Power Baking?

There is no question that baking makes me happy. I'm the first to the kitchen when I spot a new recipe, and despite having three aprons, I'm always covered in flour. While some are never without the essential bread and milk, I always make sure I'm stocked in flour and sugar, and I may just have some friends because I fill them with sugary delights.

Now that I live on my own and the kitchen is at my disposal, I have been receiving new kitchen gadgets and decorations every holiday. I LOVE kitchen stuff. Most people window shop for the cutest shoes or purse, but I'm the gal you find drooling over the newest baking dish in Williams-Sonoma, and I find nothing wrong with that.

What's the coolest thing I have received? My Kitchen aid mixer, no doubt.
The strangest thing I have received? My Black and Decker Hand Mixer.

When I think Black and Decker, I think power tools. I think speed, intensity, and just plain mean machines. When I opened this hand mixer on Christmas, I was a bit surprised but intrigued nonetheless.


Looks pretty normal, huh? Well my friends, looks can be deceiving.

Turns out, My assumptions regarding Black and Decker are correct for ALL their products, not just power tools (though this might as well be considered one). When I used the mixer for the first time, I made a mess. Not a typical Theresa mess (which I assure you is pretty large), but a HUGE MESS. The mixer has ten settings, and the lowest setting sounds like a jet engine.

Needless to say, the mixer has not been used since the Kitchen aid was received, but I just can't bring myself to part with it. I never know when I might need to drill a beater sized hole in concrete or mix a swimming pool sized bowl of dough in five minutes. So, though I wouldn't recommend this product for normal kitchen practices, I would certainly recommend it for some good laughs, and BIG messes.

Birthday Presents

It's no secret that my family is good at saving money.
It's also no secret that my brother loves Christmas.

Keeping those two well known facts in your head, let me tell you a story of one of the best birthday presents ever.

My birthday is in August, the hottest month of the year. People usually don't associate August with Christmas, and for that matter, they usually don't associate any months other than December and January with Christmas (yes folks, there are twelve days and it runs into January!)

Anyway, after Christmas shopping is big in my family, who can really resist the bargains? Well, in January of 2008, my brother certainly couldn't pass up the super sale on candy canes....a box of sixteen for 10 cents!! Naturally, he bought 36 boxes of them. Stephen knows how to shop for bargains, but coming from the kid who plays Christmas music in July and tries to keep the tree up all year, this was extra magical.


What is one to do with 36 boxes of candy canes after the Christmas season? Give them to your sister as a birthday present, DUH! That's right folks, I received 576 candy cans for my birthday (along with a digital camera which was beyond awesome) Now, I did receive them in February on my half birthday, but it was still a complete shock and many laughs were shared as I lugged a boxes upon boxes of candy canes throughout my apartment.

Well, it's over a year and a half later and I know you're curious as to where those candy canes are now. most were donated to a summer camp I worked at last summer for their holiday themed week, but I did save some for myself, and I will tell you, you sure get some interesting looks when you walk into work on a warm September evening sucking on a candy cane!

Thanks Stephen, you sure now how to spread holiday cheer!

My fuel

Road trips with my siblings are the best! They usually involve lots of crappy, I mean classic, eighties music, crazy family stories, a little napping, and guaranteed good laughs. My oldest brother is usually the driver on these crazy family excursions since, when it comes to family hot spots, he lives in the center of the map. Weather it's trips to the beach or up to New Jersey, Rob pilots the station wagon of fun the whole way. What keeps him going you ask? Why, it's "Rob fuel". And what is "Rob fuel"? It's soda. Bottle after bottle, he devours his caffeinated beverage. Whether it be Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, he cannot travel without "Rob fuel".

This got me to thinking, What is MY fuel? I'm not a big soda drinker, and though I drink a lot of water, it's just not cool enough to be called fuel. Then I thought back to a time when my siblings treated me to a fantastic dinner at a well known Richmond joint, Cheeburger Cheeburger, after helping them move most of their furniture to their new home. It was pretty late in the day and we were exhausted and hungry, we Meyers folk never mess around when it comes to food, when we're hungry, we eat. They treated me to a fantastic burger and a milkshake. Not just any milkshake, strawberry Banana HUGE milkshake. Now, most people who intake a lot of lactose usually become lethargic and end up visiting the restroom frequently. That's most people. I am not most people. After dinner I was ready to move more furniture, and I ended up moving their mattress in the dark, in the rain, running beside the car it was "strapped" to.

Since then, I usually have a milkshake everytime I visit. It's my motivator, my fuel. I have even treated myself to a milkshake at home when I need the extra kick or just some yummy goodness. It doesn't matter the type, homemade or tore bought, as long as it's big and tasty! They always said milk does the body good, but they never said milk was the fuel of champions!