It has been a full week, even removing the election from the mix.  Saturday was a work day in house and yard, at least after one midday soccer game.  LOTS of weeding and leaf bagging and cleaning.  We had overnight guests on Sunday which was wonderful.  So good to visit even for a short time and I love a full house.  The kids helped set up bedrooms and we made a big vat of chili to serve with baked potatoes after church. 

Monday and Tuesday were challenging from start to finish.  My husband was hosting his work unit at our place for their fall morale day on Wednesday. This is our second year so I had a good idea of what we needed to do though our basement remodel has kept things a bit off kilter around the house.  We planned our part of the menu and cleaned as usual.  In the middle of it Monday it seemed to me a good time to empty our clown car pantry and closet and deep clean them.  Why I don't know but they are super tidy now.  

On Tuesday the girls and I headed to the library to vote and return books. Afterwards we went to the thrift store and found some finishing touches for our party tables  - baskets and tablecloths in rich fall plaids.  With what seemed like mounting momentum we headed to Walmart to make a return and buy the rest of the party supplies and ingredients.  

I was feeling ON TOP of my game at that point.  Like, oozing good citizenship and hospitality prep.  However right there in the craft aisle getting some raffia to tie onto a vase I noticed my vision going.  As in away.  Migraine aura was starting.  Not good not good not good.  Not at Walmart where there is no escape from flourescent lighting and no one with a drivers license with me.  I've had enough of these to know how long we had before the aura passed and the pain hit.  Probably a half hour for the one and up to an hour for the other.  So I soldiered on.  Tess read my list and we managed to load the cart between us.  Fortunately most of mankind was out voting so we at least had a near empty store.  When all was clear we headed home and the boys unloaded.  I went to bed.  

Fortunately the pain was not debilitating and prep could resume a few hours later.  By then election anticipation was reaching a fevered pitch.  The rest of the house was glued to the set. (Do we still say 'set?' That's TV anyway.)  I was rather detached from the whole thing, probably due to the sorta surreal post-migraine haze.  I hit the kitchen to begin the first of the two cakes we intended to make, which was the original point of the post.

 Oh how I do ramble. It's worse in person where you can't click away. 

So cake one was a Pumpkin cream cheese bundt.  I was very pleased with this one though it did take a while. And we misplaced the pastry bag when we cleaned the pantry so the topping is…. like it is.   My election guys shuffled back and forth updating me.  When the cake and cleanup was done it was after 11pm and still no verdict.  Knowing the day we had ahead of us it didn't seem as though agonizing all night would be a good idea so I went to bed.  Even shut the door.  Done. 

I must have been pretty darn done because I woke up having slept straight through and reached for the phone in the morning to see what had happened.  And then?  I got dressed, tied on an apron and made another cake because my job description was not one of those that had changed overnight.  In times of upheaval some of the most constructive things a person can do are the everyday familiar things we always do – plunge our hands into soapy water, mix up batter, run a mop, set a timer, arrange a vase of flowers, light some candles. Those are the things I did.

And made a Cider Cake with Butterscotch Bourbon Glaze, which I realized too late was not the pinned recipe I intended to make, but was already committed.   Not that it wasn't good.  By all accounts it was.  Either it was post migraine haze or the recipe was really confusing.  There were measures of sugar divided, but then only one direction for sugar usage.  Or mention of 'add remaining' such and such but we hadn't used any of that item prior.  Being NOT the world's most gifted baker I read and reread to catch my error and couldn't tell you now where it lies – recipe or me.  (odds are on me)  Someone make the darned cake and either set me straight or validate my confusion if you will. Long story shorter, it was an intellectual challenge of sorts which I enjoyed.  Employed some new skills and techniques and would likely have been perfect if I had set my oven properly and not to convection.  Because I do things like this.  

Just want to pause to add here that when my ballot was filled out I was, in fact, completely coherent lol.  I vote better than I bake.  

Anyway, the world continues to spin loudly and sometimes precariously outside these walls. Over here we have baked and scoured the junk shop and read books and opened our doors to over three dozen people of all different walks of life this week.  It's been wonderful.  As my friend MacBeth says, "Humans are very nice close up." Our home has been one of the best places for us to love and serve them. I feel very fortunate to have been able to spread a little warm and happy in what has sometimes been a very not that season.