If it's Friday (or, uh, Thursday night PST), it's seven quick takes

1.
Does anyone do those grid logic puzzle thingies? Like this one? I'm wondering if there's an iPhone app. Can't find one via googlestalking and I'm normally pretty good at that so... hello mommyblog-reading developers! Please make me a way dorky logic puzzle thingy app!

2.
This is Phillip's work late Thursday and an old coworker of mine is coming over to keep me company. I haven't seen her since Molly was born. She's a bit older than me, in a different stage and setting of life and we don't have a whole lot in common except my old workplace, a fondness for pho and consistent agreement on what looks good and what doesn't. (She's a graphic designer, I'm a nitpicky perfectionistic dweeb.) When I last-minute-email-invited her over, her nearly-instant reply consisted of, "Can we watch Survivor?" Now, I have never seen one single episode of Survivor, had no idea it was on tonight and only vaguely remember Coworker chatting about it in the office. I said, "Of course!" because I find her commitment to television both impressive and admirable, and possibly this is why we get along so well.

3.
I somehow agreed to make 200 lemon bars (TWO HUNDRED LEMON BARS) for a churchy event. I am already up to my ears in other preparations for said churchy event, and now I am making 200 lemon bars. (TWO HUNDRED.) I am just going to say right now that these are going to be teeny weeny itty bitty bite-sized lemon bars. I am not going to use Smitten Kitchen's recipe, as those were gooeylicious and goo is not terribly conducive to the churchy event. I'm going to use someone else's recipe that requires the juice of one lemon per batch, about 3 tbsp. Does that sound AT ALL RIGHT to you? I mean, these are good lemon bars. Very yummy. And I made a test batch tonight (I told former coworker I'd provide her with treats) but still. I used, like, five or six of Elizabeth's "lemons" for the SK lemon bars so I am Suspicious. We shall see. ETA: Still yummy. Just a thin lemon layer and not at all gooey.

4.
I had pretty much decided not to join another church committee (I decided this while listening to Molly howl at 3 am, btw, perhaps not the best time for decision making) but then I woke up and saw that everyone thought I should keep this committee thing going. So now I am undecided again (YOU HAVE THE POWER) but I thought I would illustrate for you how very UNHELPFUL I am as a member of my current committee. Part of our job is to evaluate the liturgies. So. Practically half the meeting was evaluating Holy Week (for which I attended exactly 33%, oops) and there was Much Ballyhoo regarding whether, during the Easter Vigil, all the lights get turned on at the Gloria or the Alleluia. And here I am thinking to myself: 1) I have no idea and 2) I wouldn't have noticed if it was wrong or right and 3) I don't believe I could correctly identify the Gloria OR the Alleluia during the Mass. AND I AM ON THE LITURGY COMMITTEE.

5.
You need to speak financegeek to understand my friend The MBA Student's tweets, but he just tweeted about this site where you can take a quiz to find out what your "house style" is and I understand THAT. Who doesn't love quizzes? And who doesn't love imagining how they would decorate their homes if Great Great Uncle So and So suddenly keeled over and left you a wheelbarrow full of money? I am 50% Nantucket Style, 33% Vintage Modern and 17% Cottage Chic. Whatever that means.

6.
I continue to be completely and totally freaked out by the fact that when Jack was Molly's age I was already pregnant. I look at my chunk of a seven-month-old and think OH DEAR GOD. I mean, if it happens it happens and it obviously turned out fabulously (she's a CUTE chunk of a seven-month-old) but man am I NOT ready to do it all over again. I know that when Jack was seven months old I'd been thinking about "next baby" for a while (that's what happens when you want your kids close in age AND you have a ridiculously easy first baby). I still want my kids close in age and I definitely want a third baby, but I think third baby can take his or her time. I wonder how many people are out there with first and second babies close in age and a bigger gap between third and subsequent babies.

7.
Also! Favorite New Reader Carolyn left me this poem in the comments yesterday and it made me all SNIFFLY.

An Excuse For Not Returning the Visit of a Friend

by Mei-Yao Ch'en
Translated by Kenneth Rexroth

Do not be offended because
I am slow to go out. You know
Me too well for that. On my lap
I hold my little girl. At my
Knees stands my handsome little son.
One has just begun to talk.
The other chatters without
Stopping. They hang on my clothes
And follow my every step.
I can't get any farther
Than the door. I am afraid
I will never make it to your house.

seven quick takes are hosted here!

Comments

[Lindsay]

I have a habit of eating about half of what I make, so if I were charged with making 200 lemon bars I would consume AT LEAST 100. May you have better self control than I.

[Tracy]

I love the poem - it's so perfect for the stage you're in :-).

200? 200 lemon bars. Wow, that's a whole bunch of lemon bars. (but it sounds yummy.)

[Elsha]

I love those logic puzzles, but I don't have an iphone so I'm no help.

About the child spacing, it's sort of that way in my family. My brothers are about 20 months apart and then there's almost 4 year before me. Of course, then my sister was born 14 months after me and my youngest sister 17 months after that.

Also? You're making me want lemon bars.

[Jen]

I am 67% Contemporary, 22% Nantucket, and 11% Cottage Chic. Whatever that means too.

My in-laws have two years between the first two (actually 23 months) and then another five years before number three appeared. But number three wasn't on purpose, so I don't know how that counts towards child spacing.

I was going to say that you should make 200 itty bitty lemon bars, but you beat me to it!

[Elizabeth]

I only have to hear that about you being pregnant with Molly when Jack was seven months old before "I" get stressed out. Lordy.

Also, I took that quiz and I hated every room. What does that say about me? I got 100% Nantucket Style because it was the only room I didn't violently hate.

Are there other committees you can join that would be more Maggie centric? Too bad they don't have a blog reading wine drinking committee, eh?

[Ashley]

Can't thank you enough for linking to the logic puzzles website! It's not like I don't ALREADY waste enough time on the internet or anything! :o)

[Lisa]

I used to love logic puzzles when I was a kid....they used to be in a book. I haven't found those books for years, so it's nice to have a site to read (during naptime, of course).

[Carolyn]

Awww... thanks for the mention and the title! I've been reading you since right before Jack was born- don't remember how I found you, but I do check in almost daily during the week :-).

I tend not to comment much as I'm in a very different life stage (getting married in 7 weeks!) and often don't feel like I have much to contribute, but I enjoy your blog immensely!

[Kate P]

Weighing in on #6: I'm baby #2 of 3 in my family. There are two years and nine months between me and my older brother, and three years and eight months between me and my younger sister.

My dad has only one sib and my mom has six. I suspect there was a lot of debate after me.

And you know that once there are three, Mom and Dad are outnumbered. :)

[Pippi]

There are 18 months between my husband and his next younger brother. There are 8 years between him and his other brother. 'Nuff said ;)

[Laura]

Re: #4, the only thing I learned from being on the liturgy committee is this--

Q: What is the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist?

A: You can negotiate with a terrorist.

(And it's at the Gloria, DEFINITELY at the Gloria.) :-)