To know that I spent the better part of St. Patty's Day making Asian cuisine. That's right, Dad, no soda bread, no boiled dinner. Instead: spring rolls, Thai chicken salad, crab rangoons, fried rice, and egg rolls. My friend from work, Bolay, is a master of this type of cuisine (she herself is from Cambodia), and she had a big group of ladies over on Saturday to perform a cooking demonstration. She's one of those ladies who's finished as quick as you start paying attention (saying, "It's easy; just do this!"), and then you've completely missed what she's done. In years past, she's been the ring-leader for a group of us who have volunteered to cook and serve at the Holland Rescue Mission, and she has a background in catering.

Saturday, however, was unprecedented in that Bolay WROTE THINGS DOWN. That's right: she gave us recipes of all the dishes she demonstrated and got us involved with. And? She went slow (relatively speaking) enough for us to absorb what she was doing. And you know what? She's right. This type of cooking is pretty simple. It's just a change in mindset (and ingredients), but I love that it is fast and without the need to measure (blech, hate measuring, which is why I hate baking).

So, anyway, even though I was wearing green like the good Irish-turned-Dutch-and-Polish girl that I am, I was not partaking in the traditional Irish fare my parents so diligently prepare each year. But...sounds like they had a party that night! 

Yesterday, though still a bit cold, was a beautiful, clear, sunny day, and Drew and I decided to get out of the house for the better part of it, rather than staying home and doing the usual chores. I'll have to catch up on laundry, etc. tonight, but I have to say it was worth it--shirking our responsibilities and going out to play.

In other news, today is my second day of my double-dose Clomid, and so far I am relieved to report the only side-effect seems to be a dull headache. Cross your fingers for us this month and next. We've been researching the "next step" fertility treatments and adoption over the past few weeks, and it has become obvious to us that if Clomid doesn't help this month or next, it will be time to take a break from trying. We will need to save up more money for either more expensive treatments (that seem to provide a minimal ROI) or to begin the adoption tasks. *Sigh*. Having a child is expensive, I've heard, but we're not even expecting yet.

Wishing you all a good week,

-Em