Ten on Tuesday (barely made it!)

1.  I found my first real gray hair this weekend.  Actually, it wasn't even gray.  It was snow white.  And not a gel mishap this time either.  Yikes!  As Truvy says, "Honey, time marches on, and eventually you discover it's marching across your FACE." 

2.  Product recommendation for a lazy person:  Lipton Cold Brew tea bags.  Because California hasn't really discovered the beauty of iced tea sold by the gallon, a la Milo's, I resort to only having iced tea in restaurants, or occasionally I am willing to brew some for myself.  But mostly I don't, because that entails getting out the pan and boiling water, and most of the time, I'm just not going to be bothered with that nonsense.  So I checked our these tea bags that you can brew in cold water, and it totally works!  I filled up my pitcher, dunked a couple of tea bags in and came back about 3 minutes later (which is what the box says).  I thought it was a bit weak, so I left it for another 5 minutes or so and it was perfect.  Love!

3.  Have you realized that I love a few reality tv shows?  Well, then you probably know that I watch every incarnation of the Real Housewives series on Bravo.  Last week was the best season finale EVER!  Total girl fight between Kim and Kyle Richards on the Beverly Hills show.  Hi-lar-i-ous.  Even though it was actually quite tragic for them to be flinging their dirty laundry around on tv, it made for awesome television.  Definitely can't wait for this week's (and next week's) reunion shows.  Then we get to start all over again with Real Housewives on NYC.

4.  If you're looking for a new cookbook, or if you like sweets, or if you ever have to make treats to take somewhere, check out Gooseberry Patch's 101 Cupcake, Cookie, & Brownie Recipes.  On the inside cover, it shows some marvelous blondies.  And if you flip to page 85, you can find the recipe by yours truly.

By the way, I get nothing out of anyone purchasing one of the cookbooks.  I got a free copy in advance for submitting my recipe.  I think Amazon has it for a few dollars cheaper (and eligible for free shipping if you have another Amazon order).  I have to say that it's a good cookbook!  The pictures of all the goodies look amazing!  I'll definitely be trying several of the recipes.




5.  Ramy won an important case today, so that means he has to bring in treats for the office tomorrow.  I made the above blondies for him to take.  Rebecca helped tremendously.  She's very good at leveling off measuring cups!  She is also quite skilled in licking the beaters.

6.  Rebecca's second day of preschool went almost as well as the first.  I say "almost as well" only because they didn't have a pizza party today.  She seems to love school, and I'm so glad.  I'm also glad that she loves it when Daddy picks her up at school and when Mommy comes home.

7.  One of the practicum students I supervise calls me "Ma'am" a lot.  He also seems intent in trying to say "Dr. Cisneros" as many times as possible in a single short conversation.  I actually counted.  In a conversation that lasted approximately 90 seconds, he managed to say "Dr. Cisneros" six times.  It was something like this: "Dr. Cisneros, what does it mean if FAS is impaired but Animals is average and so is Picture Naming, Dr. Cisneros? It looks like nothing's wrong with his memory, Dr. Cisneros. What do you think about giving him the Wisconson Card Sort, Dr. Cisneros, since he did poorly on Trails B. Dr. Cisneros, can you tell me why he'd be okay on Line Orientation but do so bad on Matrix Reasoning, ma'am?"  What is up with that?  First of all, I have told my students they don't need to call me Dr. Cisneros.  Secondly, how is it possible to work someone's name into a conversation that many times?  Finally, what does it say about me that I am counting the number of times he says my name instead of concentrating on what he's asking?

8.  I have spent inordinate amounts of time considering what Rebecca should wear to preschool the last two days.  Her closet is stuffed with clothes.  And yet, I have been in a quandry, because it has been unseasonably warm, so I wanted to be sure that she didn't get too hot.  However, they eat lunch outside and play outside and in the afternoon, it is totally shaded on the side of the building where they play.  So I wanted to be sure she was warm enough for that.  Since she's determined to need no help at school to use the potty, I also wanted to be sure that she was wearing clothes that were easy for her to use the bathroom (e.g., no buttons on the pants, easy to pull down and pull up).  I wanted her to look cute, be comfortable, not too hot or too cold,  and to not be embarassed if she got something on her (e.g., not white).  I am certain that I am the only mother in the world who has ever put this much mental energy into thinking about what their daughter wears to preschool.

9. Our dog Sydney has dreams and snores.  As I'm typing this on the laptop, Sydney is lying on the floor gruning and smiling while she is asleep.  Her legs are twitching rhythmically, like she is running.  Wonder what dogs dream of?  I bet that crazy dog is dreaming she is running in a field, chasing birds, with none of us around to put any demands on her.

10. I have been reading to Rebecca from the Jesus Storybook Bible every night.  She's had it for awhile, but it just wasn't the right level for her to really get what it was saying until now.  But now she loves it!  It's the Bible told in a sequence of stories.  It's not just the regular Noah's Ark and David and Goliath either.  Tonight, she loved the story of Joshua and his army that shouted down the walls of Jericho.  We're still in the Old Testament, but I like how every story in the OT points to the way God was setting the stage for Jesus.  It's also a good primer in Bible stories for adults who want to get up to speed on the players in the Bible and how events transpired in an understandable way.