pursuing the new year

embrace.
that was my word for 2009 and i can't tell you if that's what i did or not. in fact, i don't recall ever thinking about my word once january passed. this year (does it count if i just watched the ball drop in nyc?) will be different. it surely will.

 pursue.

that's my word for 2010. i am going to go in pursuit of my dreams...big, small and ones i haven't even dreamed up yet. pursue.

so what is this word of the year business? you can find out more about it here and here (where i encourage you to download the word of the year discovery tool. while you're there, listen to some of her tracks and download a cd or two. love her, love her sound).

tonight was supposed to be one of the few nights we actually stay up to ring in the new year. we were even going to let our son stay up with us. we were going to drink, be merry and make lots of noise. my husband had to stay really late at work to cook for a persnickety v.i.p. (while the kids and i had leftovers...because i don't cook). i conned my son into believing we rang in the new year at nine p.m. when we watched the ball drop in nyc. i know, i know, how could i? well, i could (and did) because i had an extra kid on my watch today and, dare i say, i was ready for a stiff drink by nine a.m. (and i don't drink). so here i sit, blogging. happy new year. make a wish.

oh, but i must tell you about the most exciting part of my day: purchasing perfume online. my stylish friend (yes, yes, i'm sure i have more than one of you but this one goes way back to the guess? jeans days. i think we bonded over the overalls and big, square bag in seventh grade. and louis vuitton if i remember correctly.) raved about this line, CB I Hate Perfume, and i had to check it out...because i really do hate perfume. she said, "nothing but the purest ingredients" and that sealed the deal. the problem was, it took forever to get on the website (they had exceeded their bandwidth) and there are so many delightful scents to choose from it made my head spin (in a good way). i have decided to try some of the cheaper versions in order to find "the one." i ordered M3 November which is described as, "pumpkin pie, fallen apples, bonfire, wood smoke, dried grass, fallen leaves, wet branches, damp moss, chanterelle mushrooms and a hint of pine" -- how can you go wrong with that? i also ordered Gathering Apples which is "thousands of Ripe, Red, Mackintosh Apples and a bit of old weathered wood from the bushel baskets." one of my favorite activities is picking apples. i've decided you can't go wrong with any scent, though, and it might be worth having the entire collection. i mean, how about M4 Room With A View which "captures the scent of the hills above Florence" --hello? who doesn't want that captured in a bottle (and i've never even been to florence). In The Library, Eternal Return, Just Breathe, Memory Of Kindness...need i go on?

free hugs

remember my free hugs t-shirt? well, yesterday i took my son to church (gasp, i know. long story.) and the sermon was called "experiments in peace." the beginning was about the man who started the free hug experiment (movement?). spooky isn't it? of course, his free hugs started differently than mine but...spooky. it's like i was meant to be there and i was meant to hear that. don't worry, i'm not going to go all preachy on you. for those of you who don't know me (and for those who do), i still believe something between creation and evolution and i probably fall somewhere between atheism and agnosticism, yadda, yadda, yadda, yadda. no, i'm not going to argue it and no, you won't/can't change my mind. we went because i read a book recently where the author claims boys need god. in my pursuit of being a good mom, i am going to heed her advice as i do believe my son has questions about god and i know he is interested in god. heck, he might even know god. somewhere along the way he has learned to say grace before meals (which we do consistently),  he asked for a nativity this past christmas and he would like to celebrate chanukkah (or at least incorporate channukkah into our christmas) so i'm guessing the author is on to something. i found a church that appeals to both of us. a church of free faith. or, as my friend put it, a "funky stew of christianity, buddhism, judaism, paganism and some other isms." anyway, we're going and it seems to be a good fit so far. i mean, no one stared at us or gave us dirty looks when my son, who squirmed in his seat the entire hour, started unbuttoning his shirt because he was hot. he even went so far as to take the darn thing off completely and there he sat in his undershirt and jeans. and when we walked out, the teenagers were standing outside wearing their free hugs t-shirts.

second batch

i made another batch of cake balls and cake pops and i'm here to share some secrets with you in case you make them.

