Still celebrating...

Day off.

Haircut and color.

The best Thai food in the city with a friend.

Coming home to a box full of birthday goodies from Seattle.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

image credit: author's website

The Medium by C. J. Archer

Just starting this one.  It's a free ebook...YA Historical Paranormal Romance.  Even if I love it, I'm not sure I'll admit it.  LOL

Today is Tuesday...

...and I am at work and making a card for a former co-worker.  Last week she slipped and fell (of all places in the hospital, visiting her 90-yr-old mother) and broke her kneecap.  After having surgery on that, she is now back in the hospital for an unrelated issue.  Another co-worker called this morning and asked if I had any supplies here at work to make a "Hang in there" card she could take when she goes to hospital to visit later today.  I went a little McGyver and dug up some scraps, the lining of a privacy envelope, and a paper clip...et voila!  :)

Brace yourself...

I saw this cute jack-o-lantern on Pinterest the other day.  I wish I could give credit to the original poster, but I couldn't track it back...and I really tried.  But the minute I saw this smiling fellow, I knew I had to make one for our boys in braces.  

Bobby, Jack, and Diego

Awww.  Aren't they cute?  I think the carving was easier than getting a picture of them all in toothy smiles.  I've been forbidden from putting it on Facebook...they didn't say anything about emails, texts, or blog though.  :)

You say it's your birthday! It's my birthday too, yeah!...

It's #56, and I baked myself brownies in honor thereof.  These are such awesome brownies, that I only make them if I have someplace to take them, otherwise I would eat the whole pan all on my own.  I have a lunch meeting today, so I volunteered to bring them.

I've seen similar recipes around the web on a quick search, but I didn't see the exact one, so thought I'd quickly share it.

2 boxes Duncan Hines Chocolate Lover's Brownies Mix (I like walnut version)

2 (or 3) 5 oz. Symphony Milk Chocolate bars (I use the Almonds & Toffee Chips kind)

(also oil, eggs, and water as called for on brownie mix package)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9"x13" cake pan with cooking spray.

Mix just one brownie mix according to the 'fudgy' directions on the back of  the package. Pour batter into the cake pan, and bake for a few minutes just till barely starting to set up (usually just long enough for you to mix the second mix and break up the Symphony bars).

While that's in the oven, mix second brownie mix according to the 'cake-like' directions on the back of the package, and set aside.  (I just mix it in the same bowl without washing it or anything.)

Then open Symphony bars and break into pieces. They don't have to be chopped, I just break them along the rectangular grid lines on the bar. Remove the pan from the oven, and arrange the chocolate pieces evenly over the top of the hot partially-cooked brownie batter. Then pour the second brownie mix over the top and spread to the edges of pan. The Symphony bar starts to melt over the first mix, so when you spread the second mix it will move around somewhat...this is fine.

Return pan to oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or till they're done to your taste...we like them really moist and chewy around our house. :)

Y. U. M.

Of course after I packaged  some to take to the meeting, there are plenty left for the family to enjoy.  The kids want to have them for breakfast.  We'll see.  

At the table after dinner, we made a bit of a game out of the discussion of brownies.  What started as brownies became breakfast brownies...then brilliant breakfast brownies...then we were off and running.  It went around the table, and everyone tried to add a 'b' word while remembering all the words already added.  We ended up with:

Brontosaurus Billy bartered a big barrel of Bobby's brilliant breakfast brownies with bacon (added by Uncle Jared) to a beautiful burglar breaking into a beauty shop on a boat.

I'm not sure I remembered the whole thing just now.  But we had a lot of fun.

Have I said lately how much I love having them living here?  :)  I think this may be my best birthday ever.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Practice to Deceive by Ann Rule

I was excited to find this among the stacks at Costco the other day.  I haven't seen a full-length rather than compilation by Ann Rule in a long time. 

Making it Monday...

photo credit:  makezine.com

When Jared was little, he went through the knees of jeans in the blink of an eye.  A dear friend and quilting/sewing mentor taught me how to mend blue jeans as shown above (click link for a great tutorial).  It probably saved me many hundreds of dollars before he outgrew that stage.  I haven't thought about this particular skill in over twenty years.

But last night Bobby brought me a pair of cargo shorts that had been ripped when he jumped over a fence, and he asked me if I could repair them.  Tonight after work, I got out the machine and set to work.

I should have taken a photo of the repair that I actually did, but I forgot in the moment, and now the boys are in bed, and it is a school night after all, so I guess I'll let them sleep.  Suffice it to say, it all came back to me...just like riding a bicycle.  :)