Oh My God Every *Cloud DOES Have One!

*see? there it is!

Despite the fact that my fears (see the abysmal post below) still have reason to be there in the pit of my stomach, despite the fact that my darling husband is sad/frustrated/worried too, despite all this I am feeling so positive that I've made the right choice for our future. And that feels pretty goddamn good.

My mom was so right.

Waah

I'm hearing everyone say lately how FAST the summer's gone. How they can't BELIEVE that it's over. WHERE DID THE TIME GO??? As for me, good riddance to the suckiest suckfest ever.

It was an ENDLESS summer. And not in that breezy, we're having the time of our lives kind of way. I would've loved to enjoy the fact that my husband was home for once. It would've been so nice to take day trips and to be together. It would've been great, if not for the fact that little things such as how will we afford health insurance? and that old chestnut, which bill will have to wait to be paid?

Instead, we lived in the Sad House all summer. Television watching, video game playing and sleeping have been the "activities" we've engaged in. Sure, there are loads of $$-free things we could've done like gardening, little maintenance projects around the house, etc. Lord knows we have plenty of screws, nails, and paint to get stuff done but neither HH nor I could scrape our butts off the couch to do it. A 'why bother' gloom passed over us and we spent time instead on separate couches, reading or watching stupid tv.

I know, waah, as this guy likes to say when someone whines. I know we're lucky by a LOT of people's judgement. I KNOW. But it still doesn't make either of us feel less worried. I've been lucky enough to have started my grad assistantship at KU. The time away from home has been wonderful. I'm busy doing fun stuff, I'm meeting people, I'm doing something. I forget about everything until it's time to come home. And I feel terrible about this but sometimes I'd rather stay at work a few more hours.

Okay. Enough. This post wasn't funny, it wasn't fun to write OR read, and I have to know that good things are right around the corner. Everyone says when one door closes, another opens.

me, with a new attitude

Here's hoping it doesn't slam in our faces.

Just What The Master Ordered

Sometimes there's nothing more comforting than hanging out with someone who's known you since you had an unfortunate 80's haircut and been there through the thick and the thin of post-adolescent growing up. Someone who really knows when you're sad, when you're happy and when you're just full ofcrap. An old friend.

So the kids and I hauled my ass off the couch and drove to Connecticut last weekend. As you know, things are tight around here, sphincter and money-wise, so a "real" vacation was not going to happen. "Come," said my friend. "All you need is to bake a batch of homemade cookies. That's your payment for a weekend at the beach." Luckily HH is wonderful and gave me the thumb's-up to spend the gas money on a mini break.

5 hours later (holy shit 95 sucks), we arrived in the beautiful hamlet of Old Saybrook, greeted by enthusiastic pseudo-cousins (for M and S) and a large freshly-made Mojito (for me). Kids playing, college roommates yakking, Mojito-swilling. Nice.

They were seriously the best Mojitos I've ever had so I made Jen make me another on the next night so I could photograph it and study her technique. She is The Mojito Master.

Follow along, grasshopper, and you too can be a Master.

This here is Everything You Need to make a boss Mojito. No fancy muddlers here; just a handy-dandy tart shaper ala The Pampered Chef (bought from me, we think, back in the day when I tried being a salesperson. And then ran out of friends.).

Step one: rip up some fresh mint (preferably from your own garden unless your dog pees on it) and muddle the shit out of it. This releases the aromatic and tasty oils. Oh, sweet release....Then add some slices of lime to it and muddle it again.

Add a jigger (or a shot--are they the same?) of rum. Jen and I are relatively cheap dates so we only use one shot for a rather large glass. All my alcoholic friends (you know who you are, Judy, Ann...) can add more if you like.

Next add a shot/jigger of simple syrup. DON'T PURCHASE IT IN THE MIXER SECTION of the supermarket because it's stupid easy to make. In fact, we ran out of it from the batch that Jen made the night before (equal parts sugar and water, simmered on the stove until dissolved and syrupy) so she made a mug-ful in the microwave. Genius!

Anyway, add a shot of it to the glass.

This next step is what makes this The Best Mojito, in my opinion. And it's my blog so I don't care if you disagree. Traditional recipes call for club soda but I haaaaaate club soda but can abide it in a Mojito. But Jen makes it with lime seltzer which I LOVE. SO there you go.

Now add a bunch of ice and stir. Squeeze just a wee bit more lime juice on top and...

Cheers!

Girls

"There's something magical about Girl Scout Camp."

--M