How many of you make coffee in your dishwasher?

I don't, personally...

but apparently there is precedent for this odd behavior.

Otherwise, why would the manufacturer of my 

coffeemaker place these instructions right inside the top,

for everyone to see as they fill the reservoir with water?

"Not intended for use in dishwasher"

Really?

I don't know about you but I have never even thought about 

putting this thing in the dishwasher to make coffee...

Perhaps 

they are saying that you shouldn't try to clean it in a dishwasher...

But that's not what it says...

right?

Do you suppose that the same guy who answers the phone when 

you call with a technical question regarding your PC.....

moonlights as a coffeemaker instruction writer?

and that he felt particularly inclined to let you know

that this particular coffeemaker can't do the 

hokey pokey in the dishwasher?

What was Cuisinart thinking?

Is this really the depth to which we have sunk?

Maybe they better let us know that this 

coffeemaker doesn't DO dishes either.....

Whew!

That soapbox calls to me, you know!

Well 

on to better things...

I had my posse over for Friday Food night yesterday!

We love mac and cheese,

especially with these fat little boogers...

And a béchamel sauce to get the cheese all smooth and gooey...

And tons of several types of cheeses...

and of course, salt and pepper,

but the Barefoot Contessa turned me onto 

adding bacon!

who  doesn't like bacon??

And, truth be known,

this was turkey bacon, just as a nod to our ever expanding

waistlines....

One dear friend came over early,

and brought the tulips!

They look pinkish here,

but they were actually lavender and luscious...

I had choices for entertainment...

but we opted for one that is hidden under the pile...

we watched

"UP!"

I hope you know how special this little film is...

most of us are mothers of "20-somethings"

and so we hadn't had the occasion to take out little ones to this movie!

We loved it.

I hope your day is splendid!

smiles...

What I realized....

was....that I had spent my entire life

making others responsible for my happiness...

I was miserable and went

about my life blaming the

misbehaving people in my life,

for my sadness...

Eight years ago...

all that changed.

suddenly, as those towers came down..

I came face to face with my

sadness....

at first, all I could do was cry...

sometimes for the thousands affected by this tragedy,

and at times, honestly... for myself

for all I was missing in life.

For the relationship that had not blossomed

and grown...

For the envy I felt toward

happy women in good relationships.

Over the next few days,

it seemed that every time I listened to radio,

or TV, I heard stories of people who were "saved"

from the catastrophe thru some strange coincidence

or "angelic intervention".

All of these people, when interviewed, spoke

about how they came to believe that God had something

"bigger" in mind for them, that they were not meant to

be in the towers, but were meant to live...

and perhaps accomplish something else.

I started to think about

exactly what I was "contributing"...

I prayed, meditated, and consulted with people

whose opinion I valued.

Someone, who has always been there for me

said...."you know, we are all responsible for our own

happiness...."

Really.

Well...

those words changed my life.

I woke up.

I started to work on me...

I explored new avenues...

I started to look at my happiness as a project,

one that would be on-going.

I worked toward the goal of self-responsibility,

and I started to step out on faith...

faith that if I "would simply show up at the party...

well, something will happen".

A tremendous amount of difficult things

started to happen,

but you know....

through it all,

I was happy.

smiles.