Randomday

Once again it's time for Randomday, where it's all about the random.

Wreck-it Ralph was a wonderful movie.  You should all see it.  It was like a mash-up of Toy Story and Tron, and it totally worked.  Best line: "You hit someone ... with glasses.  Well played."

Today I took Tertia and Quarta to the library, where Tertia's choir group did some caroling.  She has really come a long way since last year in her ability to track with the lyrics.  She did the Christmas tree lighting in Esther Short Park in the pouring rain last Friday, and is scheduled for a school concert still and a special appearance at Beaches restaurant for the school district big-wigs in a few weeks.  Plus, it's just fun that once a year, it's okay to sing out loud in the middle of the library!

While the girls were doing that, Steve took Secundus to take his written driver's test.  Apparently, today is the very first day of the new system, where they are farming out the tests to the various driver's ed schools across the county instead of running them at the DMV.  Last summer with Daniel at the DMV, it was a multi-week wait to schedule the actual driving exam locally -- or you could just go to Kelso and take it that day.  We ended up going to Kelso.  Secundus will be taking his driving test this coming week.  He is more than eager to get his license and everything that he thinks comes with that.

Martha Stewart can kiss my grits.  Okay, so I tried a recipe from an old Martha Stewart Living magazine for "crisp anise cookies."  I should have taken warning when it said the bit about "spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" round tip.  Pipe 1-inch tapered mounds on baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats."  A nonstick baking mat, I thought, that must be a high-tech silicone thingy that only Martha would have... I'll just spray the sheets with Pam.  And the cookies, which did not come out in perfect little 1-inch tapered mounds when I squeezed the plastic bag that I subbed for the pastry bag, stuck to the sheets.  So I tried parchment paper and that worked a little better.  It was an interesting recipe.  But I'll just skip straight to the parchment paper if I ever make it again.

I have finished step one of the Easy Street mystery quilt and am taking a break for blogging before diving into step two.  Actually, I have to fix dinner sometime soon, so maybe after dinner I can start step two.  No, darn it, I really have to grade the rest of my quizzes and iron clothes.  Maybe I can do that little trick where I sew a few seams, and then press a garment, and keep bribing myself to iron more clothes by letting myself do a little patchwork in between.  That's about as good as it gets on ironing nights.

I also need to make soup for tomorrow's fellowship dinner.  I'm thinking of trying loaded baked potato soup.  Or maybe this recipe.  Somehow I haven't felt like cooking much for a few days as I fought the nasty crud that's going around at school.  I'm getting there, but still not quite.  I think it will be quesadillas for dinner again tonight.