Baking All Day!

Today was Baking Day. Baking Day isn't a holiday tradition (because I don't need that kind of pressure around the holidays), and, in fact, isn't a tradition at all. Baking Day is simply whatever day I designate (usually about a week in advance) to spend all day baking, and it happens whenever I have the required time, money and inclination--all at the same time.
Although it doesn't happen nearly as often as I believe I would like, the infrequency with which it occurs actually serves to make it that much more a luxurious indulgence, than an event that could otherwise become mundane, or worse, a dreaded obligation.

Monkey Boy joined me for the Baking extravaganza, and I enjoyed the chance to hang out with him all day as we baked.

On the queue for today were:
Rolled Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread
Snickerdoodles
Scones - many varieties of flavors, including, but not limited to: Cinnamon, Currant and traditional
On the Maybe queue: Gingerbread Men, and Chocolates

Managed all the cookies, the gingerbread and one batch of scones (cinnamon). However, for want of a sifter (and how is it that we no longer have a sifter, and I don't know about it? But, I digress...) we held off on the additional batches of scones, because they really do come out better when the flour has been sifted.

We ran out of time for working on the Maybes, but that is, after all, why they were on the Maybe queue!

Perhaps in the morning we will continue with the scones, as Amazing Husband and I ran out on a holiday related 'secret mission' this evening and included the purchase of a sifter in our otherwise Top Secret excursion.

Ahh, irony--what makest thou?

There was a debate among some of teenagers recently regarding what, exactly, constitutes irony.

I would like to clarify for all those who have any question: when we go to Lowe's and need them to cut a sheet of 4x8 plywood to size because the couple of bucks is worth not having to drag the table saw out at 8pm on a Sunday night, and they can't do it because their saw is broken, THAT's irony.

The Mama Cayman is RIDICULOUSLY exhausted!

Just how exhausted?
Well, I had the following is a conversation at 3:45pm today:
(Necessary backstory: the kids have been helping feed and walk their Nina Beatrice's puppies all this week)
Me: We are leaving now; the dogs are good.
Beatrice: Thanks for taking care of them.
Me: No problem. *digging through purse as I talk* Oh no, I think I left my phone in the house; it's not in my purse. Dang it, we just got the puppies settled, and now I am going to have to go back in and disturb them....
Beatrice: Oh, that's okay, just...
The Raven: Wait, you're ON your phone, talking to Nina Beatrice!
Me: *Face Palm*

Anecdote: Monkey Boy On Communication and Evolution

Driving home from Sam's Club, myself, MiL, and the boys in the car, all's quiet but for the oldies playing quietly on the radio and from the way back seat Monkey Boy ponders aloud: "Hmmm, the only reason humans evolved lips is because of our communication pattern." He went on to postulate on the subject, including a brief dissertation on the wide variety of animals who do NOT have lips, and still regularly survive in the wild, the only thing they lack being the more complex method of communication by which the human animal is distinguished.
His brother disagreed - although not as much in a passionate, science and observation based way, as in a 'here's an opportunity for an interesting debate' kind of a way - and the conversation became rather lively between them.
There was a rather heated tangent regarding whether the proof of Monkey Boy's theory was borne out by that fact that Disney has to add lips to animals that do not already possess them in its animated films, in order to make human speech visually plausible for them, but in the end a reluctant agreement was reached: mammals clearly require lips in order to nurse, however the rest of the animal kingdom appears to be getting along perfectly well without them, and the communication patterns of humans more likely evolved due the already extant lips, than the other way around.

Geek Offspring Major FAIL