It's time to explain myself....

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Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
Bad News: I'm not going to be blogging anymore. Let me explain myself...
Let's be honest, some of you have probably already given up on me, as I haven't updated in about a month and before that the posts were getting very sporadic.
I started this blog as a way to document and showcase my adventures through baking and although it's been fun, my life has started to take me in a different direction. Upon moving back to Northern Virginia, our schedules drastically changed- MM gets home late now leaving most of the cooking up to me and now that we're close to friends and family, our evenings and weekends are often dedicated to spending time with them.
Good News: I'm dedicating more time to cakes.
If you've followed my adventures, you know of my passion for baking and cake decorating. When we moved back closer to home I knew I wanted to try and take my cake business to the next level... so after lots of time and energy, selfless plugs, free advertising and great friends, I'm spending more and more time in the kitchen baking cakes for clients (paying clients!) It's been great so far and I'm very optimistic of what the future holds. All that being said, most of the time I used to spend concocting delicious creations for you all is now spent whipping up wonderful cakes.
Now time to get sappy...
Thank You.
I want to take a second and thank everyone that has followed or commented and been a part of this adventure throughout the past couple of years- it's been a great experience and I've met some awesome people along the way. The blogging world was definitely something that I never anticipated being a part of, but it was definitely fun and I felt like I was always learning something!
Please don't think of this as goodbye.. it's more like, See ya later! I'll still be around.. you're just going to have to use new ways to find me.
If you like me, you can always come by on facebook.. drop in and say "Hello!" Not to mention, you'll be able to keep up with what I am still doing in the kitchen.
Of course you can always take a peek at my cakes (or order one if you're in Northern VA-selfless plug): http://www.sweetsbye.com/
I just opened an etsy shop as well, so no matter where you are, you can indulge in a sweet!

And I'm going to be making more of an effort to tweet- @sweetebakes.. cake focused of course.
Well... I think that's all I got... Thanks for everything you wonderful wonderful people!! 

As always, Happy Baking and Keep it Sweet!!

Diversions And Delusions (There Be Wool: Knitters Unite . . . And Colbert's Feet to Benefit)

To contact us Click HERE
It's officially summer. I'm officially ready for winter. So much so that I've begun my "winter knitting"--starting first with a beautiful cowl (the Honey cowl) in Kelly Green--for obvious reasons this color speaks to me. I love, love, love knitting this cowl. The textured pattern is both squishy and fluid--better yet--I can practically manage working it with my eyes closed. It's a simple and brilliant design. Who knew that a mere "wyif" and "p1"  combination could create such a wonderful little experience. It does. It has. 

