When Bad Luck Schmedlap Comes to Visit

When the morning starts off a little like today did, you start to believe in the Huldufolk.

Waking up at 5:30 am on Mondays is enough to make most people I know cringe. But, it began with the morning ritual of visiting the washroom before pouring a coffee. "What?! No toilet paper? Seems to me there was toilet paper at 3 am, when I was in here last. Oh, I've seen this little culprit before, the toilet paper thief. The one who takes the very last 24 sheets of toilet paper and throws them in the trash. And I do mean the last 24 sheets of the entire house."

5:34 am: Pour the cream into the coffee and return it to the fridge. Not until you drop it on the floor and coat your black cupboards with white cream first! Yes, it is the 'cream tripper'.

So, after a 4 mile run, a sleepyhead that needed to be awakened and a lazy dog that doesn't like the 4 inches of slush in the backyard, I am met with a wiper blade that cracks off of the car and is stuck to the confines of my pink glove. How does this happen? Can't drive in this muck all the way to school - it's a 15 minute drive over the armpit of Lake Ontario. Call the school and tell them "We probably won't be there."

Enough said. I'm not trying to say I had a bad day. We started our morning off with what is known as a "Bad Luck Schmedlap" day.

While we let teddy bear Emma roast plastic marshmallows over a fire made from Tinkertoys, let's review that gingerbread recipe that is chilling in the fridge:

8 tablespoons of margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar (the firmly packed variety)

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp powdered ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar. Beat in egg and the molasses.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the margarine mixture. When completely combined cover and refrigerate for an hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease those cookie sheets, cool cat.

4. Roll your dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters or to the specifications of your blueprints. Bake for about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

5. Decorate with icing, gumdrops and sprinkles OR glue your "Hansel and Gretel Trap" together with loads of gooey icing and delicious treats! Enjoy my pretties.

signed, the schmedlap/er, I mean willow