merry + bright . . .

hello, hello!

happy holidays to all : )  the posts have been few and far between while my list of desired posts keeps growing . . . i suppose that's what happens when work and snow attack- in full force!

at least i was able to catch up a bit yesterday and finish my goodie tins . . . 

this sampling includes tasty cookies and candies from biscotti to the {flaming} soft caramels, and chocolate covered cherries tucked below . . . so all in all considering- quite a bit- the other items i didn't get a chance to make, i'll try out in january : )

now the real question is why i am still at home and not in nevada . . . well- that would be the result of father winter . . . seems he felt a need to give us holiday presents early- as in millions of snowflakes . . . 

the pac-nw is pretty well covered with snow and the like . . . as in 8 inches in metro portland yesterday . . . our balcony flamingos began above the snow, yet they have slowly become covered - head to toe in one case!

tomorrow we will try again to begin our holiday road trip after we shovel out our car and chain the tires- yay!

all of this is probably ok, as this week was extremely busy at work for a deadline we had friday- here's a sampling of that project . . . 

as the holidays approach and we take to our coche- i bid to all a happy and wonderful holiday!  i am looking forward to relaxing, esp with my honey, and just resting up before the new year comes upon us . . . and that thirtysomething event . . . 

there is very little chance of other posts this year, but i intend to start anew with my list . . . from baking adventures to wedding recaps to general fun finds (which are aplenty via holiday shopping!) as well as an infamous start to my thirtysomething lists . . . really, they are coming!  oh- and maybe progress in the start of baking for a living : )

thanks to anyone out there reading this journal of a blog of sorts- sometimes i get disappointed that i've not been able to write more, but it's a start and i'll get better : )

i leave you with a link to the animated version of our holiday card from work that illustrates the construction of our gingerbread fire station . . . until next year . . . 

: )

where there's smoke, there's fire- really! (a.k.a. '08 baking part 1)

this evening, i had the pleasure of listening to our smoke detector not once, or twice, but three times!  (*sigh* yes, courtesy of myself . . . )

so really, anyone reading this probably wants to know why- esp as i also mention baking in the title . . . well as you have it . . . there's a reason most recipes for caramel involve either sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk- because if you use whole milk and cream- there's a great deal of moisture to be removed - so {a} it takes forever and {b} it it likely to boil over . . . though it probably didn't help that i made 125% of the recipe since i wanted thicker caramels : ) . . . *sigh* bit of a brain lapse- but at least the fire was tiny (even if it scared me to pieces as it's probably one of the only things in the kitchen i'm afraid of . . . well- more like oil fires- but fire none.the.less can be frightening) and as it was caused by the overflowing sugar-milk syrup - it burned out rather quickly . . . 

and luckily the mess under/in the burner wasn't as terrible as i expected (once i transferred 1/2 the mix to a second pot and continued to cook for 15 more minutes - leaving charred sugar- yummy) . . . once i was done pouring the caramel in my pan, i thought to myself- that was probably THE MOST difficult recipe experience i've done- probably ever! . . . so what did i do?  well- i licked the spatula, well, nibbled, rather, and rejoiced as it was all worth it- now for reals- yum yum!  i must admit- next time i will have to stick to 1/2 the recipe or buy a bigger pot!

also, while i'm at it- i think i'm moving towards 3 for 3 in my attempts this year-

first- there were the cherries . . . 

second- we've got marshmallows . . .

and third- (hopefully once i cut the slab-o-sweet wonderful goo tomorrow) - we have caramels!

(p.s.- a thirtysomething goal is to be able to sell all these delectable treats - so be on the look out for more info!)

now for the weekend- yay!  tomorrow has a huge to-do list- from finding cocoa butter + x-mas shopping + picking up my new glasses (yes, they're in!) and chocolate ganache and nougat : )  (and maybe a run if it's not terribly cold out - i've got 7 miles down (i think) - and am moving up to 1.5 miles (even though i still count those as 1) . . . hopefully next week i can check off 3-5 more miles . . . 

and we thought portland had it bad . . .

this is the european lifestyle at its finest . . . taking everything in stride and with a glass of wine!

venice is recovering from aqua alta, the high water that is typical this time of year, however, this year's height is a record out of the last 30-ish years . . . being about 5 feet in some spots . . . 

