New Toys....New Toys

I had dinner last night with a niece, newly graduated from college with a degree in Nursing, her boyfriend, and his sister. I'm about 25 years older than them, but I have such a delightful time when included in their fun! The girls and I met at a nail salon. In our area, there's one on every corner of a main block, it seems. We got mani's, I got a pedi (old feet NEED them) and the boyfriend watched amused. They graciously accompanied me on a brief 2 block walk to drop in on a great nephew, the 5 year old....who wanted us to visit for a minute so he could tell us about his day at school. Conversation never lagged during dinner, and when we were about to go, I asked for directions to the new Walmart that had been built about 5 towns away. (Yep, it's the ONLY one in the County). We're not deprived, we have every other store/mall imaginable. Just not a Walmart. Well, I have been cooking up a storm lately, and wishing I had some basic tools I see in magazines, other peoples blogs, etc. I bravely whipped out a credit card and took the leap into the 21st Century of Cooking. I bought a stand mixer (with the dough hooks) AND a food processor. Yep, I didn't go nuts and get the Kitchen Aid I lust after every time Pioneer Woman posts a pic on her blog, but I'm happy with the Sunbeam. and I did get both for under $150, so I won't be going into debt (grin).

I promised to make a few cakes for a Church supper tomorrow night, so I am raring to open the boxes and get mixing! I just wanted to take a few minutes and catch up here first.
What's your favorite kitchen 'toy' and what do you make with it? MC

January Update

It's been the usual post Holiday madness.  I've been trying to catch up with everyone I reach out to, and stay connected to, but really only call during the holidays.  There's been dinners, and after work drinks, and I even hosted (hostessed?) a professional organization education dinner for 40.  There's not been much time for blogging, and I've missed it (and your comments/messages)!  The sad thing is my Aunt P passed away.  She was very old, and we spoke frequently.  About 2 weeks before she died, she told me she was ready to go, and didn't like how her body was failing her.  She had just had to leave her home, due to her fraility, falls, etc, and go into a nursing home.  She was terribly unhappy about it, but didn't think she would survive a move to the North to me.  She couldn't deal with switching doctors, moving, or even just the long flight and the changes.  She knew she was welcome, but she was smarter than me.  She knew there wasn't time left for such a change.  I will truely miss her.  It's been a week, and I still ahven't heard from her children about the 'arrangements'.  She had always said she would be cremated, and have her ashes placed back here, up North.  I just haven't heard if there will be a service or not.  If anyone reading is a prayful person, please say one for Aunt P, and may she rest in peace.  She had a long and mostly happy life, and I am richer for having loved her.

One of the more interesting presents I got for this Christmas is an updated copy of Family Tree Maker.  I had a long interest in my family history, back in the 90's.  I worked off and on for a few years and compiled a history of about 300 relatives.  Like so much else in life, I got too busy to keep going, and it got shelved.  The computer crashed, and a lot of data was lost.  (I had, thankfully, uploaded quite a bit of it to the World Fmaily Tree project, soooo....)  When a favorite niece, K. asked for some info a little bit back, it rekindled my interest.  I asked for a copy of the program, re-loaded the saved info, and am working on re-creating the data I once had.  This may keep me busy during the long, cold winter.  (Blush)  I haven't forgotten my intention to date more, well, OK, to date even some WOULD be more.  I just never got finished with those online dating questions....  there go on and on.  I really will finish one of these days....  but if anyone has an extra 45-55 year old, in the NorthEast, please send them my way!  Thanks!  MC

Faux Families

     I have a friend I met in high school, K, when I started hanging out with her sister, P.  I borrowed a brother M for my Senior Prom, and even lent a nephew J to a little sister C for another formal.  (They had 9 kids in their family)  I was maid of honor at her sisters P wedding, and we spent a lot of time planning showers, doing wedding dress fittings, etc.  It turned out we hung out at a lot of the same places in 'the city', and wound up being close friends.  That was (ahem) a few years back.  OK, more like 30 years ago.  We've been each others support for funerals, and weddings, financial crisis and mall shopping trips.  We travel well together, and treat each others nieces and nephews like they were our own.  Our families always include each other in celebrations, and the name 'friend' doesn't seem to quite describe the depths of connection.
     I love my 'original' family, and all it's extensions, in-laws, nieces, nephews and their spouses, and like the boyfriends/girlfriends/roommates of the twentysomethings that are always around.  We generally get along, no drama, no grudges and non-talkers, etc that you hear about in some families.  I like spending time with them, and truely miss them when they're away.  Family, the word, does (at least for me) describe the affection, connection, committment and deep feelings associated with them.  I just wish there was a better word than Friend for the others.  I have people I barely know on Facebook ask to be my friend.  I'm glad to share a moment with them, but it diminishes the word when I have to use it to describe the people I consider my 'almost family'.  People I would have picked to have blood ties with if I could add that.  (Well, blood ties is a bad example, because the folks adopted into our family are as much family as those born into it). 
     I have decided that Faux Family will work for me.  It's not my original family, but the one I have developed and nutured for almost as long.  Friend doesn't cut it, and , although Faux is usually not a good thing, in this instance it is!  Do you have a connection like this, and what words do you use?