Friday, March 9, 2012

Friday Obsessions: Nesting, Inspirational Quotes, and Matzah Crack



You guys. It has been one helluva week. Monday and Tuesday David was out of town for a last-minute business trip (which means I spent those days singlehandedly herding three insane rabid chipmunks our three adorable children in and out of clothes, cars, mealtimes, bathtubs, pajamas, and beds,) Wednesday we threw a Purim celebration at work (so so so much fun but holy hell, exhausting) yesterday was my scullery maid day, and tonight I run one of the most fun Friday nights of the quarter - the one where our stellar a'capella group performs - at work (again, extra fun, but totally exhausting.) And tomorrow I have to go buy a new car. (Because apparently rabid chipmunks require carseats - one for each of them - to keep them safe on the road, or something. And our current car only has space for three.)

So guess how much writing got done this week.
Yeeeeeah.

Anyhoo. Here we go.

Everything I was obsessed with this week.
Because I know you want to know.

1. Nesting. It's cheesy, but true. When you have three at home already, nesting is less "Holy crud I have to get All The Things clean and organized," and more "How am I going to plan for my home not to sink into a pit of condemn-able filth while I'm recovering and keeping a 7-pound helpless infant human alive?"

So. I've been buying lots of paper towels and Clorox wipes, paper plates and napkins (all items I'm normally morally opposed to buying,) microwavable and ready-to-eat food, and months worth of any other supplies we might need.

Also, I'm hiring a cleaning lady, because my hips literally quit on me in the middle of Scullery Maid Day yesterday.

Also, I'm making phonecalls and prepping paperwork so I can buy this car tomorrow. Which is a bit stressful.*

* understatement of the century


2. Reading inspirational quotes and crying. 
It's probably a combination of extra hormones (gross, yeah, but OMG REAL.) and not getting hardly anything done writing-wise, whether WiP or CP related (I'm so, so so SO sorry my CP loves, I swear I have notes and they just need to be transferred and attached to an email and...*weeps*)

 but I really, really, REALLY need some inspiration these days.
And then, you know, because I have so much free time, I make some of the quotes pretty in Photoshop. Because that's totally the same of doing PRODUCTIVE writing things.*
*I know it's not.


3. Matzah Crack. In the last hour of Purim every year, I go into Passover Obsession Mode. Since Passover starts almost exactly a month after Purim, it's part of the Jewish household manager psyche - we start planning cooking and cleaning, and thinking about matzah. Lots of matzah.

And, if you're me, you start thinking about toffee-and-chocolate covered matzah at that point. And then you can't stop thinking about it. And then you make it.
chocolate toffee crack(ers)
You will eat the batch in about 5 hours.
It will be the first batch of about a bajillion.

You need 4 pieces of matzah, 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of brown sugar, and chocolate chips.
(Or you need to be my friend, and ask me for some.)
Here's the recipe. 
You. Are. Welcome.

Aaaand last but not least - The WiP. Because, hell, I at least wrote SOMETHING.

Here's a convo between Sarra and Mar. They are sister and brother, and they're Iver slaves. Mar runs the underground revolution. Sarra's just trying to keep little girls alive.


“What shine are you feeding them, Mar? What hope that we’ll ever get out of here?”
“It’s no shine, Sarra. You said it yourself. It’s the Current. We’ve built the ship, and the Current will break it through the Dome.”
“Assuming the Current even still exists - it's going to keep us alive? In that air? What are you even thinking?”
“The air out there isn’t what you think, Sarra. It’s not that bad. It will be harder, but we can live. Nothing can be as bad as this.”
Sarra whirled on Mar, glaring at him. “If you think nothing is as bad as this?” She flung her arms out to the great metal barrels tipping hot orange molten metal into molds, “Then talk to my girls. The little ones, who live in the walls. Who have never even breathed what little fresh air is in this underground. Who…who…” Something wet trickled down her cheek. Mar walked two steps toward her, his experession changing from one of argument to one of concern.
She stepped toward him and buried her face in his shirt. “Who have never known their mothers. Who never will.”
Mar smoothed his hand over her close-cropped hair, and whispered, “Shhhh.’ Over and over again. Like he had when she was a toddler, just a baby really, and Ama had gone into one of her episodes and hadn’t talked to either of them for days. 

Well, that's that! Thanks for reading!

What about you, sweet readers? What were YOU obsessed with this week? I'd love to know.

13 comments:

  1. Real life can be annoying at times, especially when it interferes with my reading CHRO---your writing time, that is.

    Absolutely adore that scene though. SO MUCH tension between Sarra and Mar <3

    Also, I don't care for the chocolate, but caramel-covered matzah sounds heavenly. *drools*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the scene love. <3

      I'd send you some matzah, if I thought it would make it. :?

      Delete
  2. That matzah looks awesome! Jack just had his Purim carnival at school. It was pretty darn cute. And I am ALL about hiring a cleaning lady! Ours comes every other week and I looooove her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG. Please tell me you dressed him up. Please post pictures.

      Okay. So what does your cleaning lady do every TWO weeks? Because I feel like my little hellions can destroy the house in two hours flat. :)

      Delete
  3. Oh that recipe looks YUM! Must try it.

    I'm glad you're hiring a cleaning lady. No more scullery maid duties for the pregnant lady! You need to write this on a poster and stick it somewhere highly visible.

    Also, that excerpt sounds lovely. Every time I read one of your excerpts, I'm more and more convinced that you write like a dream.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. POSTERIZED.

      THanks for the writer love, my friend. Means a ton. <3

      Delete
  4. Nice new ride! And the cleaning lady... I wish you'd done it ages ago. I'm going insane with housework today, and I don't even have a tiny human living between my hips. Or three other tiny humans creating messes and laundry like it's their job. (Though I do have one overgrown child who serves that purpose.)

    I'm just sad that I can't show up at your door with chicken cutlets and bread when baby girl arrives :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It actually *is* kind of nice. For a mini-minivan.

      To know that you WOULD show up with chicken means SO MUCH, honey. Besties that live cross-country are no less besties. <3

      Delete
  5. Seriously, you did ALL THAT, and still managed to write a scene? Is it the Matzah Crack? Be honest. It gives you super powers, right? Dang I'm gonna have to get me some.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If the matzah crack starts giving me legit superpowers, you'll be the first one to get a batch.

      I'm like the Jewish-mother Willy Wonka, except a little more crazy.

      Delete
  6. ack brother-sister duos BREAK ME EVERY TIME. WHEN CAN I READ THISSSSSSSSSSSS?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're in my first round of readers if it ever ever EVER gets finished.
      (answer: probably July.)

      Love you. SO MUCH.

      Delete

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