Oh boy, here we go. I spent a month in the consumer wonderland of America, and would you forgive me if I said I didn't get any cake decorating supplies? I know, I know, pathetic. Lesson # 1: Go to Michael's before you fill up your luggage with a sewing machine, a chess set, and clothes for your kids.
I was a bit caught up in seeing family, old friends, and dealing with the emotional shock of being in places that once seemed like home and now just fill me with a sad familiarity. America, I don't even know you anymore.
Like, did you know that leaves change color in the fall? That's one of those things I didn't even remember that I missed.
At least we got to be there for the glorious gluttonous holiday of Thanksgiving. Now, I do make an effort each year to roast a turkey and invite my 20 closest friends, but I have to admit my pie output never comes close to that of my family's. We made 12 pies.
Which of course took an entire day, what with making 2 batches of bread and roasting a turkey in between. And of course if you are baking pies with your sister, you have to make cranberry pomegranate cocktails all the while. And if you've consumed several of these delicious drinks in the course of a pie-baking day, you just might forget the butter in your pecan pie, and perhaps you'll even decide to make a dead turkey cutout on a pumpkin pie.
Which brings me to lesson # 2:
Well, there you have it. The pecan pies were delicious, by the way, and nobody even noticed. Eventually our month ran out, with nary a cookie decorating bottle in sight, and we made our way back to the holy land. Slowly. Thank you very much, 12 hour layover in London. We took the kidlets to the Tower of London, decided not to leave them there, cursed the security at Heathrow for dumping out our Kiddo Benadryl, and after a mere 37 hours, arrived at our completely dust-encrusted home. Yay.
This is the tower bridge. Lovely, eh? Lesson 3: wheely luggage does not do well in 3 stories of spiral staircases while dragging two exhausted children through the royal arms exhibit. Aren't you glad you know this now?
Well, I'm off to order some loot from Michaels online and pine for pecan pie.
Until next time, I remain your loyal, exhausted, jet-lagged,
-Country Mouse
I think that when it comes to shopping in America, you can never win! I think of things I want/need/don't actually need all the time but naturally never compile it all in one place.
ReplyDeleteIf you had a bunch of new cool baking supplies but no sewing machine, you'd probably be kicking yourself, too!