• you really only need about half a can of frosting...just enough moisture to hold the ball together, not enough to make 'em squishy. 
• definitely only make them quarter size. they hold much better and they stay put on the stick to actually make a pop. 
• i found it's best to freeze the balls for at least an hour. the ball is hard enough to withstand dipping in warm chocolate. also, it hardens the chocolate quickly so you have a smooth finish and a round ball. 
• if you sprinkle anything on top, do it quickly. the smaller or finer the pieces, the better (particularly with crushed candy canes). 
• don't try to add anything to the chocolate. you'll get lumpy balls. 
• i prefer the chocolate discs sold in bulk at henry's over the generic discs sold in a bag at michael's (but i know someone who sells dove chocolate products and i'm dying to try theirs. they even have a cool, albeit expensive, chocolate melting machine).
  

this batch came out so much better looking. they tasted better, too. 

and if you're in need of a chuckle, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUUHNS_Ew64

sweet jesus, cake balls and more

i am obsessed with my brother's brand-spanking-new canon something-or-other dslr. he came over yesterday and i grabbed that camera, went outside and just snapped photos of everything. the leaves, dried berries on a tree, the dirt, my kids, myself, everything. the photos are amazing and i only used one setting, the automatic one. i have been dreaming about the endless possibilities of photos i could take if only i had a camera like his. sweet jesus, i want one.

i was lucky enough to take a photo of my version of cake balls and cake pops. i'm guessing you remember me gushing about bakerella and i hope you took a moment to check her out because she's awesome. really, she is. if you need more proof, check out her newest post: candy cane christmas tree cupcakes. anyway, i attempted to make her cake balls and pops and realized it really is pretty darn easy. mine aren't as neat and probably won't ever be but they are yumm-o. i used her recipe as a guide but chose to use a chocolate fudge cake mix and frosting. this is what i did:

•  baked cake and let it cool completely
• dumped cake into a big bowl and crumbled
• mixed in full tub of frosting (going forward, i recommend only using 1/2 or 3/4 instead of full tub. it's mushy otherwise.)
• made round balls with my very clean hands and placed them on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (it's really important to follow bakerella's directions to make the balls quarter-sized. i missed that and my balls might have been half-dollar sized which made them way too heavy to be pops. i ended up with upside down pops.)
• refrigerated overnight
• melted chocolate discs (from the craft store) in microwave on defrost setting, 30 second increments until fully melted (stir frequently)
• dumped ball into chocolate and rolled until covered (i later learned not to roll. look here for details.)
• placed ball back onto cookie sheet and sprinkled with crushed candy canes...for my own version of peppermint bark. i later sprinkled parchment paper with crushed candy canes and then sprinkled more on top if needed.
• refrigerated to cool and then stored them at room temperature
• sampled...mmm
• for the pops, i inserted the stick into the ball before refrigerating. my balls were heavy so they slid down the stick which is why i had to turn them upside down. still working out the kinks on that one. 

i think these little balls are amazing. sure, they lack the smoothness bakerella seems to have mastered but they are exactly me: messy,  my crafting signature.

just look at that photo, though! and this one...

and this one...

and look at these little freckles i just can't get enough of. seriously, i can stare at these all day long. i call them sun kisses and they give me a happy heart.

the best comedies

i jumped into the car today right in the middle of a conversation about condoms and pornos. my husband likes to listen to morning radio shows. anyway, the way they were discussing pornos left me wondering how anyone gets turned on by them. i mean, really, the actors, the plot lines, the music...well, it's all so cheesy. i can't watch a porno without cracking up into hysterical fits. they really are the best comedies. maybe i'm the only one who feels this way because i think i made my husband blush a little when i said all this out loud. his very serious response was, "well, people who watch pornos don't pay attention to that stuff. they watch it for the sex." ew, really? because the sex is just so fake. the panting, the plastic body parts, the screaming, the slapping...all funny, really funny. i can't imagine wanting to get all hot and heavy after watching one. plus, after my hysterical fit of laughter ends all i'm left with is sadness and anger. because then i start to wonder how drugged up the actors are and how they are being manipulated and exploited. i guess that's why i just don't watch them. but i am curious and want to know if you have ever watched one without laughing.

so i know it's all joyful and jolly right now but i have to tell you that my biggest pet peeve is talking on the cell and texting while driving, especially during this busy and stressful time of year. not to mention, it's against the law. argh. i see it everywhere i go and i finally reached my breaking point. i now yell or mime, "GET OFF THE PHONE!" it really drives me nuts. remember the days when we didn't have cell phones? i tried it recently and it was so peaceful and freeing. i don't even get that many calls...maybe four a day, mostly from my husband on his break or something. i did get nervous while driving at night but  i can definitely live without it, can you?

i volunteered in my son's classroom earlier this week and it was such a rewarding experience. i have a deeper appreciation for teachers because, man, do they have a complex job but i'm also a little jealous that they receive unlimited (sweet, sweet) smiles and hugs from their students. all it took was just one little girl to tap me on the shoulder and say, "um, (long pause), um, canigiveyouahug (said just like that, as one long word)?" then, all of a sudden, there were like five kids in line waiting to give me a hug. i'm sure there's some rule that teachers can't give or accept hugs (you know how that goes) but i'm just a big ole mom who couldn't resist. you know, i'm not a huggy person but i think i might be now. actually, my own children made me huggy and kissy but only with them, everyone else was always off limits. now i want a t-shirt that says, "free hugs."

