I CHOOSE!

To accept!! Mama Kat, you have the best prompts...

I chose number 4-- the best picture I took last month and why it's my favorite.

Actually the story is sweeter than the picture, so the story comes first, then the pictures.
I flew home to my parent's house on the eve of Christmas eve. (which actually ended up being Christmas eve morning because of delays...) After sleeping in and spending a rainy day with Amy, it was time for festivities. I took a shower, looked nice (hello! pictures!) and went down to watch and help mom get ready for our epic dinner. Amy came over and we had cheese and crackers and chatted and drank champagne until dinner was finished. During our fabulous dinner we started talking about the one present as a kid we remember. I told my mom it was my Cabbage Patch Kid that I named Eve (because I got her on Christmas Eve). My mom said she had to get my aunt to buy one in California (where she lived at the time) and send it to Pennsylvania for me because she couldn't find one here.

My dad then told a story of something he got as a gift when he was 9. My Grandpa is an avid Yankees fan and so my dad is too (hey, no one's perfect), and growing up in southern PA it's not super hard to get to NY to see a game. Not hard, that is, unless you have 5 kids and are poor, just like my dad's family was growing up. Never the less, my Grandpa found a way to take my dad to a Yankee game at Yankee Stadium when he was 9 years old. When they were walking out of the stadium after the game my dad saw a shop where they were selling real Yankee baseball uniforms in kids sizes. My dad knew that they didn't have much money to splurg on something like that, but he asked my grandpa anyway if he would buy him that uniform... and my grandpa did buy it for him.

Sitting at the table I was touched. I have heard about how hard it was growing up with 5 kids with hardly any money, but they were ok, and always had a loving, caring home. When my dad stopped talking (teary eyed from the emotion/wine) my mom stated, "I have that upstairs in the closet, your mom gave it to me years ago!" My dad was on the verge of disbelief and anger. My mom swore up and down she had told him about it, but I side with my dad that says if he would have known, it wouldn't have been in a Wal-Mart bag in the back of her closet. I offered to clean up the whole dinner if she would go up and get it... which she did.

My picture is my dad with his Yankee uniform laying over him. They don't make things like that any more. The quality, the thickness of the wool... very old school. I don't know how much they paid for it and my dad doesn't either, all I know is that for my dad, and for me, now, it is priceless.

Baking Rewind

For my Christmas treat for work I decided to make these awesome treats I saw on one of my favorite blogs, Bakerella. (basic recipie)(advanced) I, of course, skipped the whole basic thing and went strait to the advanced shit... yeah, that's how I roll!

Here's how they turned out...

Shortie said that they were "heaven on a stick"
King of Pop refused to tell me how good they were because he was addicted to them
Giggle's husband said he wants to marry me because I let her take some home for him
Sir Cranky really liked them!
And even Wind Pants liked them!
Some people thought they were professionally done!



Here are the pictures of the final results! A lot of work, but totally worth it!

I stuck them in a piece of Styrofoam covered in foil... not very classy, but functional

It even looked kinda pretty

I love this shot. I covered them in chocolate bark and let them chill overnight. Then I drizzled the white chocolate bark on top and immediately shook either red or green sprinkles in it. It gave it a bit of color without being over the top.

If you want to hire me to make some I do weddings, birthdays and bar mitzvahs!

Totally not me Monday

I am not at work right now on my computer blogging. I didn't work all day and don't mind at all that I still have pages and pages of phone calls to make for absolutely no reason.
I did not have some of the best Chinese food I've ever had for lunch today. It was not hot, crispy or delicious. It was not just $5.
I did not drink excessively last night because I was depressed and hating my life and feeling sorry for myself. I did not drink at the bar on the airplane. I did not drink on the airplane. I did not drink at the bar on the way home.
I did not have a giant cat sleep on me last night. I did not hold the smooshy cat until he growled at me. I did not sleep on the couch last night at Ben's so that I didn't have to drive home that late... and drunk.
I do not hate my job, my life, or any thing about my existence right now. I am not broke and certainly not in any type of debt.
I am not glad that I got to see many friends this week that I hadn't seen in a long time. I didn't drive to MU to see the old alma mater with Paul. I didn't see Michelle or Laura, and we certainly didn't talk shit about all the people we used to go to school with. I didn't spend more time with Amy than my family over my visit.
My mom didn't cook the most amazing dinner on Christmas Eve. I could not have eaten that meal every single day for the rest of my life.

Mama I'm Coming HoooOOOoommmmmeeee......

Reasons for that title:
1) Heard that song on the radio tonight on my way home from work. Good damn song if you ask me! (Click here to listen!)
2) OMG I'm going home... ish... in less than 2 days!! I'll be at my sister's in Chicago but there I'll meet up with my parents! I haven't seen them since last Christmas so I'm very excited! I'll also finally get to meet Carter!
3) Mama Kat, in her infinite greatness, has created a little giveaway for some BEAUTIFUL earrings from Jessica Strong's website. My personal favorite piece in her collection is the black diamond rope... do you know how awesome that would look with my strapless black dress for the holidays?? HOT!! (hint hint... anyone need to know what to get me for Christmas??)

I'm off to bed... I was a little stupid for staying up so late tonight but oh well.... Night all!