The make your own mix idea is a good one. Not that it's difficult to make them anyway!

Weatherbug just alerted me that we're under a tornado watch. Great.

I just finished wolfing down my lunch of TJ's Indian (spicy, spicy chickpeas, mmmmm) and kicking myself for being so embarrassingly, ferociously hungry so early in the day after all the massive breakfasting that had happened earlier -- and it wasn't until the thing was halfway down my gullet that I counted off all the things I'd made in the kitchen this morning and realized that in fact none of them were for me and that I'd had no food at all since 7:30 yesterday evening. And now I can't stop being hungry, no matter what I shovel in or how much. I am extremely annoyed at myself.

From way upthread, Allyson, those pictures of Gavin and Neave (Naeve? now they both look wrong) are gorgeous.

ION, Matilda continues to be the cutest, funniest, adorablest 15-month-old in creation. Last night she spent ten minutes in the little passageway between the kitchen and living room, using it as a stage for the most awesome toddler soft-shoe routine ever, stomping and rump-shaking and shuffle-ball-STEP, shuffle-ball-STEPping and jazz handsing all over the place, then cracking up when we cracked up. Emmett laughed so hard he fell off the couch. It killed me that the camera was at the other end of the apartment, and if I'd gotten up to get it she would've stopped.

Also, this morning we were nearly late because she was hovering by her bookshelf, clinging to several of her favorites and begging to be read to.

People I currently want to punch in the head until the head comes off: People who ask for a Matilda update, listen to her latest exploit of awesomeness, and then chuckle and say, "Wait till she's a teenager. You'll be sorry you ever had her," or "Sure, it's fine now, but wait until you have a grandchild and you get all that fun plus you get to hand it back." What were you, raised by weasels after the wolves ran away screaming?

What if you dipped the inside of the strawberry in chocolate? Ugly as hell, though.

the whole "now what the fuck do I do with the rest of this quart of buttermilk?" issue.

My answer is usually "make more pancakes." I mix it up in the proportions for the recipe (buttermilk:milk) and freeze it that way, and defrost and decant as required.

My last IHOP experience (post-concert in suburbia) led to gastrointestinal unpleasantness. Granted, it could have been due to the hours I spent in the mosh pit, but I remain unconvinced.

Next time I'm in the States I'm making DH bring me to IHOP.

So the whole International part of their name is just a hoax?

Not at all, they are in the U.S. and in Texas.

I'm a bisquick pancake girl.

That's the base ingredient of my pancakes. I make a few modifications though.

UK standard of living rises above that in America for the first time in a century

For the first time in more than 100 years, British living standards have risen above those of Americans, a report has declared.

Increasing incomes, longer holidays and "free" healthcare have all contributed to making Britons better off than our friends across the Atlantic, according to the respected Oxford Economics consultancy.

The feel-rich factor is calculated using the gross domestic product (GDP) per citizen - an indicator of average incomes - which in Britain will be £23,500 this year, compared with £23,250 in America, it predicts.

Also (IORelatedN),

Economists say 2008 will be a year to forget
Analysts at American Economic Association now see recession as a given

UK standard of living rises above that in America for the first time in a century

I guess that means we need to boycott British goods so we can drag them down. So much for me buying an Aston Martin.

You can get one, so long as you throw it into Boston Harbor.

So the whole International part of their name is just a hoax?

They have pancakes from many lands.

Okay, I can be flexible. I'll try a selection of pancake places. We get pancakes one day a year here.

Shrove Tuesday?

UK standard of living rises above that in America for the first time in a century

Adjusted for pancake proximity? I think not.