i have been obsessed with owls for a little over a year now. i love them so much i went out and bought owl stamps, owl paper, owl stickers, you name it. but, like with all my crafty stuff, i never really use what i buy. well, last night i went to the zoo and saw something in the gift shop that said, "happy owlidays." how.cute.is.that? i was in charge of putting together a gift for the teacher and instead of buying a card, i made one. in fifteen minutes.
cute, huh? i'm totally using this little line for all my christmas cards (that will be mailed in february). feel free to copy it (i did). i have already come up with thirty five ways to improve this card so i'm sure you can make a better one. if you do, will you share it?
*that means you, a.

a quarter for your thoughts

i'm running short on time but i have so much to say. pardon me while i jump around from topic to topic in order to get it all out.

remember how i said my look is frumpy? well, it is and i just wish i could look a little less frumpy most days. i'm not even talking about being stylish. i just want a little less frump so that when i run into stylish friends at the grocery store i won't want to run down another aisle to escape being seen (that's not really what happened...by the time i saw her it was too late to try to run anywhere. not that i would really run away from her, i wouldn't.). i really blame that encounter on my dear husband who made me go to the grocery store with him even though i just wanted to stay home in pj's and enjoy the cold and the rain. but seriously, how do you stylish women do it -- the hair, the makeup, the clothes -- day in and day out. i get tired just thinking about it. maybe i need a haircut?

maybe my style is dictated by my font type. i love fonts. love them. i never really considered myself to be just one font, though. i change my font like i change my...well, you know. i tend to use comic sans a lot even though i usually want to be taken more seriously. i just figured i'd be the fun, bubbly sort so i was quite surprised (and a bit taken aback) when i took this what font are you quiz  (thanks to ordinary courage) and discovered i am helvetica. dull, predictable and boring. really, that's what it means. great. just great. there really is no hope for me, is there? i guess i better stop hiding behind papyrus and jokerman mt. i'm not giving up, though, i'm not. i know there is a way, some way, i can be the ali edwards font.

so, i read this today on facebook:

It's hard because on the one hand I want to raise an ethical child but on the other, finders keepers, losers weepers, you know?

this generated a lot of buzz...especially from me. it ended up being about a quarter. her daughter found a quarter at the gas station. they returned it. what would you have done? it was just outside the door so i think i would have given it back, too. but then i got to thinking, "we return a quarter but not a penny?" have you ever wondered about that? i don't think i have ever met someone who returned a penny. i think most people find a penny and think, "find a penny, pick it up. all day long, you'll have good luck." heck, i'm guilty of teaching my son that rule. but why is a quarter worthy of being returned to its owner and not a penny? there have certainly been times in my life where the difference between a positive checking account versus a negative account was just a penny. food for thought. 

now that brings me to this funny story about my husband. his response to that status and to returning a quarter was, "i don't care what i find, a quarter or a hundred dollars, i'm keepin' it." this from a man who once gathered the trash from his car into a cup, set it on the ground outside and drove off. that trash included his just-been-cashed paycheck which we really needed in order to stop squatting on our cousin's floor (actually, we got the bed while she and her husband squatted on the floor). yeah, he didn't have anything to say when i brought that up. he just turned around and went down the hall to bed. just so you know, my husband and i are like fire and ice most of the time. i don't know how we manage, but we do. 

yes, we do. thankfully. we're going through a rough patch right now but i'm confident we'll manage to pull through it. do you ever want to hit the person who said marriage was easy, a piece of cake? i do. it seemed easy at one time but the older i get and the longer we're married, it actually has become more work. i'm sure it's because we're like fire and ice and because we learned from the worst examples of successful, long-term, happy marriages. where we once wanted to give up and walk away from each other, we now find it exciting to try to make ours a better union. i still want to hit that person, though. and i will always ogle those ridiculously happy, can't-keep-our-hands-off-each-other type couples, especially if they've been together for fifty some odd years. thank god for those couples. they make me want to try harder so i can be a good example to my children and to other youngsters one day.

just so you know, i don't believe there is just one person out there for us and i don't believe everyone can or should stick it out. ya gotta do what ya gotta do...especially if there is abuse or addiction involved.

