Forgetful

This week I have forgotten and/or missed at least three important things.

First, on Friday afternoon I thought I'd better get out Berry Boy's Parent/Teacher Interview schedule so that I could put our time and date on the calendar. Our interview was on Thursday. The day before. We totally missed it.

Then, on Friday night, as I was about halfway to the city with some friends for Really Big Group Date Night, I realised that I had forgotten my printout for my movie tickets that I had purchased online.

Then, on Saturday, at around noon (when all the stores in town were closed for the day) I realised that Berry Boy had a birthday party to attend...today...in an hour. And we had no gift. And I hadn`t RSVP'd. And Berry Boy really wanted to go. Really. I think it turned out ok, but that poor boy got a fairly lame present *sigh*

I'm going to blame the Bronchitis. Or the baby. How long do you get to blame decreased brain function on a baby anyway? 2 years? 13?

Thankful Thursday

I have a special list today. I thought it could wait until Mushy Monday, but it just really can't. So here goes:
I am thankful, as always, for that first cup of strong black coffee made from freshly ground beans in my stainless steel thermal coffee press (and no, being thankful for coffee never gets old, especially when Berry Baby is determined to have excruciatingly long night wakings at odd hours of the night...I will never be tired of being thankful for coffee)

For antibiotics to take care of Bronchitis, and for not sweating, shivering, and aching the night away last night for the first time in the last week

But MOSTLY, today I am thankful for Berry Guy.
I am thankful for our (almost) 10 years of marriage
I am thankful for marrying a man who loves God, who loves me, and who is an amazing father to our boys
I am thankful that he is amazingly thoughtful
And I am thankful that he totally cannot keep a gift secret for any length of time, which is why I get to wear this...
...already, even though our 10th anniversary isn't until February.
I am thankful for the thought that he put in to having this made just for me - 10 stones for 10 years of wedded bliss *wink*, 3 of which are the October birth stone (because he and both the boys were all born in October) - the largest one for him, the medium one for Berry Boy, and the smaller one for Berry Baby.
I'm thankful that he still, after 10 years, calls me "precious" - and makes me feel so.


"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth...Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together" (Ps. 34:1 & 3)

Ridiculously Good Recipes

I would like to present to you, the best (in my humble opinion) shortbread cookies ever (besides the Toblerone ones, obviously).

Super simple, very easy to make, and melt-in-your-mouth goodness that is best savoured with a hot cup of fresh brewed coffee or latte (but aren't most dessert-type things best savoured with coffee?)

You will need:

1/2 C Cornstarch

1/2 C Icing Sugar

1 C Flour

1 C Butter (no substitutes here - go for the good stuff)

Sift together the cornstarch, icing sugar, and flour. Have butter at room temperature.

Cream the butter slightly before adding the rest of the ingredients - the butter should be quite soft.

Mix all together in a mixmaster.

Make the dough into small balls, about 1" - the recipe says to flatten slightly with a fork, but I find this impossible to do so I just leave them as balls - you could flatten them slightly in your hand as you're rolling them.

Place on parchment paper (or, if your cookie sheets are in better shape than mine, on ungreased cookie sheets).

Bake @300 for 20-25 minutes

If the dough is hard to work with because it's too soft, put it in the fridge for half an hour to firm it up. In fact, having just made these, you will pretty much have to chill the dough a bit as it is quite soft - it will be very light and fluffy in texture, so a bit of time in the fridge is best for handling it.

And then you will have these...

What they lack in appearance, they more than make up for in texture and taste. Absolutely melt-in-your-mouth. mmmmmmm.

Terrible Tuesday

Take two Advil Liqui Gels

go to sleep for 3-4hours, until Advil wears off

get up because you're too achy and chilled to sleep (even though you're wearing two layers of clothing)

take two more Advil Liqui Gels

hack and cough

begin sweating

go back to sleep

repeat - at least until 4am at which point: spend an hour with Berry Baby trying to get him to go back to sleep and not to wake his brother, decide that patting him to sleep in your bed would be more comfortable than patting him to sleep whilst standing by his crib, get him to sleep on your chest, roll him into the middle of the bed and have him kick you in the back for the remainder of the night while whacking his dad repeatedly in the face with his hand...

