- nice having two good bookstores - especially if one of them is temporarily closed! :-)

Yes, I can see that you wouldn't want to go there with him. Nice that you have friends who are excited to be able to spend time with you while he's away. But I do understand that waiting to hear from him must be so hard. Especially in today's world, we're so used to being able to connect all the time. Plus I'm sure that you worry about him. Just let me know if you want to talk anytime.

Ouch! I really hope the new splint is working better.

Great news about the job interview. As far as the presentation, given what they've asked for, I'm sure they expect a certain amount of repetition of things on your resume. They might just want to see how you handle presenting. Maybe some of your teachers/mentors (job placement office from your college?) can help with what should be included. It is hard to present in front of strangers if you haven't done much of it before. But just because you're nervous, doesn't mean they will know that you are nervous. Hopefully, your nerves will stop once your presentation gets underway. Wishing you good luck with both the presentation and the rest of the interview.

Also good that you have someone interested in your duplex.

Is fondant made with marshmallows? I didn't know that. I have a friend who is an amazing cake decorator and another friend who used to own a desert catering business and bakes the most delicious things. I used to do a little cake/cookie decorating (nothing fancy) but I have never worked with fondant. (But I did love to watch Ace of Cakes!)

moves from my perma-lurk corner I've made marshmallow fondant twice. It's MUCH better tasting! Also really fun to make even though the whole powdered sugar thing can get messy. I really dislike the taste of regular fondant. It's nice looking and all, but blech.

I, like you, have tons of great ideas for baking. It's much harder to make my mental picture reality though. I need more practice with piping -_-

You'll do great at the presentation, I'm sure. That's definitely a unique way to interview, so maybe just talk about some specific experiences or projects you worked on that relate to the position?

Sure! Which ones did you want to know about?

- well, Verdugo and Oranos, of course, because we talk about them a lot. And which ever others are your favorite stories about their names. I'm interested (and curious) enough to want to know about all of them, but you don't have to type it all at one time. :-)

It is nice to have two bookstores. Both of them have vintage books, but one of them has better prices on the older books.

I enjoy the heat, but I don't like the heat that much...or the sand. It will be nice to spend more time with my friends back home, better than only seeing them a few times a year. I'm hoping my hubby and I can keep in contact by phone, because snail mail might take awhile. It took at least a week or so for my husband to get his mail when he was at basic training and he was only in Georgia while I was in Kansas.

The new splint is longer and I have my hand wrapped, so use of the right hand is restricted quite a bit. I'm learning/getting used to using a mouse with my left hand. There's still some pain on and off during the day and it takes me half an hour or more to fall asleep at night (which only makes me tired during the day).

Thanks! I've got a rough draft written down that I need to add too and then transfer over to my computer. I know someone who had a job similar to this one, so I may ask them if they have any advice. I had a job interview three years ago, where I was extremely confident about it until I got out of my pickup and walked in the building, but one of the people who interviewed me was surprised to later find out that I was nervous during the interview. I get nervous when presenting because I always start to wonder and worry about what the people in the room think.

It is good that someone is interested, but slightly annoying that they want to view it while we are in the process of packing and still living here. They thought they would be less in the way doing it now then to wait until later in June.

I'm not sure what Wilton's brand fondant is made from, but I know that it tastes funky. I have a recipe for homemade fondant that I found on Pinterest that listed marshmallows as one of the ingredients, but I haven't tried it yet. I have the ingredients, but I haven't made a cake lately.

I would assume that with homemade fondant, you could also add vanilla extra or some sort of flavoring to it too, if you wished. I just remember that the Wilton's fondant tasted okay at first (if I had a small nibble) but I couldn't eat a whole piece of cake with it.

I had 5 pages of images printed out that I wanted to re-make with fondant, but I never gave myself the time to practice...and I sort of doubted my ability. I too need more practice with piping. I can pipe frosting onto cupcakes just fine, but I don't have a steady enough had to pipe a cake.

Thanks!...and you just reminded me of a project I worked on during my internship with a horse trainer that I can include in my presentation!

- I hope the one with the better prices is the one that's still open. :-)

I'm sure that you will be able to keep in touch with your husband via phone and/or internet. I don't have any idea why it took so long for your mail to get to him in Georgia. It might take less than a week to get mail to Afghanistan. (Maybe it's a military mail delivery issue of some sort?)

Well, glad the new split is (sort of) working better. It's really hard to use a mouse with your non-dominant hand. But it helps if you go slow. Yes, trying to fall asleep at night always seems to be when pain (or being sick) is the worst. And missing sleep can make it hard the next day. Is there any way you can take your last pain medication of the day closer to bedtime so it will be effective while you are trying to get to sleep?

