Friday, August 30, 2013

#7QT: How Clever! How Wicked.

Another week come and gone... joining Jen's circus for this Labor Day weekend mayhem!


ONE

One delicious pie.
Perhaps it is because we're all settled in (ignore those boxes of books at the top of the stairs); or maybe it's because I'm in my third trimester; or maybe it's because I've realized that a kitchen without sweets is a very, very, very sad kitchen.

Will is not a dessert person (or a fruit person, or a vegetable person, for that matter). I never considered myself a dessert person until there were none to be found. They were not exactly "necessities" in our budget. I tried to think of creative ways to get them in the house.

To date, I've made Fourth of July cake, banana bread, snickerdoodle cookies, peach and berry pie, and carrot cake.
Will, in a sing-songy voice: "My wife is the best! My wife made me cake!"
Me: "It's carrot cake!"
Will, still singing: "My wife made me vegetable cake!"
Will didn't actually eat any of the carrot cake, but he supports my domestic endeavors, and our friends enjoy the sweets of my labor. Next up: muffins!

TWO

I devoured a British mystery show recently: Rosemary and Thyme. It centers around a plant pathologist, Rosemary Boxer, and Laura Thyme, a former police constable. After a twist of fate in the first episode, they become friends and business partners as gardeners. Gardeners, of course, who also solve murders! Quirky, very British, and quite enjoyable.

THREE

"I never speak lightly of murder... I hate to tempt fate." --Miss Marple

I've moved on to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series (starring Geraldine McEwan). The title of this post is another quote from the infamous Jane Marple. Have you read the books and short stories, dear readers? The Complete Short Stories: A Miss Marple Collection by Agatha Christie is one of my favoritest books. If you're looking for a good puzzle and mystery read, I highly recommend picking it up.

FOUR

Happy 36 weeks to my Bambino Baldwin!



FIVE

My awesome friend Andrew sent me Bill Watterson's commencement speech at Kenyon College in May 1990, and it is just wonderful.

Slate published a comic based on part of that speech -- also really excellent.

SIX

Back in college, a few friends/ fellow American Studies majors and I would celebrate "Founding Fridays" and go out after class for a beer. So, when I saw this on St. Charles Street yesterday, it made me very, very happy.


I reviewed Stephen Mansfield's The Search for God and Guinness at TIC, and it is another fantastic read.

SEVEN

Any plans for this Labor Day weekend? Will has Friday AND Monday off, so he'll be studying for Step 3, listening to lectures, helping me decorate the nursery, and relishing in his time off. I am tying up loose ends, trying to enter September with less on my to-do list than when I moved down here!

Talk to me, birds!

9 comments:

  1. You look as amazing as ever, and I love the Lilly phone case! Haha, we had a sweets devoid kitchen right after moving, too, but it looks like you're more than making up for it now =) Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Thank you all around! Yes, I'm not sure what the "green thumb" equivalent is to the kitchen labors, but I am certainly enjoying honing my culinary skills!

      I hope your pregnancy is going well too!

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  2. I'm a newer reader of your blog, and really enjoy the links to interesting articles you have posted. My six degrees of separation with Bill Watterson is that I'm a Kenyon grad--he graduated the year before I arrived as a freshman. We're longtime Calvin & Hobbes geeks at our house, and I loved the graphic version of part of the commencement speech.

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    1. Nancy! Thank you for your comment and for reading! I always like meeting my dear readers. :)

      I love your connection! - I visited Kenyon as a college prospect, but did not attend. My family are also lifetime C&H geeks too - the first present I ever gave my husband (then boyfriend) was a C&H book. I thought the graphic was pretty nifty too. :)

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  3. You are a better woman than I. When I want sweets, I just go get a dark chocolate bar. Even if it's right before bed time.
    Maybe I should learn to like baking.

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    1. To each her own! I'm not a big chocolate person. That being said, I am a big dessert-when-I-want-it so as to not overindulge!

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  4. Oooh I love a good British show recommendation! I am going to check that one out.

    You are such a cute preggo, btw! I have never looked that sporty at 36 weeks!!

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  5. I have not heard of that show!! I love British TV. That will definitely go on my list of 'to watch when up with newborn.'

    And wow, you look GREAT at 36 weeks!! I feel like I'm breaching upon whale at 37 weeks. Enjoy your last few weeks. The best is yet to come!

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  6. My husband isn't a big sweets guy either, so I have to be careful if I make a pastry--I know I'm the one that will eat it all! I've got extra pie crust in the freezer, so whenever I've got a hankering, I throw a little fruit in a small casserole dish, top it with crust, bake until golden, and chow down. Easier than a pie and if I don't add sugar then I tell myself it's healthy. :)

    You look great and almost there!

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