feel annoyed in the morning that Berry Baby is still sleeping while you have to get up to get Berry Boy ready for the bus

lose all sense of *mad* when Berry Baby sits up in your bed, smiles his cheeky, sleep-flushed smile at you with a little chuckle, and decide all is forgiven

have a 3hour nap with Berry Baby starting at 9:45am

pray to not repeat this sequence of events in any way tonight

Mushy Mondays

Berry Boy

I love the way you can play forever with your lego, even if it means that your Lego is scattered all over my antique buffet which really kind of mars the whole "adults-live-here" thing, but is necessary to keep it out of Berry Baby's chubby hands so I let it go...because it's worth it to have you so occupied for such long periods of time, talking to yourself and making the Batman guy talk to the Skeleton guy...

I love (and hate) your enthusiasm for Cutting Stuff Out. You could spend hours cutting out cars, batman, really any picture you think is "cool" and you're getting really good at it. Not so good at the cleaning-up-after thing...

you made me laugh...
-when I found you sitting on the toilet with a book in hand, doing a little "toilet reading" - apparently we're related after all...
-when you saw a boy on TV who had had heart surgery and you asked me what was wrong with him, and I said he was sick, and you contemplated that for a second and then said "probably had too much sugar"

Berry Baby

You make me laugh when I see you sitting in your brother's desk at home, all proud of yourself for being able to climb up there and sit like a big boy, and that you can get on and off and on and off repeatedly for 45 minutes.

I giggle when I see you giving me your "new" cheeky, one-eye-kind-of-winking smile that you seem to reserve specifically for the camera
I love snuggling with you at the end of the day, when you're fresh and clean from your bath and drinking your bottle while we sit in the dark in your bedroom. Those are sweet moments for me.

you make me laugh when you walk around swiffering the floor with great purpose and throw a fit when anyone tries to take the swiffer away

Berry Guy

you make me laugh when I hear you singing to the boys - because you are completely tone deaf and you change key approximately 10 times per verse...but they love it anyway and I love it too.

I love it that you help with the dishes and do the cutlery because you know that I hate doing the cutlery

Blessed

I'm sitting at my desk at home, working (like "Job" working), listening to Berry Baby, who is sitting on the office floor near me, "read" The Very Hungry Caterpiller to himself...and I just have an extremely full heart.
I'm so blessed to be able to be here, working from home, because otherwise I would be missing the hilarious and sweet and precious sound of Berry Baby "reading" beside me.
God has been good to me.

I edited my post...

Just in case any of you wanted to actually make the fudge, I thought I'd better include a list of ingredients and amounts...
I've edited the post to show those things.

Ridiculously Good Recipes

Just in case you thought that we were at the end of our Toblerone Holiday recipes, I thought I'd better post this one right away so that we could get it over with. You know, like ripping off a band-aid.
Come on, you know you want it.

I present to you (and to your hips and thighs):

No-Bake Toblerone Cheesecake

(just when you thought it couldn't possibly get worse)

Oh yeah. And it tastes every bit as good as it looks.
The great thing (or should I say, one of the great things) about this cheesecake is that it's a no-bake, so when your oven is all busy baking stuff like turkeys and stuffing, you can still be whipping up this delectable little jewel.
It's creamy, it's smooth, it's un. be. lievable.

1 1/4C Oreo Baking crumbs
1/4C butter, melted
2 pkg (250g each) Cream Cheese, softened
1C Smooth Peanut Butter
1C sugar
2 bars (100g each) Toblerone, divided
1 1/2C thawed Cool Whip topping

MIX the crumbs and the butter and press firmly into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Refrigerate 10min.

BEAT the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Chop one bar of the chocolate and stir it into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in 1Cup of the Cool Whip. Spoon the mixture over the crust and refrigerate 3hours.

MICROWAVE the remaining 1/2C Cool Whip and 1bar of chocolate on HIGH for 1min. Stir until chocolate is melted and well blended. Cool slightly, then pour over the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
(from: Kraft What's Cooking; Festive 2006)

now, how easy is that?
Next week we'll start on the cookies (insert evil laugh *here*)

Ridiculously Good Recipes

For this installment of Ridiculously Good Recipes: Christmas Edition, I present to you....

