Saturday, December 24, 2011

'Tis the Season.....


       Deck the halls! Trim the tree! Break out the mistletoe! It's Christmas time again! Christmas is obviously a very special time for most families in the USA as it represents a time of love, togetherness and warmth. 'Tis the season for a lot of things: 'Tis the season for joy and giving and supporting those in need.  'Tis the season to decorate your home and place of work with so many bright lights and santa nik-naks that red and green seem to be the only shades in the color wheel.  'Tis the season for family and forgetting why your irritated with your mother because you know she loves you more than anything else in the world.  AND OF CORSE....'Tis the season to EAT! aka 'tis the season to bake, stuff my face, and locate my big girl jeans.  'Tis also the season to use my favorite coffee mug and wear my fleece Christmas onesie (yes those are monkey feet)! 
I do believe I have satisfactorily covered all the above areas this year, and went over-board in the eating category!  Our tree... and table-scape...
And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care.... 
And the tiny village lit..... 
And because no one wants to be fat alone of Christmas, I made these treat baskets...... and delivered to various members of the community.  To really top off the weight gain Mom and I also hosted a Holiday Cookie Exchange!!! We had a great turn out and all the girls had fun! There were sooooo many cookies.... and yummy snacks...
        As expected the holiday season has turned the little bakery where I work into a sugar dispensery packed with excited customers drawn in off the street by the smell of baking gingersnaps and us employees racing around in the back dipping macaroons, rolling mexican wedding cookies, and slicing lemon cake to keep up with demand......it's quite fun if I do say so myself!  
       Charlie seems to be enjoying the holiday because I am constantly in the kitchen and am very messy so he gets to play vacuum cleaner.....I think he's put on a few holiday pounds as well ;).  Also poor poor Fran went to the car doctor and was diagnosed as fatal.  The mechanic actually seemed quite shocked that I was still able to drive her and suggested I get a replacement vehicle immediately.  Replace Fran??!!! HA!! Yeah right!!! Like that's possible! I did do some looking although I haven't found anything yet....I know I am just putting off the inevitable but hey, I rather like my old-ass ghetto convertible...she has character.  Also in the exciting category, Neil has gone off to Paris for over a week with friends to visit and site see!! I, of corse,COULD NOT be more proud as I believe that travel makes life full and bursting with light and knowledge even its most primitive form.  I actually almost teared up as he left....my little Spud is all grown up!!!! He gets back the Christmas night and I just can't wait to hear him tell me ALL about his adventures.  Although we have the occasional sibling spat I truly adore him.  Also I have a secret goal!!!  Here's a clue....confused? Well last week I ran in a little local holiday fun-run (only 3.7 miles) in my well loved santa hat!! It was a blast and at the finish we all got to enjoy some cookies and hot coco and received our participation trophies in the form of sparkly tree ornaments.  Stay tuned for more clues ;) 
       Although we have next to no snow and the weather has been sunny and stunningly beautiful for weeks, I am praying that we will wake up Christmas morning to white everywhere.....it's a long shot but the most miraculous events are often based on long shots.  And naturally (you know me to well), I have to end with a cute photo of Mr. Charlie......It's his first Christmas so I took him to see Santa Paws at the local animal shelter.  He behaved to well! Mama was soooooo proud!! :D  Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.....



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thanksgiving and Art Fair!

