Walking Towards the Train in the Tunnel

One of my kids is an excellent sleeper and the other one is Alexis. That excellent sleeper has been excellenting muchly all during the Christmas break. While she is a Grade A Night Owl, she makes up for it by sleeping late.

Super late.

I've woken Mila up at 10:00 multiple times in the past week. As in, she would have slept later, but I decided that was the line.

That's swell and all, but tomorrow we return to the real world. I'm going to need to wake her up FOUR hours earlier than she's now used to waking up. FOUR.

It's going to hurt. There are going to be lots of tears. Some of them might even be Mila's.

Thoughts and prayers, kids. I'm going to need them.

See ya', 2018

In the grand scheme of things, 2018 wasn't all bad. It was chaotic and conflicting and a whole bunch of "c" words, but there was a whole lot of this mixed in there.

We started the year with Alexis turning 12. She ROCKED 12. While she still landed straight A's at school, 2018 was the year when she figured out she doesn't have to get 100% all of the time. 90% is still an A.

In 2018, this kid discovered that there are people who view the world in a way that is similiar to how she views the world, and it brought her much joy.

But not as much joy as dancing continued to bring her.

And then there's cheer. We spent half our lives at cheer events, I swear.

As for Mila, she turned four.

And finally grew some hair. Seriously, it's nuts how much longer her hair is now than it was when 2018 started.

And it became REALLY clear that Mila is a ... something.

We went to Kennywood a lot in 2018.

Too much, even, considering that Kennywood SUCKED in 2018. Seriously, half the rides were closed most of the year.

Fortunately, we found that we could go get some thrills hiking around Western Pennsylvania. That almost made up for all of the closed rides.

Now that I'm looking back, it appears that I *did* spend a little time with the girls. 2018 was the year of All of the Work Travel, so there were times when it seemed like I was never home. I had trips to Oklahoma, Orlando, Colombia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Germany, The Netherlands, Amsterdam, Portland, and Chicago durng 2018. When I was in town, I worked way too much, but somehow still managed to squeeze in some fun, I guess.

I mean, we did go to Hamilton. That has to count for something.

All-in-all, 2018 was a fun year. Here's to 2019 being even better.

Meyer Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

I could have sworn that I posted this recipe before, but I can't find it, so FINE. IT'S NEW. (Or not, but whatever.) It's one of those recipes that exists on a small piece of paper stuffed in the bottom of a drawer in my kitchen. I think it came from my friend Barbara, but it's in my handwriting, so I can't be sure. I just know I've had it for a very long time.

This lemony blueberry goodness is my go-to recipe when I'm in the mood for a good breakfast bread-like thing. Monkey Bread is for the kids; this is for me. I might share, but nobody should count on it. It's not too sweet, which makes it perfect when paired with a vanilla latte or the like.

Meyer Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 cups blueberries, washed and dried
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
Juice from 1 Meyer lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup buttermilk
Zest from 1 Meyer lemon

Topping
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray non-stick spray in glass 9"x9" baking dish.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and egg and beat some more.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour and nutmeg and whisk together until mixed.

4. Slowly add the buttermilk and flour to the sugar/butter mix, alternating between the two and mixing along the way. It will end up with a thick dough, but no worries. The blueberries are going to make this whole concoction really moist.

5. Speaking of the blueberries, toss them in a bowl with a little flour and toss them until they're well-coated. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom.

6. Carefully stir the blueberries and lemon zest into the dough.

7. Spread the blueberry lemon dough stuff in your glass pan and then go make your topping stuff.

8. For the topping stuff, mix together the flour, sugar, and nutmeg and then smoosh in the butter. I use my hands, but some people prefer using a fork. The goal is to end up with a lumpy streusel that still has cold butter chunks in it.

9. Spread the topping over top of the blueberry goop.

10. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting.