Necessary Chocolate

The sum of the Easter Sewing

Past years, this blog has slowly but surely recorded my progress through the Easter sewing. That usually takes until June or so. I'm trying to forget the year that I finished Laura's blouse in August.

This year, the sum total of the Easter sewing came to three grey roses, to match Laura's Gap skirt.

When did I become a realistic woman who buys the Easter clothes more than two weeks early? Or the aunt who accepts that her niece would rather have grey roses than pink?

The dresses for the other two girls came from Hanna Anderson, and they were ridiculously wonderful; the kind of wonderful that leads one to wonder: why sew? Luckily, that feeling only lasts until the next visit to the fabric store, or until one suddenly has a blinding vision of grey roses that Must Be Embroidered.

Birthday treats galore

As of yesterday, I am officially 48 years old. I've been saying for months that I was 48, so it's nice that it's finally true.

I think that I may have eaten 48 treats yesterday. Remember the quiet birthday last year? The day I was asked to teach the class that I now love (but a year ago cried because I couldn't imagine how I'd deal with early mornings and lessons)?

This year:

• I took lemon cake to class.
• The students made me cupcakes, and brought a card for me.
• My friends Mame and Katie came through town for lunch. They brought me lunch, cake, a new cake plate (!), and great conversation.
• The office held an Oreo birthday festival: cookies-and-cream ice cream, chocolate-filled Oreos, peanut butter-filled, and regular Oreos. Guess which are my favorite?
• The office gave me a bag of frosted animal cracker cookies. I cannot buy Oreos or frosted animal crackers because I would eat them all, by myself, in one day. But once a year, if they're a gift, I'm happy to indulge.
• My parents sent wonderful, thoughtful gifts, including dark chocolate-covered caramels, dark chocolate-covered cashews, and Burdicks bunnies and marzipan eggs.

Add to that a necklace that my Grandma bought many years ago in Spain.

Wow. It's good to be loved. It's good to be 48.

And for the next few days, it will be good to eat vegetables. Lots of them.

Friends are the best therapy

First of all, thank you for all of your birthday wishes! The title of this blog sums my feelings up; it's the saying on the magnet that my friend Janet left for me. She just spent a week here, away from the Arizona kids.

Luckily, my house was good and pink for her. Not that she needs pink, but it's spring and the Christmas decorations are finally all down.

These images are from a wedding shower at my house, just before my birthday (more pictures at flickr). Since then, I've had Easter, the after-conference party, and reconnecting with friends galore.

This week, it's spring break in my neighborhood, the temperature is way up into the high 50s (ha) and there's no class for me: instead, late nights, lots of books, and sewing. In theory, anyway. In reality, I'm cramming in the taxes and a few more dinners with friends. The books may just wait until summer, but today that doesn't seem too far away.

The last of the blue for now

If I don't fit into my summer clothes, you know where to cast the blame.

Leftover blue frosting AND graham crackers in the house at the same time. On a Saturday.

A little too much blue?

In honor of April 1st, I was going to turn the class around to face the other wall this morning. But that seemed a little lame and disruptive, especially since I needed to show a video and there are no electrical outlets at that end of the room. Instead, I added just a little blue food coloring to cinnamon roll dough.

And then just a little more food coloring to the glaze.

 

I ate one first to prove that I hadn't added any other weird ingredients. And the rolls did taste good. Especially if you closed your eyes.

Happy April!