Little Pillows

First, thanks y'all! Your comments on the post below were all so cute and sweet. The photos look much better than the beads did in person, I promise. They were all icky brown and black and charred. Those yellow round beads were a very soft yellow before the burning incident. And the yellow star beads were this pretty bright yellow. In person they looked dirty and rusty. So I took those two photos and then threw the whole lot in the trash. I'm trying to be better about not keeping everything just because it took me a lot of time or at one point cost a lot of money. It was totally sad though, throwing all that hard work away. But for the best. It happens to all of us ever now and then.





Now on to my next project. Marshmallows. Last night I made vanilla-rum. (Rum flavoring was added when I realized I only had two drops of vanilla extract left. If I didn't tell you though, you would not know they weren't straight up vanilla.) Fluffy little pillows of vanilla goodness.









I made them with purpose though. Last year I tasted my very first modjeska. Its a marshmallow enrobed in delicious caramel. Goodness times two! So this evening I made caramel. I looked up a recipe for mojeskas and followed that caramel recipe to a T. It took forever to make that damn pot of caramel. But I didn't walk away from my project. Kept the candy thermometer in place. Finally it was ready and as instructed by the recipe, I let it cool a bit before dipping the marshmallows in. Actually, it stated to let sit for 10 minutes. I waited five. This was the result. Melting marshmallows. Oooooh, so that's why it has to cool a bit. My bad. My brain wasn't thinking scientifically. My brain never things scientifically, to tell you the truth.





So I waited five more minutes and tried again. Still too hot. Waited a few more minutes and tried again. Good temperature but the caramel was just too darn think to handle delicate little marshmallows. That were cut up tiny, thinking no one would want a gigantic candy in their mouth. I tried and tried and tried to get this process down. An hour and half later and this was all I had to show for myself. I need an engineer to come figure out how to get the caramel thin enough but cool enough. My English major was getting me nowhere. So finally I realized that a candy maker I am not. I abandoned ship. I did wrap up the two dozen little candies (even the semi melted ones that look like a melted Frosty the Snowman) and they taste fantastic. But the caramel is still too thick in my opinion. It might be good for apples but not for light and fluffy marshmallows. Another bust from my week! I saved the caramel but have no idea what to do with it. If you have suggestions, I'm all ears.










Also tonight, I made the prettiest little pink strawberry marshmallows! Look how they match my mixer. Light and yummy too. I'll cut them up into small squares when they dry a bit tomorrow and then I guess give them away or something. This is sort of a bad habit I have had my entire life. I make stuff and then don't know what to do with it. I just like to make things. Hence the box of clay beads.






Tomorrow morning I am trying another craft show. It's literally down the street from my house so even if it's a bust, the commute is a dream. Cross your fingers or say a little prayer that things go better tomorrow than they have in the past, please.

Set It And Forget It

I was looking for something this evening in a box down in storage and realized that I had a bunch of junk that could be thrown away taking up valuable storage space. So I started tossing crap out of the box. Making a royal mess of course. But I managed to take three boxes and condense them down to two boxes. I'm sure I could (read: should!) condense them down to half a box but I wasn't willing to commit that much time to this unplanned project. As it is my bedroom floor has a pile of crap sitting in it waiting for me to throw it out or donate it or just in general find a new home for it.


Anyway, the point of my story is to tell you about my clay. In high school, I was really into making stuff out of that Fimo clay. You know what I mean, right? It was a fairly popular craft in the early 90's. You take the clay and roll it out to form beads that look like millefiori beads. But from clay of course. It's easy to use and hardens when you bake it in the oven for like 10 minutes. Well today when I was digging through those boxes, I found a large box of my old clay projects. Ton and tons of canes (the long clay snakes ready to be cut into beads). Most of it was falling apart as it had been in various storage locations for a good 15+ years. I didn't want to throw away that hard work but I couldn't justify saving them for another day, let alone decade. So I cut up the semi-surviving canes, put them on a lined baking sheet, and into the oven they went. I figured it would be far easier to store a zip-lock baggie of beads than a box of precarious and disintegrating clay canes. But after I put it in the oven, I totally forgot about it. Went about finding new homes for the big pile of junk in my bedroom. Which is not near the kitchen. So when I went to get a glass of water and smelled burning plastic and saw smoke....well I knew it wasn't going to be good. I never do that. I am never that absentminded! Burnt. I thought I might be able to salvage a few just for keepsakes but alas, now that the smoke has cleared and the beads have cooled down, its clear that every last made-in-my-childhood bead is burnt and discolored. They were really pretty before they gained that ashy, cloudy patina. C'est la vie.