Sounds like you have the presentation under control. As far as the people in the room are concerned I guess you just have to do your best to focus on what you are doing and not on what they are thinking (I know - easy to say and harder to do.) I've heard famous actors say they're told to picture the audience in their underwear to overcome stage fright. Don't know about underwear for a job presentation, but maybe there is something you can think about to help you relax.

I agree with you. I think it would be much less in the way after you have moved. But, hopefully, they will like it and you won't have to show it again. :-)

I have never really liked the taste of any of the fondants I've eaten so far. They give a lovely smooth finish and look great, but I think icing tastes much better. Maybe I would like the fondant that Duff used - I certainly wouldn't mind getting a chance to taste one of his creations. :-)

I wish I had the creativity. Sometimes simple is the way to go and less stressful!

Verdugo is a tribute pet for a boss in Resident Evil 4. When I first saw the nightmare endeavor, it reminded me a lot of El Verdugo (the executioner). His background crosses Resident Evil with Subeta. His fate is intertwined with with Oranos. You could read about his background on his profile and then read Oranos' story. Oranos is named after the god of the sky and the heavens.

Next is Albert Whisker. He is an Albert Wesker tribute pet because I love Albert Wesker. He is a tigrean so that's why his name is Whisker instead of Wesker =p

Forli is my fourth battle pet. Forli is named after a province in Italy because he is my Italian assassin pet. His background is based in the Assassin's Creed universe.

Jill Valentine is named after Jill Valentine lol. Jill is my favorite Resident Evil character (shocking that it's not Wesker, I know). She is in the same universe as Albert Whisker and the two are arch enemies like Verdugo and Oranos.

Power Surge I had a background story written down that I was working on for him but then I lost it before I put it on his profile so I need to start all over again x.x Basically he has the power of lightning but he is not in full control of his power. Just like lightning, he can be unpredictable and dangerous. He is neither good, nor evil. He gains energy by defeating opponents in battle so in order to sustain his power he needs to beat battle challengers.

Mr. Rabbit is very near to my heart. He is named after my rabbit toy I had since I was a baby. I was looking for an old picture of him to use to create an overlay but I couldn't find one =( Next time I am at my mother's house I will have to take a picture of him for the overlay.

Makalu is named after a mountain in Asia but doesn't really have a background story yet.

Deinosuchus, or Deino Croc, is named after one of the largest alligators in the cretaceous period. He is my big slow terror.

Nefertiti is named after the queen of Egypt, no really special story for her only that her best friend is her big sister Naomi. Naomi is just named because it sounded pretty for a legeica.

Joslin is my sweetheart Jollin and also doesn't really have a background story or meaning behind her name.

Glimfeather got his name from The Chronicles of Narnia. Glimfeather was the owl that helped Jill and Eustace in Aslan's country. The only thing my Irion shares with the Narnian though is his name. Glimfeather has his own tragic story on his profile

Popokarim is named after the bat boss in Resident Evil 5. Grinder is just grinder because he is a dinosaur (hydrus velosotor) haha. Squibblez is a scribble lasirus. It was a cutesy sounding name but he does have a short background story on how he came into existence.

I think those are all of my pets (should be 16 I just mentioned x.x) but if I am missing someone I apologize to that pet lol.

- ooooh dinnertime must be very interesting at your home - with two sets of arch enemies! :-)

Very creative stories (especially the Verdugo/Oranos backgrounds. No wonder they perform so well in the Battle Coliseum!) You are a good writer. Yet another of your many talents.

Aw - Mr. Rabbit is adorable. What a cute idea. to have a Subeta pet for your real life friend. I still have what's left of the stuffed puppy I used to have as a baby. My Mom once told me that they would buy more than one so they could wash one while I had the other, so the one I still have is likely not the original, but is definitely well (and not too gently) loved. When I was a teen, I patched it with multiple fabrics since it was missing all it's fur, so now it is a little like a strange quilt. You should definitely get a picture of the real life Mr. Rabbit and add it to the profile. I'll be looking forward to seeing it.

Haha - look what I found on Squibblez' page - The Wizard needs you to Help him out! - Thank you Squibblez.

