Winter Blahs

It has been over 2 weeks since my last post. Nothing noteworthy has been going on around here. Now, this isn't a complaint, just an observation. I would much rather life be dull than full of stressful drama. This time of year is usually an exciting time for me. It means clearance sales! But, I've been really trying not to spend money that I don't need to and haven't gone out shopping just for fun. February is the month that I do all my school shopping for next fall, but this year I just might be out there with all the other "Back To School" shoppers this summer. It hasn't been all bad. I have managed to find a deal here or there, but there's nothing like the thrill of walking in the house laden with bags, knowing that you didn't spend very much. I'll just have to hang the boys' Columbia winter coat that I got for $10.00 in a prominent place to boost my spirits.

A Childhood Memory

Do you ever come across a smell that takes you back to when you were a child? Well, for me it was old, stale cooking oil heating up. Usually I associate this smell with an old waffle iron heating up on a Saturday morning, but this is a slightly different smell (although, pretty much the same). The smell I'm referring to came from this:
I "inherited" (now, I'm not trying to stir up contention among my siblings in ANY way) this donut maker from my parents, and remember many Family Home Evening treats being made with it. As a kid I remember that the donuts produced were not quite like other donuts from a bakery or the store, but they were good in their own way. Back then not all of the donuts made it out successfully. There was a high casualty rate, creating a sizeable scrap pile. But, 30 years later, and with an invention called "non-stick spray", we managed to improve the donut success rate and ended up with these:

They still don't taste like store-bought donuts, more like donut shaped cupcakes, but they sure were good.