Moochy Mc Moocherson

I will not be watching this show. And that's saying a lot. Y'all know my taste in TV sinks lower each year. HelloIloveyouRHNJ! But I think the Jackson family is just a little too gross for even me to watch. I'm sorry their son/brother died. He was weird but a musical genius. But the rest of y'all are just sleazy mooches. Which is what this show should be called. I'm sure they'll be on the air for the next decade though. The first time I saw America's Funniest Home Videos, I proclaimed it to be the worst show ever made and sure to be cancelled within weeks. I think it's been on for something like 15 years.

A Bust and A Bunch Of Other Stuff

I'm really back to blogging now. Promise! I've really missed y'all, too. That either proves that we are all dear friends or I am waaaaay too addicted to bloggy pals. Honestly I am not sure which one is true.

So a quick review in bullet points to bring y'all up to date:

* I am nearly finished with my Christmas shopping. Bestie helped me figure out my last gift for my family's Dirty Santa/Yankee Trade game. I have found out over the last few years that the name you know the game by depends on if you live above or below the Mason Dixon line. Do my Canadian and UK friends call it something different too?

* I do believe that I will accomplish my goal of never setting foot in any sort of mall this holiday season. I feel this warrants bragging on my part as I detest malls at holiday time. Seeing scores of shoppers (read: grubby teeny-bopppers and people with runny noses and germs) hovering over the extra stations in the middle of the walkways (peddling lotions, potions and calendars) is just not my thing.

* All hail free shipping charges! The majority of my Christmas gifts are from the beloved internet. How ever did I survive without it? Plus I can sip a hot toddy while shopping. Malls tend to frown upon that.

* Ironically I am raising my etsy shipping charges to cover tracking numbers. I have now had two orders never make it to the buyers. Not only does it make me feel incredibly guilty (and the first time it happened to a bloggy friend- making me feel even worse. She was sooo nice about it though.), but it means I have to make and ship and item twice when all is said and done. I didn't used to add delivery confirmation to items that were inexpensive, figuring that people want the lowest shipping charges possible. I don't profit from those charges and will refund a buyer if I miscalculate and overcharge. But I'm tired of feeling terrible from missing packages.








* I made what I thought was a lovely gift basket for my Junior League's Holiday Cocktail Party that also has a silent auction. It's a baby girl gift set that included a lot of Lilly fabric stuff like a burpee and bib set, onesie, bow headband and coordinating headband for mom and more. Clear bags are my gift wrap obsession right now.





* The craft show last Saturday was a bust! I got there right on time, set up and was ready right on time. And then I sat. On my ass. Reading Facebook statuses. The entire day. I hands down had the best booth. And it was a decent size show. Not huge by any means but not tiny either. In a school. So you would think all the families would attend. Crickets. My biggest sales were from fellow crafters. Making me feel obligated to return the sale favors. Anyway, it was so odd. And funny because when I found out where my space was, I was thrilled to bits. Seriously a great space. Right in the very center facing the front door. And of course I was the most colorful. But if no one is there....

* We also got our first snow of the season that same day. But not like blizzard material. Less than they have down in Texas. So that's like nothing by mountain standards. A good dusting really. Not an excuse for people not to come to their own child's elementary school craft fair, that's for darn sure.

* I pronounce the word elementary like elemen-tare-E, not elemen-tree. When I lived down south, people thought this was the funniest thing ever. Before people started pointing it out, I never thought twice about it. There's no tree in elementary.

* I bought ginger zucchini marmalade from the nice jam lady across from me. Simply because I thought it was unique. Can't really taste the zucchini but it is quite yummy. I'm planning on using it on chicken in the crockpot one night when I don't feel like cooking.

* Sunday was my town's annual Stroll and it was lovely as always. It was followed by a dinner at a neighbor's home, which was even lovelier. One neighbor made THE BEST lemon bars and I need to track down that recipe. Lemon bars are one of my most favorite deserts. Sweet and tart and what's not to love?!

* A while back Bestie told us about how she volunteers to be a product tester for Spanx. They send her products now and then and she wears them and gives feedback. So I signed up but never heard back from them. Until a package arrived a few days ago. I can't tell you about the product but I can say I was tickled pink that they picked me to participate in the testing program. So fun!

