Making Snowflakes

Oh my. Creat Your Own Snowflake. I have wasted way too much time on this site this morning. Actually I've gotten pretty good at making digital snowflakes and it is a heck of a lot less messy to do them this way rather than with paper and scissors.

If you enjoy making snowflakes the traditional way and are a bit snowflake impaired, here are some good templates and guidelines. You'll be making some beautiful snowflakes in no time.

Ruffalo or Ewanuick?

Anyone else see the resemblance between Mark Ruffalo from 13 Going On 30 and Fred Ewanuick from Just Friends?

Brothers? Or... cousins? Something?

My daughter has a recent infatuation with Just Friends and an old infatuation with 13 Going On 30 and we both noticed the resemblance right away. I knew it wasn't the same person, but she insisted on it for a bit. I had to google it to find out for sure. Curiosity was nagging at me.

Applying at Walgreens

So last week I put in an application at Walgreens.com. For some part-time work, days. Nothing too exciting. I'd like some experience (been a SAHM forever and spending money. It took about 20 minutes to fill out the application.

A few days later I get a call from a manager at a Walgreens other than the two I applied for. She asked if I would consider working at their location. I told her yes. She asked if I could come in, finish up the application there, that it would take about 20 more minutes. I told her I would be in early next week.

Finishing up the application happened to be on the "to do" list for today. So, an hour before the kids were to arrive home, I hopped in the car and ran over, hoping and praying that I wouldn't be too long and would be home in time.

I got to the store, asked the cashier for the manager. As I waited, I glanced around at the Christmas decorations, the customers. A woman walked up, right past me and to the cashier. She introduced herself to the cashier (weird, don't we employees know each other ??), who summoned her my way. I then introduced myself to her and initiated a handshake with her limp-as-a-fish hand. She said something inaudible and looked confused. As I followed her to the back room, she handed me off to someone else with not so much as a sentence fragment. I thanked her and followed lady number two.

She took me to a computer. "It doesn't work well, so I don't know... we'll see if we can get it to work. If it doesn't you might need to re-apply all over again." She wrestled with the computer. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and glanced around the room reallyreally NOT wanting to have to fill out that thing again and knowing that the only reason I would have to is because of the lady's ineptness. Out of the corner of my eye I could see she was extremely frazzled. Impatient. She had me enter my social security number and when I did the computer went to a blank screen.

"UGH!!" She threw her hands up and turned to the room behind her, having me follow her in there to a different computer which didn't seem to be co-operating either. "See, now this one isn't going to work either," she spat. This is the one we print all our signs on." She looked at me as if that was significant and turned back to type into it again. The caps were sticky. She was furious. "What are you applying for?" She turned to me.

"Oh, pharmacy, cashier. What's available?"

"Everything."

Uh...huh.

"See? UGH!! They don't work." I didn't respond, not knowing what to say. "When they do work, they're great, but when they don't..." A screen came up listing supplies. She closed it and tried to logon again. She shook her head and grabbed the phone on the wall. With controlled violence lacing her voice on the intercom, she called someone to the room. Within seconds a man appeared, listened to her complaint and swiftly logged on. Without turning to me he asked what hours and position I was applying for.

"Day-time, part-time."

He turned to me. "We don't have any part-time positions. All night and weekends."

Again. Not... quite sure what to say here. I looked from him to the blank stare of the manager, back to him. I felt a bit sorry for them as well as disgusted. This is the front-team representing their store? Thank goodness I'm not someone who really gives a crap. But man, after spending this 10 minutes in the back room I didn't even want to work there. If I did, it would have to be as manager to clear out the whole place and build it back up. Day-um.

I looked at their unapologetic (more like, can't believe you wasted OUR time) faces. I smiled. "The lady on the phone didn't mention that. Well. OK then. Have a good one!!"

I left. Without looking back. What an unappealing prospect for employment. I guess I fortunate enough to not really need that job. I truly feel for someone that would. For someone that would have had to get a sitter (or leave the kids home alone) bus across town, or waste what little gas they had only walk in that door, excitedly anticipating some hours and find that the management staff doesn't have it together enough to make the trip worthwhile. Puh-the-tic.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

This is a modified recipe. I tweaked it a bit to make it healthier (and tastier). Be prepared for your house to smell like Christmas. Yum. This bread is delicious the next day, too. Can freeze.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

1 16oz. can of pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar (I use raw)
1/2 cup mayo (the real stuff made with canola -- a sub can be shortening)
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
4 eggs

3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup chopped nuts
2/3 cup raisins
(I put in a small handful of flax seeds, but that is optional)

Heat oven to 350. Mix mayo, sugar. Add pumpkin, water, molasses, eggs and vanilla and mix well. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, cinnamon). Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and then add the nuts and raisins. Pour into loaf pans (this might fill 2 or 3 -- I use a cake pan or a large iron skillet). Cook until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 50 minutes or more). Cool before serving, if you can wait!!

Mittens In Progress

I started knitting this pair of mittens last year sometime. I finished one them relatively quick. Since I'm not a fast (or very skilled) knitter, I was very happy with the accelerated pace this whipped up in. But knitting a glove one year and finishing the pair the next is not a good idea. I used a pattern but modified it somewhat and didn't take the best notes. Of coarse.

On top of that I'm almost out of yarn. Gar. But I still like them and I'm determined to finish. I'll post the pattern once I figure out what the heck it is.