How did all that happen?

I love my Japanese Maple.  The other one didn't make it through our cold winter.

My boys and I have just completed the Oddest Spring Break On Record. 
We did not go anywhere exciting. 
We did not go anywhere at all. 
Instead, they both got sick with that nasty cold that's going around.
But each and every day I still had to get up at 6am to take my daughter to her school, which was not on Spring Break, and won't be until the last week of the month.  After Easter.   Anyone else find this odd?


Plenty of opportunity to get my Spring Break To Do List done done done.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. 

This was my To Do List For Spring Break - paint my bathroom cabinet (it started raining - paint takes forever to dry), shoot photos for class final, reschedule daughter's doctor appointment, schedule my own eye doctor appointment, schedule dentist appointments for all the kids, make 2011 files (yes, I'm aware we're in the 2nd quarter of the year, so what?), empty desk files that I ignore into the file cabinet in the garage.

What I did do was...hung out with my sister in law (hi Karie!), saw my friend who lives an hour away (hi Michelle!), and well....I'm not sure exactly what else I got done.  I did P90x most days.  So I can be proud of that right?  Oh, and I bought a lot of cold medicine and Kleenex and tended to 2 sick young men.  They need a lot of attention when they're sick, those young men do.

It's okay though, this odd Spring Break, because one of the big advantages of not being beholden to the public school system and its schedule, is that we'll take some days in the next week or so and do something fun! And exciting! 
At least we'll leave the house.

Around 7:45am today, before the rain, wind and hail.

So on this last day, of this odd Spring Break week, not only did it shine bright sun, pour rain, blow major howling wind gusts and hail, I found I was completely, totally, fully, completely, distinctly, commitedly unmotivated.  Hiding out.  Hibernating.  I did not want to.  Anything.    Period.

But as I write this at 9:57pm I realize I...

...did 3 loads of laundry, despite my best intentions to leave the washer alone.

...changed my Firefox Persona from a hot pink girly one to Homer Simpson sleeping in his tighty whities with donuts on his belly.

...paid our homeowners insurance premium and updated the checkbook.

...gathered up and took even more photographs of my gnarliest pet.

...wrote the ungrateful pet her own blog post.

...remembered to make the chili for dinner.

...cleaned our house because my daughter is having friends over for a movie night.

...took a shower and, mind you, it was not a minute past 4:03pm, don't think it was.

...retrieved my son, heard him out, decided he wasn't really in as much trouble as I thought he might be in. 

...went to the grocery to pick-up movie night type snacks for the girl and her friends, because sometimes I'm nice like that.

...got home in time to make my favorite cornbread.

Apparently even when I'm lagging...I am woman, hear me ROAR!  

I bet you are too.

Even if you're a dude.

Make this Sweet Cornbread.  It's better than Marie Callendar's.  And the recipe is straight off the Alber's Corn Meal box side panel.  If you prefer the unsweet, baked in the cast iron skillet, kind of corn bread, I'm not sure what to say about that besides come on over to the sweet side of life.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine these dry ingredients in a medium bowl:

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set aside.


Combine these wet ingredients in a small bowl:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk (I always use nonfat because it's what we drink.)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons butter, melted.

Grease an 8" round cake pan.  If you use Crisco, you will get a nice little crisp edge that's divine.  You can also use spray oil, but the edge is not as fab.

Add the well combined wet ingredients to the well combined dry ingredients.  Stir just until blended.  Pour into pan and bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes then cut into wedges and have a little cake disguised as cornbread with your dinner!

I will be prom dress shopping tomorrow,
~S