When life gives you lemons

I had a weekend filled with disappointments both minor and major. I don't tend to dwell on such things but instead just soldier on. Still, sometimes the sheer number of disappointments and irritations start to get you down.



On Saturday, I decided to drive to the nearest Trader Joe's (about an hour away) to stock up on baking and Thanksgiving supplies. I found many yummy things, of course, including our turkey. This turkey was the number one recommendation by Cooks Illustrated and I was pretty happy to find it. Sadly, I also found out that Trader Joe's no longer carries their UFOs. UFOs are mint chocolate drops that are a favorite of my youngest son and, sadly, there just is no substitute. If anyone can find UFOs at their local TJ's I'd be happy to pay to have you ship them to me.

When I got home, Youngest Boy and I decided to take a trip to the local animal shelter. I had heard that they were over run with 154 cats and Youngest Boy decided that maybe he was ready to get a new kitty. We found a beautiful little three year old cat named Marla who Youngest Boy just loved. Unfortunately, because of their paperwork requirements we could neither touch her nor be approved to take her home. Youngest Boy was crushed and cried all the way home. He has vowed never to get another kitty. I was just angry and I understand how they remain with 154 cats when they make it so difficult to take one home.

While I was at the shelter, Mr. Baseball left a message on my cell phone to tell me my van wouldn't start. I was able to call my wonderful garage today and have it towed there. They called about an hour ago to let me know that it's the fuel pump. Things could be worse but it's still going to cost about $500 to fix. Ugh!

There are a number of ways to handle stress but two of my favorites are baking and eating. This morning, while waiting for the tow truck to arrive, I figured I'd make some cookies. I started with peanut butter cookies but after Middle Boy cleaned his room without complaining I realized I needed to make cookies that he likes (alas, the lad does not care for peanut butter). So, while waiting for the phone call from the garage, I whipped up a batch of Snickerdoodles.



So we don't have any UFOs or a new kitty and while the van will soon be fixed I'm not sure how we'll pay for it. Nonetheless, the house smells wonderful and I'm feeling better as I sip my tea and eat a snickerdoodle or two.