Toblerone Fudge

I would like to apologise in advance for this one. I'm very, very sorry for the weight you will gain making and eating this fudge. So sorry. I would also like to say, that if you have not already purchased a ginormous bar of Toblerone from Costco, then you may want to get one. Or two. If they're still there. I bought two, and I'm afraid it won't be enough (mostly because we picked at one until it was just about gone...there is now approximately 500grams of Toblerone chocolate located on my hips and thighs).

Let's begin.

You will need:
1/2C Sugar
1/2C Butter (not margarine)
3/4C evaporated milk
1 bar (400g) of Toblerone

LINE 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, with ends of paper extending over sides of pan; set aside. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan.

BRING to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD chocolate; stir until completely melted. Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Remove fudge from pan, using parchment paper handles. Cut into 25 squares. Store in tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
(from: Kraft Canada What's Cooking; Festive 2006)

*tip: when you cut the fudge, it helps to wipe the knife blade with a damp or wet cloth between each cut so that you have nice clean cuts each time. Otherwise the creamy goodness of the fudge builds up on the blade and makes cutting a bit messy. OR, you can simply lick the fudge off the knife each time...but that would be gross. So use your finger instead.

This is a super easy fudge to make, and it is better than ANY fudge that I have EVER made. Now, I've only ever made one other kind of fudge, but seriously, this stuff is DEADLY. I can't keep it around long enough to serve to guests, it just disappears.

I'm a Bad Bad Person...

So. In my quest to become Super Fast Running Girl (by which I mean running anywhere under a 10 min mile - which, for those of you who don't know better, is not that fast) I have run exactly ZERO times since that almost-devastating Jingle Bell Run. Yep. I'm well on my way to setting records...for inactivity maybe.

First, I thought I'd take a day or two off. Which lingered on into 4 days, and then 5...and then I decided that the next day I was going to run for sure, and immediately came down with a hum-dinger of a cold. And not just a *cold*, but a *cold* which is accompanied by a limitless amount of gross stuff in my chest that I can never really get rid of. And in my nose. Where does all this stuff come from anyway?

So today I was *chatting* (in an on-line sort of way) with my running friend (see Jingle Bell Run above) and she said she wasn't feeling so great, and I said that I hadn't run at all since the race, and she said good, because she had run once and had promptly felt like throwing up after.

*smirk*

Here's where I am a bad bad person. I'm not feeling sympathetic. Or even empathetic. Oh no. I'm feeling glad. Happy even. Really, really happy that her run was so hard that she wanted to puke. Apparently, I have no desire to see her succeed.

What is wrong with me?

I'm secretly thinking to myself (well, not so secretly now since it's now on my blog...) good, that will make it SOOOO much easier for me to surpass her and beat the pants off of her in Spring.

I'm just going to keep gloating for a while. Until I get back on my treadmill again...because when I do I'll probably want to throw up too.

SA (Sweaters Anonymous)

I have sweater issues.

There, I said it. I think the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem right?

I have been to the Gap no less than 3 times in the last 5 days. Which is remarkable, because I can't remember the last time I actually made it to that particular mall...in fact I can't remember the last time I didn't buy clothes at the same place I buy my groceries, but I digress.

I have a wonderful friend who gave me a 30% coupon for the Gap. The Gap is my favourite clothing store the way that Starbucks is my favourite coffee place. So you know that has to be something.

Anyway, I went out with said friend on Friday night and picked out a wonderful, camel brown turtleneck sweater like this:

And I looked that good in it *snort*. It's gorgeous, and I loved it. Until I got it home, admired it, and found that the neckline was unravelling.

So back to the Gap I went to exchange my lovely sweater...except there were no more in that color in my size. *sigh* So I upgraded to the cardigan sweater that I'd been eyeing the last time...

Not camel brown, but a lovely versatile grey. And I was thrilled...until I got home and tried it on again, and realised that it was too big. It looked baggy, not quite the look I was going for.

So back to the Gap I trotted to exchange this lovely grey cardigan for another lovely grey cardigan one size smaller. Which they didn't have. But they did have the smaller size in the lovely camel brown...

It's gorgeous, it fits well, it's brown (I love brown).

