So here's how it came out:

Classic White Bread

Rating: 3 out of 5

It ended up being too heavy and kind of tasteless. I realize that white bread isn't supposed to be super sweet or anything, but it was a little disappointing. I just had this memory of coming home on a rainy day to the smell of soft, warm, fresh bread. The kind that just needs a little butter and melts in your mouth. How did Mom do that?

Good thing perfection is not my goal.

Next attempt:

garlic bread

or maybe cinnamon bread.

I can't decide.

This starts the adventures of one of my largest Christmas presents:

a bread maker

Well, actually, this machine's adventure started quite a while ago with my deal-finding mother-in-law. And it continued through the never-land of lost airline baggage. Let's just say this thing is a world traveller. But that's another story.

This is the story of me vs. bread machine.

Chapter 1:

After looking through my new bread cookbook, Ryan couldn't possibly wait another day to try it out. So at approximately 8:25 PM, I opened up to the first recipe and started carefully measuring. Now you should understand how difficult it was for me to do this, that is, the carefully part. I'm a throw-it-all-in-with-my-eyes-half-shut kinda baker (Probably why baking has never been a successful hobby for me in the past).

Now I am waiting... patiently.

Still waiting...

Okay, so I'm not so patient. Never have been.

The timer says 2 hours and 32 minutes. The viewing window is all fogged over and covered with flour, so I haven't seen any progress. You have no idea how much its killing me to not lift up the lid and poke at it.

At this rate it's going to be done at 12:28 tonight. Ryan and I will be making our third trip to the airport this week at around midnight to pick up some friends who were about at lost in the airports as my suitcase was this week. So don't worry, I will definitely be awake when this bread is finally done.

We'll see how it turns out...

We're done! That is, Ryan is done. All of the cramming and late nights and early mornings are over.

Well there's one more early morning left: tomorrow. The good news is that since we're flying out at 5:00am we'll miss the snow storm that is supposedly going to be hitting here midmorning (by snowstorm, of course, I mean the 1+ inches of snow that may or may not be falling).

Good thing we're headed to rainy old Oregon. The weather there never lets us down.

This week Ryan and I have been spending extra quality time together. Yep, we've been studying for tax together. super fun.

Tonight, I don't know what we're studying. But its important, clearly.

So, if you are trying to sound smart this Christmas season. Try asking some of these intriguing questions at a party:

What happens if BJR if rebutted?

Then go on and on about BOD and BOP and try to make it seem like you know what you're talking about. No one will know the difference, don't worry.

Or try

When is A liable to P?

Yeah, try to say one that out loud without giggling.

How about this one:

What is a security?

Well, a security is a security. Yes, that is the correct answer. But you have to say it in an intelligent way. Maybe put your hand up to your chin for a few seconds and tilt your head like you're deep in thought.

Ok...I'm getting in trouble for not actually listening to the answer after I ask a question. Back to the notecards.

all the way home I'll be warm...

Cleaning the house to Christmas music is so much more fun!

Well, fun might be a little too strong of a word. But it is definitely better.

Its also better because I know that I won't have to clean my house again for two more weeks.

We woke up to SNOW this morning!

Ryan didn't believe me last night when I saw snow flakes out the window. But this morning we opened the curtains and we had a fluffy little bit of white covering the ground.

It's all gone now. There wasn't even enough for the neighborhood kids to build a snowman, but it was a fun way to start the morning.

How many oceans are there?

Easy questions, right? Not as easy as I thought. Nope, its not four. There are five. Can you name them?

Pacific

Atlantic

Indian

Arctic

Southern

That's right, your fourth grade teacher taught you wrong. Well, it was correct then, but not now. I always thought that there should be a separate ocean down there, but I would have named it the Antarctic.

Well, add that to your list of "when I was a kid..." statements.

When I was a kid Pluto was a planet. Russia wasn't called Russia (Okay, it might have been, I think we just had ancient textbooks). There were only four oceans.

Its kind of sad really, I even took a geography class in college. And while I didn't pay that close of attention, I would have noticed if we had learned about a fifth ocean.

Do you know how long the Southern Ocean has been defined? Ten years. So we were all clearly a little behind.

I would have thought that my father-in-law, with his love for geography, would have filled me in on some of the details... but I had to learn the hard way: by losing a game of sporcle.