Yarnjeannie's Crochet Cache

I don't know if you are familiar with Amish Friendship Bread, but if you aren't now, you soon will be. Someone, somewhere, will come up to you with a recipe, a baggie and if you are lucky, a sample of the finished product. I would like to begin by saying that "bread" is a misnomer. It's cake - a wonderful, calorie-laden delight! I also don't believe it truly comes from the Amish. When was the last time an Amish woman used instant pudding mix? It will come to you in a harmless looking container or zip-loc baggie, in a form called "starter batter". It's a yeast-based batter, and you will be following directions for a 10-day cycle. The baggie form is a lot of fun. You are required to squish the bag every day. Cool! On day 6 of the 10 day process, you will add ingredients to make an even bigger starter batter. On day ten, you add more ingredients and then put 1 cup of starter into each of 4 gallon-sized ziploc baggies. With the remainin...

Well, it's Sunday and it's been a very nice weekend. I must say I like the days getting longer! We had several threats of rain yesterday - it got very dark outside and thundered a few times, but just a few drops of rain until it stopped. Wayne took a drive to Belmar NJ to do some scuba diving. He made two dives - said the water temp was about 44 degrees. VERY COLD! He needs to make about 15 more dives to achieve his divemaster certification. Unfortunately, he lost his camera and underwater housing yesterday. Ironically, he said he took the best photos yet with it. He just purchased the camera in January of this year. He's very upset! I had a good day - watched the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on TV. Loved the movies, loved the music. The weather was a little cooler today, but still nice. We decided to take a ride this afternoon and run a couple of errands. One of those was a stop at Mid Atlantic Scuba Center to drop off the tank Wayne rented for his dive. Dinner...

I haven't spoken too much on this blog concerning my time working for a "toxic" manager. I went to work for him in 2005. I'd already been working for the company for 12 years, and 4 of those in my current position. He was brand new to the company and they decided to make him the HR department supervisor, with the promise of a promotion to manager once he completed his schooling. The company gave him time off during the week to attend school, paid his tuition and promoted him. I was actually transferred to a different building to work with him, as the other HR managers thought that I was the person most likely to get along with him. They assured me that I would like him - he was funny, very amiable, smart and an overall nice guy. The assistant who would have been assigned to him was a very caustic woman - she rubs everyone the wrong way. (Why she is in HR is beyond me.) From the time I started working for him, he seemed to pick at every little thing I did. Eve...

When Dad passed away a few months ago, we decided to keep his dog Brutus. Brutus had been adopted from a rescue group and we didn't want to send him back to have to find another new home. We were more than happy to make a home for him with us. Life has been interesting. We already had 2 dogs in the house. One a slightly off-the-beam min pin who is the apple of my eye, and a stubborn but loveable beagle (my husband's favorite, though he actually belongs to my son). Both of them had their own little rivalry going (who would sit on Mom's lap, who got to play with the toy, who was going to eat first, etc). Now they are having to adapt to another factor in the equation. It's had its exciting moments when we have to remind all three that the two-legged members of the household are the "top dogs". Just an FYI - you do this by rolling them over onto their backs so that they realize you are dominant. But for the most part they are beginning to settle into a pa...

It's been a while since I updated. I was very busy the last two weeks at work. I had the opportunity to attend an off-site Microsoft Access class through work. It was very informative and I can't wait to adapt some of what I learned to our own uses in our department. The rest of the week was busy playing "catch-up" for the time I was out of the office. Work is going so much better since my boss "Beelzebub" was canned. I swear I can still smell the sulphur and brimstone when I open the door to "that" office. He was an evil, evil person. I still don't know exactly what he did, but it was pretty bad when they change all the locks on all the doors after you leave! I do know that he stole some money - I've heard him referred to as a thief. Apparently I was the only one to whom he showed his true nature. He was obnoxious, nasty, lazy, arrogant and more. I was the only person not surprised to hear what a bad boy he'd been. In a croc...