Sugar and Spice and.....

It's Monday--Oh! Is it ever!  After a fairly good weekend, not exciting but good, I am being hit with Monday in full force.  It's ugly, it's bad and it's going to take extraordinary efforts to fix.  First there is Petite-Fille's older brother (my middle guy). Poor kiddo has been overcome with a scurge of head lice--eeeewww, yeck.  Just putting it in words makes it worse than it is--but doesn't it make you feel all itchy and crawly?  It's apparently been an issue for les enfants at school for a while now--so annoying.

Okay..not enough?  Fleas!  The pets have fleas, which apparently we were latent in noticing because now they all have them at infestation levels and it will take all out war to get rid of them...bedding washed, areas vacuumed and treated, pets trimmed and bathed...and I include cats in this category so you can imagine what kind of fun that will be!

Both of these things are somewhat normal when you have kids and pets--but for me they bring out my transient OCD tendancies--I treat, clean and wash everything in sight.  I become a hand-washing drill sergeant with all those around me which has nothing to do with la puce or le poux (but is never a bad idea anyway!)

"More !" you say?  Still not enough? Well just moments ago les chats went dumpster-diving in the kitchen and pulled out last night's chicken-bones to make a fête pour deux! (three if you count the dog patiently waiting under the table for her portion.) So I was just down on my hands and knees cleaning up that mess.

So what's a girl to do!?  I need to turn this day around and très rapide!  One meager attempt--I just polished off a very large banana slathered in Nutella........mmmm..mmm.mm!

Earlier this morning I had my respectable breakfast of whole wheat toast and poached eggs---so there!  And besides--bananas are good for you, n'est-ce pas?

Now that I have totally put you off--the only thing I can come up with is to post a recipe....I am baking in order to change the path of my Monday--something sweet, spiced and wonderful....

Happy Monday!  Hope yours is off to a better start than mine!

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Orange Spice Bread

• 3 cups flour (I use a 1/2 and 1/2 white and whole wheat mixed together
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 3 tsp 'spice mix' (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbs orange zest
• Orange Marmalade

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together melted butter, honey, eggs milk and vanilla and combine with dry ingredients.  Stir or beat until blended. fold in orange zest.  Fill loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Serve with orange marmalade, cream cheese or butter--as you like!