Yes, you included all 16. Can't forget one of your pets. :-)

Haha yeah constantly breaking up fights =p

Aw thank you! I haven't really written stories in a long time. I used to write a lot of short stories in high school. I think my English teacher wanted me to become a writer and get published lol

Mr. Rabbit is in sad shape but he is still in one piece. My mom had to sew his neck several times in the past and washing him was a nightmare every time. We didn't know if he would take his last tumble in the washer every time we stuck him in. My mom did the same thing! She bought 2 more of those rabbit toys after I was given one for my first birthday. She would rotate them out every so often to try to wash them or even the wear on each of them. Eventually when I was a little older I found out I had three and names them all - Mr. Rabbit (Rabby for short), Peter (for Peter Cottontail) and Fluffy. Fluffy still actually resembles the closest to what they used to look like when they were new, hence his name xD Mr. Rabbit was by far my favorite and is in the worst shape. His black eyes are scratched so it looks like he has cataracts in his old age.

- isn't it amazing how we wind up having favorites among supposedly identical stuffed toys. :-) You should take a picture of all three of them together.

Haha next time I am at my parents' house I will

The one with the better prices is still open, the other one is still undergoing renovations, though I'm not sure if they restarted renovations after a fire started in there building due to someone varnishing wooden floors and then leaving no ventilation.

My husband leaves tomorrow for AT, but I had to drop him off at the armory tonight. Cue waterworks...tears started as soon as I hugged him goodbye. Doesn't help that tornado sirens have gone off 7 times tonight either. I'm sure I'll be able to talk to him while he's deployed, we'll just have to figure out time differences. I think the reason it took him so long to get mail in Georgia is due to only getting mail once a week or so. My husband told me how often they got mail, and it wasn't every day. I ended up playing the waiting game once I mailed a letter, and I hated it. I also didn't like finding out that he called his parents the first two times he was allowed to make a phone call.

Its working, but I've had to modify it some. I've tried taping the padded stick to the bottom of my palm, but the tape only sticks for 15 minutes or so. The stick keeps sliding over the the middle of my palm and doesn't stay put. I had tape holding holding it on the the top of my finger but that was causing more pain and a semi-claustrophobic feeling in my hand. However, this splint makes my finger stick out and yesterday I caught it on things while I was packing (much inward cursing afterwards). I'm actually left-handed but I've always controlled a mouse with my right hand. It takes me about an hour at night to finally fall asleep and I've been taking pain meds half an hour before I go to bed (or right before if I forget). I've been super tired in the mornings and during the day this week, due to trouble falling asleep.

I was hoping to have a rough draft of my presentation finished before my husband had to leave for AT, but that didn't happen due to needing to clean up my duplex. It would be easier to do it with him since I wouldn't be as nervous, and he could time me to make sure I'm in the time limit. I usually end up staring at a back wall, but I then I look around the room and get more nervous. I somehow managed to get an A in my college public speaking class (even managed to wing a speech of the top of my head with nerves/anxiety).

The lady who wanted to look at the duplex canceled tonight, about an hour before the time she agreed to come by because she was freaked out by the storm that was moving in. I took the day off work, to clean the place up and get things packed up, so the place doesn't look so crowded. Now we have to schedule another time, might be this Saturday, but if Saturday doesn't work, I'll be telling my landlord that she won't be able to look at it until the second to last week in June. I'll be going back and forth too much moving things.

I've only tried one kind of fondant and I think it will be awhile before I try any other kind. I have some of Duff's cake mixes, Dillons used to sell them. I haven't tried them yet and I think it will be awhile before I bake any deserts since it's just going to be me for a month.

Everyone is creative in their own way. My husband says he isn't creative, yet he has a gift he's been working on for quite some time that was supposed to be a wedding gift, then a Christmas gift, then a birthday gift. He hasn't had the time to work on it so I might get to find out what it is eventually.

Simple was definitely the way to go for my wedding cake. The two days before my wedding was a day filled with baking. I spent most of the morning and afternoon baking over 300 cupcakes. Luckily I had help from my bridesmaids. Then in the evening, I made 6 mini cakes for the wedding party and the wedding cake for my husband and I. By then I had reached a point of not caring how it looked as long as it was finished. My husband and I had talked to a wedding planner 7 months before our wedding (we thought she was the baker but turns out she had a friend do the cakes) and ended up with a major headache trying to work with her. We told her the estimates for 2 options: x number of mini cupcakes and a wedding cake and x number of cupcakes and a wedding cake. We also told her we just wanted a wedding cake with a 6 inch diameter and she kept telling us we would be happier with a larger cake... :/ Sent us off with samples (dry cupcakes and frosting that was still grainy) and said she would email a quote in a few days. Week later, still no quote, then she calls my mom and says she can't do a quote until she knows how many cupcakes we want. I think we sent about 4 emails back and forth before I told her I would just do it myself because I gave her numbers on day 1.

- okay - I'll look forward to seeing it then.

