desserts and world peace

Via

Confession time. Holidays stress me out. I wish I was one of those people who could kick back and relax knowing that a day off was near.

That's not me in the slightest. In fact, it's not me before any big event, holiday or otherwise. I stress out. A lot. It's okay. It happens. It's just annoying. I tend to be a micro manager of every, single large event that I'm a part of.

Being a perfectionist certainly does not help the situation. Take Thanksgiving, I have very high hopes for this holiday. Visions of feuding family members reuniting; running toward each other in slow motion across a dreamy field with happy, uplifting music heard in the background. This should ideally happen after a taste of one of my desserts.

That's a lot of pressure. I love to bake, but how am I supposed to live up to the expectati that my desserts will eventually be the cause for world peace?

That in mind, I've been trying to figure out what desserts to take to not one, but two, Thanksgiving dinners this Thursday. I think I've finally decided on a pumpkin cheesecake with a candied pecan topping. It certainly sounds like it could be the highlight moment in a movie before they roll the credits.

Five for Friday: On the road

In a nod to the dear Kayla Aimee, I have come up with my own Five For Friday!

1. I'm on my way to Chicago with Kay & Katie for a quick weekend trip. I'm about as excited as a country bumpkin can possibly be!

2. While I'm in Chicago, I fully plan to pretend like I'm in a John Hughes movie.

3. I'm bringing this lovely with me because I've been slacking. Plus, if I get annoyed with the traffic in Chicago, I can throw it at the nearest car and not feel bad. (Okay, I would feel a little bad. Road rage is unacceptable kids.)

4. Yesterday, I completed the dismembering of an old quilt. If handicraft karma exists, I'm doomed.

5. I'm a twitter addict. You can follow me here if you don't want to wait for a Chicago blog update!

Please continue praying for Kayla Aimee and her family. They could really use the love.

too much in so little time

I had big plans for this blog post. I also had big plans for today, but all of those plans fell through. Enter this video.



Although I've been having a rough day, it's nowhere near the day that Kayla Aimee is having. If you would, please say a prayer for her family and new baby girl, Scarlette.

domo

I'm still hard at work today on some holiday projects, but I had to share this photo with you that I found on flickr. 

Photo Via

Seriously, how cute is that? If Domo were on my coffee cup, I'd buy coffee every-single-day. 

in the workshop

Tonight, I'm settling in at home to work on a few holiday projects. To set the mood for my little workshop, I have a couple of Christmas movies...

Some lovely Christmas tunes, and even a little bit of snow.

We had our very first snow of the season. I'm not sure if I'm ready for such a magical season yet. Until later though, I'll be working away like an elf!

fail again

Today has been one of those off days. You know the kind. Nothing goes right, or I should say, nothing goes the way you planned. Among other things, I had a major baking failure this evening. Silly, I know. My nephew really wanted me to make him some monster cookies but what I made ended up looking more like monster pancakes. I was angry. I followed the directions step by step on the recipe and still failed.

As if failures and off days were contagious, I found out several of my friends were also having bad days. Situations were changed, but the disappointment was the same.

And then, my very cliche mind thought of my favorite quote.

"Fail. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett


So, I grudgingly pulled out a couple of extra ingredients. I mixed up my batter again and scooped it out on the pan. This time, I left the cookies in the oven too long so they burnt. I tried one final time with yet another pan of cookies and this batch came out perfectly. So perfectly, that they were all eaten before I could take a photo.

Don't stop trying, friends. Try the recipe again. Take that risk. Put yourself out there.

a day of choosing

I sincerely hope that each of my American friends were able to get out to the polls and vote today. My election day included voting, sipping on a pumpkin spice cappucino & buying the new Toy Story movie. Right now, I'm hanging out at an election party awaiting the results from my friend's campaign.

Remember friends, you must be the change you wish to see in the world. I'm so proud of my friend for not just wanting the change, but going out there and being the change.

once a day

It's the very first day of November. I cannot believe how quickly October flew by. I decided to set a little blog goal this month and participate in NaBloPoMo. For the month of November, I will be posting once each day. For better or for worse, I'll be posting even on the super boring days.

Today, I have a photo of my kitten, Georgia, to share. She's a feisty one who enjoys getting into trouble.

(See that box she's hiding in? Capri suns.)

String of lights

I've been living in the land of Dorothy and her spinning world today. As the outside rang with whistles of the wind and tornado sirens, I stayed warm inside listening to the new Taylor Swift album while editing photos.

 For as much drama as there may be in the world of Ms. Swift, I still appreciate her lyrics. The lyric in the photo above is from a song titled Innocent. It's a nice little reminder to me that God loves me no matter the mistakes I have made.

October weekend

I carved pumpkins. 

His name is Brutus.

I roasted pumpkin seeds.

And I made cupcakes with my nephews. 

It's been fun, but I'm so ready for Monday.

Spend & Friend

A couple of weekends ago, I was able to spend some time with my lovely friends Kay & Katie. We did the usual things; girl talk, movie watching, stuff our faces, exchange silly bands, and we shopped. Oh man, did we shop.

You're welcome, economy.

On Friday night, we made a stop at the Indieana Handicraft Exchange fall mini. It was such a good feeling to walk into a room full of handmade things from so many different artisans. We walked away with a few pretty things. 

source

We also made a stop at YogoKiss which has to be the cutest frozen yogurt place in all of Indy!

They especially won me over with their bubble tea.

One of our other visits was Stitches & Scones. I don't knit or crochet, but if I ever decide to start, this yarn shop will be my first visit. They have such pretty yarn in all shapes, sizes, & colors.

Plus the owner is super nice. And they have buttons; a huge shelf of buttons. My handmade heart was content.

If you happen to be in the area, I recommend making a stop at all three. The Indieana Handicraft Exchange will host another mini at the end of October & the shops are open year round.

Love and Water

It's a wedding weekend for me, so I'm off enjoying the festivities and relaxing by the hotel pool. I'll be back soon!

Source

March march march

My town has a parade for everything. This weekend is no different.
I will be walking in the local homecoming parade to show support for one of my dear, sweet friends.

Credit

What plans do you have tonight?

In the now.

Right now I'm...

Craving a pumpkin spice latte.

Credit

Listening to Paper Route.

Credit

Dreaming about autumn days.