Little Old Lady?

I just had an instructor ask me if I went to school with some girl…Rachelle something. The name didn’t sound familiar to me…so I said, “what year did she graduate?” And…she said, “Oh…she was a year ahead of me…so 82.”

NUMBER ONE…that would make me 45 years old. WHAT??? Do I look 45? I mean, seriously. Number two…this teacher…who has graying hair and is middle aged…thought I was a year older than her???? WHAT???

I said, “Oh…actually I graduated in 94…so no…”

I think she was really embarrassed…but COME ON!

We Have A Winner!

So…today there was an appreciation luncheon for employees who have donated money to the LCCC Foundation. I was recruited to prepare a dessert for the event, where folks could vote for their favorite, and the winner would get a prize. Basically…I’m pretty competitive…so I really wanted to win! I found a recipe that sounded really good, and gave it a trial run on Saturday night. It turned out to be delicious, but I messed up a couple parts of it, so I knew it COULD be even better. So, when I made it the second time, on Sunday, I was able to make some adjustments and really perfect it. I actually changed a couple things totally…but…long story short…GUESS WHO WON THE CONTEST?!? Yeah…it was me. There was a point where I thought that a super creamy peanut butter pie was going to beat me out…but I prevailed in the end. Woohoo! As soon as I found out, I went down to the break room to take a picture of the champion…but it was all gone.

In case you want the recipe…here it is. It’s pretty easy, and super good!

Peaches & Cream Dessert

1 8 ounce package of Pillsbury crescent rolls (they now make the dough to come in a full sheet, too, which is perfect for this)
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 can peach pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dry oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds
5 tablespoons butter, softened
Cinnamon (if desired)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

• Press crescent roll dough into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Make sure all seams are sealed. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until no longer tacky, but not browned. Take out of oven and set aside.
• Combine softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and almond extract in bowl. Mix together until smooth and spreadable.
• In another bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, sliced almonds, and softened butter. Add a shake or two of cinnamon, if desired. Mix ingredients together until crumbly.
• Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over entire crust.
• Pour pie filling over top of cream cheese mixture, spread evenly. (I chopped up the peaches in the can a little bit, so that it spread more evenly, and every piece got some peaches.)
• Sprinkle brown sugar/flour mixture on top of pie filling, covering evenly.
• Return dessert to oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
• Let dessert cool. Enjoy as is, or with whipped cream.

Being Appreciated Rules!

So…ignore, if you can, the state of my super messy desk and enjoy the lovely tulips that I just received from an instructor, who sent them just because I did her one favor.  And by favor, I mean I made two phone calls.  Seriously…it was NOT a big deal.  But it still feels really good when you know that people appreciate what you do.  I love nice people.  =)

And Then We Saw Elton John

So…as I mentioned, Kristi and I got to go see Elton John on Friday night, which was entirely because she has a very generous boss. It was just great. In the process of entertaining the pants off of all of us, they raised 550,000 dollars for the Matthew Shepard Foundation…so that was super cool. Anyway…I’m so glad we got to go! Our seats were really good…7th row, on the side…but with him facing us…so it was just great. He came out and started with “Your Song,” which is a favorite of mine…and it just got better and better. He’s just so amazing…a great entertainer! He’s SO good on the piano. When he played “Honky Cat”…it was just CRAZY how good he is on the piano. In my history of concert going, I’ve always thought people holding lighters and/or cell phones was kind of cheesey…but when he played “Candle in the Wind” and the whole arena had their cell phones waving…it looked SO cool. I never got my cell phone out…but I was converted to the fact that it’s a cool look. Hee hee. I could go on and on and just repeat how good it was…but I won’t. But it WAS so good. Just so you know.

Just A Little Snow

So…on Friday everyone kept talking about how it was supposed to snow over the weekend, and I wasn’t too worried about it.  I mean…I just thought it would be an inch or two…nothing to worry about.  Friday night…it started.  And it wasn’t so bad.  Kristi and I went to the Elton John concert (which was GREAT by the way!) and it was just snowing a little on our way in.  I had a fleeting thought that there would be a foot of snow on the ground when we came out, but 4 hours later, when we emerged, it wasn’t so bad.  Just snow on the grass…and the streets were wet…just like I imagined it would be.

Saturday…however…was a different story.  I woke up to a winter wonderland, and as it’s no longer the Christmas season and I’m not allowed to listen to my Carpenter’s Christmas CD without looks of scorn from those around me…I was NOT happy about it.  It snowed all day Saturday and was just plain miserable.  The picture was our picnic table at 4:00 in the afternoon, and it continued to snow and blow after that.  And drift.  And just suck. 

Sunday it was sunny and began to melt everything…so we had slushy messy roads…(which turned to crunchy icy roads for this morning)…and we lost power for a little bit in the afternoon.

So much for freaking Spring!  It’s a good thing I’m going to California next week…I need some warmth to look forward to!  (Not to mention a rendezvous with a certain mouse and duck that I love so much!)