    Well, winter has officially set in and quite a bit a of snow is flying around here.  It's getting colder and colder but I am okay with that as it means skate ski season is bearing down upon us rapidly! Although Fran is having a heck of a time getting around with all the ruts on the roads and apparently 30*F is too cold to start, she seems to be enjoying the winter so far.  My form of a pray for snow dance this year was to take my skis in to have them waxed and tuned and I made a test run with Charlie... I took his lack of squirming as a sign of approval for the sport and thought he rather enjoyed keeping his paws warm.  I got some funny looks and a few giggles but yes to all you big dog lovers out there, my dog DOES fit in a fanny-pack, and YES he is STILL a dog NOT a rodent! ;) 
        So by the time Thanksgiving rolled around on Thursday I was ready for some stuffing and pie! It's interesting because I have never been truely crazy about traditional Thanksgiving food. Turkey is whatever, I don't care a bit for mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce gives me a tummy ache, so I usually just end up with a huge plate of veggies and stuffing followed closely by a large slice of pie.  This year proved to be no different and of corse I had snacked so much throughout the day that by the time the feast was ready I wasn't even hungry! My Thanksgiving plate wasn't nearly as impressive as Neil's or John's but most of it was quite good....7.5 minutes later....  I had gone to a Turkey Blaster Areobics class Thursday morning so I didn't feel the least bit guilty eating a second slice of apple cranberry pie while admiring Moms clever table  decorations....so cute!
       The day was only dampened by the realization that I had a arts and crafts fair the two following days and I still had 20 pillows to had sew closed.  I ended up staying up way past my bedtime watching war movies with Charlie to keep me motivated by constantly trying to steal my spools of thread......little rascal!  Friday morning we loaded everything up and headed to the Shore Lodge to set up.
       For those of you who don't know, about three months ago I joined a group of local artists called the McCall Artist Connection.  As a whole we do everything from sewing (me!) to photography to oil painting to sculpting (here's the group website if you wanna check it out  http://www.mccallartistconnection.org/ ).  We put on two shows a year here in McCall and this was my very first and I enjoyed it to my very core!
       Anywho, the fair went wonderfully and we had a fabulous turn out.  Besides having a ton of fun chatting with shoppers and other vendors, I made some extra Christmas money and did some advantageous bartering with some of the other artists! I wasn't sure what were the best item to sell so I used things I had handy and this is what I came up with:
 pillows (pendleton wool and leather)
wallets (check book size and half size)
journals that I bound by hand with recycled paper and potholders from old jeans and scrap material...and aprons
 my cozy little booth!!!!
        I think I also need to give a shout out to Mom for helping me build my lattice backdrop and to Rhonda for helping me design my business cards! THANKS GUYS!!!!  The show environment was extremely positive and encouraging and I was actually sad Saturday night when I was time to clean up and go home.  I go a few local sewing orders and am looking forward to see where (if anywhere) this skill takes me!  The Christmas season in here and I cant wait to start decorating so be on the lookout for the pics!
And of corse to end.... a darling picture of Charlie Brow in his winter coat snuggling with big brother Nikko.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Happy Halloween!

       Ok so I have to admit, Halloween hasn't been even close to my favorite holiday for many years now....I suppose pretty much since it became sociably unacceptable for me to trick-or-treat.  Plus, although I have a sweet tooth the size of Texas, I am not a candy fan.  BUT, this year because it was my first Halloween out of college I was determined to make it a good one! I was dissapointed it fell on a Monday and that we live too far out of town for trick-or-treating kids, but it actually turned out really well!
       So here's how it all went down: We rounded up all the girls and went out to one of the two bars in McCall on Saturday night, and yes, the person next me in the pink is a man.....clearly....We had tons of fun dancing and watching the costume contest at the Foresters Club but being the early riser that I am, I was at home in bed with Charlie by midnight.  I wore my costume to work on Sunday but I got the feeling people just thought I was a weirdo because it wasn't actually Halloween yet.  I had to explain multiple times that Stacey Cakes is closed on Monday or I would've worn then....lame.
       On Monday we had a little Halloween Scary Movie Double Feature at my house.  Camille rented Joy Ride and The Fourth Kind and I made movie munchies.  I actually got a bit carried away in the snack department....we had
mummy english muffin pizzas,

ghost and pumpkin chocolate cupcakes,
candy corn cookies,
spiked apple cider with "shrunken heads" (carved apples), and more!Of coarse I was in heaven and beaming with pride when everyone arrived.  I mean really, good food and great company; it just doesn't get any better than that!  On the other hand, I think I am picking the movies next year because The Fourth Kind absolutely terrified me and I spent the rest of the night convinced that I was going to be abducted by aliens.... and yes, I'll admit it, I slept with the light on...all night....But regardless of my rampant irrational fear I would definitely say all in all this years Halloween was a win!  And to close out this entry, you know it, I have another darling picture of Mr. Charlie Pants...because I just can't resist! :)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Fall is Here!

