Backsies Is What There Is Not: Zac Efron

I confess: I have not opened my laptop or read one, single blog post this entire week. I've spent most of the week in my kitchen, up to my elbows in flour, but I WILL I WILL I WILL get caught up. I will.

On with the show. It's time for Ten Things of Thankful, and it starts right here:

1. I am thankful I am not a caterer. I provided homemade snacks to my daughter's show choir during their choreography camp this week. It was something I wanted to do, but HOLY COW, it was a lot of work. Monday, I made cinnamon rolls. Tuesday, I made cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar and peanut butter, because someone's going to ask). Wednesday was brownies and butter pecan blondies. Thursday, I made muffins (chocolate chocolate chip, blueberry, almond poppyseed, banana, pumpkin, and applesauce). Then Friday, I decided to make pizza pinwheels and garlic pinwheels. Which was when I came to the conclusion that I would never be a caterer. I realized, very nearly too late, that I was never, never, EVER going to get them all baked in my one oven in time for the snack break (9:45 a.m.), so I loaded everything into the car and took it all up to my church/preschool, where I used the convection oven and still barely got it all done in time. Well, CLOSE to time. It was more like 10:00, but who's counting?

2. The show choir kids were very appreciative of all the snackies I brought to them. They're a good bunch, and from what little I heard of them practicing, they are going to kick some show choir booty during competition season.

3. Several of the kids came up to my daughter and asked if her mom cooked like this all the time. She looked them dead in the eye and said, "No." Well, at least I didn't raise a liar.

4. Wednesday evening, while I was baking a bazillion muffins, my son sat in the kitchen with me for three hours and kept me company. I really like that kid.

5. I bought a big ol' jug of bubblebath and plan to park my keister in the bathtub for many a long, soaky bath. I do love my big bathtub!

6. Zac Efron. I don't care who you are, he's hawt.

7. One of the cats (my money is on Fletcher) yakked up a hairball ONTO SOME NEWSPAPER THAT WAS ON THE FLOOR. I don't even care that I was saving that piece of newspaper because it had a coupon for a free cup of queso at Cafe Del Rio. HE HIT THE PAPER, NOT THE RUG. Thanks, buddy.

8. My son has to perform community service as a requirement of his scholarship, so my husband put him to work as a fill-in this week at the front desk of the Red Cross office. It's out of his comfort zone to answer the phone, so this is very good for him. Best part? He has no idea how to use the "hold" button. Good thing it's a small office and doesn't get too many phone calls!

9. Pimiento cheese sandwiches on wheat toast. There's just something about putting cold pimiento cheese spread onto the hot toasted bread that is delicious and comforting.

10. My daughter and I are getting ready to try something that we hope will be a wonderful experience for the entire family, cats included (although I'm not really holding out hope that the cats will be thrilled). We're very excited about it, but - shhhhh! It's a secret for now! You'll have to wait and find out all about it next week!

And now, since I didn't take any pictures to illustrate much of anything on my list, here are some of Ruby, just because I lurrrrve herrrrrr.