- having a fire during renovations does make everything more complicated. Hopefully, they will still be back in business soon. I always hate to lose a bookstore.

Aww - sending hugs. And tornado weather is not fun - especially if you are living somewhere they tend to touch down. I hope you're feeling a little better now.

Yes, you will definitely have to work out time differences to Afghanistan, but I'm sure you will be able to figure out something.

Ooooh - ouch! It is not fun at all to hit a broken finger on anything while it is still healing.

Ah, I see. So that's good for most things then. And, hopefully, it wasn't too hard to learn to use a mouse with your left hand since you're used to working with it.

If you're taking your pain meds half an hour before bed, they should be working when you're trying to get to sleep, so I guess you're doing everything possible. I'm sure it's just hard to get to sleep with everything going on in your life right now. Hopefully, at least your hand will start feeling better soon.

That's a shame that the lady who wants to see your duplex canceled after you made the time to get it ready to see, but I guess I can sort of understand if the weather where you are was really that awful (tornado sirens). Still I'm sure it was frustrating for you and it makes sense to put some limits on things so you get done what you need to do as well.

Wow - I never knew there were Duff cake mixes. Still anything made from a mix is never anywhere near as good as made from scratch (I was a scratch cake baker when I used to bake and I'm sure it's even more so if Duff (or his team) are the ones doing the baking).

I can see that you might not be baking for just yourself - although I have always managed to find someone to help eat anything I created - friends, neighbors, local fire fighters, hospital workers, people at work or school or place of worship ... I've never had trouble sharing any good dessert.

Sending many good thoughts, wishes and hugs for you and your husband (and for better weather!).

Oh geeze that sounds like a nightmare. I hate dealing with people like that. She is so unprofessional! Clearly she has no idea what she is doing.

As far as I know, that bookstore planned to restart renovations, but they probably won't be done by the time I move out of town. The nice thing about that bookstore is that they bought books from their customers. I have take many boxes of books there to see what they would buy.

I don't mind tornadoes when I'm in the country because I can see for miles, but Being in town for tornado season is the worst. I look outside my back door and all I see are trees blocking the sky. It got very dark that night and there was a stark contract between the two sides of town. The sky was lighter on the east side of town and black on the west side. I survived,, but I was so tired at work Friday.

It made for a very sore finger. My husband brought three of his friends over for supper and video games because they didn't want to spend the whole night at the armory. I didn't do too bad at Mario Kart that night. One of my husband's friends asked me when I broke it. He said it should be pretty close to healed when I told him too weeks ago, until I mentioned that the joint is crushed in. I think I'll be leaving the splint on my hand on until the middle of June, then I might switch to a smaller splint for just my finger before I start going around without a splint.

It was very frustrating to find out she cancelled and I had a feeling that morning that she would cancel. She cancelled before the bad weather was even close to moving in. My husband and I have figured out that the people in this town freak out if the weather forecast suggests bad weather might occur. I don't know how many times this winter the grocery stores were emptied because ice or snow storms were forecasted and then we got either no snow or a dusting. My landlord is going to see if today works, but I let him know I'm only available until Thursday. After that, I'm going to be in and out of town moving things.

I don't know if they are available anymore, but I haven't tried the one I have yet. I agree, homemade is the best, but cakes mixes are great when I'm short on time. I made my wedding cake and the cupcakes for my wedding from scratch and they tasted delicious.

My mother-in-law is a baker too and she's always sharing the deserts she's made. I've taken bakes in to work during the holidays, but its always a hassle to carry everything in and remember to take the leftovers home.

Thanks dear, the bad weather seems to be sticking around for a few more days. Thankful the power only went out once.

It was awful. I was considering baking my own cake and deserts for the wedding before I met her, but that decision was made after dealing with her. I think part of her problem is that she tries to do everything related to weddings: the planning, the decorating, supplying decorations, deserts, etc. She directed me to her facebook page to look at the cakes that 'she' has made for other weddings, prior to our meeting in person. She wanted me to get an idea of what she can do, however most of the cakes on her page were made by er friend. Meeting with her in person went ok, but she started asking us where our wedding location was (wedding and reception were at different locations), who our DJ was for the reception, who was doing our decorations, etc. When it cake to the cake, she drew out three or four different options based on our wedding theme. I showed her pictures of what I wanted on the cupcakes for decoration and she asked me to email them to her (which I did after the meeting, then didn't hear from her for a week or two). She had everything written down, so I don't know why she was so adamant that my husband and I never gave her numbers. I think I talked to her once of the phone, the rest was through emails. I can't even remember if she ever emailed a price quote. There was another cake baker my mom and I went to and she was horrible as well. I showed her a picture of a cake that I liked that was decorated for the bride on one half and the groom on another half. That baker told me that was essentially a dumb cake design because one half won't be seen. And she assumed that I wanted an exact replica of the cake in the picture (4 or 5 tiers). She never asked who many layers I wanted or anything. Her prices were outrageous too, over $1200 for a four layer cake. I walked out of their mortified and ticked off.

