Got our holiday party on over the weekend and thought I would share my work of art with ya’ll. I was a bit burnt out on the ugly sweater so I decided to “think outside the box” and create something ugly AND homemade. My sis with a life size Sponge Bob a few years back for Halloween so I took inspiration from her and made myself into a big ole present.
A few boxes, lots of duct tape and a roll of ugly wrapping paper did just the trick and I was soon “boxed up” and ready to go! Of course the gold leggings had to make an appearance so those were dug out of the back of the closet for their yearly outing. Other than my lack of range of motion in my arms (thank god for cups with straws!), the present was actually quite comfortable to wear. A highly recommend idea for any holiday party!
Just a few pics from our volunteer work over the weekend! We’ve done this for the past few years for the Forgotten Children’s Fund. We def got our gift wrapping on! Friend, Megan, takes it even a step further and delivers gifts to needing families on Christmas Eve.
Loving: That I’m just about done with my holiday shopping! I’ve got a few more errands to run this evening then that should be just about it – phew. I also wrapped most of the gifts this week so I’m feeling way ahead of the curve right now.
Reading: I just finished The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. WOW. What a great read and it wasn’t some smutty, tween novel! I’m feeling way more mature with my reading choices these days. I won’t give it away, but what a cool concept for a story. I was hooked and could not put that book down! I also just started Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess by Gael Greene. So far, so good! Man, this lady is pretty freaking awesome. Sleeping with Elvis….being in the forefront of the foodie/sexual revolution movement…..def a book worth reading!
(Soon to be) Watching: Well, we’ll be seeing The Hobbit this weekend so that counts, right? We splurged on the fancy iPic Theater with the plush chairs. I’m hoping I’ll be able to stay awake for the entire show. Me + movie + comfortable seating usually = Leslie fast asleep.
Thinking about: Our move to Seattle sometime next year. With me working on Capitol Hill and the BF driving back and forth for meetings and such, we decided that it’d make the most sense for us to make the big move to the city. I suspect it’ll be the early summer of 2013 after all of my work events. I’m a bit worried about fixing up then renting out my condo BUT I do love to reorganize, redecorate and de-clutter.
Surprised by: How cranky pants people get around the holidays. We made a quick trip to the local mall a few weekends ago and peeps were throwin down! I thought we were going to see a fight in the parking garage. Relax guys…grab a drink…enjoy your family and chillax. It’s just a holiday. Sheesh.
Making me sad: Knowing that people still don’t agree with the recent passing of R74, the marriage equality law for Washington state. R74 does not redefine marriage. It simply asked voters to affirm the bipartisan state law by approving the question, which would allow all loving couples to marry. Voting to approve gay marriage was a ‘no duh’ issue for me. Anyone, should be able to marry, regardless of their sexual preferences. I don’t know why others seem to think that putting people down and discriminating them based on the person they love is OK.
Making me happy: Knowing that I’ll have a few long weekends ahead of me. Work is starting to pick up and once January hits, it’s going to be on like Donkey Kong. This is my last chance to rest up and recharge before the event chaos takes over my life.
I was debating about putting up decorations this year. It seemed like too much work for mid-December being right around the corner. But the holiday spirit in me just wouldn’t shut up so our faux tree went up over the weekend in between baking projects. I must say, I’m glad I did. It makes our little condo nice and festive, especially with help from the menorah – gotta represent both sides!
I was a busy gal this weekend; I’d say I was in a kitchen 99.9% of the time baking up a storm for the upcoming holidays. Cooking is a workout people! – especially in our tiny kitchen where you have to clean up every two seconds or you run out of work space. (But for those of you who disagree, I did go to pilates class, so there.)
I decided to tackle two new recipes: homemade caramels and rugelash cookies. For being a novice cook/baker, I’m usually not the biggest fan of trying something new….there’s the doubt, the extra time and the “whoops, did I remember to add such and such” factor that always seem to come into play. Sadly, the lure of finding that kick arse recipe sucks me in every time!
Speaking of kick arse recipes, I’ve been pining over my friend’s homemade caramels for years. I get a little baggie of them over the holidays and it’s the one thing I won’t share with ANYONE. I’m not usually a caramel person but there’s just something about this family recipe that has me hooked! I’ve asked year after year for the recipe and they won’t give it to me (fair enough.) so I decided it was time I did my own bit of research to find that perfect recipe. I picked one that called for a ton of butter and was a bit more ‘old school’ a la Joy of Cooking or Better Homes and Garden. That combo seemed like a win/win for a killer family recipe.
Well, let’s just say that I think I’m onto something. The color is a bit darker than theirs but the taste is pretty close! And I must say, the recipe was fairly easy and doesn’t need to be as precise as one would think. I was a bit afraid of a candy recipe after reading how you have to closely watch the temperature. Pish-haw! That was the easy part! I’d say the hardest part was cutting and hand rolling them, but that could be made way more fun with another person and a bottle of wine. I will definitely be making these bad boys again.
Hanukkah began over the weekend and we were invited to dinner on Sunday night. I thought it’d be a good idea to continue with the homemade treats and added these rugelash to the mix. My sis and I used to drool over these when we catered together so I busted out the rolling pin and make a few batches of these cookies. They are actually pretty easy to make but my lack of counter space made it a bit frustrating. I was also fidgeting with how to roll them up. The crescent roll (below) looked and cooked up better but didn’t allow for tons of filling while the cinnamon/log roll baked up wonky but allowed for way more filling. Decisions, decisions…..next time around, I’m going to stick with the cinnamon/log roll. They aren’t as traditional looking but they allow for way more layers, which I think is the most important part of these holiday cookies.
How was your weekend? Are you knees deep in holiday baking too?