Only now, back at the ranch (so to speak) I am trying it on again and now I'm worried that it hits me in the wrong place on the hip and accentuates a width that I was attempting to de-accentuate (if that's a word?)...I just can't win. What I need is a clothing consultant, really. Or an honest friend...or limitless cash, so that it wouldn't matter if I didn't love the sweater to death (because these days when I shop at the Gap, it has to be worth it and I need to really really love it)...someone come to my house and help me before I have to return yet another sweater

Ah, the weary drudgery of it all...

"Work at Home" sounds a lot easier than it is turning out to be.

I like work. Or I should say, I like my job. I like going there for the mere 4hours per day, 2 days per week that I am there. And when I'm there, I'm there. I like being there, I'm focussed on the work, and I'm loving it.
I like being at home too. I love being with my kids, taking the time to run, getting stuff done like dishes and laundry (well, I don't really like it, but it feels good to get that stuff done and to know that the house is orderly and clean...ish).

The problem is, I'm all gung-ho when I'm at the office, but as soon as I get home, *poof*, I don't want to bother...because home-stuff is right in front of me - the dishes that need washing, the sticky spots on the floor that need wiping, the grocery list that needs tweaking...and on and on. The kids need attention, supper isn't making itself, Berry Boy has skating lessons, we all have Small Group, and suddenly the 20hrs/week of work that I want to put in are vanishing before my eyes.

I'm just not sure how to reconcile my desire for "work" with my desire for "home". They seem to be at odds with each other.
I'm getting frustrated.

Tagged by Chris...

Chris tagged me for this (so exciting, it's the first time I was "tagged" for anything - lol), so here you go...

I am...sweaty. I perspire. A lot. I sweat when I'm nervous. when I'm excited. when I run. really a lot when I run, like looking-like-I-just-showered-wet-hair kind of sweaty. I hate it. And Berry Boy, bless his little heart, has unfortunately inherited this trait from me. poor thing.

I want...to be able to stop yelling at the boys. I think I'm a yeller, and I really don't want to be.

I have...no self control when it comes to good food - if it's there, I'll eat it. and probably have seconds. I just promise myself that I'll run it off later *shrug*

I wish...that my house could sometimes look like adults lived in it - that the blankets could just stay on the beds instead of being dragged all the way to the living room, that the floor would look clean and not sticky, and that the toys would not be scattered hither and yon from one end of the house to the other...or that I had a housekeeper...

I know...that I am blessed beyond measure when I hear my boys giggling and playing, when Berry Baby runs to me with a huge smile and his chubby arms reaching up, when Berry Boy comes to my side and wraps his arms around my waist and says "I love you" out of the blue, when I snuggle into a warm bed beside a warm husband who loves me in spite of myself.

I hate...that hour before supper, when everyone (including me) is tired and getting hungery, and we're all kind of crabby and I'm just trying to get supper ready with Berry Baby clinging to my pant leg and Berry Boy asking repeatedly for a snack and negotiating what kind of snack he could have (as if that would change my mind)...

I fear...the dark (I know I know...but even still as an adult, it kind of creeps me out)

I hear...that caffeine is good for you - especially for running. Something about perceived exertion and endurance...whatever, I'll take it.

I crave...structure and routine. I need it, and it's probably what will make working from home a big challenge for me. And I'm not so great at creating it for myself. But I know I'm always most at ease when there's a good routine in place and things are working out, which is why when my boys were/are small, I work so hard to get them onto a good eating/sleeping routine, or a good bedtime routine. Now if I could just get myself onto a good routine...

I search...for better ways to deal with my own frustration, so that I can teach my boys better ways to deal with theirs

I always...order the same thing at Starbucks - it's either a Caramel Macchiato (grande, triple shot, half sweet, extra hot, low fat) or an Americano Misto (tall, triple shot). Anytime I decide to be adventurous and try something new, I always wish I'd just ordered my usual.

I usually...take until around 10am to be really "up". Like Chris, I wake up grumpy most days and have a husband who wishes I didn't (because he is all chipper and energetic in the morning)

I am not...a "collector" - I hate having junk laying around the house that I am not *allowed* to throw away because we just might need it someday for something. Clutter is my nemesis, and it's names are Berry Guy and Berry Boy

I miss...going to running club in the city when we lived there - there's not much that I miss about city life, but I do miss that - running along the river paths with a group of people who are enjoying the experience as much as me and understand things like "tempo run" and "negative splits" and don't laugh when you say "fartlek"

I love...coffee. and ice cream. and coffee ice cream. *drool*

I never...go to the city without stopping at least once at Starbucks

I rarely...take more than two days to read a book, not because I'm skimming but because the stories usually take me in so much that I can't put the book down and I just have to know how it all ends.


