The Dishes, The Bug and The Peach Crumb Cake

Dishes, I hate cleaning them. Getting them dirty is another story. I love to cook or bake.

Dishes, my husband loves cleaning them. He also loves that I cook or bake.

Dishwasher, the automatic thing that helps the husband love cleaning dishes. It is also the thing that fills up on a very regular basis. Until this week that is.

Bugs, those creepy crawly things that can totally disgust me. Now do not get me wrong, they have their place - outside, beyond the borders of my yard. Never, ever let me see one in the house.

Bugs, or specifically, one rather large bug, loves the inside of my dishwasher. The husband hated doing the dishes that day, completely by hand. That day and the next the darn bug would run and hide somewhere in the depths of the dishwasher. With persistence, OK, pure luck, I got him then ran a disinfectant through the dishwasher.

Husband was happy to do dishes again. Until yesterday. Apparently the bug had a friend. Probably a girlfriend who he invited over for dinner. I am not relying on luck this time. There is a bait trap in there now. So for the next few days, hubby will have to dread cleaning dishes.

To top it off, I baked today. When I bake I make a complete mess with a ton of dishes. I clean it all up, but pile the dishes for him. Oops, forgot about the non-automatic dish washing. Darn good thing I made one of his favorites. Fresh peach crumble cake.

Peach Crumb Cake

Ingredients
For topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For cake:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 large peaches (about 1 1/4 pounds), skinned and sliced thin

Directions

Topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and the cinnamon. Mix until the topping is crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the flour, baking powder, and the salt. Beat the batter until mixed well and spread it evenly in the pan. Arrange the peach slices in slightly overlapping rows over the batter. Sprinkle the topping over them and bake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a uncooked piece of spaghetti comes out clean.

The Debating Teenager

You know how it is, you tell your teenager something you are 100% proof positive is correct and they will debate it. It does not matter if they are correct in the view point, or if they even understand the topic at hand, they will debate you.

It is not arguing really, they have a focused opinion and they will stick with it. They strongly state their side of the topic, and you as the parent, with a sound mind, state a fact. It really does not matter how many logical facts you point out, they will debate it back with you until you throw up your hands and surrender.

This happens more and more as they continue through their teenage years. Some of those debates are frustrating and others are memorable, most pass without much thought but they are truly moments of self-growth and a nudge of understanding of what the future may bring.

The problem occurs when that teenager decides that he really is good at debating and enjoys it to no end. The decision is made to join the debate team and head full force into the topicality at hand. I am no longer debating with my teenager as I am no longer 100% proof positive that I understand the topic at hand.

High Maintenence

Yep, no other way to describe this big, lumbering, long-eared, slobbering, baying hound dog.

He is a perpetual toddler who, when ignored, will do anything and everything to get your attention. Ever seen a dog push out a chair to use it to get up on a table? What about a dog with a blue foot because he just demolished a marker? Foaming at the mouth because the toad didn't want to play? Pulling on the electrical cord to the laptop to yank it off your lap? Throwing slobber in every direction possible with one shake of the head? Reaching up on the counter to see what is for dinner? Running and hiding under the bed with the bar of soap he just grabbed out of the shower because you wouldn't let him in? Trying to answer the cell phone for you, even though he is all teeth and paws? Running through the yard sprinklers barking at the top of his lungs then running full force to try to give a big hug to the closest human? Chasing the fly that snuck in the house, but only managing to run into every unmovable object?

Go, Go, Go with energy abound then wham.... nap time, just like that.