Evenings I've been curled up in a chair sitting next to Dr. Thyme watching the entire two seasons of Downton Abbey with the honey cowl work in my lap. So happy. So content. We both loved DA. I've never considered myself a Masterpiece gal. Today, I would classify myself in "groupie" status. We are now working our way through another outstanding Masterpiece PBS/BBC production: Sherlock. Whoa. LOVE. IT. Who is that guy? He's perfect as Sherlock.  
One night DH asked, "Are you going to work on my Christmas sweater, too?" To which I replied, "Seriously?" Of course my selfish knitting takes priority over ALL well-intended knitted gifts. I felt a pang of guilt over the matter. But this quickly passed. 
And now, onto knitting. And some news of the very strange and absurd.For those unaware, the art of knitting is under scrutiny. Big story. Big news. First a disclaimer. I am not an Olympic athlete. Nor do I pretend to be one when I knit. However, if you would like to spend a few minutes laughing yourself silly, might I direct you to the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard: Gawker covers this quite well. As does Mason-Dixon Knitting. At first when I read the Olympic Committee (yes, with capital letters, so you know this is for real) has taken umbrage with Ravelry and its many Ravelympic shenanigans (of the afghan, mitten, sock, hat, scarf, cardigan, and sweater sort)--I thought this was a very funny and clever joke.  What better way to get a knitter's attention than to create a scandal! I love a good scandal, don't you? Sadly, this is real. The OC apparently finds our knitting "denigrates" the Olympics. For those knitters who have the the gall to knit while watching the Olympic games and partake in such groups via Ravelry . . . be aware, be very aware. You are now colluding. And as such, may find yourself in . . . well, in "violation." Please someone tell me this is not really happening. Please. I want to know when the jig is up. In the off chance this whole thing is REAL, (and my fear is that the letter and all its lawyer speak are), I will humbly submit to finally learning to knit real socks. Not the kind that are knit with two different colors of yarn on one needle so I can tell the difference, but honest-to-goodness, wearable socks. For humans. For maybe even Stephen Colbert. But I think knitting some for my husband would have to come first (right after I finish the man-sweater), then socks for Colbert. **UPDATE: The Olympic Committee has since issued an apology. Twice. If THAT doesn't tell you something about the power of knitting folk, well, I don't know what does. I still think I'd like to knit a pair of wearable socks. On a completely unrelated venture. We have this little groundhog residing in the back yard. He's the most adorable little thing I have ever seen. I spotted him out back before he had spotted me (they are quite skittish) and quickly but ever-so-quietly ran back inside for my camera. I call him a badger. They can be destructive little critters. But cute beyond words just the same. And as you can see, he is on the "outside" of the veggie patch. Here is the latest veggie patch update. It's bone dry out there. I don't water everyday. I try to stick to the rule--an inch of water per week. I want to encourage deep roots on the plants vs. shallow. But the parched ground and lack of water here is stressing everything. I feel sorry for the trees. We had such a beautiful spring. And now. . . this. I have tomatoes on nearly all my tomato plants. No blight or foliage diseases have appeared. . . yet. I attribute this miracle to the fact that the rain we so desperately need has kept nasty airborne mold spores from attacking my plants. While I am very concerned over the lack of rain we've had here (especially given that most annoying of holidays is approaching)--I'm grateful to have such healthy and disease-free plants at this stage of the game. There be rabbits. . . big time. So it looks like, "No Beans For Me". I refuse to stress out over this. They've gotta eat--if I were a rabbit, I'd eat my garden, too.Veggie patch number two. Corn is up. Kale is up. (I've been juicing in the afternoons: two kale leaves, three carrots, an apple, some dates, celery and grapes--it's a delicious pick-me-up.) Other parts of the patch are "dormant" for now. I ripped up my pea vines last weekend and used my fresh peas in a curry. They were so tasty. I plan to plant a fall crop of peas--when the weather cools. A pain in the neck to shell--all one hundred or so of them, but totally worth it in the end. So while this little garden strip appears to be somewhat "bare" and pretty stark looking--every good gardener knows--you leave spaces open for the "next" crops. Just not sure what exactly that will be yet. This was a garden I had all tomatoes in last year. I rotated the tomatoes to the new beds and gave this one a tomato "break". It works wonders for the soil.I have to share my pasta endeavor. This weekend I made homemade pasta and TRIED my hand at shaping tortellini. This is the result. Okay, so I won't be heading to Italy any time soon. But still. These were quite good. Here's what I did: I poured a cup of Bob's Red Mill Semolina flour on the kitchen counter, added 1/3 cup of water and a tablespoon of EVOO, and a pinch of salt, then dove in with my hands. No bowls. No food processor. So easy. After the dough came together into a nice little round ball (I sprinkled a bit of water over it as I kneaded the dough)--after all the stickiness subsided, I set the dough in an oiled bowl to rest for and hour, then got my pasta roller out and had a blast. The pasta was perfect. We LOVED it! I am getting quite good at homemade pasta if I don't say so myself. 
And one last thing, because I really have been busy and never really know how or when to "edit" myself on my posts (I guess if you're a regular "visitor", you've figured that out by now). 
My reading diversions are many. My Kindle seems to be attracting more and more books--our library just began offering e-book lending. More for my Kindle! I am nearly finished reading, "A Widow's Story" by Joyce Carol Oates. Loved this book. Loved. It. JCO, as she refers to herself, is by far one of my favorite authors. Ever. I've read nearly all her books. Blonde and The Falls--two of my most favorite books ever. This book, however, is a memoir about the sudden loss of her husband, Ray, and the ensuing days, weeks and months after dealing with the trauma of the event, coping with the grief, the solitude and the onslaught of well-intended acts of support with which she must contend. While JCO does share some darker moments of surviving after the loss of her husband--of navigating the friends, flowers (which will perhaps give you pause the next time you decide to send "flowers" to someone grieving), and many-sleepless nights, she also brilliantly and gracefully lets us into her soul. I felt privileged to read this and better for having done so. 
And one other book I am heading into next right after the JCO memoir is a newbie: Bowling Avenue by Ann Shayne. You might know her from the Mason-Dixon Knitting blog. Bowling Avenue is Ann's new book. I have been reading Kay and Ann's blog for a l-o-n-g time. I love their blog. They've inspired many-a-knittin'-project in this house. As a fan of their blog, I thought it perfectly sensible I'd love Ann's new book. I read the first chapter as a sample and right away was hooked. If you go to Ann's page, you'll find a link there. I am always happy to help a knitting sister out. And, better yet, a writer-knitter sister. 
Meanwhile, let the sock lessons begin. Any tips from fellow knitters--experts in all things socks--I'd totally welcome.

