You're doing amazingly well, Sophia. You really are.

Well, here's a baking lesson learned: always lick your fingers! I was about to put a cake in the oven when I figured out I hadn't added the sugar! Yikes.

My daughter's school is having a "harvest festival" today and she begged me to enter the apple pie contest, so I am baking a pie (plus 4 mini-pies in ramekins to use up the crust trimmings). This is an experimental pie with sharp cheddar baked into the crust (and no cinnamon/nutmeg) and it smells SO DANG GOOD.

I would have baked it last night and given myself the morning off, but when I turned on the oven to preheat yesterday, the entire house filled up with smoke to the point where my Nest smoke alarm would not be silenced due to "smoke levels too high." Stupid smart alarm. But I've scrubbed the gunk off the bottom of the oven, and now all is well and my house smells like apple pie instead of fire.

OMG I want that pie in my mouth right now

It seems like a nice day for baking. I have been to the store and have supplies and some cheap cleaning clothes (I have been cleaning in dresses. We accidentally went to the juniors section in Walmart, so now I am wearing leggings with peek a boo netting on the side. Ah well, they were on $4 clearance.

I am deep cleaning the hall and stairway today.

I was freaking out because I though my dumpster was too small, but then I realized I read feet and not yards. It will be fine!

I want pie and cake, -t.

Jessica, good luck in the contest. Your pie sounds amazing.

Good catch, Jesse.

Setting up a true mise en place drives me crazy. (I hate you, cooking shows! There is no sous chef in my house.) It feels like doing that takes as long as the active-cooking phase, but if I don't at least lay out all the ingredients (not measured, just in their storage containers) at the outset, I often forget something.

When I'm really on my game, I put each one back in the cupboard as soon as I've used it, so I'm almost done with clean-up, by the time the food is ready or in the oven. (I'm maybe on my game about 33% of the time.)

Also, since I basically had to tell the theatre that I couldn't finish the semester, I may finally have the courage to quit.

Sophia, were you only staying because quitting is difficult?

but if I don't at least lay out all the ingredients (not measured, just in their storage containers) at the outset, I often forget something.

I did that! The sugar was sitting right there! Just not in the bowl.

I would also like Jess's pie.

Sophia, were you only staying because quitting is difficult?

I had a few reasons

1. I like working with the students 2. I was reluctant to give up my identity as a theatre professional with a day job 3. I was afraid to lose my friend Katie 4. It is difficult to quit. I have actually never quit something except one job at the University for another one in a different department and JCPenney. And JC Penney called and asked me to come back. I was fired once. Everything else was mostly recurring theatre jobs where they just ask you each time when they were putting together a crew and if you couldn't do it they stopped asking eventually

That sounds so hard, Sophia. Does it feel like something you need to do now, for you?

I did that! The sugar was sitting right there! Just not in the bowl.

Ugh. That's the worst! That (and not a lot of good counter space) is why I started putting things away as I use them, but I'm not consistent about it.

How did the cake turn out?