I cry...not very often, but at sad movies, or at sad episodes of Private Practice, but for sure when I have PMS or am pregnant (stupid hormones)

I lose...my temper way too often, and too often at the boys.

I should...spend waaay more time nuzzling and tickling and squishing Berry Baby's soft, chubby tummy and arms and legs - what's more lovely than a bare chubby baby? - this time is going to go way too fast and before I know it his toddler belly will be gone *sniff*

I worry...that I am not a very good mother, that we are making terrible mistakes raising the boys, that one will think that we love the other more, that they will pick wives that I will not like, that my weight isn't where I want it to be, that I'm not running fast enough or far enough...

I dream...of running a sub-55min 10K, or a sub-2:05 half-marathon. If I were really dreaming, I would take another 5min off of each of those, but a girl has to be a little realistic...

so, I guess I am supposed to tag someone else, but my options here are a bit limited as I have a readership of, oh...5? maybe 6? (it's grown from 2). So, I tag Becky and Prairie Chick, if you're in.

Ridiculously Good Recipes

Yeah baby - first snow has come and gone, so it's officially the season of Toblerone - I mean chocolate - I mean Christmas. What I mean to say is, IT'S CHRISTMAS BAKING TIME!!!!

Oh yeah...time to gain some weight *snicker* (it's times like this that I'm soooo glad I own a treadmill)
I love Christmas baking. The cookies are all so delectable and pretty, and even though last year I swore I was NOT going to make certain cookies EVER again because they're so picky to make and I spend 3hours rolling and cutting out and pricking and decorating...I still do it again the next year.

So we'll start off easy with these little gems...

I don't recommend making these if you like shortbread. Or Toblerone. Or if you care about your weight.
I haven't quite perfected the texture for these - they're not quite as melt-in-your-mouth as my regular shortbread (which I will post later...) but with the Toblerone, well, need I say more...

Chunky Toblerone Shortbread

2C Butter, softened
1C fruit sugar or super-fine sugar (this is probably important - I used regular sugar last time and the taste is fine but the texture isn't quite there, so it is probably worth purchasing a bag of this stuff)
3 1/2C Flour
1/2C Cornstarch
2 bars (100g each) Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate, chopped
3Tbsp sifted icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 350
Beat butter and fruit sugar on high speed until light and fluffy
Combine flour and cornstarch, and gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended.
Stir in chocolate

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, about 1inch apart (I use parchment paper on my cooking sheets)
Bake 20-25min or until just barely lightly browned
Cool on rack, then sprinkle with icing sugar

As with all shortbread, this tastes perfect with a hot cup of fresh Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee (or a nice latte...really and form of coffee)

(from Kraft What's Cooking, Festive 2006)

Mushy Mondays

Berry Guy

You Melted My Heart...
when after 2 and a half days of grumpy wife (I blame hormones) you came home with a stunning bouquet of roses because we had gotten engaged 10 years ago at (approximately) this time. You are amazing.

I love...
that you remember random things like this. especially when I'm being tired and grumpy and not quite like the girl you proposed to 10 years ago.

Berry Boy

I Love...
your drawings (of Ninja Turtles) and how you love to show me the things that you do.

You make me laugh...
when we're eating supper and you *gasp* and say "hoh, I'm almost done" when there is still at least 3/4 of your food left on your plate, and then you "count" to see how many forkfuls you have left

I really enjoy...
reading to you before bed in front of the wood stove, because you like how warm it is right there.

Berry Baby

I think it's funny...
that you hold your spoon or fork very diligently in one hand while you shovel food into your mouth with the other

You are too cute when...
you walk (or totter) around with your bear firmly clutched in one hand...

when you see your bear, grab him, and make happy "cooing" noises at him...

when you see your bear laying on the floor and you bend down to pick him up but end up laying on the floor burying your face into his body...
(basically when you do anything relating to your bear)

I am chagrined.

