Friday, August 31, 2007

My kitchen stinks

A month ago we bought 8 baby chicks. They were so cute and fuzzy. We let them run around the kitchen floor and fed them until they learned to respond to our voices and follow us for food. Well, these baby chicks are now almost 5 weeks old. They are no longer fuzzy. They are 4 times the size they were when we bought them and they stink. They are also still sleeping in my kitchen.

My kitchen smells like a barn. It's dusty. It's noisy. And my daughter always forgets to wipe up the chicken poo from the floor after she takes Tiny out of the brooder to play with her and kiss her goodnight.

Next week they are going out in the coop, and as much as I worry about a raccoon sticking it's hand between the chiken wire and grabbing at them-I will have my kitchen back! I cannot wait. I have threatened B. with all sorts of violent acts if he does not put the finishing touches on that coop this weekend.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Why can't I make brownies?

Sigh. Another batch of brownies down the drain. I can never make good brownies, but this time was going to be different. I bought the expensive Ghiradelli box mix, thinking that there was no way I could mess up a box mix-especially Ghiradelli. Well, they looked good in the oven-they were rising nice and fluffy, even in the center where usually my brownies end up flat. Well, once I took them out of the oven my hopes for delicious brownies were dashed. The middle part ended up flat and dense and chewy, and the edges were hard and overdone. Just like always!!! What am I doing wrong? I like nice light and cakey brownies, not sticky dense ones. Shouldn't brownies rise like a cake? Every time I eat someone else's brownies they are perfect, wonderfully cakey and not chewy at all. I am at a loss. I have tried several box mixes and made from scratch at home and I have never been able to get the results I am looking for.

ETA: I searched for 15 minutes for a clean sports bra. In the dryer, the pile of folded clothes, my dresser drawers in the dark. Not a clean one anywhere to be found. So I didn't take my run and I am now feeling very pissy because of it. I MUST buy a new sports bra THIS WEEKEND. It is unaccaptable to me to not have one when I need it.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

May the Force be with you!

I have a Jedi living at my house. Because of said Jedi, I have learned many Jedi things that I was previously ignorant about, such as:

1) Jedi's don't eat real food like steak or chicken. Jedi's only digest food that is already in liquid form, preferably milkshakes and smoothies, though yogurt will do in a pinch.

2) Any piece of brown or black fabric will do as a cloak, as long as it is stapled under the chin to make a hood. This includes random pieces of fabric, tablecloths, clothing and towels.

3) A karate gi makes a perfectly acceptable Jedi uniform. Even a filthy one that has been worn and slept in for several days in a row. Jedi's are way too busy fighting the dark side to do their laundry.

4) When beheading your baby brother, two lightsabers are much better than one, and slashing across the throat is much too amatuerish. You must use both lightsabers simualtaneously in a slashing motion across one another-it's much more realistic.

5) Listening to the force is much more important than listening to your mother. Especially when it is time to take a bath or come to dinner.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

So my feet are aching again.

This is both good and bad. On one hand, having a lagging injury that pops up now and then makes me really appreciate the days I am lucky enough to have glorious pain-free runs.
On the other hand, I am frustrated with an injury that I sustained 9 years ago, and will probably battle with my entire life. Damn my impatient young adult self! Time after time I flew out the door heading out to my run without stretching-ran way too many miles-failed to stretch my feet properly-and the result? I find myself wincing as I run and fruitlessly trying to stretch out a pain that seems to have found permanet residence in my feet.

I am googling stretching exercises and foot braces and dreading my next run. I have been avoiding going to the foot store as I am afraid of being talked into buying something I can't afford (like the night splints that would probably actually be really helpful), but I think the time has come for me to get some inserts and do some serious stretching and rehabilitation.

B is going to freak about spending more money on my feet-he thinks my running shoes are a "luxury item"-so I need to present this the right way and lobby for my cause.