Recent Faux Pas
Ah, you know those weeks where everything goes super smoothly? This has not been one of them. It’s only Wednesday and I’ve had several mishaps. Let’s start with Sunday… Well, let’s go back several weeks. I was rushing through Target one day and I grabbed this cute Christmas shirt: I love how cheerful it looks, so I’ve been wearing it even though the shape is a little boxy. On Sunday I wore it to the store, to the mall, and then at night we had a work meeting (I know, work on Sunday night??? It’s the only time that we’re closed and everyone can attend.) I decided to wear my Joyful shirt, because meetings after-hours are very casual. As soon as I walked in, one of my coworkers said, “Oh, I have that same top! My entire family is wearing them for our “Christmas pajamas” picture this year.” Wait. What? Where EXACTLY in Target did I get this shirt? I cast my mind back… yes, it was right in the front, with the… pajamas. When I got home I looked at the tag to confirm, and yep- it says “Women’s sleepwear.” I especially love how I was AT WORK when I realized I was wearing a pajama top. Oops. Moving right along! On Monday, the tire pressure light in my car was on. My husband usually puts air in my tires, but he’s been extremely busy lately so I didn’t want to bother him. I don’t do it often, so I’m a little insecure about this task, but once I got started it all came back to me. Just as I was finishing, a woman asked for my help. She was trying to put air in her tires using another machine and it wasn’t working. I have to admit I felt a little smug- not only did I get the air in my tires but someone was actually asking me for advice! I suggested that she use my machine instead, as I was done. I got in my car and started to pull away… when I realized I had forgotten to put all the caps back on the tire stems. I was slightly less smug as I went back to retrieve them and put them on, while the other woman was now waiting impatiently to use my air machine. Ha ha, wouldn’t it have been funny if I forgot all about them? I asked my husband how long it would take for all the air to run out of my tires, and he said it doesn’t work like that. They’re not actually holding the air in, they’re just there to protect the stem. Well, darn. That’s not quite as dramatic as me coming out of work to find four completely flat tires. Anyway, the next mishap involves cookie baking, and I want to make it clear that this was my fault, and not the fault of the recipe- because I don’t want to throw anyone’s grandmother under the bus. Earlier this week, Nicole shared her recipe for Grandma’s Gingersnap Cookies. They sounded so delicious that I had to make some! I followed the recipe, making my usual substitutions to make them vegan. The recipe calls for two eggs, which made me hesitate a little. I usually have a “one egg limit” on recipes, because it gets a little iffy if you’re trying to substitute for too many eggs. But I forged ahead, using a flax egg substitute (one tablespoon ground flaxseed and three tablespoons water per egg) and refrigerated the dough as directed. When it was time to bake, the batter seemed a little soft…. but I decided to try one batch. The cookies smelled DELICIOUS, but came out very, very flat. ARG! I must have gotten too much water in the batter… so I added more flour. The second batch was better but still too flat, so I added a little more flour, and voila! The last batch came out “chewy, addictive and magical” as promised. In case you’re wondering what’s going to happen to all the flat cookies… don’t worry. My daughter and husband see nothing wrong with them and are eating them happily. But I’m glad I got one batch that taste AND look good, in case I want to give some as gifts. Thank you, Nicole! Am I going to have one of those weeks with one snafu after another? Or will I be able to turn it around? More importantly, now that I’ve been wearing pajamas in public, will I just say “screw it!” and continue to wear the Joyful shirt? It’s possible. Very, very possible.