(image found here via stream of consciousness blogging from {frolic!} to ink & peat to housemartin to black eiffel . . . and in the meantime, i found fun on these sites, too - more ways to waste time + whorange.)

it's hard to believe the weekend is gone!  and there's so much still to do and december is already whirring by . . . some progress has been made in that i've decided what goodies to make + create this year as part of my edible gifts . . . currently set to include some standbys - truffles, biscotti and marshmallows - and new recipe experimentation - peppermint patties + nougat + macaroons . . . tonight i made fondant from scratch - the sugar base that is used for peppermint patties and chocolate covered cherries - and boy did my arms get a workout!  so far, though, i think it turned out well!  it takes a boiling sugar syrup from the very warm (as in don't touch if you want to keep your fingertips) to an opaque solid lump via a marble slab and dough scraper . . . and oh, about 20 minutes of working with the goo . . . every time i work with sugar i become more fascinated with it!  sometimes i'm not sure if i prefer working with sugar or chocolate more, but regardless, i just love the entire process : )  hopefully during the evenings of the coming weeks i'll still have the energy to finish what i'm starting!

oh- and in regards to other updates- i'm hoping to compile that first {thirtysomething} list - which is looking to be blogs/websites i enjoy/frequently visit . . . in an effort to beef up my own blog with fun links that others might enjoy, too . . . and as far as wedding posts go - after reading posts on snippet & ink, and seeing the 'daily wedding' features, i'm hoping to create just 2 posts . . . one with my inspirations and the other documenting the big day : )  now all i have to do is find and transfer all the idea images from my hard drive (since i had to completely wipe my laptop) and pick my favs from vicki's pictures . . . maybe by next weekend . . . work-wise- we're building basswood models of a few projects - my job has been the assembly of tiny pieces using tweezers - and i'm loving it (for the most part) - and hopefully around the 15th- i'll have pics to post . . . oh- and that running goal?  well- sadly, only 5 miles down and 25 to go- but i'm hoping to go on my lunch tomorrow and 2x more this week- i can still hit 30 by 30 - but that whole  weight # probably won't change- esp with the holidays - and candy quality control ; )

happy monday to all . . . and stay tuned . . . 

doing our part . . .

you can't say we're not helping the economy!

so we've taken a few plunges . . . some larger than others, though most planned ahead (from 1 year to more than 4 years!)

(images from here, here, here, + here)

hb and i in some part needed to make a few purchases, and in other parts were putting budgeted $ to good use . . . 

purchase {a} - 'i am not a paper cup' . . . designed by james burgess and being taken by storm by the general public, this eco-friendly ceramic cup will allow me to take full advantage of one of our wedding presents . . . the espresso machine!  (and since i purchased it, i have had yummy lattes for a fraction of the cost i would pay at the coffee shop in our office building : )  did i mention it is both microwaveable and dishwasher safe?  personally, i like that it washes easily- esp when my favorite drink is a latte- i.e. contains milk - and its design is simple and understated . . .

purchase {b} - our new mac - besides being on hb's wishlist since before he met me, friends and family wanted to assist with our purchase as wedding presents- and i must admit- it has been a fabulous present : )  as my 3 1/2 y.o. laptop has decided to be mean, and hb's is just plain slow (and old, too) - we are both enjoying its use (my other 2 cents - the only sales i've seen at a mac store are on black friday and iphoto rocks! - not to mention the books you can create!)

purchase {c} - this one's a biggie- but, it had been on the list since we made our cross country move 18 months ago . . . and with additional excursions in the future it seemed like a good decision . . . however, this meant hb had to say goodbye to his beloved 'honky' (i was sad, too) that treated him quite well over the last 10 years . . . we hope this one (unnamed as of yet) will be just as kind and hopefully for just as long . . . and did i mention it has a panoramic sunroof?!

purchase {d} - here's the most recent - and something that had been in my budget all year (pre-tax work benefit!) . . . and as my current pair is over 4 years old, i'm not feeling overly guilty . . . beside, as i begin to create my thirtysomething wardrobe- the frames will be a nice addition!  (and gasp, they are red!  well, one pair is red, the 2nd pair i got free is a bit more tame / modern : ) - craziness and fun!)

now it is back to holiday shopping for others : )  which i truly enjoy . . . and holiday baking / candy making!