in a word: FAIL!

My bread did not rise. I think I'll try the dough again with the stand mixer but I need to haul that bad boy down from the attic and then find a place for it. We have a small kitchen in an old house and I'm worried I'm going to blow every circuit in the house when I fire it up. It does not fit in any of my cabinets so that why it sits unused and new in a box in the attic. Shameful waste.

Not to mention, I might have to use it on the stove since I don't think I have enough clearance on the counter tops to open it to pour my ingredients in.

Next up.

Homemade veggie lunchmeat and maybe a stuffed seitan roast from
VeganDads' blog.





We're not vegans but I sometimes cook vegan recipes as I'm always looking to add variety to our menus.

Off to Wegmans and the co-op.

I think I am becoming obsessed with our food costs and the cost of the other stuff we buy.

I am happy for the wide selection at Wegmans but they sell 3 different brands of Jasmine rice in the store in 3 different locations at 3 different prices per pound, technically 4 different prices since one brand they sell comes in 2 different sizes at 2 different prices per pound.

In case anyone cares:
Wegmans brand @ 1.81 per lb sold in 2 lb box
Goya brand @ $1.40 per lb sold in 5 lb bag
Dynasty brand @ 1.20 per lb sold in 5 lb bag

Either Dynasty or Goya also sell a 2 lb bag at $1.65 per pound. I cannot read my own notes! LOL

I have started a price comparison spreadsheet since I shop Wegmans, the Co-Op, Super Bazaar, Ni Hoowa Supermarket and the farmers market and Aldi on occasion.

I know all about Guercio's as I grew up going there with my Grandma and every other old Italian grandma on the west side but I have a reason for not shopping there. I'll keep it simple in saying, it's just a place I don't go anymore after some really rude treatment of my father who has known the family since they were all kids.

I'm excited to see a Pakistani and Indian grocer (ironic?) going in on Sheridan drive. It's not open yet but more ethnic shopping options are good.

Now we need more Mexican food items available. The Tops on Niagara Street carries a lot of Hispanic food items but it tends to be more Puerto Rican than Mexican. Who would have thought the only Mexican grocers in the area would be in Brockport and Albion?

Next time I'm out near Brockport maybe I'll stop in to see if they have the dried salted plums my husband loves but cannot get until we head west.

I'll see how long my labor of food costs continues. I am not sure I can stand to be inside during our summer months working on spreadsheets.

Since I don't post everyday the new year is likely to be here and I won't have the chance to wish all the (e:peeps) Happy New Year.

Best wishes for a wonderful 2009 for everyone.

well at least it will be my last one for 2008.

We're going to be reorganized at work and this is basic plan they have come up with.

They = very upper level decision makers

They will survey all impacted employees.

They will hunt you down if you don't want to answer the survey. It's not an anonymous.

They will gather all the information and take this back to the upper level decision makers for each unit and the budget/financial persons.

I will get reorganized in some way since I have been by someone close to the process that everyone will get reorganized in some way.

I will get a letter/email telling me where I have been reorganized to.

No one will lose their job and that is good.

I have no idea if I will continue to work for my current boss, if I will move from my office and building, if I will get promoted or demoted or move laterally or anything and not knowing causes me some stress, not a lot but some.

So Sunday morning my husband tells me we have a flat tire on our Saturn so he goes out and puts some air in it. The Saturn has a built in air compressor and then waits to see if it's slow leak or something more.

It was something more. The tire was shot and we needed a new one but since we have a super sized Saturn places like Sam's club don't carry a tire that size in stock and most tire places are closed on Sundays. At least the tire places I could think of were closed.

We found that Firestone was open and we ended up buying a tire from them. We had to jack up the Saturn, get the old tire and rim off, take it to Firestone, get the new tire installed on our rim, go home and install the tire on the car...in the rain. It totally killed our day! I swear it took us about 3 hours to get everything all settled.

Spending $150 on a tire 10 days before Christmas was not exactly what I was planning on doing but gotta have a tire on the car. The guy who looked at the tire told us that the wear isn't right and we probably need another tire and that we should take the car to the dealer.

My husband confirmed when we got home that the other back tire should be replaced. Now we need to replace another $150 tire and possibly have a car repair bill too.

Congress I still need that bailout!

Later that night, I passed our neighbor on my way home from Wegmans. His car was being loaded on a flat bed because he had a flat tire. Since it was too busy of an intersection to stop at and I was already through when I saw his jeep, I pulled over and called his partner to make sure no one needed a ride home.

stupid cars!