Indian Spiced Quinoa Patties with Farmer's Market Corn Medley (OMG: It's Raining!)

To contact us Click HERE
I wanted to write about these quinoa patties we'd had for over a week now. But the heat had stifled my writerly self to the point of such despair that I'd contemplated shunning "The Blog" for the remainder of the season until my heart and mind could once again muster the strength to put into words food stuff and my ramblings. Then I had that chocolate moment last week and that sort of broke the spell. Thank. God.

We have rain. Finally! And not just a teaser-rain. A real honest-to-goodness gully washer. Deep. Breath. Hubby and I are sitting out in the screened-in porch, and I'm a bit "chilly" so am wearing a sweatshirt! A. Sweatshirt. I am giddy with excitement! Now, I know better than to think this will last. So I pray. . . fall then winter. Fall then winter. My mantra for today and all days from here to eternity.   Action shot: rain.Action shot: hummingbird. How cool is that? (Okay it only took a hundred and fifty attempts, but still.) 
The recipe for this lovely little quinoa patty can be had from one of two places. First from a wonderful new cookbook by a blogger I'd not heard of prior to stumbling across his collection of recipes--in the grocery store of all places: Herbivoracious by Michael Natkin. The book is gorgeous in its own right--photos that are cook-inspiring and real--as he states in the introduction: he took the food photos himself. (Being a blogger and one who deals mostly in foodie things--I totally respect that). The recipes offer a spin on amazing veggie dishes, many an exotic flavor and spice included to tempt you to want to get in the kitchen and COOK! Or you can go to Heidi Swanson's version of the quinoa patties at 101cookbooks. Either recipe will put you on the right track. I gleaned inspiration from both for mine. Ultimately, I settled on frying my patties in my cast iron skillet. More and more, my 10" Lodge skillet is my go-to pan. In fact, were I to be stuck on a deserted island and could only take one thing from my kitchen, I'd grab that cast iron skillet in a nanosecond. (Right after I pocketed some chocolate.)
As for the corn ensemble, you can see for yourself what direction I went with. I had just come from the farmer's market and had six ears of corn. I used two of the ears for this stir-fry of sorts. I relied on cumin, coriander, some turmeric, onions, garlic, scallions, squash, red potatoes, jalapenos, fresh oregano and thyme--all with the intended purpose of pushing the corn dish in the Indian flavor direction as I had with the quinoa patties. It worked beautifully. I then topped it off with some sliced fresh tomatoes from my garden and whisked up a vegan mayo/horseradish/lemon sauce for drizzling over the top. So very yummy.
The forecast is for a return to 100 degree days for the next four days. Hard to believe as I sit here in the cool rain. Typical St. Louis. But grateful nonetheless for the break we've been granted today.
  

I'm a woman, I live in Missouri and I vote. . . Akin

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I've let two days pass. Thank god I live in a country where freedom of speech is granted, but never to be taken for granted.
I was appalled to open the paper and read yesterday's headline in the Post-Dispatch regarding the "legitimate rape" comment. No, let me restate that, I was trembling mad. I re-read the piece twice just to be sure I hadn't missed any detail. 
What I cannot come to grips with is this: Republicans can't seem to release themselves from wanting to legislate a woman's body. 
Get out of our bodies.
I make no apologies for being a woman. A strong woman. A woman who was always told by her mother to stand up for her rights. Don't ever be afraid. Don't ever allow intimidation influence your opinions. Stand tall.
 I was a kid who aspired to be an attorney. In grade school, I took pen to paper to write a letter to President Gerald Ford expressing said hopes and--received a letter back! The local paper ran a column about my letter. 
The world I was entering was slowly reckoning with the fact that women were no longer relegated to being second class citizens--submissive "types". My generation would have more choices than any female generation prior.
I don't need to elaborate or dredge up my own personal scars, or explain why I had such a visceral reaction to this unseemly comment. I simply need to vote. And I will. And because we live in a democracy and because other great women before me fought for this right, I will absolutely take the only action I can in the face of this insult. 
As of my writing, an apology has been issued. 
Apology not accepted. 
  

