Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Like most people, I’m a huge fan of dessert. I try not to indulge too much, but I do like ending my evening meal on a sweet note. A couple of weeks ago, [Matt](http://www.kerner.net/) and [Sarah](http://beautyschooldropout.net/) Kerner came over for a late dinner and Sarah told us about something her family makes called cake waffles. I was intrigued and impressed. Imagine taking simple cake batter and cooking it in a waffle iron instead of a cake pan. Genius! Since I tend to like cupcake tops (who doesn’t) and baked goods that are crispy, cake waffles sounded perfect to me. Steve and I have talked about making them, but they also sounded a bit decadent so I was hesitant to do it. I enjoyed the idea more than the reality. 

Last night we met Mick and [Carrie](http://chickletandducky.blogspot.com/) at Patton Alley Pub for a happy hour celebration of Carrie’s new job and Mick’s 30th birthday. Cake waffles came up in the conversation and it was decided that Mick would have cake waffles for his birthday that night. They went to the store while Steve and I headed home to whip up a simple pasta meal for everyone. Mick’s favorite cake is Funfetti so Funfetti cake waffles is what we made.

It begins like this:

 

Then, pour the batter just like regular waffles:

 

Mmm, smells like cake baking. After about 6 minutes you have this:

 

Finally, soften some frosting in the microwave and pour over your new creation. Sprinkles are a must!

 

They are, in a word, delicious but also quite rich. I could only eat one square and even that was a bit much. They were so good! We spent most of the rest of the evening concocting recipes. You could put ice cream between them and make ice cream sandwiches, stack them and pour hot fudge over them, top with strawberries and make a strawberry shortcake, the possibilities are endless!

Last night we originally had plans for dinner with Valerie and Kevin but they were stuck at home waiting for their new air conditioning unit to be installed. As Steve and I were enjoying a glass of wine on the deck, we decided to call Duane and Prudy to see if they wanted to grab a cheap bite to eat. Originally we were going to go to Tuscan Grill, a local Italian restaurant, but ended up craving burgers. Our first idea, Galloway Station, fell through because the place was jammed and we didn’t want to wait for a table. Our second choice was a Springfield staple, W.F. Cody’s, known for their outstanding burgers but very smoky atmosphere.

We arrived casually dressed but still felt overdressed in a place that was just one step above a dive bar and quite smoky too. We found the perfect table which was positioned right between the juke box and the pool table and proceeded to order our first pitcher of beer. Steve selected some great music and set up the pool table and we ordered our burgers. It was Duane and me against Steve and Prudy in pool. Little did we know that Prudy is a closet pool shark, having lived with a pool table for many years when her kids were young, but Duane and I were ahead for most of the game. That is, until Duane scratched on the 8 ball and lost the game. So we played another and Duane did the same thing again! I still managed to sink three balls in a row and also a really difficult shot (which nobody saw) despite losing all three games. The burgers came and they were great. Everyone’s burger was done perfectly and we had three huge plates of fries to go with them. Duane was enjoying shots of tequila, we were all laughing hysterically (at nothing) and we vowed this would be our Friday night place.

There’s just nothing like a great evening with great friends at a place where nobody knows you!

Three months ago Steve and I began a weekly class called [Financial Peace University with Dave Ramsey](http://www.daveramsey.com/) and it has been an eye-opening experience for us. We knew we needed help in several areas but we didn’t realize how powerful the class would be and how much it would change our attitude towards money. Before Dave (or BD) we didn’t have a plan for paying off debt, saving money or budgeting. Now we do and we don’t fight about it any more! I realize many of you reading this will probably gasp at the idea that two people could possibly live in debt without a budget, but we’re slow learners here! At least we have learned something.

Saturday was an exciting day. We paid off bill #4 and it was a larger one. It was one of those bills I just thought we’d have for years because it never seemed to get smaller regardless of how much money we paid on it. But it’s gone, gone gone! We added everything up and in three months we’ve paid off $2,400 worth of debt, created an emergency savings account (along with our regular savings account) and are quickly chipping away at the next bill. Sure, we have more to do, but the most important thing is that our attitude towards money has changed (for the better, obviously).

It’s not always easy. Being on a budget is a lot like being on a diet which means sometimes you want to break the rules. Last week Steve splurged on a couple of things and I face a daily battle of wanting new spring clothes, but we manage. Like all diets and budgets you fall off the wagon but it’s important to get back on again. We just keep looking at our corkboard of paid bills and telling ourselves we can do it!

