the weekend: in food and frivolity

* i spent the weekend in the 'burbs. i had two key tasks i needed to complete before this afternoon: 1) i had to wash my bedroom curtains, which are navy blue and thick and had developed an unappealing layer of dust; and 2) bake a batch of cookies to take to my meditation group's summer party this coming thursday. i needed to perform both tasks chez my parents because: 1) they have a washing machine and an iron and a surface large enough to facilitate the ironing of drapes; and 2) i wanted mom's supervision while i tackled a new kind of cookie.

* i am delighted to report that the curtains were washed, ironed and are now hanging back up in my bedroom. and the cookies – raspberry thumbprints, half the batch coated in ground pecans, the other half coated in coconut – turned out wonderfully.

* while making the new cookies (which mom has made before, but i'd never made myself), she taught me how to separate an egg. :-)

* speaking of eggs, we had breakfast – bacon and eggs – for dinner on saturday. i enjoy bacon when it's really well-done. i.e., so crispy it's brittle. i can't take the texture of chewy bacon. :-X (i don't think i need to tell you mom always mine extra-crispy.)

* for dessert, i made everyone toaster-oven s'mores. mom had purchased fresh marshmallows and two large bars of lindt milk chocolate, so the resulting s'mores were deliciousssssss.

* instead of watching TV last night, mom, YB (who also came to our parents' house for a sleepover) and i just sat in the front living room and chatted for several hours. it was very nice.

* during said conversation, trix told me she's asking her boss for the day off on my birthday so she can spend the day with mom and me. AND she said she's also keeping the next day (a saturday) free in case i want to do anything else. i thought this, too, was very nice, and i look forward to a fun day out. (fingers crossed her boss, who's pretty great, says yes.)

* it was nice to go to sleep last night and not worry that anyone was going to set the house on fire.

* this morning, YB and i got an early start on what was to be a fairly extensive shopping outing. on the docket: IKEA, Wal-Mart, Loblaws, Highland Farms, Dollarama, Bulk Barn... and all before 2pm. so, after watching a couple of episodes of The New Adventures of Old Christine over breakfast (our favourite sunday-morning activity), we hit the road at 9am.

* we were super-productive. we picked up sunscreen (for me) and soil (for trix). we bought pasta (me) and dental rinse (YB). we loaded a new table (hers) and a new pillow (mine) into the trunk, along with a utility cart (also hers) and a collection of fixins to make homemade granola (also mine). there were groceries and essentials, as well as treats and unexpected deals. we wound up stopping at Vaughan Mills, which is gigantic. we only covered about ¼ of the mall before we had to carry on. (we were there long enough for me to get a nutella/banana crêpe, and for trix to grab an iced earl grey tea + three fancy chocolate bars, though. :-D)

* under trixie's supervision, i set about making foster's market granola... which is, apparently, renowned and which YB has made many times before. it's delicious and hearty and it's what i'll be bringing to work this week for breakfast. i'm happy to say it, too, turned out fantastically.

* i'm now back at home, freshly showered and in my pyjamas. the curtains are rehung, the groceries put away, the cookies packed, my lunch for tomorrow made and the tony awards on the TV. i feel like i had a perfectly productive weekend.

* and i found out on friday that one of my faraway friends has sent me a birthday gift via UPS. it left los angeles on saturday and is now en route across america. :-D