so let's end this on a happy note: cake pops. i'm addicted. i haven't eaten one nor have i made any but i want to...i really want to. i think i am going to try it this weekend. i haven't asked permission to use a photo but if you click here it will take you to bakerella.com where you will find amazing photos and easy instructions on how to make your own cake pops. if you make them, take photos and share. i promise to do the same. this woman is amazing and i think i lov'er. if you have time, go to her christmas and some cookies post. look at how organized she is. i love it!

and do you know anything about the pioneer woman? i think i lov'er, too.  

oh, oh, oh, i learned from bakerella that betty crocker is not/was not a real person! huh?!? i read that yesterday and i still can't wrap my brain around that one. you can read more about it at her betty rocker post.

rowing down a river

it's raining today. oh, how i love the rain. rainy days make me so happy. so happy. i throw open the windows, put socks on my feet, drink warm beverages, play good music and just let my body and mind feel the rain. it's even better when you have lights on a tree that you can turn on. the soft glow mixed with natural light, ah, there's nothing better.

this song speaks to me today. not sure why but it does. i'm not a broadway fan but a cousin who is shared this song with me once and i loved it. to be fair, he's classified under easy listening but the sound is a cross between broadway and christian...a place i don't venture too often.

anyway, i have a love/hate relationship with clothes. i love them but i hate the way they look on me. i'm a shorts and t-shirt kind of gal. or jeans and a tee. i'm all about comfort and what i can grab out of the closet with my eyes closed. very frumpy. the only chic thing about me is that i love black. it matches everything, right? i do admire fashion, though. in my daydreams i am very fashionable and cute. very. i love magazines and catalogs because i love looking at very put-together women. one day, that might be me. maybe. hopefully. i want to be one of those women who shop at anthropologie. i went to the store for the first time on saturday and fell in love. in love, i am.

speaking of anthropologie, one of my new favorite shows on tv is man shops globe on the sundance channel. it's about keith johnson and his journey around the world to find one-of-a-kind home furnishings and accessories. he is a buyer-at-large for anthropologie. i love him. move over, brad pitt. keith is my new celebrity boyfriend (which is kind of weird because he reminds me of our cousin, matt, and, well, i don't want to be matt's girlfriend). just watch the show, you'll love it.

i was checking out the blog every chapter today because she has been sharing christmas traditions which i love and am always looking for. in one of her posts she shared a link to christa-taylor and now i am...you guessed it...in love! everything is adorable. the kenziegirl dress and the best friend dress are at the top of my list but seriously, the bathing suit is a must. i love that the shorts are all bermuda style...the only length that should be sold anywhere. i think the best part, however, is that the price won't make you bankrupt. very reasonable. and, 5% of your purchase is sent to an orphanage in cambodia where they will provide care to widows and orphans.
*while i am a strong advocate for helping our fellow american citizens,  i say you can't go wrong with lending a hand to help people all over the world. 

check this out (i just received it in my inbox). if you're crafty, make some cards to send to the armed forces so they have cute, handmade cards to write home on. what a great idea. 

speaking of handmade cards, my dear friend a makes lovely cards. i saw her over the weekend and she gave me some. i'm so lucky. she also gave me a notepad and a bookmark. she made them all. i wish i was that crafty! it is my goal to make a card, a bookmark and a notepad just like hers. 

 

 

what else is in my obsession box? this stuff:

adorable pocket mirrors by madison craft

knitting needle holders by feltique

cute address labels by snailmailcreations

 

inspi(red)

what's inspiring me today, World AIDS Day? well, a few things actually.

eos, the evolution of smooth. i hate dry lips but i also hate putting stuff on my lips that i can feel and/or taste which is the problem with most products. my brother (and go-to man on fashion and beauty) introduced me to eos. it's not too bad. i think i even like it. a lot. it's 95% organic, 100% natural and it feels smooth, just as they say. i can still feel it (barely) but it might just be that my lips are so soft i have to rub them together often. there is definitely no taste even though mine is the honeysuckle honeydew flavor. i especially like that it's a sphere shape with a twist on cap...you can throw it in your bag and not worry about the lid coming off.

and remember my slight obsession with mrs. meyer's cleaning products? well, i was at target (again) and found this holiday scent on *sale* - score! i'm now in love with pine. you know when you buy a candle or something and it says it's pine but you can't really find a trace of pine anywhere in the scent? well, this stuff is bona fide pine. it's like i just went into the forest and touched a pine tree. i love it!

my finished scarf, which i am not in love with. i'm not happy that the stitch doesn't match the hat but i guess it works. flat scarves are just a pain. i'm afraid i still have a lot of practicing to do.

i am in love with the hats, though. i love them. i love the colors, i love the stitch, i love how they feel and i can't wait to see the family of four sporting them.