Baby Maverick

The past few days have been a bit easier - for me. You know Greg and I have to take turns having bad days. He had one today. Yesterday Chloe and I had lunch with some friends. I've done more cleaning - my chest of drawers and Chloe's side of the closet (Maddie's is already spotless). Next on the list: the window seat storage area in the living room, a couple of closets, and the linen closet at the end of the hall. Staying busy is key for me. If I'm still, whether driving or sitting somewhere - like lines for picking up kids - I start thinking about Mav and I get sad.

This evening after dinner I decided to make some pumpkin bread. I love pumpkin bread. If I go to Starbucks in the morning, I always get a piece. I tried a new recipe and changed it up a bit to make it a little healthier (added 1/2 whole wheat flour and some milled flax seed, and decreased the sugar a bit). I started on the recipe - put the sugar and oil in the bowl. Got out the eggs and realized I was two short. I hate it when that happens. I called a neighbor who wasn't home, then looked down at the can of pumpkin I had opened and realized it was the pumpkin pie mix... SO, then I decided to run to the store and get eggs and the right pumpkin. Did it. Got back home cracked the other eggs, mixed the flour mixture in, sprayed the pans (2 loaf pans and 6 muffins), poured it in, looked down and saw the can of pumpkin - it was still full of pumpkin. I should've stopped right there - if not earlier. I took the loaves out of the oven and poured the batter back into the mixing bowl, scraped the batter out of the muffin tins and added the pumpkin. Then we (Maddie was helping) washed all the loaf pans and muffin tins, sprayed them again, then poured the batter in. We decided to make a pumpkin pie since we already had opened the pumpkin pie mix can, so Maddie was in charge of that. The timer on the oven went off and the muffins were done. They turned out great. Carter, my picky eater, ate two of them! Then the next timer went off and the loaves were done. Took them out, let them cool a little in the pan, then flipped them out of the pans. One of them had gooey batter oozing out of it post-flip. I flipped it back in and cooked it some more, and some more. The other loaf was cooled, so I cut it in half, because I freeze them that way. When I cut into it, it oozed, too. Everything is sitting on the cooktop right now. I was tired of messing with it. I ended up with a dozen muffins, one loaf that I think is done, and another with the ends done, and a gooey center. I think the pie turned out okay.

As we were doing this, I said, "This is crazy." Maddie asked, "Mom, is that the craziest thing you've ever done?" I said, "No." She said, "Is it one of the craziest things you've ever done?" I said, "No." She said, "Really? I can't see you doing anything really crazy." To which I replied, "Good, I'm glad."

Enough for tonight, I'm ready to go to bed. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Love you all - jc