Whit-n-Staish

I was going to post this on Whitney's birthday, but why procrastinate. I just listened "Bye Bye" by JoDee Messina and it took me back to this era:









(Make a shape!)

Whit was driving The Bagel* down 800 West in Orem by Mountain View, belting out every word. She didn't have any inhibition about singing in the car with others present. I've loved the song ever since. But Whit-n-Staish go back way further:

















Whitney or her parents were arguably the first to call me Staish, something few are allowed. But no one else says it quite right. The Debenhams just give it a special ring.

After they moved (were we 9,10?), Whitney gave me the poem Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold. I have always remembered this and Whitney is the goldest one I have.













I think this was the day we joked about Samuel and Matisse getting married, the same way we married off my brother to her sister, oh, is it 25 years ago?

(Bagel: beige Subaru wagon hatchback with sunroof, complete with shellacked bagel ornament)

Who's been in the kitchen?

When I finished baking, Samuel still wasn't done yet, so I gave him a cup of flour and a sifter with 2 bowls. Samuel's so covered in flour, he just blends right into the wall, as you can (or can't) see below.

Turning 31: A Lame Blow

Samuel sings and I almost drool on the super cool Chocolate Eclair Cake. One of the best things about this cake was no leftovers, until I later realized that I really wanted leftovers.

Mieszkam w Stanach Zjednoczonych

That's right, I live in the USA, but thanks to a handy Polish letter writing guide, I can cut and paste such useful phrases as "The following individual is my ancestor who was born in Poland" and "Please send me a complete extract of the death record." There's nothing better than a Polish phrase to make me feel like a "stewpeed amairicain." We'll see if anyone at św. Katarzyna in Nowy Targ, Polska responds...

We're looking for this man, Franciszek Wystrach, my (paternal, paternal, maternal) great-great grandfather.

I learned from my mother-in-law

Today I had a veggie sandwich for lunch. This is just a salad on a roll, entirely respectable, but what makes it special is Heinz Salad Cream. My mother-in-law introduced me to this British delight. She loves that she can find a few British imports at any old grocery store in Houston. She taught me to make and love these veggie sandwiches.

Today I had it on a lingering hamburger bun that needed to be out of the fridge. We had guacamole leftover from last night's BL(A)T's and I also added tomato, carrots, lettuce, pepper jack (the spiciest I have ever had!) and salad cream, full-fat version.