Sunday Salon: Flour on my iPod

 Good morning, and praise the Lord it is the end of the week!  What a crazy week.  Well, I got my sick kid back to school, so that was a bonus!  I got my 8th grade tribute page done, so that was a double bonus.  And I spent most of the week focused on the Chili Cookoff competition that happened last night.  All 8th grade parents have to be involved in running it (getting auction items, decorating, setting up credit card machines, setting up tables, etc.) plus we all have to bring a pot of chili.  As I told you last Sunday, we decided to make a Polish version that started with a recipe from the Neely's, added kielbasa, deleted the beans (I hate beans), and served with a small potato-filled pierogie.  So for three days, I made pierogies.  At last count I had about 170 or 180 of them.  I made it through this exercise with a sound mind thanks to my audio books.  I had flour and dough everywhere...in my hair, in my fingernails, on my clothes, on my iPod, in my ears.  What a mess.  As you can see, I also humiliated my daughter by wearing some Polish garb including a flower tiara.  (And that look on my face? That is the smile of the weary and deranged.)  But the event was a success - we raised over $6,000 and the Polska Pierogie Chili was very popular.  If I can pull my act together, I will do a post next Saturday for Weekend Cooking and tell you exactly how I made it!

I also attended the first of many meetings as a member of the planning committee for our Adult Literacy League event next spring.  We are excited to have Lisa See as a guest author this time around, and are hoping we will have our best year ever!

Another dominant theme in our house this week was football.  My son's team has clinched the first seed in their division and will get a bye on the first round of playoffs.  They won their last game of the regular season yesterday, which means they enter the playoffs undefeated.  We kick into high gear for the last two weeks of October, and seeing how far we can take it.  I get so competitive and wound up, I embarrass my family I think.

Like I said, because I was making pierogies all week, I got to spend quality time with my earbuds, and I finished "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline.  Guys, can I just tell you that I loved this audio with all my heart?  I loved Wil Wheaton as the narrator, I loved the creativity and the nod to the '80's culture, and no doubt will be one of the top audios for the year.  I'm now about halfway through "Model Home" by Eric Puchner, and I'm half entertained, half horrified by this American family in a total state of demise.

My frustration builds with the fact that I've been able to do very little actual reading this week, but I was able to almost finish "The Night Strangers" by Chris Bohjalian, a totally atmospheric and very freaky read.  This is exactly the type of book you need to be reading at this time of year.

I also wanted to bring an event to your attention, the brainchild of my friend Molly Bumble.  Molly recently had a baby and is finding it next to impossible to get through her reader these days, so she has organized "Reclaim Your Reader" week.  Mark your calendars for November 14th through the 18th, where we will unilaterally halt all posting and review-writing and make our way through our poor neglected readers.  (Ahem, there are prizes involved...) And check out her cute little ninjas, ready to do your bidding.  Sign up and join the fun!   

 

Today we are churching, horseback riding, and birthday partying.  And being relieved that one major event is behind me.