successes

I finally juiced all the lemons that had been sitting on the counter since the harvest. I netted 5-and-a-half pints of lemon juice, which has all now been frozen in ice cubes for use when necessary. I also peeled some of them and have a reasonable amount of zest drying on the counter. It smells fanatastic. Every time I walk by, I get a noseful of the most awesome fresh lemon scent. Now I understand how people can become addicted to scented candles and pot pourri.

On Valentine's Day, I made speed cheesecakes for DH. It's basically the cheesecake part of the Cranberry Cheesecake Tart, baked in ramekins. Easy and delicious, especially with cherry topping. (Out of a can, I was very pressed for time!)

Today, I underwent the Sacher Torte production again, this time with much better results. Tomorrow I'll write it up and send it off.

Ah, tomorrow: training for story time! I debut on Friday, and can't figure out if I'm nervous or not. I was never much of a one for performance anxiety or fear of public speaking. I'll be reading to a bunch of little kids, not exactly a tough crowd in the traditional sense where you're left thinking "what did they think of me?" The majority of these kids can barely form a simple declarative sentence. As for the moms and caretakers, they're just happy to have something to do with their kids that's free and fun and vaguely educational. At least I know I was, back when I brought my kids. We'll see how it goes.