Note To Self On Grinding My Own Wheat:

It is so not worth it and should only be considered again if

A. am starving (strongly consider starving)

or

B. have located a grain mill that was manufactured in current century.

I think finding a better grain mill is key here. Any suggestions?

Wheat...It's Not Just For Bread

Although I've been making some pretty nice bread (I'm going to try Science Teacher Mommy's this weekend (with any luck) with wheat that I am planning to grind myself--very pioneer woman of me, right?) I have recently discovered that wheat flour is not just for bread. I know that you are thinking that you already knew that so just pat yourself on the back and let me enjoy my little moment in peace. Really, I did realize that wheat flour is good in stuff like pancakes (trying a recipe for this tomorrow) but did you know it is good in chocolate chip cookies? Skeptical? So was I until I made them and then ate at least a dozen all by myself. I would put a picture up here except they didn't really look very pretty--flat as a pancake would be the appropriate description--but I am working on some revisions to plump them up a bit so maybe soon. In the meantime I'm not feeling at all bad for eating a dozen chocolate chip cookies because right on the bag of whole wheat flour it said the flour was good for my heart and with heart disease being such a problem for women this days I was clearly only acting in a manner that is entirely healthy--don't be bursting my bubble.

p.s. I read over 1,000 pages over last weekend, and while I'm not entirely caught up I feel pretty comfortable about where I am.

Very Bad at the Game

So do you remember when I told you how much I enjoy checking my library account and trying to arrange my request list so that I get a few books of varying genres at a time? Well I have completely failed. I currently have 8 books checked out with three more waiting at the library for me--and I can only have several of these books for 2 weeks because they are so popular. Add to that this month's book group read (a nonfiction book) plus a nonfiction book that I've been reading since January and I have more books on my plate than I can handle. I feel rather guilty about having so many books out and yet there is a (probably very disturbed) part of me that hates to return a book before I've finished it.

What is all this leading up to? My excuse* for being a very bad blogger--I use books as my excuse quite often. Hopefully I can get things under control this weekend.

Until then, I wish you a happy weekend and give you Flogging Molly--that nonfiction book that I've been reading since the beginning of the year (but have been reading more steadily lately) is on the IRA in Northern Ireland so recently I've been channeling my inner, irreverent Irishman.

*There has also been a recent incident between a 3 year old and a laptop that resulted in the death of the laptop.

Over There

Congrats USA Soccer. Looking Forward to SA.

Man Candy Monday

Joe Mauer is so cute I could almost wish they had won last night just so I could watch him a bit longer--wouldn't he just fit so well in my list of five (Eddie Cahill, Viggo Mortensen, Hugh Jackman, Derek Jeter, and Iaon Gruffordd)? Too bad he is so very young.

Jazz at the Library

Dixieland Jazz to be more specific. There was no shushing that night--even if there were you wouldn't have been able to hear it. I know some people in the library thought it was odd to have a loud jazz band playing, but I thought it was a perfect combination. After all, a library is a place that preserves ideas and jazz music is the idea of America set to music.

I love my library!

I'm Back

Sorry it took so long. I picked up Catching Fire and made it just a couple of chapters in before I had to put it down. Not because I wasn't liking it, but because I just couldn't get the book I was in the process of reading when I opted to put it down in favor of Catching Fire out of my mind. You see, it was making me swoon and I was very much enjoying that--plus I put it down at a pretty crucial point in the book and I wanted to find out what happened. (That book, by the way, is called Heir to Sevenwaters and while I didn't care at all for the ending I quite liked the swooning)

Anyway, I eventually did get back to Catching Fire and was entirely blown away (and really once I got through a couple more chapters you couldn't even pry this book from my hands). I want to say more but I fear that if I do I'll give something away and that would be unforgivable. What I will say is you must read this book (start with Hunger Games of course). It was such a fantastic, wonderful, good read. And then let's talk.

Gone for the Weekend

I am now in possession of this book:

I trust that you will be completely understanding of me when I say I won't be back for a couple of days and forgiving of me when I say leave me alone.