3rd Time's the Charm
Whew! I'm glad it's finally Sunday. I got up on Saturday and set to work on my THIRD batch of chocolate cupcakes, and I pretty much sat next to the oven, peeking in every couple of minutes, to make sure they didn't burn. And they didn't! Apparently I can't cook under pressure. I still don't understand why they were burning so bad. I've got a thermometer in the oven because the dial you turn the oven on with isn't accurate. The temperature was fine. I figured the first batch burned because I baked half on the bottom shelf (the bottom always seems to be hotter than the top), then I baked just on the top shelf and still had burns. The recommended cooking time was 18 to 20 minutes, which I followed the first two times, and gave up on the 3rd time (actual baking time for the good batch of cupcakes ended up being 10 to 12 minutes).
But the important thing was that they finally baked fine. I made some yummy milk chocolate frosting, and Theron sprinkled Christmassy candy things on top. I tried calling a friend to find out about heading to her house for a couple of hours before the party, and possibly carpooling, but every time I tried, I got a message that the number was temporarily disconnected. What? How strange. We ate lunch, got the kitchen cleaned, packed up food, gifts, and tupperware, got dressed, and went to said friend's house to find out what was going on. She was frantically baking goodies for the party, and just hadn't gotten the phone bill paid on time, no biggie. At least I knew nothing was wrong!! Helped out a little and then headed back out again. Went home for an hour or so and then went to the party. Fun fun! You know you're a real friend when you can show up a good 30-minutes early, and not be in trouble, but asked to help finish cooking/setting up for the guests.
This annual party is a nice social get-together. Nothing I have to get dressed up for, homemade food, catching up with people you see once a year (at this party!). It's a very comfortable evening, really. We talk about our kids (kitties and doggies), where we've gone to work, interests. There's a fairly good mix as far as ages and backgrounds. My friend's priest and his mother came for a while, people that we knewe from working together years ago. From teens to grandparents, and we all come together. The biggest centerpiece turned into a theme conversation. Our hostess and I have been auction hunting a bit this year, and one memorable weeknight back in May involved a baby grand piano, won for the bargain price of $100. She was the only bidder, and we had to transport it. From the humble beginnings (we took the legs off, had a couple of other auction goers help us lift it into the bed of a pick up truck, drove to my house to get my husband, drove the 40 miles to her house, had a friend meet us, and four of us lifted/dragged the piano into the first floor of her condo) this now beautiful instrument is the centerpiece of the dining room. We had an awful lot of fun retelling the story, and some of our other auction experiences this year. I'm known as the collector of sewing machines, and my husband enjoys telling people how many I have, and how many I actually use on a regular basis. But I think we may have piqued interest in several other guests in the estate-auction underworld!
After dinner, we gathered in the living room for the annual gift swap. We drew numbers, and away we went! The last couple of years there has been one or two coveted items that get passed around and "stolen" from one person to another. We didn't seem to have that so much this year. Most of the gifts were wanted by one or two people, so there was some stealing, but not one item in particular. A couple of gift cards were snagged (I had the bookstore card, and my hostess stole it from me!), and the basket of Hershey's chocolate stuff was taken from the teenager. The Home Depot gift card ended up as the final snag for the person who had the final trade option. DENIED! I ended up with a little collection of famous American lighthouses (and a book about them). Theron went home with a little ceramic kitty-shaped lidded canister. I think we'll be hiding all the catnip in there!
A few of us sat around after the others went home, and just unwound and chatted. We talked about our cats, and their very different personalities. Apparently I have the most laid-back non-cat-like cat. I pulled out the photos I have of giving my kitty a shower (and pointing out that in no picture was I holding him to keep him in the bathtub).
Really a very nice evening. We all left just before 11PM and headed home. Here it is Sunday afternoon, and I'm snuggled on the couch in an afghan, thinking about what I should be doing. I am not motivated to do anything! And I don't HAVE to do anything. YAY!!
But the important thing was that they finally baked fine. I made some yummy milk chocolate frosting, and Theron sprinkled Christmassy candy things on top. I tried calling a friend to find out about heading to her house for a couple of hours before the party, and possibly carpooling, but every time I tried, I got a message that the number was temporarily disconnected. What? How strange. We ate lunch, got the kitchen cleaned, packed up food, gifts, and tupperware, got dressed, and went to said friend's house to find out what was going on. She was frantically baking goodies for the party, and just hadn't gotten the phone bill paid on time, no biggie. At least I knew nothing was wrong!! Helped out a little and then headed back out again. Went home for an hour or so and then went to the party. Fun fun! You know you're a real friend when you can show up a good 30-minutes early, and not be in trouble, but asked to help finish cooking/setting up for the guests.
This annual party is a nice social get-together. Nothing I have to get dressed up for, homemade food, catching up with people you see once a year (at this party!). It's a very comfortable evening, really. We talk about our kids (kitties and doggies), where we've gone to work, interests. There's a fairly good mix as far as ages and backgrounds. My friend's priest and his mother came for a while, people that we knewe from working together years ago. From teens to grandparents, and we all come together. The biggest centerpiece turned into a theme conversation. Our hostess and I have been auction hunting a bit this year, and one memorable weeknight back in May involved a baby grand piano, won for the bargain price of $100. She was the only bidder, and we had to transport it. From the humble beginnings (we took the legs off, had a couple of other auction goers help us lift it into the bed of a pick up truck, drove to my house to get my husband, drove the 40 miles to her house, had a friend meet us, and four of us lifted/dragged the piano into the first floor of her condo) this now beautiful instrument is the centerpiece of the dining room. We had an awful lot of fun retelling the story, and some of our other auction experiences this year. I'm known as the collector of sewing machines, and my husband enjoys telling people how many I have, and how many I actually use on a regular basis. But I think we may have piqued interest in several other guests in the estate-auction underworld!
After dinner, we gathered in the living room for the annual gift swap. We drew numbers, and away we went! The last couple of years there has been one or two coveted items that get passed around and "stolen" from one person to another. We didn't seem to have that so much this year. Most of the gifts were wanted by one or two people, so there was some stealing, but not one item in particular. A couple of gift cards were snagged (I had the bookstore card, and my hostess stole it from me!), and the basket of Hershey's chocolate stuff was taken from the teenager. The Home Depot gift card ended up as the final snag for the person who had the final trade option. DENIED! I ended up with a little collection of famous American lighthouses (and a book about them). Theron went home with a little ceramic kitty-shaped lidded canister. I think we'll be hiding all the catnip in there!
A few of us sat around after the others went home, and just unwound and chatted. We talked about our cats, and their very different personalities. Apparently I have the most laid-back non-cat-like cat. I pulled out the photos I have of giving my kitty a shower (and pointing out that in no picture was I holding him to keep him in the bathtub).
Really a very nice evening. We all left just before 11PM and headed home. Here it is Sunday afternoon, and I'm snuggled on the couch in an afghan, thinking about what I should be doing. I am not motivated to do anything! And I don't HAVE to do anything. YAY!!