always something new!!

I learned a new skill today!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

It's been a busy week. I had several papers ♥ due by Friday and got them all done only to find that the ethics instructor changed the calendar ♥ sometime during the day bumping the due date for one of the pares back 2(!) weeks. Yes, I realize this puts me ahead and I can ♥ spend time this weekend reading Paris Under Water, or my new issue of Real Simple, I can enjoy a walk with Tim ♥ and Charlie ♥, I can call my mother and send her off to Arizona with wishes ♥ for a safe and happy trip, the list just goes on and on....
oh and Happy valentines day, too.♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

where is everyone!?

none of my regular reads have posted this week!? i don't know what's going on anywhere......



we've been in a rainy spell and will be for a few more days. generally rain over night and clouds all the next day. the floor feels damp. clothes feel damp. everything outside is thick and lush but we need some sunshine.

tim, charlie and i took a drive yesterday. i had worked that morning and came home to plans for the impromptu outing. we took no music with us - just chatted our way through several hours as we wandered through the sandhills. we saw storm clouds gathering and later heard reports of severe weather for that area. we drove home along the dunning to arnold road. a narrow twisting road where a race is held each year. at one point you have canyons falling off on both sides and the expression 'ribbon of road' takes on meaning that only experience can bring.
.
we did pull off at a lake access - following a gravel track back towards pelican, lily, dewey and hackberry lakes. there were several cattle guards - and pheasants!! we saw several pairs and a few single roosters. tim and charlie got out to scent this one. at one point we stopped while a batch (15?) of baby pheasants scampered across the road. a fun afternoon.

valentines day

lest you wonder if valentines day went unmarked at our house this year - of course not!!
tim and i have settled into a pleasant rhythm for february. he decries the forced sentimentalism and commercial expectations created by slick marketing execs and i deluge him with small, relentless reminders of the inevitable. works for us. we both know there's no pressure - an annual ritual that we play out with good will and fun. i will say that tim is a pretty thoughtful partner all through the year and i agree with him that pressure placed upon husbands, lovers, boyfriends leading up to this ultimate declaration of love is unfair. i will further add that i've scored some pretty sweet gifts over the years. this year was no exception but that story will wait.

tim 'suffered' through a variety of cards sent both to his office and home, there were m&ms and assorted sweets/nuts and these shortbread which were divine:
1 1/2 c flour
1 c unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 c cornstarch
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla - optional
cut together. roll to an even thickness ~1/4 inch and cut out. chill on baking sheet about 15 minutes before baking in a 350* oven for 8-12 minutes depending on how thick you rolled them. sprinkle with sugar before baking.
i baked them as a whole sheet (piercing with a fork to avoid bubbles) and cut the hearts just after they came out of the oven. (closer to 15 minutes)

he also got a chef's knife which he skillfully used to prepare 2 delicious chicken dishes that night.


when tim realized that i wasn't leaving he changed his plans (he was supposed to tape a friend's basement) so we could hang out together. we went to get the oil changed and he said his idea was to get a bag for my computer(which he had given me for christmas). i told him i had one but if he could find something better i'd be happy to let him upgrade me. and then i remembered something and made a proposal. he has a vintage, leather attache case that i found in a thrift store on a visit with naphtali. i love that bag and had tried my laptop in it after christmas, adjusted the straps, looked in the mirror...

so there in the middle of the store we shook hands and made the transfer of ownershop official. (his staff had given him a laptop/briefcase for christmas the previous year so he's covered.) i'm happy, he's off pretty easy, we could call it done and go home......

but our outing wasn't finished. i also came home with 2 cds - a tony bennet and a collection of 'classic' love songs - and a wireless printer. we had a fun day just wandering around, ate well, took a walk this morning. a good weekend.

decisions, decisions

i made the bundt cake for thursday. it was very good. i think i'll have fun with the new pan.

my morning started with my annual (and i've actually gone two years in a row!!) physical. it is a lovely day so charlie and i walked when i got home. i should probably mow today because it is supposed to turn cold and rainy for the weekend.

this is where the decisions come in...
tim is leaving for fort dodge early in the morning. he has a meeting in lincoln on tuesday and he sometimes extends the trip to include fd when he's already on that side of the state. so the house is mine for the next few days and i have many options to fill my time this weekend. i have garden club stuff to work on, garden stuff to work on. i want to bake bread. some sewing, a couple craft projects. why not go to kearney or north platte for some shopping?? plus the standard weekend cleaning, laundry etc. a responsible, productive use of my time. the other side of the coin is sleep in, finish the daniel silva. i have another book started that is calling my name even now. and i brought the new john lecarre home. what's a girl to do???