Pillow Talk

It's election season again and that means plenty of references to "pillow talk." This really stumps me, because when my husband's head hits the pillow he instantly falls asleep! I know this to be true because of the soft snoring about 28 seconds later. So why do some candidates claim to have discussed issues of significant political weight after being tucked in for the night? I'm not saying my husband never discusses weighty political matters with me. But it's like an Olympic event - it only happens every four years.

Penny Found Again

I found a penny in the parking lot during hockey try-outs. Of course, the twins don't need luck to make the Saints travel teams. They will play both Pee Wee and Squirts this year. Captain teased them that they would each have to score 2-3 goals per game.

Jane Austen era cookies

For tonight's monthly Jane Austen Book Club, Meggar made "Almond Knots" from the Jane Austen Cookbook. They were delicious because of the secret ingredient: rosewater. Ours was purchased at the health food store (only place we could locate it locally). The bottle claimed to be mostly water infused with essential oil. Not quite as difficult as collecting a certain variety of roses and steaming the buds in order to collect the condensation, etc. etc. Laura Swartz noted the special flavoring right away! It does make all the difference - whether in 1803 or 2008.

Almond Knots
1 lb. blanched almonds
½ lb. sugar
2 egg whites
2 T. rose-flower water (you could substitute vanilla, but it won’t taste quite the same)
In a food processor, grind the almonds until fine. Add rose-flower water and process into a paste. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir them into the almond mixture. Roll the pieces of dough into ropes about ½ inch thickness. Rolls it lightly in a dish of sugar and form into loose know on parchment-lined baking sheet. Also can shape each 1 T. of dough into a half-moon shape. Place the almond knots closely on baking sheet since they do not rise or spread during baking. Bake at low 250’ F oven for 25-30 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown. Then remove from oven immediately and cool on racks. These crispy and chewy cookies are wonderful for tea time.

See a Penny?!

Polar Bear found a penny today - on vacation - in the parking lot. He gave it to me, excited that he could help my luck hold for another week....

How many water slides are at the Olympics?

Our family vacationed for 2 days at Grizzly Jack's at the edge of Starved Rock State Park, Illinois. They even convinced Mom to ride both the big and little water slide! (WHY?!) Winger is the planner in our group: "Let's do the tube slide five more times, then the big wave pool, then the hot tub." OK, I'm convinced to try it. The bonus was having a TV to watch the Olympics (did you see Michael Phelps' team win the relay over France?!) We're heading back to the pool and see if we can do those flip turns like Michael Phelps. Everybody has new goggles to try, thanks to our "Big Spender" on this vacation.

Graduating in Power Skating

The world-famous Laura Stamm Power Skating clinic really lived up to its name. Winger claimed he learned 29 of the 32 things they taught in the first 2-hour session on Friday night! The class for travel players really challenged my three sons, and the college-player instructors were quick to point out any weaknesses AND praise any improvements. If Wayne Gretzky and Jeff Madill graduated from these classes, then you can bet my boys want to try their best all three days.

My Blue Jean Baby

How do you get an old husband to buy new jeans?! With encouragement from your wife and teenage daugher! He chose the "Revolution" style with wide, straight legs in dark denim. *Stylish* He's even wearing them tonight to dinner in Chicago. The whole family voted to return to Geja's Fondue Cafe in the Lincoln Park area. Afterwards, we planned to see the fireworks off Navy Pier but got lost trying to find a our first geocache. The coordinates were difficult to follow, and then it became too dark. We'll try again tomorrow.