Well, my new year quickly crashed and burned as I got attacked by some kind of cold/virus/evil thing. I was in New York for the new year celebration and for a few days after. I guess I had too much fun and got sick from it. Just in time to drive back to West Virginia to spend another week. I have spent the last two days here in bed, barely able to do anything besides blow my nose and flip the tv channel. Not much fun, I tell you. Today I am starting to look up. I hoped to wake up fresh and energetic but that didn't happen. I am definitely on the road to recovery, but I may have to give myself another day or so to complete health.
I did have a nice time over the holidays. I got to spend time with friends, play a little, move into my new place, and have some fun. A resolution I have made for this year is to cook more. I love to cook, especially to try new recipes and foods. Unfortunately, my many living situations, constant moving, and busy lifestyle made it difficult for me to do much cooking. I vow to make more of an effort to make it happen this year. Not only is it fun, but it tastes good and SAVES MONEY! Tell me what is wrong with that?
I started out the year making a couple of recipes from my new cookbook I got for Christmas: Great Food Fast. This book seems like a pretty good one because it has a lot of recipes that look practical and pretty easy to make. I sometimes get into the trap of making things that take forever and make big gourmet dinners, but I don't have a clue what to make for dinner TONIGHT! This book looks like a good one for that problem. It also divides its recipes into sections according to season, which is nice because (if I follow these sections) I will be able to use ingredients that are fresh and in season (aka. better tasting and more affordable!).
Besides this book, I plan on taking several of my cookbooks that I had left in WV back to NY with me. That way when I want to cook I will have a lot of great recipes on hand. I had been trying to look up recipes on the internet as I went along, but when I found myself without high-speed internet I found myself in trouble! In addition to my books, a few of my important tools, pots, and gadgets are going to have to come with me. The only thing I really took last year was my spice box. It, I knew I couldn't live without. Gotta have flavor even if you don't have a recipe or a spoon to mix it with. A girl has to have her priorities.
Stacy and I haven't always had the best luck when it comes to dating. I've met some great guys and had some nice times, but it seems like there is always some kind of a problem. Sometimes the timing is off. One person is really into the relationship and the other isn't so much. By the time the "isn't" person comes around the "is" person is usually moving on and now not so into it. Or sometimes communication is the issue. Two people want to get along and want to be together, but just cannot get those communication skills in sync with each other. Sometimes the people just drive each other crazy - even though the love each other they are just different and it doesn't quite work. Sometimes one member of the relationship has unrealistic expectations for the other. Maybe there is too much negativity involved and it seems like nobody can do anything right. Or maybe it's distance that keeps people apart. Regardless, there are many many reasons why relationships are difficult and so often won't work out. This can be so frustrating, but as a wise father often says, "The only thing that is easy is getting in trouble." So true.
As the years have passed and two fabulous sisters have watched Cupid's arrows whiz by and puncture everyone else around us, we have decided to take matters into our own hands...the best way we know how. It is becoming a tradition that when we are together we "make men". These men, made out of gingerbread, are delightful. We can create them to be anything we want (or don't want). We have a mold for the "perfect man", but we aren't shallow... we make a variety of men and appreciate them all. We had a tall man, a skinny man, a cowboy, a fat man, a Christian man, etc, etc... and they each had unique personalities when it came to their dress/decoration. They did get a little puffed up when they went into the oven and kind of fell apart when they went into the storage container. But in the end, the most important part... they all tasted pretty good when we bit their heads off and they never had to have the last word. Someday we will find our Mr. Rights at the right time, but for now I will have to be satisfied with what comes out of the oven.
