.
…from a distance
Memorial Day - originally called Decoration Day – is a day of remembrance for those who died protecting our country. It’s also a day for coming together in peace and celebrating freedom. I think many people, especially children, who have no relatives in the armed forces, celebrate Memorial day from a distance. It’s just another day for a parade, cookout and fireworks – the beginning of summer! Teaching our children to understand the holiday by spending time talking to them about what Memorial Day means to us, as adults, allows them to get close and reflect on those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom! A very heartfelt THANK YOU to all our military who have served this country up close and personal!
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a medium/large bowl.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
4. Switch the mixer to a low speed and in a separate bowl or cup combine the sifted flour, salt, cocoa and baking powder and add to the batter alternately with the buttermilk and mix until well combined.
5. Add the mint extract. In a small cup mix the vinegar and baking soda together and add to the batter mixing on a medium speed for 10 seconds.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake papers and press the Lindt Lindor Mint balls into the center and ensure the balls are covered by the cake batter.
7. Bake in the oven for 17-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Icing - Chocolate Mint Ganache
Ingredients:
3 ounces of dark chocolate (I used Hershey's dark chocolate chips)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 teaspoon of mint extract
1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place into a bowl. (or pour in the chips!)
2. Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat until almost boiling and then pour over the chocolate pieces. Let it stand for 5 minutes before stirring until smooth and adding the mint extract. Let it stand for 10 minutes (or longer) before decorating the cakes. (I just dipped my cupcake tops in.
FROSTING
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Still confused? Just visit the www.nanowrimo.org
But they were there…staring at me from behind the glass at work. Every. Single. Day. Watching me, taunting me - each time I walked through the room. I couldn’t think of anything I had done to deserve this cruelty. I am a good person - I mind my own business – I do nice things for others. Yet, there they sat, day after day, mocking me. I was at my wits end. Not sure how much more of this I could handle before I lost my mind.
I started staying in my office, cooped up like a hermit crab. I could avoid them at work, but now they had begun following me all over the place. They showed up at sporting events I attended, concerts, even at Wal-Mart. Trying to humiliate me in public.
Finally, I had enough! I was going to do something about them once and for all! I plotted my revenge with endless possibilities. Each idea making me giddy with anticipation. The surge of excitement I felt demolished the anxiety over what I was about to do! So unlike me. I didn’t care if it was premeditated or not, as long as they were gone from my life, and everything could get back on track.
Shooting them wouldn’t work - it was too messy and would draw too much attention.
I could drown their little round heads, but not enough suffering in that!
Yes! I could go all Manson on them, chopping them into tiny little pieces, then feed them to the rats. THAT would make me feel great. Watching each and every last one of them suffer at my hand, while the others, lined up in a row, would have to watch!
It’s what they deserved after all. For making me suffer. All I had asked was 3. Little. Months.
I walked to the break room, making sure no one was around to witness my insanity. I slipped the gleaming butcher knife out of the drawer.
I waited for Ed to finish at the vending machine.My heart sank as he turned and walked out of the room. The plotted vengeance would have to wait. Ed had the last of the bright yellow packets firmly in his tight little grip.
The M&M’s would not die by my hand this day.
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