whelmed.

i have a couple of recipes waiting to post, but i'm so frazzled after today that i just can't muster the energy to pull pics from my camera, upload and edit them, save them and insert them.
i'm definitely a bit beyond whelmed, certainly falling into the over- category. jade had her first trip to the pet supply store today, and boy was it stressful. she hates car rides (stems from being abused as a pup) and in all the craziness, i had to put her in the car (the worst part - she tries so hard to bolt that she almost pulled out of her harness) four times. she's out like a light and snoring like only she can, and i'm sure it's because she's as emotionally and physically exhausted as i am from the whole ordeal. and, of course, we have a vet checkup scheduled for tomorrow. here's hoping the rain will hold off for that time frame so we can walk there.
and, to top it all off... there's the whole business about the possible (impending?) government shutdown. while i am trying to take it as it comes, i really don't know what i'll do if it actually happens and lasts longer than a couple of days, since we've already been paid for the first half of the month and our next paycheck is the 15th. overall, i'm quite upset at the very possibility that actively-serving military members might have to wait to be paid until the government is back in order. there has just got to be another option.
now that i'm all nervous and jittery again, i think it's time to call it a night and let you answer the fun question my friend jordan asked our small group: if you had a magic wand that could grant you one wish, what would you have it do?

holy mustache!

in other words, i got to see david's face for the first time in almost four and a half months, and he's been growing a mustache the same amount of time. it was SO good to see him, even if the prearranged 13-minute video chat was a bit awkward. (frankly, what do you even say when you are allotted 10 minutes to talk to your spouse? there's not enough time to carry much of a conversation, but it's too long for just sitting and saying little nothings. especially if you get 3 extra minutes.) we chatted a bit, and i spent most of the time (even while we were talking) just staring at him and remembering things i forgotten i'd missed so much.
(can you tell i really like parenthetical statements today? if this were twitter, i'd be hash-tagging like it's my job!)
since all i've had for the last 4 months were memories of my husband, oldish pictures and intangible emails and phone calls, finally seeing his face made me feel like a giddy girlfriend again for a bit. which was definitely a relief from feeling like a serious spouse.
it took me a day of stress to build up to the 13 minutes of awkward joy, and i'm still not decompressed. so, pardon me while i leave you so that i can finish my mountain dew, chocolate ice cream, and homemade blondies (recipe coming soon).

"if i get married, i want to be very married." - audrey hepburn

mis-communicating.

last night yesterday was a bit rough. as the day progressed, i felt progressively misunderstood. not by any particular person, and about nothing monumental, but the misunderstandings seemed to pile up as in one of mayhem's little tricks. while many people would shrug it off, i've always had issues with feeling misunderstood - i have a possibly unhealthy deep desire to be understood correctly, and i push to make that happen.
scattered, stilted or short conversations (via email, text or hurried phone calls) have a lot to do with misunderstanding. in this world of quick communication, texting, facebook chats and instant messaging, is it any wonder that i, along with so many other people, feel misunderstood? is it because the art of listening has been suppressed somehow? i can't believe that it has been lost altogether, but i feel the results of some suppression of communication.
and, in all of this wondering...
i'm not at all surprised that i chose the word "listen" as my oneword for 2011. it's clearly something at which i need to work harder. especially when it comes to listening to God's voice. it's why i got my first and only tattoo. the greek words epi de to remati sou, which are translated "but at your word" and come from luke 5:5.

when [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to simon, "put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch." simon answered, "master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing! but at your word i will lower the nets." when they had done this, they caught so many fish that their net started to tear... when simon peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying "go away from me, Lord, for i am a sinful man." -luke 5:4-6, 8

nothing.

i've got nothin' but a headache tonight, which means y'all get nothin' but a few links to things i enjoy for today. hope you enjoy them, too!

xkcd
modcloth
tovicorrie
david lebovitz's blog
surviving the world

maple-oaty scones.

maple-oaty scones
adapted from smitten kitchen


yield: i got 18 eensy-triangles, perfect for each person having about two. deb from smitten kitchen got 8 of the 2-in. rounds

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (the recipe called for 1 3/4 c. a-p and 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, but i didn't have whole wheat on hand. i'm sure they'd be even tastier with the ww flour!)
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 very heaped T. baking powder
1 very heaped T. sugar
1/2 t. table salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. buttermilk (regular milk is fine, too)
1 egg, beaten (for glaze)

preheat your oven to 400°f (200°c). butter a baking sheet and set aside.
whisk the flour, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. i put the butter in a bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes or so after cutting it up, to make sure it was cold (like you'd do with butter for a pie crust or other pastry dough). with a pastry blender or your fingers (don't use a food processor, as it will grind up the oats), work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. in another small bowl, mix together the milk and syrup, then pour into the butter-flour mixture. mix it all together (it's easiest to use your hands on this step - don't forget to take off the rings and put them in a safe place!) until it becomes a soft dough. you can add more buttermilk if you need, but the dough shouldn't be sticky at all.

 
flour a silicone baking mat or clean, smooth countertop (i don't have one of those, so i used the former!) and pat or roll the dough until it is 1 1/4 in. tall. i formed it into a square shape, cut it into 9 equal pieces, and cut each of those mini squares on a diagonal to make eensy-triangles. you could also do as deb over at smitten kitchen does, and use a 2-in. round cutter. place the cut scones on the prepared baking sheet, half an inch apart or so. brush the tops with the beaten egg (for the yummy brown color at the end!) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the scones are lightly golden. mine were done perfectly right on the 20-minute mark, so be sure to set the timer for 18-20 minutes and check them before letting them stay for any longer than that!

 
serve them warm, if you can... and they don't last longer than a day. plan accordingly! either halve the recipe, or HAVE an excuse to eat a couple more! c'mon, they're tiny!

"all sorrows are less with bread." - miguel de cervantes (don quixote)  i'd venture to say that scones would be substitutable for bread, in this case.