I’ve:
-been delighted that the days are getting longer. 5:30 or 6:00 rolls around and I look out the window and notice that it’s not actually pitch black. Marvy-fab, that is.
-danced a jig over my new cooling racks
-finished up the 14 Days of Valentines. Mr. FG did his own version again this year, leaving me lovely notes (my favorite thing!) around the house for me to find. Love notes from Mr. FG = happy Kristen.
-made Valentine cookies with my children without taking a single picture of the process. What is going on with me???
-insufficiently greased a cake pan. Oops.
(Do note the excellent cooling rack, though.)
-sufficiently greased the other one. Whew.
(That’s Not From A Box Chocolate Cake, by the way.)
-cobbled together the cake layers to make a fish shape. Good thing frosting covers up mistakes!
-thought about making cake pops from the broken cake layer. What else might one do with a cake in such bad shape? Maybe a trifle?
-spent less time at the computer than usual, which has resulted in more productivity than usual. Hmn.
-sent a snail-mail letter to my grandpa. He’s pretty much the only person I communicate with that way. It’s sort of weird to think how much more I used to write letters before the internet happened.
-smiled at the Duplo version of Montpelier (James Madison’s home) that appeared in my house. Last year’s study of the U.S. presidents has not completely fallen out of my children’s brains. Sweet.
-decided to buy a hair dryer. I haven’t owned one for a long time, but after using one in a hotel recently, I decided I kinda like the body it adds. So, I want one for occasional use. If you own one that’s high-quality and reliable (I want to buy one that will last), do share in the comments.
-baked with Lisey. Now I just need to actually blog with Lisey.
What’s been happening lately with you?
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Joshua’s 365 post: Borderline
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The cake looks like it turned out well anyway, I’m also a fan of using icing to hide mistakes. I’m guessing Zoe had a birthday
What’s been happening with me? Too much. I’ve been putting off writing a difficult blog entry about a turn my life has taken, but finally finished and should be published tomorrow. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching.
Oh, and I finally submitted the first journal article based on my PhD for publication. That’s something good.
I saw the fish and I KNEW it was someone’s birthday but I couldn’t remember who liked the marine life, if it was zoey or sonia. Happy belated!
I love my Babyliss Pro hairdryer. It was recommended from my hair dresser and works wonderfully and is super sturdy, doesn’t smell “hot”.
http://www.amazon.com/BaByliss-BAB2000-Ceramix-Xtreme-Dryer/dp/B000ASDGK8/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1361369251&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=babyliss+pro+hair+dryer
Mine’s Babyliss also… not sure which model
I’ve never even heard of Babyliss before, but I’ll check them out.
As a hairstylist I can tell you Babyliss is a great brand, with a good warranty. Stay away from CHI…they don’t last like they used to.
Good to hear from a voice of experience. Hairdryers in a salon get a serious workout, I’m sure.
I am thrilled with the lengthening days, as well. Taking one of my daughters to her dance class last night and it wasn’t dark on the way there! Woohoo! I’m celebrating spring at my house this week. Oh yeah, I know it’s still winter, but a gal an dream — even had lunch on the deck yesterday.
Hair dryers — you know, I’ve paid for high end and had them burn out after 2 years. And I’ve bought cheap and had them last. My current one I bought at a store called Pic N Save. I don’t even know if they’re around anymore. But I paid something like $5 for it, 24 years ago, and it’s still going strong! Go figure.
Broken cake bits make a great bottom layer for a pudding. Just break it up some more, then pour cornstarch pudding over the top and refrigerate, covered, overnight. The pudding soaks into the cake and gets all gooey. You could also do “bread” pudding.
I’m salivating over that stream of chocolate Lisey is pouring out! Can’t wait to see the recipe!
School’s out here in the UK – so I’ve also been away from the PC. I now schedule the school holidays to ensure that I maximise the time we have. Hence not much blogging! However this post (which I loved!) has inspired me to hit the keyboard…
Here too the days are getting longer – hurrah! We’ve had great weather this week – cold but dry and sunny…it’s made outdoor time so much easier.
(p.s – the cake – I’d just eat as is, pour over some custard or ice-cream – cake’s good whatever the look)
Enjoyed following your day. It brings back memories. My children are all grown now I only have a 15 year old still at home. They are so precious enjoy them.
I’ve had a Conair pink hairdryer for years that I’ve been pretty happy with.
My hairdryer is just a cheapo from – er – Boots, I think. The expensive one I had before didn’t last as long. I have long, thick hair so tend to be hard on my dryers.
It’s half term here so I’ve been working on my crocheted granny square afghan bed cover thingy. Very satisfying and when I looked around on the internet, to buy one would cost so much that I was actually shocked, despite knowing the hoursd and hours of work it is going to take, so that’s satisfying too. Maybe it is an heirloom in the making!
*hours* – sorry!
I recently bought a hair dryer (it had been a long time for me also). Goodwill, brand new, with defuser! Conair and it works marvelous. Even more recently (last 6 weeks) I cut my hair short and I have extremely naturally curly hair, my hair dresser suggested getting a curling iron to tame some of the curls. I haven’t owned a curling iron I think since the early 90′s. Again, Goodwill, brand new, and I love it. Actually, I love GoodWill, Aldi, Salvation Army, VOA, any 2nd hand store suites me fine.
Hmm, that’s an idea. I wonder if my thrift stores might have a hair dryer.
Perhaps freecycle??
Am currently on the lookout for a “new” to me hairdryer as the one I am using is second hand and is on the verge of dying. I have used many different hand dryers depending on who has an old one I can use and cheap vs pricey it doesn’t seem to matter.
I did find a “new” curling iron at GW for a wedding I and my daughter are in this summer, didn’t want to buy a new one for one or two days of fancy hairdoos.
