Starting a Book Club! (aka, Girl Time Please!)

If there's one thing that mommies (and medical wives) don't get enough of, it's girl time.  My mommy friends are always resolving to get together more often, but the reality is we usually only get around to it when someone is having a baby shower, or someone's child is having a birthday party.  Such events can't really count as "girl time" since everybody is still chasing kids and otherwise parenting!

As for me, if Mark happens to be available to watch Matthew that means he's home, and I don't want to miss a minute of him. 

What to do? 

I think we've found a solution.   A few friends and I decided to start a book club.  We're meeting once a month, mainly at my house on Monday evenings at 7:00.  It may seem like an odd time, but it works well for my working-mommy friends who don't have to give up any of their weekend time with their babies, and it works well for me because Mark isn't usually home until after 9:00 anyway.  Can it still count as girl time when I'm hosting and doing M's bedtime routine?  It'll have to!

We had our first meeting last night and it was a blast.  We picked a Valentine's Day theme (since it's February) and the ladies - did I switch from the term "mommies" to the term "ladies"?  Success! - went all out on the food.  Incidentally, if you're reading this and you live in our area, you are welcome to join us!  We're reading "Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah for next month's meeting.

I believe a fun escape was had by all, and I was really impressed that everyone pushed for monthly meetings (I had suggested either monthly, every 6 weeks, or every other month).  Even though next month I'll be watching a friend's MS-stricken father for nine days and then out of town another fifteen, these ladies found a way to make it work so we could have it sooner.  (Moms can do anything, don't you think?)

Hopefully this will kill two resolutions with one stone:  More girl time, and more fiction reading.  It's so easy for me to spend M's naptimes at the computer, reading nothing but facebook status updates.  I *love* reading them and I'll press the "more" button on the "most recent" (not just "top news") until I'm back to where I left off.  Reading all the status updates of 469 friends takes a LOT of time!  I'm resolved to be more balanced in my reading, and make time for books once again. 

Some highlights from book club and two worthy recipes:

I've always loved this recipe, from "My French Kitchen."  Chocolate pots-de-creme.  All you do is take 9 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and melt in saucepan (I used Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips from the baking section).  If you keep an eye on it and stir, you don't need to bother with a double boiler.  In another saucepan you heat 3 cups of heavy (whipping) cream until it reaches a simmer.  Combine the two slowly, stirring and heating through until all is uniform (it'll happen, give it time).  Spoon into ramekins (or espresso cups) and decorate as desired (I whipped the remaining cream and the cookies are Trader Joe's Meyer Lemon Thins).  Chill at least 2 hours.  A complete indulgence, but sometimes life calls for those.

On the lighter, but equally tasty side, Kelly made "Fresh Pineapple Trifles with Orange Coconut Cream" from Epicurious.com  Amazing and they went really well with the more-indulgent chocolate dessert (because everyone who needs two desserts knows:  they've gotta mesh well).

The tea set was my grandmother's.  I was so excited to finally use it!

Three of the five attendees, Kelly, Jen, and Susan.  Our new friend Connie was also in attendance!

Jen brought homemade artisan-quality bread - SO good - and Trader Joe's English Cheddar with Caramelized Onions, which I cannot recommend enough.  And Susan introduced me to another new favorite, bread, bleu cheese, and honey!  I loooove mixing salty and sweet and this was simply amazing!  Connie brought red wine, which one can never have enough of :)



Thanks ladies for a great time!  Here's to more girl time and reading more books!