Best Dishes

*I am still in shock over my Magic's heartbreaking losses over the past 2 games. I think the entire city is dazed over last night, especially*

I buy books faster than I can read them. I just can't "do" library books. I need to be able to mark it up, keep it for future reference, or loan it (cautiously) to someone I think will appreciate it as I did.

Today I ordered Paula Deen's latest, It Ain't All About The Cookin', from half.com (no brand new cover price for this frugal freak, "very good condition" and $5.76 shipped is more like it!)



Yay, Paula! I think this book will immediately jump the other 54 or so on my "to read" list. It makes me a little sad, because my mom always bought me Paula's new stuff when it came out, that was our little tradition. "I've got some new Paula for you!", she'd say. So this is the first book I've had to pick up myself. I hope I haven't missed any! If I have, darn, I'll just have to buy them....oh no. Ha.

(Oh, and I think we've settled on taking our original road trip this summer. It turns out my Annapolis family will be out of the country the week we're able to travel. So it all works out in the end! Either way: Paula, here we come!)

In a Pickle

No, not really--for once. I made some this weekend!

I modified the recipe I found on one of my very favorite websites ever, www.allrecipes.com. I boiled some white vinegar and sugar til the sugar dissolved, then put in some salt, tumeric, mustard seed, and pickling spice. (In the process, I spilled nearly an entire tin of mustard seeds on our kitchen floor. Despite my best clean-up efforts, they are scattered from here to Kingdom Come and I will be finding them til my yet-to-be-born children go off to college. So much for my cute method of spice storage--I'm actually surprised it took this long to have a disaster!)

Anyhow, I sliced up some smallish cukes and a few sweet yellow onions. I stuffed them down in old (clean) spaghetti sauce jars, and poured the liquid over it. I should have let it cool some, but I was impatient. And there you go! A few short hours later---refrigerator pickles! Not too sweet, just how I like them.


Get it? Sweet Pickles books? Remember them? I loved those books!

Friiiiday...

Just another Friday with some random thoughts to throw out there to y'all...

* I read "Pink, Green & Southern" yesterday, and have been chomping at the bit to get to TJMaxx to check and see if there's anything Lilly in my size. I have a feeling it's been picked over by all the uppity women around here, but it can't hurt to look!

* I need to stop in Publix after work for dinner fixings, so maybe I can swing into the Maxx real quick then. Hubby is having some friends over (I guess "we" are having friends over, truly, but they're "his friends that I like") for some NCAA viewing. Specifically his alma mater, FSU. (How does a Gator/Nole couple work? How did this happen?!) I'm thinking I'll make baked ziti. I'm also thinking I want to do something fun for dessert, but I'm not sure what yet.

* Not to brag, but I'm pretty proud of my bracket after day 1. 13-3! And I even predicted a 5-12 seed upset.

* I'm wearing the prettiest nail polish of all time. China Glaze "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" (I wish it was 5 right now!) It's a glass-flecked magenta/fuschia that absolutely glows. It deserves a picture. Too bad I went to sleep with it apparently not totally dry, so I have a dent and sheet marks. I was hoping to make it last all weekend, but my OCD/Prissy self will probably want to re-do tonight.

* I put some sunless tanner on my legs last night. L'Oreal Sublime Bronze gel. It's really great stuff and in the past I've had fantastic luck with it, but I think I'm out of practice. Out in the daylight this morning I could really see my mistakes. I'll probably do another coat tonight to even things out. Even so, a blotch or two is better than melanoma, right>

* An old semi-not quite-sorta kinda-not really-boyfriend found me on Facebook last night (2 years after me deciding he was an immature brat not worth my time and not talking to him since). I have to admit, it was a little bit fun getting to answer his question, "so what's new with you?"