* Monday I finally swapped out my summer and winter shoes. It's ridiculous that I waited this long, I know! Bye bye sandals and hello boots. Not that I was wearing sandals. But they were still out and the boots were not. Now that snow has fallen, I need boots to at least walk Sadie Kate each night or my tootsies will freeze right off.

* Today I spent the second half of my day in my beloved Vermont. Golly, I heart that state! My hairs are cut and blonde and rather cute, if I do say so myself. I think it had been 5-6 months since my last visit. I just got side-tracked and busy and then was trying to plan it around travel to pinch a penny. Hopefully it's still cute mid-January when I go to my Godson's baptism.

* As always I popped in Lilly and found a few things I wanted but only walked away with one pair of sale priced cords that I needed. I only have a few pairs of pants that fit well right now and it's too darn cold to wear a dress when avoidable. Unfortunately, my experience was less than fabulous. The sales gal was rude and completely bothered when I asked if they had the Kaya dress. I was literally the only person in the store and she was flipping on the internet. Which is fine, when no customers are around. But it's not like I asked her to make me a dress. I just asked if they had it. She never once offered to take my items or get me a fitting room or how anything fit after I got myself and my arm full my own fitting room. Disappointing. Especially at the Pink And Green Mecca. I almost didn't buy the pants but I really need them and they fit well. So home they came from the rude girl who literally wadded them up in the tiniest bag possible.

* I ran into JCrew before my hair appointment and tried on four tops, bought two (they were 50% off), used a very ancient gift card that apparently had like $2.50 more than the price of the items left on it. So I walked away with two tops and $2.50 in cash. I made money on the transaction. How fun is that?! I bought myself the rarely seen by my lips these days Diet Coke from MickeyD's (they have the best formula!) and made it to my apt with time to spare. I've got skills!

* I brought home a slice of the very best creme brule bread pudding ever to be made. It's huge- like 3 pieces worth. And full of naughty bad stuff. But worth every nibble. Kate Moss is wrong. Skinny does not taste good.







* I stopped at a Salvation Army on my way home from Vermont because I always manage to find a little something at this particular store. I scored big time! Five perfect (albeit dusty at the moment) silicone baking pans. I make bread constantly and keep reusing those tin pans. But seeing as how they are not intended for re-use, they are now all wonky. These are perfect. The square pan is for making marshmallows later this week and the muffin pan is for....muffins. Total price for my five pans? $7.05! The SA was NOT a bust!

* Sadie is very tired from doing all that ....whatever it is she does. Just being a princess takes a lot of energy, she claims. She is soundly sleeping on the sofa. On a blanket. With her head on a pillow. It's a rough life!

Still Here....Just Busy and Sicky

I'm alive! Mostly. I was busy and then got sick and am now busy again and starting to feel sick. Again. Which is annoying. I mean, I'm never sick when I have nothing better to do but curl up in bed with the remote control and stack of magazines. I read blogs though via my blackberry in bed. Because for the several days after Thanksgiving, I felt too sicky to even get out of bed when not absolutely necessary. Thank goodness for a sweet Daddy who walked the furry grandchild for a few days. She prefers him over me anyway. So she was fine. Not to worry. Anyway, if you feel slighted that I didn't comment, fear not because I did read. For whatever reason I can only comment on certain blogs via my blackberry. Is it me or do y'all also lose "followers" when you take a longer than usual blog break? Always happens. And I know its petty, but it totally bums me out. I am only even taking time to blog tonight because losing followers makes me feel guilty. I know, I know, a therapist's couch is in my near future!





My Thanksgiving was lovely though. Not nearly as fabulous as my "famous" DC thanksgiving many moons ago. Picture it. Teeny tiny apartment. Big turkey. Arguably one of the best turkeys of all time. Thanks to Martha and her recipe goodness, of course. And every bloody side dish that goes along with it. Two kinds of potatoes. Because that's how this carb happy fool rolls. Two kinds of pie. The only store bought item was gravy because at the time I didn't know how to make it. Because I think it's disgusting. So I bought a fancy jar. That I forgot to even open. So no one was even offered gravy. I think there were a whopping four of us to eat this feast. Sitting on the floor around my coffee table. Did I mention my apartment was teeny tiny? Damn I loved that place! I miss being about 30 feet from Eastern Market. Anyway, it was one of my very favorite Thanksgivings. It was actually the very first Thanksgiving that I fully enjoyed. Very first. B (that stands for bench) was there. Miss her too! Anyway, this year was nice. Up in the mountains with family. I made the pies. And cake balls. Which were a royal disaster. No idea what went wrong with the chocolate coating- maybe the moist cake kept it from hardening? I have no idea but they were not super popular. Whatever. My pies were the shining stars as always. Two magic pumpkin (because they make even non-pumpkin pie lovers into fans) and two humongo apple. And two pints worth of whipped cream. Man, do I love my pink stand mixer! She did all the cream whipping for me this year. Fabulous.

