Finally Friday
Holy Mother of Pearl – do you have any idea how happy all of your delurking made me? It was like the clouds opened up and God showered me with Sweet Tarts ALL DAY LONG! Reading your messages made me grin out loud, if there is such a thing – and I know there is, since I did it. I learned of people that I had no idea existed, and heard from people that I knew existed but had no idea were frequent readers.
Thank you for reading this little blog. No, I’m serious. Thank you. Your sweet words throughout the years have been life to my soul, and your companionship, even just through this crazy internet contraption, has been such an encouragement. Plus – so many of you have great blogs yourself! I’m subscribing to all sorts of new ones after your delurking yesterday.
I made cookies last night, and I came up with a brilliant idea. You know how Crisco has started packaging their shortening in little blocks wrapped in paper, for easy measuring? Gone are the days of trying to level 1 cup of Crisco in a measuring cup, which only ever winds up giving you a lardy hand.
(Sidenote:
If I ever form a band, maybe we’ll call ourselves Lardy Hand?
The Lardy Hand Band?
No?)
So here’s my idea: what Crisco has done with shortening… someone needs to do that with peanut butter. Because it’s always the same dilemma. HOW is one supposed to gracefully and easily measure peanut butter without making a huge mess? I want my peanut butter in stick form!
You heard it here first.
Tonight, I am driving to Chattanooga to take part in a Special Edition Running Club. Tomorrow morning, we’ll run along the river, and then Josh’s mom Deb is making us breakfast. Free food has always been the way to my heart, and yes, I will drive 133 miles to get it.
The last time I was in Chattanooga was in September for a wedding. I drove down by myself, and stopped at the Wal-Mart to get a card to go with my gift. And walking out of the store, in front of God and rednecks and everyone, my wrap dress came unwrapped. Just fell open, right there in the parking lot. Let’s hope for better luck this time.
And finally, based on my life every single morning, something I would like to share.
Travel Mug – a little poem by Annie Parsons
Once
just once
I would like to discover
a travel mug that
does
not
leak
All over my lap
All over my life
Leaving behind
the evidence of
my addiction
and exposing me
as the sloven
I am.
share:
I have one wrap dress that is simply smashing. The only problem is that through some design flaw, it ALWAYS flaps open a little too much to maintain my modesty. So I can’t wear it. Sad.
But I don’t imagine you’ll wear a wrap dress for Running Club, so you should be okay. Good luck!
i give up on travel mugs.
I haven’t much problem with Starbucks’ travel mugs.
I am planning a “big move,” though not to Nashville. Hence the anonymity.
My friend bought me a travel mug from starbucks for christmas and it’s AWESOME. Theoretically it’s leak proof! (my friend even tested it and it passed, but I haven’t specifically tested it myself) Anyway, I love it. It looks like starbucks cup and the lid like a starbucks top. and somehow this really pleases my structured, organized, rule loving self. I’ll send you a link to it if I can find it online.
Happy Friday!
Stick peanut butter? I’d buy it. :)
Have a good trip, and Happy Friday.
Little Annie Parsons
I have one of these and it rocks! Never had a leak.
http://tinyurl.com/bkfj5z
I totally had that idea when I was little! My mom and I wrote to Jif about it even before crisco starting doing it with shortening. (oops, “doing it with shortening”? awkward!) they did not return our letter. (one time I wrote to general mills to ask what happened to the other bakers on cinnamon toast crunch boxes. there were three, then just one. they wrote me back and said that Wendall was the most popular). I always hated cooking with peanut butter. anymore I never measure it, I just eyeball it. which never causes any problems. I also had the idea to put it in a can like easy cheese. not as revolutionary, I think you would agree.
oh, and I guess this is me delurking. a broken computer is not making me very happy.
for REAL. Everytime I measure peanut butter I use half of it and lose half of it! Ps. I have found the perfect travel mug. I call it my rocket ship. It looks like one, and it gives me a boost (you know coffee get it) It is this guy http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/nissan-travel-companion-stainless-steel-insulated-bottle-4
It doesn’t spill! And I kid you not, it keeps stuff hot for almost an entire day.
