If you looked outside my window: you’d see another brisk morning. The sky has just the slightest hint of blue but mostly it’s another gray day. We had to run to the office this morning to drop off our rent payment. We bundled up in jackets, hats, gloves, etc. On our way back inside we passed a girl wearing shorts and a tee shirt!! It’s like fifteen degrees outside!!

I am reading: Little Children by Tom Perrotta – so far I’m not sure if I like it or not. It’s just interesting enough to keep me interested, but it’s kind of a downer… the characters in the book are all so sad and seem trapped in these boxes they’ve made for themselves… very sad. But thankfully I can put the book down and step outside of that box and back into my own life which is much more cheerful!

Last night I: finally baked some of my supposedly infamous chocolate chip cookies. This recipe and I have been battling each other for awhile now. They used to come out all warm and gooey and perfect each time – and more importantly flat. They never come out flat anymore and I have no idea why.

I also: started making homemade baby food – like more than just mashing a banana with a fork. Okay, let’s be honest, Dan’s making it – but still – we are making some effort to make baby food more affordable. We picked up some of those little covered ice cube trays and a cheap food mill – so worth it. I’ll be reviewing them at the review blog and probably here also sometime this week.

Last night we made carrots and applesauce – twelve servings of each.

Today we’re: playing catch up on laundry and otherwise enjoying the wonderful act of laziness. We had a pretty busy weekend and I intend to do very little today outside of housework and blogging. Don’t hate me because I’m fabulous.

In the kitchen:

• Monday: Samosas and Sliced Apples
• Tuesday: Eggplant Parmesan
• Wednesday: Macaroni and Cheese and Carrots
• Thursday: Grilled Cheese and Soup
• Friday: Penne a la Betsy

I really want to make: either of these delicious looking desserts: Peach Crunch Cake at Bakerella and Best Cocoa Brownies at Smitten Kitchen – also this Orange Julius inspired smoothie at Sweet Savory Life

This weekend we: watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and The Proposal – both movies were really cute, classic chick flick goodness. I recommend both of them. The rest of the weekend was largely spent in the kitchen making pizza, cookies, banana bread, potatoes au gratin and homemade baby food.

I should mention: that my grandfather died this weekend? I’m doing surprisingly okay, probably in denial. He lived in Germany most of my life and we’ve only spent a very small amount of time together – and from what I’ve heard he wasn’t doing very well before he went. I think I am blessed to be over here, away from all of it, so that I can continue to be in emotional denial. I am sad that he will never get to meet his great grand daughter but at least he got to meet MM and Dan before he died and I did get to spend some time with him while he was in the U.S. briefly. We might not have been particularly close but in so many ways this is the end of an era for me. I’m sure it will hit me later in a much more profound way – or gradually in small ways over the years. I don’t know, I think I just wish I had something bigger to say about it.