Warm and Fuzzies...Till I Got The Mail

Today was a day to make me, the self-styled cynic looking into the world from the outside, all fuzzy and warm inside...I've been feeling worn down with the race to get Taiwan started (we have HS appointments!), the holidays (and the complete lack of ideas for my husband's gifts) (correction - all ideas I had were given away to others). Work is calling me back with the evil siren song...quiet cajoling is a better way to describe it. And I'm torn. And the cajoling is getting louder. H has been testing the last few days again - me specifically...P is gravy to her! I'm not sleeping well etc etc etc. No time to do my Mandarin homework, blah, blah, blah. Anyways, I decided today would be stay at home pj day (well, for me at least)...H was more motivated and got dressed. It's too cold to run to T**get today...6 days and counting since I've been there! Keeping the streak alive!

Presenting what made me so happy:

H's first batch of cookies. Ever. And they are my favorite Christmas cookies - Magic Cookie Bars. She's so thoughtful! Some said I was nuts...cooking with a 20 month old. She LOVED it. These were good ones for her - she could never mix yet, but, dump and spread? The kid's a natural! It's what she does all day long...all over our house. She thought it hysterical to put the nuts and chips and such in the measuring cups. I taught her how to tap it with her fingers to get the bumps out of the top of the cups, and held her hand as she spread it in the pan. She loved just standing on the chair (with mama holding her of course - gotta get her one of those tower things for her birthday!) Then she learned that you have to taste the ingredients to make sure they are good quality. She's a hooked baker now. It was an awesome morning. Even after the spitting the breakfast eggs on the floor incident. A memory I hope I remember on my death bed...making H's first batch of Christmas cookies. One of the bucket list things I can check off now. I waited so long for that. And it was just mama and her - our thing. And I'm this happy and I haven't even gotten a chocolate fix off of them yet!

Cue evil music...

Then the mail came...

What the hell did I do to someone in a past life to get on this mailing list? My dear Gawd....I'm only 34! What is that, the new 97? Bleck. Is some republican spy satellite picking up my gray hairs? Did my ob/gyn sell her hysterectomy file names? I don't care if these people were selling 1 carat flawless diamonds dipped in the best chocolate in the world - never ever would I ever order from a catalog named this:

Go away evil marketers targeting the aging baby boomers. I am not one of them. I am their child. And shame on you for thinking I am...go get a new bifocal perscription, cause yours is obviously crap. What marketing genius spent how many dollars with how many focus groups to create a name that explains, but doesn't offend, with the generic looking maybe she's old and awesome lady on the cover? Bleck. Double Bleck. To the recycling bin with you.