I’m glad the de-lurking day made you smile!
I have not seen the Crisco in stick form — this is new. You know, a couple weeks ago, I saw POWDER peanut butter…you’re supposed to mix it with water or something. It was strange.
And, I hope your trip to Chattanooga goes infinitely better this time.
“The Lardy Hand Band” I think is a better name than “The Annie Parsons Project”, a name which I know makes you mad. I think you should go with it.
Although it’ll only work if your act is goofy, comic, hill-billie music. At least one band member will need to have an oversised front tooth that sticks out over their lip.
Travel mugs are the Devil! You need to adapt a squeeze-bottle for coffee if you are to realise you ambition of not spilling in the car.
1. I was going to delurk myself yesterday but I was crabby…and therefore didn’t feel like it.
2. I read your blog daily and LOVE it — I originally visited from Casey’s blog and just couldn’t stay away…amazing writing and many thoughts that resonate with how I’m feeling yet said way cooler!
3. Now I read Andy’s blog, so I should probably tell him as well…
4. I feel the travel mug pain – happens ALL the time. If you ever find the perfect travel mug, please blog about it so I can buy it.
5. Could all-natural peanut butter really be put into a stick? No…and that’s the best kind in my mind…as a cooking teacher though I still make my students scoop the shortening into cups – cheaper! :-)
Okay, there you go! Now I’m delurked!
Once I was watching Regis and Kelly (I know…) and Kelly was talking about Peanut Butter slices (like Kraft cheese slices, wrapped in the plastic stuff.) I don’t know how I feel about that.
FYI…
Crisco use to make peanut butter sticks as well….tried to find them for you and only came up with this:
http://www.crisco.com/MyCrisco/Messageboard/messages.aspx?TopicID=165
p.s. delurking
One of the many reasons I love John Mayer, despite himself, is that a couple years ago on his blog, he wrote about how there’s always like 27 knives in his sink, from making PB+J’s when he’s infrequently home. So he drew a mock up and sent it to Smucker’s, for 1-time use Peanut Butters, with tear-off tops… it was brilliant. You should combine efforts.
One of the books I was going to recommend to you, I found was under your favorite books on your profule. The History of Love. I adore that book. It’s so beautiful. Well, that aside, I do have some more.
Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield. It’s a memoir written by a writer of Rolling Stone magazine about the loss of his wife and their love of music. It has quite a few simply stunning passages. It’s funny and hard.
Lauren Winner is one of my favorite nonfiction writers. I first read her memoir Girl Meets God and fell in love with her honest and very smart style of writing. She has Jewish roots and Girl Meets God is about her conversion to orthodox Judaism then to Christianity. I also love her because I always secretly wished I were Jewish. If it weren’t for Jesus, I probably would be. Mudhouse Sabbath and Real Sex are her other books and both are good. Mudhouse Sabbath looks at Jewish traditions at their symbolism and why they’re still beautiful for us as Christians. Real Sex is a book about chastity as a communal act. It’s a bit heavier, but still accessible. It definitely makes you think.
As far as classics, Rebecca, Catcher and the Rye, Farenheit 451, and Night are favorites. That’s all I have for the top of my head. Let me know how you like them, should you read any of them. And go on and pass on yours.
I just had to do an enormous amount of catching up on your blog, Annie Parsons! And I have to say…I am full of good words and can rest peacefully tonight.
P.S. This is kind of old…but it is worth it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdzvU16rDSU&feature=PlayList&p=6BB5337B825A5B46&index=0&playnext=1
by the way, that was just a link to jim halpert (john krasinski) on ellen…thought it was funny :)
Like Janice, I use the all-natural peanut butter, which would NOT make a good stick. I usually just look at how many ounces are in the jar and estimate from there…
And for shortening? I use my Pampered Chef Measure-All Cup. Doesn’t everyone have one of these? It’s great for the non-all-natural peanut butter, too. You scoop in into the “solid” side of the cup and then just plunge it out! Nice ‘n clean.