought that was that. Until this morning, when I woke up with what the clinic doctor would define as "a serious, yes, a worthy case of hives." He then showed me the "reaction scale" which seemed to indicate that I was moments away from needing an epi-pen, but then no, no, that's just my paranoia talking. He didn't actually say it would progress further without treatment.

The whole point to this? Well I'll be on steroids all week and have already done everything to plan out the fall semester and cleaned half the studio to turn it into my office sanctuary for a brief time. Since 5:00.

Oh, an update on the zucchinis: they're going in a casserole tonight.

Easter Weekend

Hey look, I brought my camera to school on a NICE day. I don't know if I'm just spoiled, or if the mountains just don't look as impressive in pictures. 

The magazine project is coming together nicely. Well, stressfully.

My saturday is being spent researching the next bit. Stressfully. And yes, I'm multitasking and looking up recipes at the same time. I just noticed how few of my magazines actually HAVE inserts! 

In other news, I made scones for the first time in many months. They're pretty crumbly.

For Easter Monday brunch: Katie's bacon lasagna! It looks like a lot of bacon.

I did Lent again this year, or at least my version of it. I had a much more thought-out explanation last year, and fewer people to explain it to, so I feel like I was sheepish and lame about it. Something to do with making and honouring a commitment to myself, in practice for life or something. To know that, in a non-serious way, if the zombie apocalypse happens I can do without my favourite luxuries, and that, in a serious way, if things do fall apart I can hold fast to something that I'll always have. I can stand by statements that might make things unpleasant, and might not make sense. I know that I can keep the promises I make. I'm just strengthening my bond to myself rather than to a deity, and I choose to do this during Lent for the same reason that I give people gifts at Christmas (I dunno, 'tis the season?). Also, Easter is boring, and Lent makes me look forward to it much more.

So, I gave up pasta. And to be honest it's one of the few things that have held the last six weeks together. I know I can rely on myself, and that makes it all the more difficult to try and... well, if I may be vaguely specific, to give someone the opportunity to share the load, even when that may be the only way they can redeem themselves.

In short, the Easter pie is going to be late this year. If it happens. A promise I made to myself (that I know I can keep) is never to make it again, if I have to make it alone.

Christmas Cookies

 

With everyone's favourite special guest: Christmas coloured vanilla chips!

Me? Oh, just whipping up some sugar cookies to decorate, with a handy mug of white hot chocolate.

The chocolate colouring? Oh, that's because of the Kahlua.

Almost ready!

It IS difficult to get a real red with food colouring. Good thing we bought those pink glitter sprinkles.

Talia confuses cookie decorating with finger-painting

We used regular buttercream icing for decorating, as opposed to the gel icing or royal icing. It was easier to make, and it didn't seem to make much of a difference since we weren't using piping bags anyway.

My cookies. Most proud of the giant pink whale on the right, the uh... social commentary zombie below, and of course the minimalist reindeer on the left.

Other award-winning creations include "Kangaroo with Stole"

 And Tony wins best use of toothpicks with this train

 And always, of course, the raccoon-deer!

Hanukkah Dinner

 Treats for everyone this year. A potluck Hanukkah dinner, for which I made an Irish coffee cake. Because um... well if you know Ulysses... um... you'll get it.

That and I this cake graced the cover of the latest issue of Fine Cooking and I just wanted it. Assign dessert to me, and your potluck gets serious.

Only the chocolate curls didn't work out at all. I even tried their tip of taking a vegetable peeler to the chocolate bar. But flakes are better than nothing, and CERTAINLY better than Christmas-coloured vanilla chips, so all in all a success.

I just love this apartment. At this point a discussion was had about the waiting list of potential tenants, with the result of a few disappointed guests (mainly me).

Table is set, manischewitz poured.

The menorah is lit and a prayer is said.

And then the light doesn't even last through dinner! What is this?!

A good night. All very traditional and warm, at least until we migrated to the Jane Bond and I tried to buy that Nat King Cole record with Hanukkah gelt as a joke, and the DJ didn't know what it was. And then I couldn't find any real money, so that was embarrassing.

In other news, I hear Vancouver got REAL SNOW today, while my mother just picked fresh herbs from the garden here in Waterloo.  What is THIS?!

Next up, decorating Christmas cookies!