I stole this from [Cindy’s website](http://herethereandback.blogspot.com/). These lists are silly, but fun so I thought I’d participate. Have a great weekend and feel free to post it on your own site.

1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say?

WHAT????? No way!!! We took care of that! EEEEK!

2. Do you trust all of your friends?

My close friends, yes.

3. Would you move to another state or country to be with the one you love?

Yes, but he wouldn’t make me move, thank goodness.

4. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

I believe things happen for reasons we don’t understand.

5. Can you make a dollar in change right now?

Probably not. I normally don’t carry cash.

6. Which one of your Facebook friends do you think would make the best doctor?

The ones who are already doctors!

7. Are you afraid of falling in love?

Nope. I’ve given out my heart many times. Thankfully, the last time I gave it away things turned out well!

8. Ummmm … there’s no #8 here. Hmmm.

9. Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times?

Yes, mostly people from my past, but sometimes family and friends.

10. What’s your favorite scar?

I don’t know that scars are something to be favored, but I do like my back surgery scar. My version of a “tramp stamp”!

11. What was the longest flight you were on?

One to Albuquerque. I really haven’t traveled much.

12. What did the last text message you sent say?

Are you still bringing salad?

13. What features do you find most attractive in your preferred sex?

Physically, eyes and chest, but mostly a sense of humor and and outgoing personality.

14. Fill in the blank. I love________

My husband, my family and my friends.

15. What is a goal you would like to accomplish in the near future?

Being debt free!

16. If you were to wake up from being in a coma for an extended time, who would you call?

Ghostbusters! No, I’d call my family but I’m assuming they’d be there when I woke up. So…my sister since she lives in Des Moines.

17. How many kids do you want to have?

Zero.

18. Would you make a good parent?

Well, I’ve never been tested, but I’ve been told I would be a good parent. I still don’t want to test that theory!

19. Where was your profile picture taken (Facebook)?

Jeffrey Sweet photography. I had it done for my jewelry business.

20. What’s your middle name?

Technically, Louise, but I legally changed it to Johnson when I got married.

21. Honestly, what’s on your mind right now?

How long is this damned quiz?

22. If you could go back in time and change something, what would it be?

Can’t think of anything. I think decisions I made in the past shaped the person I am today and I like that person.

23. Who would be the maid of honor in your wedding?

My sister.

24. What are you wearing right now?

Work out clothes.

25. Righty or Lefty?

Righty.

26. Best place to eat?

Depends on the cuisine and the city. Right now, my favorite place to eat is at home.

27. Favorite jeans?

Gap new bootcut. They fit me perfectly and come in extra long lengths.

28. Favorite animal?

My cats.

29. Favorite juice?

I don’t like or drink juice.

30. Have you had the chicken pox?

Yep and shingles. Shingles was much, much worse.

31. Have you had a sore throat?

That’s a really dumb question. Yes.

32. Ever had a bar fight?

Physically, no but I have been in a few shouting matches.

33. Who knows you the best?

Steve

34. Shoe size?

9.5

35. Do you wear contact lenses or glasses?

Glasses.

36. Ever been in a fight with your pet?

Of course. The little beasties drive me nuts sometimes.

37. Been to Mexico?

Nope. Never left the US. How sad is that?!

38. Did you buy something today?

Not yet.

39. Did you get sick today?

Good grief! That’s stupid! No.

40. Did you miss someone today?

Yes. I frequently miss my grandparents, but I always miss my sister and wish she lived here.

41. Did you get in a fight with someone today?

Not yet. The day’s just starting.

42. When is the last time you had a massage?

Thursday. It was delightful.

43. Last person to lie in your bed?

Steve. I think I got up before he did today.

44. Last person to see you cry?

Probably Steve, but I don’t remember the last time I cried.

45. Who made you cry?

I have no idea.

46. What was the last TV show you watched.

30 Rock.

47. What are your plans for the weekend?

Find my summer workout clothes and organize my closets.

48. Who do you think will repost this?

I have no idea.

49. Who was the last person you hung out with?

Steve, Sarah and Matt.

50. If your significant other asked you to marry them TODAY, what would you say?

Yes. He’s a great guy.

