What did the Boomtown Rats say?

I don't like Mondays. Well I have another line to add.

I don't like JANUARY!

Do you have a month that always seems to drag you down? A month where everything seems to go wrong? A month where you are counting the days until it’s over?

In years past, that month was February for me. I say was because I am slowly beginning to dislike January.

I don’t dislike January for the reasons that most people dislike it…the snow, the cold the weather, the dark mornings, the bitter cold nights. I can deal with all of that. I love the snow, the cold doesn’t bother me so much and I can bare dark morning. There always seems to be a month that just kicks your ass and this year that is January for me.

I don’t like to complain….but here I go. This month has brought me medical flare-ups. I have a disease (that I haven’t talked about here, and probably never will) that can cause lots of pain, and when I am in the middle of a flare-up, its just sucks.

I lost my hot water for 2 days and then found out that I needed a plumber to fix the faucets in my bathroom sink and tub.

My son is struggling in English. This means a conference with guidance and his teachers. I’m worried for him. They want to move him to a collaborative class. He loves his teacher. He does not want to change classes.

One of my closest friends is losing his Dad. I listened to him sob in pain, the kind of pain that comes from deep inside you. It broke my heart into pieces.

John went to work this morning, tried parking in Providence, where on a sunny day that is a challenge, and his truck was towed. I can only imagine how much this is going to cost.

Then there was lots of other stupid stuff, trivial little things that normally I could just brush off and move on from. All those things are just adding up, contributing to this shitty month. I’m feeling it from every little corner.

Dare I say I’m burnt out? Me, the person who never stops, who is usually always in a pretty happy mood, who tries to see the good and hopefulness in every day, yes, even I get to my breaking point and then I feel like I’m letting everyone down cause people are so shocked when I’m not “me”, like I’m never allowed to feel a little down.

It’s in times like this that I find my solace in baking. Standing in my kitchen with my mixing bowls, surrounded by sugar, butter and flour. It’s my therapy. I’m lost for a little bit and big bad January can’t touch me for awhile. It’s my happy place.

So another recipe will be coming tomorrow and the end of January is near. My Mom’s birthday is coming up, so there is one reason in January that can still make me smile.

Sorry for the bummer of a post. It’s not always lollipops and gumballs here. Just thought you should know. Here’s hoping February is filled with everything good that January wasn’t, oh and chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate.

That can never hurt.

Wordless Wednesday~

Brrrr.....

Day 2 of no hot water.

Repairman coming back again this morning.

My unwashed hair is not a pretty sight.

Not at all.

My friend calls me "Fraggle Head", as in, your hair looks like one of the Fraggles from Fraggle Rock. Remember them?



Ice cold shower yesterday. No fun.

I felt like this little guy.



Told you to be prepared for lots of bird pictures.

Drove to my friends house at 6:00am to take a shower so I could go to work without scaring everyone in the office.

Trying not to whine about this little inconvenience in my life and be grateful for the heat in the house when it's single digits outside, but I really miss my hot shower......badly.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie baked in a cast iron skillet

What do you do when you have an unexpected day off from work cause you had a major snow storm hit??

Well of course you stay inside all cozy and comfy and you BAKE!

That's what I did Wednesday anyway.

You turn on the stove and pull out the mixer and gather all your ingredients and you measure and mix and bake, and then you do the dishes, and you don't even mind being stuck at the sink cause you have a bird feeder right outside your window and you get to watch the birds eating while you're cleaning up your mess.

Then while the cookie bakes you throw a load of laundry in, wipe down the bathroom, sweep the kitchen floor, pick out your outfit for tomorrow and straighten out your coupons.

At least that's what I do.

This is, yet again, another Martha recipe. What can I say, the woman knows her stuff.

I thought it was just genius making a big cookie in a cast iron skillet.

No messing with teaspoons of cookie dough. Just gather it all up into one big pile and plop it in the pan. Magic!



Evan took the first slice of this cookie.

After one mouthful he declared it "the best chocolate chip cookie ever".

Oh yeah, I'm talking forever and ever, and happily ever after and beyond.

After a statement like that I had to take a bite and I must agree...this cookie was golden brown and crunchy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.

Cookie perfection.

I may never make chocolate chip cookies any other way again. Seriously, it was that good.



Martha suggests you top this cookie with vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce.

I think that would be a wonderful way to serve this.

We didn't have any ice cream so we ate it straight outta the pan.

I am thinking about making this again and serving it the way Martha suggests. Wouldn't that be a great dessert for your next dinner party? It's definitely on my list now.



Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked in a Cast Iron Pan
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (9 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (I sprayed mine with just a little cooking spray), and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool in pan, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Snow Day!

We had a pretty major snow storm here yesterday.

Work was cancelled! Yahoooo!

We cozied up in the house.

I baked up a treat (coming tomorrow!)



We watched the birds at the bird feeder.

I bundled up, headed out and took a lot of pictures.

I drank tea and honey.

We ate spaghetti and meatballs.

We lazed about.

We had a perfectly lovely day.

Hope you did too.

Wordless Wednesday~

What I'm loving right now....

Each Christmas my parents give us money so that we can go and get whatever we like. Most of the time it's spent on something for the house, but this year we decided to take some of it and buy this beautiful bird feeder and some seed.



I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see dozens and dozens of birds at this feeder. It's positioned directly across from my kitchen sink so I get to watch the birds (and squirrels) while I wash. Makes me happy.

Get ready for lots of bird pics. I can feel it coming!

The second thing I bought was this adorable tea cozy from Kate at KnitStorm on Etsy. Have I ever mentioned that I could sit in front of my computer like a zombie and stare at Etsy for like 16 hours straight....or more. I think I may have.

As most of you know I love my cuppa tea and this homemade knit cozy keeps my cup piping hot.

She even hand stitched the little tea tag. Adorable!



I love it! Thank you Kate!

Another Etsy purchase was this primitive cupid from Lex at NorthWind Star Primitives. She makes the most beautiful stuff. I went back to make a link for this post and ended up buying two more things. I couldn't resist!

Just look at the details. Lex is a true artist. Beautiful!

Another thing that I'm totally loving right now is this jar of Tupelo Honey. My friend Eva gave it to me for Christmas. See, one of my most favorite songs on earth is Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison. Eva saw this honey and thought of me. How sweet is that? I have the best friends.

Wanna hear something cool about Tupelo Honey?

Tupelo honey never crystallizes. Harvested for only a few days in April, it is one of the rarest and most valuable honeys in the world.

That's right...I said THE WORLD people.

How cool is that?

Let me tell you, it melts on your tongue, just melts. I had to stop myself from downing the whole jar. I'm going to try and ration it!

Wish me luck!