"So For My Next Act, I'll Limit Women's Rights"

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Really? So went the general direction of the narrative from one side during last night's debate. So much so, I lost sleep over it. Did I just step off of 2012 and step into the 1950s? Pre Roe v. Wade days were dark for women. Very dark. I remember the first "talk" I had with my mother on the subject of my responsibilities and rights as a woman. And it went something like this: Be careful. Be vigilant. And above all else, do not EVER walk into this house unmarried and pregnant. Period. And the story of her being left in an orphanage followed. One may assume given this history lesson, I might have different thoughts on the matter of birth control. One would be wrong to make such an assumption. And my mother would have been the first to tell you why.

I made a conscious decision to not have children. Thus, I took personal responsibility for ensuring I would not become a mother. Thankfully, I did not have to make this decision in a back alley somewhere. I met with our family physician instead. And nothing about my meeting with him was awkward. In adulthood, my option for maintaining my choice to eschew motherhood was never something I imagined might be at risk. It never once occurred to me that, in my lifetime, a movement would be underway to undo my say in this matter.
I have faith in our democracy. I have faith in both the women and men in congress to see that the right to make the choice never gets taken away.We do not live in a Utopian society where adults behave themselves All. The. Time. That's why there are protective measures in place to keep us from harming ourselves, or from harming others. In the ugliest parts of humanity there is an abominable force which causes some stronger types to prey on weaker types. These forces are referred to as rape and incest, and most often occur against women. And at its deepest moral indecency, the "women" may be as young as fourteen. As I've learned over the years this happens to be the age at which young women are most vulnerable to such an assault. I personally know this to be true. 
Before any single human being thinks for one moment that they know what's best for women as it relates to "good moral behavior" and sees removing the option of birth control protection for women as prudent, they need first walk a mile in my shoes or a mile in the shoes of any number of young victims of date rape, uncle rape, father rape, neighbor rape and tell them why their birth control options are no longer on the table. Why corporations employing them cannot "in good conscience" provide the medical benefit of simple protection when women know first hand what being a victim feels like. We know first hand "just saying NO" isn't a guarantee of protection. And all this finger pointing, posturing and holier-than-thou, "Goodness gracious, why would a single woman ever allow herself to have a child and NOT be married and able to provide a decent life. . . a good moral life!" stuff is naive at best. Criminal at worst.

Diversions And Delusions (There Be Wool: Knitters Unite . . . And Colbert's Feet to Benefit)

To contact us Click HERE
It's officially summer. I'm officially ready for winter. So much so that I've begun my "winter knitting"--starting first with a beautiful cowl (the Honey cowl) in Kelly Green--for obvious reasons this color speaks to me. I love, love, love knitting this cowl. The textured pattern is both squishy and fluid--better yet--I can practically manage working it with my eyes closed. It's a simple and brilliant design. Who knew that a mere "wyif" and "p1"  combination could create such a wonderful little experience. It does. It has. 

