PL, day 13

Having me at home with a full day of Food Network shows can be both a good and a bad thing.

Yesterday turned more on the bad than the good.

I decided to grill chicken and shrimp. I had some frozen cocktail shrimp (I KNOW it's not precisely the right type of shrimp for this . . . but it's what I had.) that I quickly thawed in cold water, then marinated them in oil and some barbecue spice rub. Around 5 o'clock, as the kids where done with homework and other stuff and while Hannah was sitting quietly in her vibrachair, I got everything set up. The marinated shrimp was put of pre-soaked skewers, chicken breasts were ready to go, I had barbecue sauce to baste on the chicken. Everything was on a tray and taken outside. I took Hannah outside to sit nearby. I had a pot of water to boil corn on the cob, ready to use on the grill's side burner (a first attempt at using it). I turn the burners on, get the flames going to preheat, go back inside quickly to grab something, come back . . . and the flames are GONE!

I must be out of propane?

The entire operation is nothing but a fantasy now. So, I bring everything back inside, decide to broil the shrimp in the oven to be a nibble on appetizer while I begin reheating the pot of water and reconfigure the chicken for oven baking, with occasional sauce application. Around an hour later, the chicken is finally done--and at least it was nicely cooked.

So, today I am going to attempt (?) to return the propane tank and get a new one, but I also really need to get new bottle nipples for Hannah. I figure I can use the stroller to move her and the propane tanks from van and back again, but that would be the final errand. I would first go across town to the Baby's R Us to see if they have the specific nipples I'm looking for.

All of this is contingent on Hannah's cooperation (she's usually very good about such things, as long as it fits within the windows of her feeding schedule, and whether or not it rains today. The sky has a gray cast and the dim light outside doesn't bode well for lots of outdoor activities with baby . . . or for Sarah's soccer game tonight.

But, oh well. I've got a load of folded laundry to put away, a clean set of whites to fold and put away, and a set of colored clothes in the dryer right now. Plus, I've got documents to type, and a baby to play with when she wakes up. I've got enough to do.