 
        Well I must say fall really is my favorite season and I take full advantage of it by eating as much squash as I can stomach and taking Charlie for long walks to looks at the vibrant trees.  We actually had a flurry of snow a few days ago that only stuck around until the afternoon but it was still Charlie's first snow....he didn's seem to enjoy it as much as I did and expressed that by hiding under the coffee table and shivering violently. 
        But yes, to celebrate the changing seasons I tapped into my small but mighty crafty side and made this.....  I saw a similar one on Craftgwaker and couldn't resist.  If there is one person on this earth who truly shares my love of everything fall it is Miss. Stephanie Cambell and lucky for me she lives in Boise so last weekend I made the journey and we spent 2 whole days eating pumpkin cookies drinking lattes and talking about what else...boys and food...ok, so mostly food with small dose of juicy gossip.  We had cocktails at Barbacoa (only the coolest restaurant ever!) with Steph's lovely roomie Allie and her brother where they make guacamole on a cart right next to your table! It was very non-hillbilly.  There wasn't a waffle fry in sight and I was ok with that. Not that fried gut bombs don't have their place, but it's nice to feel classy once in a while. 
       We also went to a Steelheads hockey game where no hockey watching actually occurred as we were far too busy scanning the roster for potential dates.  Since a majority of them had at least one tooth missing we decided to hold out for greener pastures. ;) We attended a ballet as well which was...interesting.  It is always fun to watch people dance because I can't jive to save my life, but I draw the line between dance and ridiculousness when the main performer puts his hands down his pants...on stage...as part of his routine .  Anything prefixed with the word "modern" just seems to be strange, and "modern" dance is no exception. Maybe I just don't get the symbolism.
       Anywho, all is well here on the home front but the piggy bank labeled road trip is far more empty than I would like partly because I just paid off all my student loans. Yey for me!  Boo for my now empty bank account. But such is life I suppose. Fran got new front tires and is now winter ready and my winter wardrobe is bringing me jsut as much joy as it di last year.  Also football season has just ended around here and now I'm wondering what Mom and I will do with these....Yup we are those fans. We had them made to wear at Neil's games but now I suppose they will just sit around until he goes into the NFL and we can wear them again.....Well I suppose that's about all the excitement for now! I'll end with cute picyure of Mr. Charlie, becasue I can never share enough of those!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Getting Started!

Well this is us! A Girl: Me! A small town Idaho girl freshly out of a five year sentence at The University of Idaho who now scrapes together a meager living like everyone else doing what she loves (works in a local bakery and sewing for nearby arts and craft fairs). Her Dog: The little fur ball next to me is my faithful sidekick and runt chihuahua Charlie.  He chases his tail almost as avidly as he alerts me of nearby threats to my safety (T.V. repairmen, other dogs, passing cars, strangers, small children, you name it, he sounds the alarm).  Full of energy and always ready to go, go, go he is truly is my little buddy. Her Car: Fran (yes, I named my car) is a 1982 Chrysler Le Baron, who for the most part is fairly reliable.  I rescued her from my Mom's dusty old storage hanger where she had been waiting for me.  The interior is mostly torn up and she dies randomly, but the top still goes down and the radio works like a charm!


Well I should probably clarify that this is not a food blog, or a photography blog, or a craft blog although there will be a lot of all those things.  Don't get me wrong! I love to bake a do crafty things but I am no Martha Stewart and I will leave the photo-shopping to my cousin Ross.  I am starting this blog with a goal in mind. In one year I plan to to take a cross country road trip and document the journey here for my friends and family to follow.  Not to presume that my life is interesting enough to publish but it will at least keep Mom from calling me ten times a day.  I know a year is a long ways away but I wanted to document the preparation and planning time as well, and because all the cool kids have blogs......So for now I will post new developments in the bustling metropolis of McCall and the general goings on of my life, so here we go!