vindication!

According to the ladies I work with, the Fudge Fail '09 was totally NOT my fault - apparently fudge won't set if there is any moisture in the air, and of course it has been raining nonstop here! So i am gonna have to try again next week! :)

baking fail.

As of this weekend, I am officially retiring from baking. as my mom kindly just pointed out, "Maybe desserts aren't really your thing." Thanks mom.

It started out innocently enough - I really wanted to make some fudge yesterday on my day off. I had all the ingredients, and I have been known to follow a recipe pretty well. So I make the fudge, it tastes good, i set it aside to set up. 4 hours later - fudge soup. 8 hours later - still pretty darn mushy. i figure i'll throw it in the fridge overnight? nope, still mush. freezer? hard for about 4 minutes until it warms up above 40 degrees, then immediately softens. boo. so now we have some pretty tasty/incredibly rich hot fudge sauce type concoction that can only be eaten with a spoon!

then, tonight, Pia and I went to our buddy Michelle's house for some gingerbread house building. i will start out by fully admitting and embracing that i have ZERO artistic/creative bones in my body. but witness the outcome of my efforts:

Pretty cute, right? it's standing, decorated, fairly ghetto.

But here is what happened on the ride home:

Of course, sabotage cannot be totally ruled out, as Pia was in charge of safeguarding the houses on the way home - hers magically made it without any problems while mine "accidentally" collapsed. sure P.

Cookies!!!

It was Cookie Day again at Bethany's house! I wasn't able to go last year (thanks to Mother Nature crapping about 7 feet of snow on Spokane), so was super excited to be there this year for a MARATHON baking sesh with my fave girls Bethany and Michele!

7+ hours later, we had dozens and dozens of yummy cookies... And i was exhausted! But not quite as tired as newly-preggers Bethany! :)

Here are the girls looking gorgeous, and also some pics of a few of the many cookies we made (i believe we ended up with approx 12 kinds of cookies/bars that i can think of off the top of my head), and the adorable apron Bethany got me for xmas (SO CUTE):

for your holiday enjoyment...

go check out SketchySantas.com - pretty funny and reminiscent of childhood!

Saint Lavs

I am officially convinced that my mother MUST be a saint (or, at the very least, has a spot saved in heaven just waiting for her)!!!

i called her this evening on the phone, only to be met with the sound of a recorder being played - and trust me, there is NO mistaking the sound of a recorder. i, of course, asked her about it... apparently Liam was practicing his "Hot Cross Buns." Over and over and over, from the sounds of the 5-minute phone call we had. she wasn't complaining, or discouraging him, or making fun even. trust me, this alone should qualify one for sainthood!!! :) such a good gramma lowie.

better late than never...

last week, pia, mom and i went to see "the lion king"! and it was incredible. possibly my favorite musical of all time (and that's saying a lot, cuz i LOVE musicals)!

and, shockingly, i actually remembered my camera - this is the only pic i got though. i am the queen of self-pics, and really have it down to an art form at this point i think. :)

way too blessed...

Happy Thanksgiving all! SO much to be thankful for this year, it's difficult to know where to begin...

A few things that come to mind:

~My beautiful, funny, wonderful family. I feel so lucky to count my siblings as 3 of my best friends. And am so thankful to my parents for raising us, loving us, and so much more!

~For a secure job and a roof over my head!

~For having owned some of the greatest dogs known to man - Murphles, Walt, Lois and especially Gooser who is finally in a place where she can run wild and free! :)

~For wonderful friends who love me, support me, make me laugh nonstop.

I hope everyone has as much if not more that they can be thankful for this year!!! Scary to think Christmas is just around the road...