Evenings I've been curled up in a chair sitting next to Dr. Thyme watching the entire two seasons of Downton Abbey with the honey cowl work in my lap. So happy. So content. We both loved DA. I've never considered myself a Masterpiece gal. Today, I would classify myself in "groupie" status. We are now working our way through another outstanding Masterpiece PBS/BBC production: Sherlock. Whoa. LOVE. IT. Who is that guy? He's perfect as Sherlock.  
One night DH asked, "Are you going to work on my Christmas sweater, too?" To which I replied, "Seriously?" Of course my selfish knitting takes priority over ALL well-intended knitted gifts. I felt a pang of guilt over the matter. But this quickly passed. 
And now, onto knitting. And some news of the very strange and absurd.For those unaware, the art of knitting is under scrutiny. Big story. Big news. First a disclaimer. I am not an Olympic athlete. Nor do I pretend to be one when I knit. However, if you would like to spend a few minutes laughing yourself silly, might I direct you to the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard: Gawker covers this quite well. As does Mason-Dixon Knitting. At first when I read the Olympic Committee (yes, with capital letters, so you know this is for real) has taken umbrage with Ravelry and its many Ravelympic shenanigans (of the afghan, mitten, sock, hat, scarf, cardigan, and sweater sort)--I thought this was a very funny and clever joke.  What better way to get a knitter's attention than to create a scandal! I love a good scandal, don't you? Sadly, this is real. The OC apparently finds our knitting "denigrates" the Olympics. For those knitters who have the the gall to knit while watching the Olympic games and partake in such groups via Ravelry . . . be aware, be very aware. You are now colluding. And as such, may find yourself in . . . well, in "violation." Please someone tell me this is not really happening. Please. I want to know when the jig is up. In the off chance this whole thing is REAL, (and my fear is that the letter and all its lawyer speak are), I will humbly submit to finally learning to knit real socks. Not the kind that are knit with two different colors of yarn on one needle so I can tell the difference, but honest-to-goodness, wearable socks. For humans. For maybe even Stephen Colbert. But I think knitting some for my husband would have to come first (right after I finish the man-sweater), then socks for Colbert. **UPDATE: The Olympic Committee has since issued an apology. Twice. If THAT doesn't tell you something about the power of knitting folk, well, I don't know what does. I still think I'd like to knit a pair of wearable socks. On a completely unrelated venture. We have this little groundhog residing in the back yard. He's the most adorable little thing I have ever seen. I spotted him out back before he had spotted me (they are quite skittish) and quickly but ever-so-quietly ran back inside for my camera. I call him a badger. They can be destructive little critters. But cute beyond words just the same. And as you can see, he is on the "outside" of the veggie patch. Here is the latest veggie patch update. It's bone dry out there. I don't water everyday. I try to stick to the rule--an inch of water per week. I want to encourage deep roots on the plants vs. shallow. But the parched ground and lack of water here is stressing everything. I feel sorry for the trees. We had such a beautiful spring. And now. . . this. I have tomatoes on nearly all my tomato plants. No blight or foliage diseases have appeared. . . yet. I attribute this miracle to the fact that the rain we so desperately need has kept nasty airborne mold spores from attacking my plants. While I am very concerned over the lack of rain we've had here (especially given that most annoying of holidays is approaching)--I'm grateful to have such healthy and disease-free plants at this stage of the game. There be rabbits. . . big time. So it looks like, "No Beans For Me". I refuse to stress out over this. They've gotta eat--if I were a rabbit, I'd eat my garden, too.Veggie patch number two. Corn is up. Kale is up. (I've been juicing in the afternoons: two kale leaves, three carrots, an apple, some dates, celery and grapes--it's a delicious pick-me-up.) Other parts of the patch are "dormant" for now. I ripped up my pea vines last weekend and used my fresh peas in a curry. They were so tasty. I plan to plant a fall crop of peas--when the weather cools. A pain in the neck to shell--all one hundred or so of them, but totally worth it in the end. So while this little garden strip appears to be somewhat "bare" and pretty stark looking--every good gardener knows--you leave spaces open for the "next" crops. Just not sure what exactly that will be yet. This was a garden I had all tomatoes in last year. I rotated the tomatoes to the new beds and gave this one a tomato "break". It works wonders for the soil.I have to share my pasta endeavor. This weekend I made homemade pasta and TRIED my hand at shaping tortellini. This is the result. Okay, so I won't be heading to Italy any time soon. But still. These were quite good. Here's what I did: I poured a cup of Bob's Red Mill Semolina flour on the kitchen counter, added 1/3 cup of water and a tablespoon of EVOO, and a pinch of salt, then dove in with my hands. No bowls. No food processor. So easy. After the dough came together into a nice little round ball (I sprinkled a bit of water over it as I kneaded the dough)--after all the stickiness subsided, I set the dough in an oiled bowl to rest for and hour, then got my pasta roller out and had a blast. The pasta was perfect. We LOVED it! I am getting quite good at homemade pasta if I don't say so myself. 
And one last thing, because I really have been busy and never really know how or when to "edit" myself on my posts (I guess if you're a regular "visitor", you've figured that out by now). 
My reading diversions are many. My Kindle seems to be attracting more and more books--our library just began offering e-book lending. More for my Kindle! I am nearly finished reading, "A Widow's Story" by Joyce Carol Oates. Loved this book. Loved. It. JCO, as she refers to herself, is by far one of my favorite authors. Ever. I've read nearly all her books. Blonde and The Falls--two of my most favorite books ever. This book, however, is a memoir about the sudden loss of her husband, Ray, and the ensuing days, weeks and months after dealing with the trauma of the event, coping with the grief, the solitude and the onslaught of well-intended acts of support with which she must contend. While JCO does share some darker moments of surviving after the loss of her husband--of navigating the friends, flowers (which will perhaps give you pause the next time you decide to send "flowers" to someone grieving), and many-sleepless nights, she also brilliantly and gracefully lets us into her soul. I felt privileged to read this and better for having done so. 
And one other book I am heading into next right after the JCO memoir is a newbie: Bowling Avenue by Ann Shayne. You might know her from the Mason-Dixon Knitting blog. Bowling Avenue is Ann's new book. I have been reading Kay and Ann's blog for a l-o-n-g time. I love their blog. They've inspired many-a-knittin'-project in this house. As a fan of their blog, I thought it perfectly sensible I'd love Ann's new book. I read the first chapter as a sample and right away was hooked. If you go to Ann's page, you'll find a link there. I am always happy to help a knitting sister out. And, better yet, a writer-knitter sister. 
Meanwhile, let the sock lessons begin. Any tips from fellow knitters--experts in all things socks--I'd totally welcome.

