This is Why They Call It "Leisure Time"

Yesterday we ran errands most of the day, then whipped up a Tollhouse Pie to take along on our dinner invitation (accompanied a tub of vanilla gelato from Trader Joe's). We felt it struck the appropriate balance, being a step up from something basic like a batch of cookies, but not so esoteric as to be unlikely as a crowd-pleaser. Our hosts seemed to agree. We were also pleased to find it was quick to make (though it does bake for an hour), and was even excellent for breakfast the next morning!

We also made a quick visit to CVS, scoring 5 12-packs of pop (3 of Dr Pepper and 2 of Diet Pepsi), 2 bottles of Nature's Bounty vitamins, and a Soy Joy bar; which, through coupons and Extra Bucks, cost us $2.27 out of pocket and netted us $14 in Extra Bucks. (I think it should have been $17, but I try not to look a gift horse in the mouth.) We should be set on pop and vitamins for awhile!

Incidentally, yesterday was the first day of the new year (and only the third in the past couple of months) that we got by without a walk, which was kind of disappointing. We did run a lot of errands, but didn't manage to fit in our 30 minutes of dedicated exercise time. Bummer. Today we had ambitiously planned to go for a hike, but after staying up until midnight last night and reading possible rain in the forecast for today, we've dialed down our expectations to staying in and watching movies (though we are planning to make it out for the walk at some point). On the short list: Mona Lisa Smile, The Caveman's Valentine, Angels in America, and Eve's Bayou. Depending on what Hollywood Video has in stock, we'll see what we end up with.

Lastly, we've recently become interested in the idea of making our own kefir. An Internet search turned up a gentleman in nearby Sterling, Virginia, who is willing to share his kefir grains (or starter) with us for free, so I think we'll be taking a drive out there at some point. Details on that to follow.