Apparently, my friend, with whom I just ran a 10k race (her first), mentioned to her husband (who mentioned to me) that there was a "moment" there where she thinks she *may* have "had me".

*snort*

"May" have had me? Try *totally* had me. If it weren't for that last burst of fear-induced speed, she would certainly have passed the finish line ahead of me. Slightly.

So now it's on baby. I don't know if my motivation to get faster and stronger has ever been this high...if I don't run the best stinkin' half marathon I have EVER run this coming Spring, well then I'll...I'll...well I'm not sure what I'll do. But you won't want to see it. Or maybe you will. Either way, it's going down, and by "it" I mean my mile times. Because just for ONCE, I'd like to be the fast one.

I'm visualizing my "Happy Place"....

Somebody took my charming, smiling, laughing, "delicious" 1yr old and replaced him with this...

A snotting, crying, drooling, leg-clinging 1yr old.

Send help.

And Kleenex.

Jingle All The Way

I went for a really great brunch - I mean run - today. My friend and I ran her first ever 10k (and my...umm, not first) and we had a great time. We ran the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis research this morning at 10am, skipping out on church and family for a little "girl time" (I know I know - not many of you would consider a 10k run *fun* girl time - bear with me).

This is my new shirt which I proudly did not wear while running (because everyone knows you don't actually wear the shirt on event day...) - apparently though not everyone knows this *rule* and we were in amidst a sea of very bright red. And reindeers. And santas. And one Raggedy Anne. Surprisingly, no Christmas Trees this year. It's an event that you're encouraged to "dress up" for. We didn't. Because we're too cool. Or boring.
I should also confess that we did not actually "jingle" while we ran, because nothing annoys me more than hearing a jingle bell with every other stride. And having it flop around on my shoe. I know, I'm lame.

Berry Baby likes my new shirt too.

These are my brand new runners, which will hopefully solve the "feet-constantly-aching" problem I've been having. I wore them today and I'm pretty sure they helped me run faster. Which was good because my friend might otherwise have gotten ahead of me. Which would be embarrassing, since I've been running waaaay longer than her. I need to be faster than SOMEONE for heavens sake. I'm not complaining - she makes a really good running partner as we're pretty much the same pace, and she pushes me mentally when I would probably want to stop and throw up, but I can't because SHE isn't stopping OR throwing up. Nothing like a little peer pressure to get you throught the last 2Km.

This is my race bib - I keep them. They're the one thing that I collect (I'm not a collector, unlike Berry Guy and Berry Boy, who like to keep everything, just in case...) and I like to write the date, event, and my time on each bib. We finished in 1:01:52, according to my watch. Not too shabby, although not my best, but I'm willing to save a PR for next year. And, I don't really think I could have run it any faster. As it was, there was a point after the 5K turnaround when my arms felt like cement for about 1Km (that makes it hard to run). Also, we hit that 2Km-to-go point and unconsciously started going faster because we were almost done. It's a psychological thing, apparently (according to Runner's World) that you speed up toward the end because you know it will be over soon...unfortunately it also makes you want to throw up or pass out, especially when you stop. Of course, I couldn't slow down because my friend wasn't slowing down, and it was her first 10K and not mine, and for heaven's sake I couldn't let her beat me. I'd much rather throw up. Which I didn't. I just wanted to for a split second or two.

Anyhow, this particular race throws a really great brunch following the run - they serve up bagels, fruit, scrambled eggs and breakfast sausages. I love breakfast sausages. They're so warm and greasy and salty. I do this particular run mostly for the food.

We enjoyed the brunch, she won a door prize (loser - but I forgive her because I recently won the 100th give-away at The Runs from Suzy. I got a sweet pair of panties...my friend got an oversized t-shirt. I think I came out ahead on that one.), and we hit Starbucks on the way home for a triple-grande-caramel-macchiato-halfsweet-extrahot. I really like ordering that. It sounds really cool to say. And they have to check off lots of boxes on my cup. I usually also get it lowfat, but today I splurged on regular milk, which isn't as much of a splurge anymore because they've switched from whole milk to 2% as their default. apparently.

It was a great day. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to knock back a Tylenol or two before bed. I'm a little sore.