If you line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper and dust the sides with flour your cake will always come out perfect.
Hi Kirsten! I`ve had a great hair dryer for 2 years now, a Philips SalonDry Control Hairdryer, which gives great professional results! I have long, thick hair which gets very static, and this hairdryer has been superb for my hair. It`s really durable, and has different settings, and it still feels like new after having been used a lot. Just thought I`d join in recommendation comments:-)
* I meant Kristen! OOooops!
Crumbled cake, whole cake, cakey bits goodness…it’s cake, it’s yummy, I’d eat it any way! It looks amazing as a fish too!
As far as hair dryers, I bought a BED HEAD hair dryer and I LOVE it, Helen of Troy version I think. I have had it for 4 years now and it is going strong. It is the best money I have spent without over spending on a hair tool. I found it at TJ Maxx and I think it was 30%less then at Target. I think I spent like $2oish. Anywhoo….it is the best for me and my semi-regular use(3or 4 times a week).
I do also have a conair one that my girls now use on occasion, but it does smell hot after it is used, it works but I think it makes their hair a little frizzy.
Here’s the Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Bed-Head-Bh407-Ionic-Turbo/dp/B003L0LWYY/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1361390402&sr=1-1&keywords=bed+head+hair+dryer
Kristen, I only use my hair dryer a few times a month, but I’ve had this fairly cheap one for probably 6+ years and can’t imagine I’ll have to buy a new one for another decade or so. Works great, no hot smell, and has enough settings that I don’t feel like I’m burning my hair while I blow. I also like the diffuser attachment when I choose to emphasize my slightly curly hair.
http://www.amazon.com/Conair-225R-Comfort-Tourmaline-1875-Watt/dp/B00132ZG3U
Also a Conair fan – my “Nano Silver” came from Costco a few years ago for $20-$25. Also came with a diffuser, which I use. The rear lint screen folds down for easy cleaning. Previous Conair lasted for 10+ years.
–Drove with my hubby and 2 dogs to VA to visit family
–Got to see our new grand-niece (they’re “grand” in our family, not “great”)
–Took many long walks
–Decorated my artificial Christmas tree with “sister gifts” received throughout the years. I love the tree so why not keep it up?
–Actually scheduled and carried out a “Winter Volleyball Game” in the snow. It’s been on my mind for many years since attending one. If you’ve never participated in one, you should. It’s so much fun in the snow.
Lately I…
1. Went to a local lecture sponsored by a local credit union and the League of Women voters on a rather interesting topic.
2. Had lunch with some friends from Wisconsin, which we just moved away from in November.
3. Went for a short, but fast, evening walk before I lost all daylight.
4. Ate a yummy meal of some jambalaya made with some cajun chicken sausage.
5. Happy that Dollar Tree had my frozen sliced strawberries again. (10 oz. for $1!) Was so annoyed that the past fews time I had been there they only had the whole strawberries and for some reason I don’t like the texture as much of the chunk frozen pineapple. Was a bit annoyed when Walmart didn’t have any strawberries in the store for me to price match the $1.25 a pound price at a local store that is too far for me to drive to.
6. Contemplating leaving a love note for my husband someday soon and where to leave it and what to say. Been a bit of a tough couple of months with our move from Wisconsin to Tennessee and my husband at one point yelled at me rather badly and hurt me.
7. Trying to really work on getting to know names at the church that I am attending and contemplating joining.
Best cake release. Equal parts flour, vegetable oil, shortening. Mix together until smooth and use a basting brush to spread in pan. For dark cakes, replace flour with cocoa. You won’t ever look back. For convenience you can also put parchment or wax paper on just the bottom of the pan.
I’m sorry to hear that things have been rough for you and your husband! I hate it when Mr. FG and I have a bump in our relationship.
The excitement of the day, was driving down the road two miles from home, and saw an ALDI store being built…right next to a Walmart Supercenter. Came home and Googled Aldi to see if I could find out when it will open…and came across many “down with Aldi”- type websites. Also found out that there is one devoted to blocking the building of this very Aldi store. What is up with that? The people behind this certainly weren’t successful, as it looks just about complete, and advertised ” now hiring”.
That’s so weird. I’ve heard of people trying to prevent new Wal-mart stores, but I can’t imagine why someone would be so opposed to an Aldi store!
Check for hair dryers at the Beauty Supply stores in your area (or online). I happened on a professional one at a garage sale, years ago, and it has more power, a longer cord than any I’ve had before, and it has lasted well. Can’t read the brand, sorry.
Professional cake tip: rather than greasing a cake pan line the bottom only with a circle of parchment (or any other) paper. ( I used to use brown paper bags) The cake bakes more level because the batter clings to the sides of the pan as it rises.After baking let it cool, run a dull knife around the sides, turn it out of the pan, & peel off the paper.
BTW very nice cooling racks.
Hair dryers are also needed to blow up inflatable guest beds and thaw out freezer parts (?my husband does something with mine?). I don’t like to go outside wet, either. I have had several types, and they either last a decade or quit in months. It didn’t seem to matter which brand; I wouldn’t pay much.
Just remembered: I had one for about 15 years called Double Duck brand (it’s what the closest store had). It went on and on.
I highly recommend the Rusk w8less hair drier. It’s very lightweight and super powerful. I never understood the appeal of a professional-grade hair drier until I got this one. It dries my hair in half the time that my old Conair one did!
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3540315
I am a cosmetologist, and love the new Chi computerized blow dryer, it dries your hair instantly
But I rarely ever dry my own hair, the dryer I have is actually one I picked up at Goodwill for $3. And it works just fine.
Could it be that you were just distracted holding a little baby while making cookies? Btw, that cake looks awesome!
Aww, thank you!