Yesterday I baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and this morning, they are still soft. I am so pleased that I have finally mastered baking at 4,414 feet. When we first moved to Utah in early 2007, I made multiple attempts at Snickerdoodles, which all turned out fine except for the hockey puck factor which came into play about 3 hours after the baking was complete. Well, no more, my friends. Yesterdays cookies are still soft and chewy.
And thanks to the baby gate, they will remain safe.
Another odd phenom occurs in Utah, this one involving parties. Baby and bridal showers, to be exact.
Everyone knows that Utah's favorite recreational activity is to multiply and replenish the Earth, but did you know that Utah beats out every other U.S. state with an average of 21 babies born per 1,000 people in a year? Vermont is our caboose, averaging a tad more than 10 babies a year per 1,000 people. Not shocking news, I know. *Most reliable data retrieved from babycenter.com.*
All those babies means a lot of baby showers. But here in Utah, or maybe it's just my crazy family and extended family, and WAY-extended family, you get invited to baby showers for people you don't even know.
If you have a cousin who was once neighbors with the daughter of the man who owns the pumpkin farm that you once took your kids to, and that man once sat next to a pregnant woman at church, you will get an invitation to that woman's baby shower. And it will be addressed to Brittany Kessler because they aren't really sure of your name, but they didn't want to exclude you or your gift from their party.
And then when you get to the party and there are eight women who are ready to put their Lamaze to practical use, you will have to ask six people to point out which woman is the guest of honor because the first five people you asked will also be clueless.
But if you like peanuts and mn'm's wrapped in pink or blue tulle and tied with a satin ribbon, then you won't have gone to that party for nothin'.
When we first moved to ID I was invited to so many Bridal Showers & Baby Showers it was ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAnd if that wasn't bad enough there was all the Lia Sophia parties, endless Scentsy parties, numerous make your own beady watch thingy parties, sexy pj parties, Mary Kay parties, chocolate parties (the only one I truly enjoyed), food storage parties, kids book parties, stampin up parties, scrapbooking parties and so on.
I soon realized 2 things.
1. I was only going to go to a party IF i had absolutly nothing else to do that evening and had $ in the bank to purchase something. The guilt factor gets me.
2. I wanted to create my own ridiculous party that people would want to go to and not have to purchase something to highly priced yet, meet with friends and have a good laugh.
So, I created the Kestner Christmas Party at my house. This past year was the first year that I did not sponser the party due to financial & scheduling restrictons, but the party went on without us and that is another bitter story for another day to be posted.
All in all, I do not attend Weddings, Bridal Showers, and/or Baby Showers of people I really don't know. And when you stop going to parties in general you stop getting invites. Which is wonderful.
However, if I hear of a party occuring and the schedule does not work out i make a point to drop a gift off at a later date.
Aren't Bridal & Baby Showers really all about gifts? The more you invite the more gifts the girl will recieve. I always tell myself that there was going to be so many people there that no one would even notice I wasn't.
It's so strange and coincidental that you happened to decide to write about this, because just this week I was invited to a shower for someone I didn't know! And not only did I not know this person, I didn't even know that this person existed! (As in, my mom: "Remember So-And-So's son? That's who the shower is for." Me: "So-And-So has a son?!"
ReplyDeleteEh, I'm usually game to go visit with family and have some good shower food, and also I'm very competitive and usually win at least one shower game, so I often come away from the shindig with a pretty smelling candle for a prize. But at some point, you just have to say enough's enough. Which I was very glad to say this week.
I like your honesty page. Let's me know I am not nuts.
ReplyDeleteI don't do baby showers. Don't have one, so not really in to them. Can't relate to all the labor stories, the diapers, the lack of sleep, the bla bla bla....so. Do give presents to those I care about, otherwise, they get a card! :)
This is one of the reasons that I'm glad I always have the "kid" excuse. As in, "sorry, I can't find anyone to watch the kids that day." :)
ReplyDeleteI was invited to one of these the other day. A pure romance party for some teenage cousin of my husbands that we didn't know. She's six months pregnant, getting married and having a sex toy party. And inviting virtual strangers that are twice her age. I didn't know her at all.
ReplyDeleteI didn't attend, had something else going on. But, I almost wanted to go out of curiousity. Just seemed so freaking weird.