5 Things on a Friday
1. I had a delightful birthday yesterday. Thank you for your kind wishes and proffers of cybercake. I did have some real cake (of a sort), which I'll mention in the next item.
2. As part of S's project for the journalism class that she and M are both taking, we went to Max Brenner in Philadelphia to sample desserts. (The girls each have to produce a magazine for their mid-term. S is writing about desserts - she took a poll about them, baked five different types of break-and-bake chocolate chip cookies for a blind taste test (regular Pillsbury won, with Shop Rite store brand a close second - surprise!), sampled molten chocolate cakes at Chili's and Applebee's for a comparison column and planned our trip to Max Brenner, which has a quite extensive menu of (mostly chocolate-related) desserts. But I digress.)
I had the Munchies Waffles: two fresh waffles topped with whipped cream, candied hazelnut bits, ice cream and warm chocolate sauce (I selected the Dulce de Leche and Dark Chocolate ice cream - the Dark Chocolate in particular was exquisite - not as good as the dark chocolate ice cream from Berthillon in Paris, but as good as the gelato from Vivoli in Firenze, Italia). S had the vanilla profiteroles with white and milk chocolate fondues, and M had the chocolate pizza (the least-favorite of the lot, for all that it's one of their specialties). For those who are wondering, M is doing her journalism project on books - she has interviewed a New York Times best-selling author (her favorite author in the world, as it happens), and is writing reviews, lists, and an article on why vampires are currently popular. I'm looking forward to reading it.
3. I got a wonderful birthday present from my husband - it was precisely what I asked for, so of course you may expect me to be pleased with it. Starting Tuesday evening, I will be taking ten weeks of fencing lessons (missing one for the NESCBWI conference). Do you hear that, sarahmaclean? I'm going to be Callie. Only without the hot Marquess and the sex. Hmm. Callie had it better, even if she did sustain a flesh wound while fencing. I'm just saying.
4. Those of you who don't know what I'm talking about (past the "I'm taking fencing lessons" part) will find out when I post my review of Sarah's new book for adults, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake in the next few days. Suffice it to say that Nine Rules is one of my Friday Five this week.
5. I started my birthday by meeting angeladegroot at Borders for some writing time, and was greeted with a small pile of brown paper packages tied up with string - containing, as you may have surmised, a few of my favorite things, including lavender soap, a book (Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher), and more - plus a card with a gift card for Borders enclosed. Sing it with me - "these are a few of my favorite things!"
2. As part of S's project for the journalism class that she and M are both taking, we went to Max Brenner in Philadelphia to sample desserts. (The girls each have to produce a magazine for their mid-term. S is writing about desserts - she took a poll about them, baked five different types of break-and-bake chocolate chip cookies for a blind taste test (regular Pillsbury won, with Shop Rite store brand a close second - surprise!), sampled molten chocolate cakes at Chili's and Applebee's for a comparison column and planned our trip to Max Brenner, which has a quite extensive menu of (mostly chocolate-related) desserts. But I digress.)
I had the Munchies Waffles: two fresh waffles topped with whipped cream, candied hazelnut bits, ice cream and warm chocolate sauce (I selected the Dulce de Leche and Dark Chocolate ice cream - the Dark Chocolate in particular was exquisite - not as good as the dark chocolate ice cream from Berthillon in Paris, but as good as the gelato from Vivoli in Firenze, Italia). S had the vanilla profiteroles with white and milk chocolate fondues, and M had the chocolate pizza (the least-favorite of the lot, for all that it's one of their specialties). For those who are wondering, M is doing her journalism project on books - she has interviewed a New York Times best-selling author (her favorite author in the world, as it happens), and is writing reviews, lists, and an article on why vampires are currently popular. I'm looking forward to reading it.
3. I got a wonderful birthday present from my husband - it was precisely what I asked for, so of course you may expect me to be pleased with it. Starting Tuesday evening, I will be taking ten weeks of fencing lessons (missing one for the NESCBWI conference). Do you hear that, sarahmaclean? I'm going to be Callie. Only without the hot Marquess and the sex. Hmm. Callie had it better, even if she did sustain a flesh wound while fencing. I'm just saying.
4. Those of you who don't know what I'm talking about (past the "I'm taking fencing lessons" part) will find out when I post my review of Sarah's new book for adults, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake in the next few days. Suffice it to say that Nine Rules is one of my Friday Five this week.
5. I started my birthday by meeting angeladegroot at Borders for some writing time, and was greeted with a small pile of brown paper packages tied up with string - containing, as you may have surmised, a few of my favorite things, including lavender soap, a book (Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher), and more - plus a card with a gift card for Borders enclosed. Sing it with me - "these are a few of my favorite things!"