I have a super full weekend- a craft show (wish me luck- these rarely go well for me) and then my town's annual Stroll. But I will be back soon. I really do promise. I've not fallen off the face of the earth. So don't leave me, sweet friends! Don't stop, belivin'.... Ha ha, just kidding.

Fabric Wrap

I made bread again. I actually make bread all the time. It's inexpensive, easy, creative and delicious! And makes a great hostess gift. I thought my wrapping was particularly fabulous this week as I wrapped up a freshly baked loaf for a neighbor who kindly hosted a dinner for friends. I cut a cheap piece of fabric, didn't use a ruler or anything, as the wrapping material. I say that to point out that anyone can use this wrapping technique. Just eye-ball it. Straight edges are not necessary. Check out the dollar fabric in Walmart sometime. You might not want them for sewing projects, but they make great (and CHEAP!) gift wrap. I do advise washing them first- just toss them in the regular wash and dry cycle with your laundry- so no funky chemicals get on your baked goods or gifts. Add a big grosgrain ribbon bow and call it a gift!






As I was walking out the door to dinner, this is what Sadie Kate was doing. Pouting in the leather chair. Woe is her. Life is so hard for a puppy and she felt very slighted to be snubbed a dinner invite! Sad, sad puppy!

Faithfully Yours

The baptism gift for my cousin's son a few weeks ago. Mostly whale themed once I found that Jonah and the Whale book and CD set at the Dollar Tree. I sort of built the gift around that them and threw in a few binky buddies because his mom is always asking me for more. The thing with the red whales is a bib but you can't really see it very well in the photo.





I picked up the above three hardcover books at the Dollar Tree too. For a buck! I've not read any of them yet and no, I am not Jewish. But I like learning and the pink cover had me at Lipstick! I'll let you know how they turn out when I finally get around to reading them. For $1, I had to bring them home!

Chirping

Preppy Cricket, where did you go? And Europafox, I never received an invite. Are you still blogging? If so, will someone please mention to her that I miss reading!

Ah-ha!

I found my checkbook! You might recall that I lost it last spring too. This happens twice a year, every time I need the dumb thing. I just never write actual checks. Except when writing an actual check is my only option. Then I spend a week in a hot panic as I search every crevasse of my household. But I found it. Want to know something even more pathetic than constantly misplacing an important document like a checkbook? My name on the checkbook and coordinating debit card, is spelled incorrectly! Their fault of course, but I never bothered to go in and remedy the situation. That was nearly four years ago. FOUR. Only once in four years has anyone ever asked me why my card and license have a different name. Which is nearly as sad when you think about all the issues with identity theft and credit card fraud these days. But I see that I am about out of checks. Perhaps this will be my motivation to finally get my name spelled correctly.

I swear I am not really a total flake. I just don't keep after a book of tiny pieces of paper that I use no more than twice a year very well. We all have our flaws!

Karo Said It

Y'all know I love me some Aaron Karo. He's hilarious and says all the stuff we're thinking but would never be brave enough to say out loud. I thought these were funny and relevant from his latest Ruminations....


-I think that when women turn thirty, they shift from picking apart every little thing a guy does as a reason why he’s an asshole, to rationalizing every little thing a guy does as a reason why he has potential: “Look at the way Jim parallel parks…I really think he could be the one.”

-Ladies, if you ask me a question while your breasts or my junk is exposed, there is a 100% chance you'll get the answer you want, but only a 50% chance I'll be telling the truth.

-Why do women run so awkwardly? Tuck those elbows in! You’re jogging, not attempting liftoff.

-During interviews to promote my new book, I’m often asked where the best places to meet women are. There are really only two answers, though: bars and Facebook. I mean, it’s 2009. What am I supposed to say? The library? The grocery store? We all know our generation needs alcohol and/or the Internet to get laid.

-I support and admire our troops, but I have no idea how their ranking system works. Oh, you're a corporal? So…does that mean you shine boots with a toothbrush, or you're in charge of the entire army?