Om the more normal end of things...

I had lots of fun picking out the ingredients for the lentil soup in the grocery store yesterday and I bought enough to make a couple of big pans full of it. I had an equal amount of fun later in the day taking my time preparing all the vegetables and then very carefully taking the steps to put the soup together and letting it simmer. Very quickly a delicious aroma filled the apartment but because I had never made this recipe before, I was a bit anxious about how it was going to taste, especially with the red curry paste in it of which I only put in half as much as was required. 

Right when it was dinner time, and the lentil soup was done, the Exfactor showed up so I had a big bowl of soup to offer him. Let's just say that when we ate the soup, we didn't talk much. It was so good. I can't believe I made such good soup and it has given me all sorts of courage to make all sorts of soup now that I understand the basics. I've found a recipe called 'Grandmother's Vegetable Soup' and it has lots of good ingredients and doesn't look difficult to make at all. It will be like going back to my childhood when people made this soup every weekend. 

The morning I spent with my friend downtown was very productive because we both successfully shopped and were not stressed by it at all. We just very easily breezed from one store into another and helped each other find the most flattering pieces of clothiing. I had my birthday money to spend and didn't really have a clear idea of what I wanted to spend it on but hoped to see something nice enough and be inspired. 

I was at one store and quite unexpectedly ran into a very fashionable short winter jacket that said 'I'm female and I know it' all over it. Boy, that was hanging there for the very purpose of me to buy it. The very knowledgeable sales woman helped me get the right size and I'm thrilled to pieces with it. Lasr night I wanted to wear it to bed. 

I also treated myself to a large order of french fries at the McDonald's on Market Square. I had not been in there in years and had not tasted a french fry in that amount of time either. I do have to say that it was an extremely pleasant experience and that I was able to finish almost the whole order. I had not expected that and ordering the fries had really been an experiment to see how much I could get away with. It's wonderful to know that I will be able to eat something that's not necessarily good for me once in a while. Besides, I am the original potato eater in any shape, size or form. 

It will be a treat to relax this weekend. I had a busy week and I have another busy one coming up but that is not a complaint. It does make me appreciate the more empty hours although I do end up looking for things to do. And then there's always Tyke to roam around with.