I work in an environment where looks are very important. Plus, we live in a society that also places a huge emphasis on appearance, so it’s no wonder I know more and more people who opt for cosmetic surgery. I find the idea of cosmetic surgery interesting. I admit, I want to look my best and am annoyed to find more wrinkles and grey hairs than I had 5 years ago, but I don’t know if I’d go as far as to have anything drastic done about them. Coloring my hair and using any anti-aging product I can afford is about as far as I’m willing to go. But what if I had the money, time and desire to have surgery? What would I do?

For starters, I’d have my double chin removed. Regardless of my weight, I’ve always hated my profile and wanted a sharper chin. Then, I’d have a mini face-lift just to tighten things up and finally Lasik. That’s it. But the truth is that all of that is expensive and painful and I’m just not willing to go there. And would it really make me happier than I already am? I think that’s the most important question of all.

Back in the early 80s I worked with a girl who claimed she’d have breast augmentation as soon as she could afford it. She hated her small breasts and always wanted something a bit larger. Fast forward 20 years and she never had it done. Now, knowing what she knows about the dangers of surgery, she’d never consider it. So what are these 20 year-olds going to look like in 20 years after they’ve been injecting Botox into their bodies for so long? I wonder.

Please understand, I’m not criticizing anyone who has opted for cosmetic surgery. Some of my best friends have had work done and I don’t judge them for it. It was their choice and I respect that. I just don’t think it’s for me. Besides, almost everyone I meet thinks I look 7-10 years younger than I am so who am I to mess with great genes?!

For someone who loves to do detailed jewelry granulation I can be quite lazy when it comes to production work. Basically, it’s not interesting or challenging so I tend to put off restocking until I have to. Yesterday I decided it was time to clean off my bench of all the projects I’d started months ago and never quite finished. It’s weird how just four pair of earrings and four necklaces can sit, untouched, on a bench for so long. It only took me a few hours to finish them and I feel so much better.

While I was downstairs I decided to take inventory of my stock and update my “to do” list. Now I have a clear list of what needs to be made and how many of each piece I need.  My plans are to get the production pieces started and give them to my student worker to finish so I can continue working on granulation pieces and a catalog. It feels so good to get this stuff done!

Once upon a time I knew how to play the piano and I was pretty good at it. I actually enjoyed it and viewed practicing as something relaxing to do. I grew up playing the piano my dad played which belonged to his grandmother. It was an old upright with a rich sound and ivory keys. I loved it. Then, sometime in the mid-eighties, my parents got divorced and I inherited the piano. I probably offered to take it, but I don’t remember. Somehow it ended up in my one-bedroom apartment and I occasionally played it but I didn’t have the passion for it I’d had in the past. I was in college and learning how to play the saxophone which I deemed a much cooler instrument. When I moved, the piano ended up in my grandparent’s house, but I always thought I’d have it again.

When Steve and I moved into our first house we didn’t have room for the piano and it stayed at my grandparent’s house. Dad always told me I could have it whenever I wanted it, but I never had the room and I was losing the desire to own it. Then dad and Karen announced they were moving the Jefferson City and could not take it with them. I was in a panic about what to do when my friend Tim offered to store it in the bank building on Main Street in Fair Grove. The piano wound up in the dining room of Hilltop Pizza where it has stayed for several years. Everyone who visits plays it but the kids banging on the keys eventually wore out the restaurant owner and he told Tim it had to go. Now.

Although we live in a much larger house, I have no room and honestly no desire to have my once-beloved piano back. I called my sister and she doesn’t want it and dad said he was over any sentimental ties to it so I’m stuck. Dad suggested donating it to a church or school so that’s where I’m at with this whole thing. I’m hoping to find someone  who needs a piano and would like mine. Although I hate the idea of getting rid of a family heirloom, I think I got over it years ago. I think if having it in my house had been really important I would have found a way to do it. Now it’s time for this gem to find a new family to love it. Wish me luck!

It was October when we moved into our new house so working on the yard was not a priority. Although we first looked at the house in July, we don’t really remember much about the yard or any plants around it, but we did notice the two berms in the front. They weren’t hard to miss because they looked like two dirt boobs. I vowed they would be the first things to go once spring arrived.