- it would be really nice to have a bookstore that buys books from customers, if I were ever willing to part with one of my books. :-) I have books everywhere!

I don't really mind not being able to see far when it's tornado weather. I'm told to watch out for hail and also that an approaching tornado sounds really loud, like a train, so I mostly listen rather than look. And I've been living with tornado weather all my life so I'm just used to not getting too upset over it. Does your town have a tornado siren? If it's loud enough, that's also a help. Fortunately, I've never directly encountered a tornado (although I've come close several times) but the scariest time for me was when we were in a car heading towards my home and there were tornados in the area. We kept watching the sky and when we got to the house headed directly to the basement.

Yes, I can imagine it was very sore. I hope it is now feeling much better. It will take some time to fully heal, but hopefully, it won't keep getting in your way when you try to do things. Not to mention when you try to get some sleep.

There are always some people who seem to overreact to bad weather. Good luck with all your moving.

Yep - still for sale. I'm spoiled these days because I have one friend who used to own her own dessert catering business. She bakes really delicious things and brings them to social gatherings. I also have another friend who is a very talented cake decorator. Sounds like your mother-in-law will keep your more than adequately supplied with treats for now. And you already have more than enough to do. It wasn't really a suggestion, just a simple comment that I've found there is always someone around to eat any unwanted dessert when it is homemade.

Definitely want the power to stay on. Not fun at all when it goes out! Be careful and stay safe.

It is nice. I have a hard time parting with books as well. I tend to part with books that I've had sitting around for a few years that I haven't touched, and they are mainly books that I picked up at a thrift store that I thought might be interesting.

I've lived in tornado alley my whole life, so tornadoes don't bother me either. I'll go outside to watch them. I don't like them while living in town because I don't have a basement, I have no clue where the nearest storm shelter is, and I've got things that belonged to my grandmother here. The town I;m in currently has multiple tornado sirens, but they can barely be heard in the duplex my husband and I rent. I watched a tornado swirl in the sky right outside of my parents' house, but it never developed further.

It seems like this town is full of people who overreact to weather. It can barely be raining and people are driving 10 to 15 miles or more below the speed limit.

It must depend on which stores are carrying them, because I haven't seen Duff cake mixes in Dillons. I make some pretty delicious pies, a favorite is caramel apple pie. I've made it for Easter two years in a row, but didn't this year because my mom had desserts taken care of. I completely understand. I actually made caramel brownies last night (it was a boxed mix), so I'll have dessert for a few nights. Doing dishes with a plastic bag over my hand is tricky though, makes it harder to grip things.

The lady who wants to view the duplex is coming today at 2, so I spent my morning sweeping and mopping floors and wiping down the counters. Then I boxed up the seasonings that I won't be needing and put a few other small kitchen items in the box too. So far, I've got 8 boxes to take home, and and 4 boxes of items to take to Goodwill.

Thanks, I think the bad weather has moved on, until the next storm front moves in. Power has stayed on, but I'm putting up with a slower internet connection than usual.

- you are still doing better than I am - if a book comes home with me, it stays forever ;-)

I can see that you would not want to lose your grandmother's things. They say go to a room without windows, so usually a first floor bathroom - reasonably safe, especially if you have a second floor. I don't have any idea if there are any storm shelters around here. I don't think I've heard anyone mention a storm shelter in decades.

Yes, that's one of my concerns too. You can hear the tornado siren just fine when they test it, but not so well when weather is actually bad.

I have no idea whether you can find Duff cake mixes in stores, but they are definitely being sold online.

Doing almost anything with a plastic bag over your hand is no fun. Hope it is now healing well and giving you fewer problems.

Glad you were able to reschedule - hope she likes it.

So good to know the bad weather has moved on. But slow internet??? Aaarrrgggh!!! (I think I'd rather just have the power out than have slow internet. I really hate having to wait for my computer, when it is supposed to be waiting for me! :-) )

AHHHHHHH what is wrong with me?!?!?!?!? ( no need to answer that :P lol) I really wanted to do a contest/giveaway for Vesnali and it totally slipped my mind until 15 minutes ago!!!! I am still doing it though. I just don't know how to do it. Do I make a thread or something? I already bought some prizes that I am hoping people will like :D