Friday Miscellany

* And suddenly, everything is done. I awoke early this morning with a sense of glee: We're done! After yesterday's annual American Heritage Girls Mother/Daughter/Grandmother Tea, all of our major events for the season are now finished. Dr. H. gave his finals this week, and although Jesse still has his biology final next week, all of his classes and papers are finished. Duncan still has to be in a play at church this weekend, but I don't have anything to do with that other than to enjoy watching. Sweet relief.

* For our last class of the semester, my World Lit/Geography class is going to P.F. Chang's for lunch today. We are in the midst of studying Asia and reading Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, so it seemed appropriate to close out the semester with some good Chinese food.

* Dr. H. is going camping in the mountains with the Boy Scouts tonight. It's supposed to be a low of 24 here tonight, which means about 14 in the mountains. He is so excited! Boys are weird.

* I need to get serious about Christmas shopping. We've reached a milestone this year: for the first time ever, Laurel doesn't have any toys on her list. Not one single American Girl or Barbie doll. No baby doll clothes, no doll accessories. Sigh. It's amazing how much one's enthusiasm for Christmas shopping is dampened without dolls. Somehow CDs don't have the same appeal.

* Every year at our Christmas tea, the American Heritage Girls shower my co-coordinator Caroline and me with gifts, from See's and Godiva chocolates to a new scarf/hat/glove set to Bath and Body Works goodies to gift cards. We are blessed with a group of sweet, sweet families. One of the packages was adorned with the most beautifully iced molasses cookie in the shape of a snowflake. Duncan looked at it so wistfully, and looked up at me so wistfully, that I broke down and opened the package and split the cookie with him. Afterwards he said, "You know, that cookie wasn't nearly as good as it looked."

* If only we could always remember that before we eat that slice of pie. Or box of chocolates. Or big fat cinnamon roll…

* Speaking of rolls, I made scones for the tea yesterday, and I received lots of compliments on them. I made this exact recipe except that I added about 1/2 cup more flour, changed to 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup orange juice, and drizzled them with a confectioners sugar/orange juice glaze. I think these would make a perfect Christmas morning breakfast.

* And one last thing: my mother gave us her old waffle iron, only it turned out to be a pizzelle maker. I remember going through a period when I was in middle school or younger when we'd make pizzelles about every day. Guess what we're going to be doing today? I hope it still works! And I hope the pizzelles taste as good as I remember them tasting.

But, as Duncan might say, "Things don't taste the way you remember them tasting."