MAY 18

Second attempt at the homemade pasta for the month of May....delicious!  What a difference a pasta machine makes.  (and a lot of help from my daughter in law)  Actually, she made the first batch of dough while I watched.  I made the second batch which will be used for baseballs.  The third batch she stood right over my shoulder and supervised as I wasted so much flour on the second batch we were afraid we'd run out.  We teamed up the pasta with alfredo sauce, a lemon caper sauce and marinara sauce.  (grilled shrimp was optional)  All three sauces were a hit and the pasta was sooooooo good.  You wouldn't think you could taste the difference in store bought pasta and homemade but I am here to say you absolutely can.  Even Mr Hall complimented the meal.  I will try a homemade ravioli next week (with the pasta machine).  I just need to work on "eyeing" how much flour to add...that makes a difference in what comes out.... dough or baseballs.

MAY 9

Have you heard of the pasta wars?  Well that is the best way I can describe my first experience with homemade pasta.  It hurt I didn't have the pasta machine.  I  had a pasta machine but it mysteriously disappeared.  The recipe tells you to form a sort of  "well"  with the flour.  Once the "well" is formed, you are to add the whisked egg yolks and slowly pour them into the "well".  So far, so good.  What the recipe failed to mention is that as you begin to mix the flour into the whisked eggs, sometimes the eggs decide to run out of the "well" and take a trip down the cabinets!  It was all I could do to scoop up enough egg yolks to form a dough.  It kind of went down hill from there.  After the dough set up for a while, I began rolling it out.  Ugh. This is where the pasta machine would have come in handy.  I could not roll the dough out flat enough, thus, very thick pasta....not so good.  I will try one new homemade pasta dish a week for the month of May but I will get the pasta machine so I have nice thin pasta and not pasta dreadlocks!  Bon appetit!

MAY 5

May is here?  I have to say, since I made this resolution to try something new each month, they are just flying by!  So I had my ballet recital yesterday and it was a hit!  In fact, we have been invited by the Cincinnati Ballet director to perform in the Spring Production (which is a pretty big deal)  I'm in if everyone else is.  Of course I was nervous, but I just watched the girl in front of me and did what she did...haha.  So since I'm still talking the ballet classes and the Spanish classes, and still practicing my juggling (gave up the guitar)  I decided for May I'm going to try something once a week that I've been wanting to try for a long time.  It's not a physical challenge (or it shouldn't be)  I have a pasta maker and I am going to try to make  homemade pasta once a week for the month of May!  I know how good homemade pasta tastes compared to store boxed pasta and it's very different.  I hope mine tastes as good.....I'm sure mi familia will let me know!

APRIL 21

Juggling is coming right along.  I found using weighted balls or even bean bags works better as it gives me something to grab on to easier than a bouncy ball.  I thought about using balloons to give myself as much time as possible but haven't done that yet.  I am sure I will have conquered the juggling assignment before my next challenge.  In the meantime, the dreaded ballet recital is in just a few weeks...ugh.  I have not and will not invite anyone I know as I just want to put a mask over my head  and get this over with.   Practicing at home is easy, but once we get together and that music starts, it's a whole new ballgame.  Still begging to be the tree but drill sergeant Isabelle is not going for it.  Even though I listened to the Spanish cds in February, our Spanish class has finally begun!  Senor Arnoldo would show us a picture of something and ask us what the Spanish word was for the object in the picture.  We would all answer in English...haha.  Homework assignment to write a word(s) for every letter in the alphabet.  (the Spanish alphabet)   I already started on my list.  Having a little trouble though finding a word beginning with the letter..... ñ.    (Pronounced ny...fyi)

APRIL 15

So it's been a while since my April post.  April has proven to be a very busy month indeed.  Still glad to be over the guitar and on to my juggling.  I have been practicing with two balls to start.  It was advised to do it that way and that's the way I'm doing it.  It's amazing how hard it is to even juggle two balls!  I'm getting the hang of it and really want to be comfortable with the two balls before I move on to three.  I'm using weighted balls so when I drop them I'm not spending all my time chasing them. I(learned that the hard way)   I think I'll get this.  It's only mid-Apri,l so I'm thinking if I'm juggling with three balls by next week, that will be good.  Staying the course!!

APRIL 2

Thank goodness March is over because I couldn't take that guitar anymore!  April...well, I went to my friend's sons circus show a few days ago and he inspired me!  No, I'm not joining the circus, but I have decided for April, I want to learn how to juggle!!  I have good hand/eye coordination (in my mind anyway) and I have always wanted to know how to juggle, so now is the time!  Who knows, if I get good enough, maybe the circus isn't out of the question......juggling 101...here I come!

MAR 15

I cannot lie (well I can, but I'm not going to)  I am really HATING the guitar!  Today to add to my frustration with this thing, I was just trying to go back and forth from G chord to D chord.  I kept strumming with my right hand trying to get some speed in my attempt to play TWO chords.  In doing so, I guess I was so focused on my left hand that I lost my grip (and it was a strong one)  on my guitar pick and it went flying into the hole of the guitar.  You know, that pick didn't come out as easily as it went in??!!  Now I know why those rock guitar players are always slamming their guitars into the ground!  They hate them too!!