We had planned to work in the yard yesterday, but it was so windy that we decided to tackle the garage instead. I called my neighbor and told her she was welcome to take any and all leftover yard ornaments from the previous owners. I’m not a fan of concrete angels or birdbaths, but she is and I wanted her to have them. She mentioned that she knew most of the plants in the berms because they had been created last spring. I told her that Steve and I had decided to demolish the berms and plant two maple trees instead so she was welcome to take any and all the plants out of them. She was thrilled and arrived yesterday afternoon to start digging. In a short time, one of the berms was almost flat and all the plants were gone! Plus, she’d taken all kinds of yard decor that I probably would have either trashed or put in the garage sale. Since we’re expecting a hard freeze tonight it will probably be a couple of weeks before the next berm is demolished but I’m looking forward to a flat front yard. She gets all kinds of new plants and we get a nicer yard. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Last weekend Steve and I re-watched Casino Royale to prepare for Quantum of Solace. It’s a good thing we did because several characters reappear and the storyline continues about 1 hour after Casino Royale ends. I had heard that Quantum wasn’t as good as Casino but I wanted to give it a chance because, after all, it does have Daniel Craig as the latest Bond (mmmmm). Like all good action movies, it started with a heart-pounding car chase which was good, but got a little tiring after awhile. I don’t want to give away too much of the story since there are those who maybe want to see the movie, but I must say it was disappointing. The worst scene was a direct rip-off from Goldfinger (my #1.5 favorite Bond film). The whole problem with the movie wasn’t Daniel Craig or Judi Dench or even the action scenes. The problem was a lack of substance in the story line and the inability to give weight to any of the characters. In Casino, bad guy Le Chiffre was really, really bad and we all wanted him to die. This is a guy who cries blood and is determined to torture Bond into submission. The dude’s bad! The bad guy in this movie is a pansy who likes to wear his shirts unbuttoned just a little too far and doesn’t even wear a tux well. My favorite scene is at the opera, but that’s about it.

I give it a C+. It’s slightly above average, but not anything I’m dying to see again, unless I can edit the over-the-top action scenes and just see Daniel Craig in a tux. Or shirtless.

Things have been busy here at Chez Kirks so I haven’t taken the time to write. I feel like I’m maxed out on technology between blogging, Facebook and now Twitter. Does anyone really care about my daily life? I wonder…

I’ve been trying to work some extra hours at the store so Steve and I can keep chipping away at our bills. It looks like another one will be paid off soon! It feels so good to look at our bulletin board and see all the “paid” signs we’ve posted. My personal goal is to be debt-free in seven years. At the rate we’re going, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, working extra hours at the store means less time for metal work. I’ve been on a granulation kick lately and still have several designs I want to create. I’m also working on a catalog to send to galleries. I’ve had a few inquiries from new galleries and need to send them some photos and wholesale prices. Tomorrow I plan to finalize the photos I want and get the list to my photographer so I can get them on a disk. I’ve already done the catalog design layout so now I just have to figure out the wholesale prices for my granulation. That’s the hard part. There’s so much work involved that it’s hard to figure out a price that’s fair to me and the customer. If I use a normal formula of time+materials=price it makes the piece too expensive. So basically I lose money on my time, but that’s ok for now. Maybe when I’m famous I can charge what I really need to! Saturday I turned on the kiln for the first time in months and did a very little bit of enameling. I was excited to discover that the new kiln location meant I could peek inside the kiln through the top peephole, until I set my bangs on fire! I guess 1450 degrees is hotter than I realized.

I’ve been giving Weight Watchers another shot with slow, but steady, results. My personal goal is to lose 15 pounds, but I’d be happy with 5-7. The first two weeks I lost a total of 1.5 pounds so things are going quite slow. At least I didn’t gain 1.5 pounds! Tomorrow I weigh in for week three so I’ll see how I’m progressing. It’s been a tough week and I’ll just be glad if I didn’t gain. Last weekend I felt like I could eat anything that wasn’t nailed to the wall so I’m not sure how great my progress has been. But I’m not giving up and I think that’s the main goal here.

On a different note, has anyone found anything fashionable to buy this season?! I’ve found several nice things at work but I can’t afford them! I’m still searching for a pair of grey chinos (year #2) and haven’t found any that perfectly fit the bill. I’m waiting on a few items I special ordered and I’m getting impatient! I have some ultra-faded wide-leg jeans coming and a coral cotton sateen jacket on order but I have no idea when they’ll arrive. This is just a tough time of the year for fashion. One minute it’s hot and the next it’s cold. I thought I’d put away my sweaters and cashmere, but ended up dragging them out when the temperature dipped below 40. Oh well, at least it’s sunny right now!