Indian Spiced Quinoa Patties with Farmer's Market Corn Medley (OMG: It's Raining!)

To contact us Click HERE
I wanted to write about these quinoa patties we'd had for over a week now. But the heat had stifled my writerly self to the point of such despair that I'd contemplated shunning "The Blog" for the remainder of the season until my heart and mind could once again muster the strength to put into words food stuff and my ramblings. Then I had that chocolate moment last week and that sort of broke the spell. Thank. God.

We have rain. Finally! And not just a teaser-rain. A real honest-to-goodness gully washer. Deep. Breath. Hubby and I are sitting out in the screened-in porch, and I'm a bit "chilly" so am wearing a sweatshirt! A. Sweatshirt. I am giddy with excitement! Now, I know better than to think this will last. So I pray. . . fall then winter. Fall then winter. My mantra for today and all days from here to eternity.   Action shot: rain.Action shot: hummingbird. How cool is that? (Okay it only took a hundred and fifty attempts, but still.) 
The recipe for this lovely little quinoa patty can be had from one of two places. First from a wonderful new cookbook by a blogger I'd not heard of prior to stumbling across his collection of recipes--in the grocery store of all places: Herbivoracious by Michael Natkin. The book is gorgeous in its own right--photos that are cook-inspiring and real--as he states in the introduction: he took the food photos himself. (Being a blogger and one who deals mostly in foodie things--I totally respect that). The recipes offer a spin on amazing veggie dishes, many an exotic flavor and spice included to tempt you to want to get in the kitchen and COOK! Or you can go to Heidi Swanson's version of the quinoa patties at 101cookbooks. Either recipe will put you on the right track. I gleaned inspiration from both for mine. Ultimately, I settled on frying my patties in my cast iron skillet. More and more, my 10" Lodge skillet is my go-to pan. In fact, were I to be stuck on a deserted island and could only take one thing from my kitchen, I'd grab that cast iron skillet in a nanosecond. (Right after I pocketed some chocolate.)
As for the corn ensemble, you can see for yourself what direction I went with. I had just come from the farmer's market and had six ears of corn. I used two of the ears for this stir-fry of sorts. I relied on cumin, coriander, some turmeric, onions, garlic, scallions, squash, red potatoes, jalapenos, fresh oregano and thyme--all with the intended purpose of pushing the corn dish in the Indian flavor direction as I had with the quinoa patties. It worked beautifully. I then topped it off with some sliced fresh tomatoes from my garden and whisked up a vegan mayo/horseradish/lemon sauce for drizzling over the top. So very yummy.
The forecast is for a return to 100 degree days for the next four days. Hard to believe as I sit here in the cool rain. Typical St. Louis. But grateful nonetheless for the break we've been granted today.