A Lovely Weekend

Okay, first things first. I finally took some additional photos of the wreath. So here it is, albeit a bit dark in the photo:

It's beginning to feel a lot like the holidays around here. Snow should transform my neighborhood into an ethereal winter fairy land by the time I wake up tomorrow and I can't wait!

I started this post last (Sunday) night, but had so much trouble getting my photos from flickr that I decided to go to bed and try again today. Here is what I wanted to tell you:

What a weekend! After a Friday night trip out to Legends and a Saturday shopping trip to Hobby Lobby and Wal-mart, my holiday shopping is complete, though I have a short list of handmade items to complete. The kitchen is stocked with holiday yummies, like Shatto eggnog and Starbuck's Christmas Blend. We tried the Christmas Blend in the French press last weekend. MMMMMMwah! SO good!

Today, we attended the Kansas City Zoo Pancakes for Penguins fundraiser. For $8 each, we had Chris Cakes, Roasterie Coffee, a free photo with Santa (no photo, we bailed after being swarmed by toddlers), a reusable shopping bag featuring the Zoo's centennial celebration, as well as the opportunity to pet a real chinchilla. She was precious. The sea lions and the trumpter swans were out. And we had the opportunity to see the new baby blue monkey, Indigo. Many of the animals in the new Tropics exhibit were energetic and curious about the crowds. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday afternoon was dedicated to making a sweet holiday buffet for my dear partner's coworkers. We made chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cup cookies,

and then played with the Wilton pretzel candy molds and Oreo cookie molds. This was the highlight of the afternoon. We are both new to making candy, so we had a lot to learn.

Like to screw on the lids to the squeeze pretty tight to avoid a green candy explosion. It was a blast, literally! Don't let the microwave in the picture mislead you. The candy is melted strickly by bathing the candy pieces  in hot water using these squeeze bottles. It was a lot of fun, and the results are cute.

After all of the fun in the kitchen was finished, I prowled around the house taking pictures.

  

Zeus was feeling particularly photogenic this evening.

He is a handsome little rogue, isn't he?

I made this wreath!

I know, I know.....I've been away far too long. You missed me, no? Well, I missed you, too. I have so much to share with you about vacation, the cruise, Mexico, San Diego, family, Thanksgiving, etc, etc. But I'm still in the time-sucking process of catching up on things undone while we were away. You'll have to wait just a little while longer. However, yesterday I made a wreath inspired by a favorite crafty blogger, Just A Girl,  and I wanted to share a picture. It isn't a great picture because I took it this morning with my cell phone. I'll try to get the real camera out tonight for a better shot. But for now, I love it. I hope you do, too.

Trick, Treat, or Bust

Well, despite our enormous candy stash and the fun of dressing up to hand it out, we had very few (less than 10, total) trick or treaters this year. However, while hanging out on the front porch we had the opportunity to get to know our new neighbors. They are lovely.

I'll leave you with a few shots of the decorations and candy.

A Halloween Office Party for the Record Books

I don't know what got into me, but I was excited about Halloween this year. Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween every year, but this time I was into it. I wanted to make things, decorate, and celebrate! But since it is just me and my partner at home (and now my sister, temporarily), all of the energy I spend decorating for holidays seems lost, 'cause my dear partner just doesn't have any enthusiasm about it. In fact, she hates the time spent putting up and taking down decorations. So, this year, instead of going all out at home, I decided to bring my creativity to the office. I should also add that my department at work isn't into the whole food day/organized celebration thing. So this was going to be a first for my co-workers.

My friend Tori inspired me to make a sherbet face punch. My dear partner went to Hobby Lobby to get the mask to make this delightful concoction. First, I lined the mask with plastic wrap. Then I smooshed sherbet as tighly as possible into the mask, and wrapped the back of the mask with the excess plastic wrap.

I learned a few things. First, try to find a mask that isn't too flexible. The sherbet slid around a bit as I pressed, distorting the nose, eyes, and mouth. Also, maybe let the sherbet soften a while before scooping it into the mask. My sherbet was pretty solid and hard to work with.

The end result was pretty great. I used Sprite Zero and Cherry Juicy Juice. The punch was delicious, if ghastly.

As I was preparing to make the punch, I ran across an idea to make a cheese ball using the same mask technique. Another terrific, horrific opportunity to be creative! I purchased proscuitto from the deli sliced as thin as they could slice it. I made my usual green onion and dried beef cream cheese ball, adding some proscuitto. Then, I lined the mask with plastic wrap and a layer of small pieces of proscuitto before pressing the cream cheese mixture into the mask. I wrapped the back with excess plastic wrap.

I had the same problems with the mask on this adventure as I did with the sherbet, though this time my dear partner was wise, suggesting that I let the cream cheese sit out to soften before I made the face. Sweet girl! One other thing, I didn't like the taste of the proscuitto with the cheese ball mixture. The tang of the vinegar or brine didn't go with the other tastes. I'd appreciate any ideas or suggestions.

The visual result was incredible. My co-workers oohed and aahhed and generally refused to eat it because it was so disgusting looking!

Others from the office contributed to the festivities, and a great time was had by all. I was proud of my little department.

Gearing up for Halloween

It's finally here! As you read this I am working on a list of items I'll be bringing into the office for a spooky treat day and taking photos of the candy and decorations at home to share with you. For now, I will leave you with a photo of the precious pumpkin cake my dear partner made for her Halloween food day at work. Happy Thursday!

Pints for Penguins

What better way to spend your Wednesday evening than eating Spin! Pizza and sampling 5 varieties of Boulevard beer all while mingling with other zoo lovers? The Kansas City Zoo has long been an organization that my dear partner and I support. We are members, enter the zoo anytime for free, and receive invitations to special events throughout the year that we enjoy immensely. My favorite event is the Christmas pizza party with crafts, pictures with Santa, warm drinks, and luminaries along the paths. However, the price tag for their annual fundraiser, Jazzoo, was too steep. We talked about going many time, but in the end, we just couldn't justify the expense. It seems that Randy and his team have finally realized that everyday folk want to help out, too. And how ingenious to lure us out with pizza and beer?!

I understand the event was sold out. I'm glad to hear it, because it was a great time. Guests were led into the lobby of the IMAX theater where tables and seating were plentiful. Zoo keepers brought at least a dozen creatures to entertain the guests. A DJ played a very fun mix of tunes to keep everyone lively. The pizza was great, the beer was great. It never felt over-crowded or too loud. The mixture of people was diverse, from zoo staff to the genteel. The otters came out to play, something I have only witnessed once before.

Great work, Kansas City Zoo! I won't be around to enjoy the next installment, Corks for Conservation on Wednesday, November 11, but for those of you interested, tickets go on sale today!

Mom and Dad

I don't communicate willingly with my parents. It's a long, pathetic story, but it is what it is. I haven't seen my father in about 2 years. I can't even remember the last time I laid eyes on my mother. So, as you might imagine, I was caught off guard when a picture of my father appeared on my Facebook page in the "People You Might Know" column.

Then, my sister mentioned that my mother is also on Myspace. It never, ever occured to me to look for her until Laura told me that. And, yup, here she is:

A picture with a stufffed animal? Really?

Ok, that is just weird.