{jen}

visions of sugarplums...

or, in this case, chocolate dipped pretzels! 

last year, rather than my usual cookie baking, i tried my hand at these pretzels.  they were such a huge hit with my family, co-workers and friends that e and i decided to make them a tradition.  for variation, they are half white and half milk chocolate this year.  some with red, white and green sprinkles and others with crushed candy canes. 

see the mini m&m containers?  i have no idea how other people get them to stick.  they seemed to be much too heavy for my pretzels and  just slid off and made a chocolatey mess.   they may have made for delicious snacking but were definitely not gift-ready!

80 pretzel rods are individually wrapped and ready to hand out tomorrow at work. 

and tomorrow night, batch #2 - half to e's family and half to mine.  yum!

did you make any holiday treats to share this year?

deck the halls...

although we've decided not to put up a christmas tree this year (too little time, too little space, feline behavior concerns) i did pull out my holiday decorations and went to town for my first year in our shared home.  it's taken e some getting used to, having never decorated his space before now but, i think he's warmed to it.  the main living area is open floor plan and the kitchen/dining and living room space have a 'visual separation' with some handcrafted woodwork - with the perfect shelf area for seasonal decor and i'm taking full advantage.  i used pumpkins and gourds for autumn and for winter...

the bottle brush trees came in a package of 21 assorted sizes on super clearance last year after the holiday

 the "joy" blocks were a gift from a friend a couple years back (thanks again, diane!)

and the berry floral picks were a new addition this year, purchased at a 50% off sale at a big bix craft store.  just a little touch of holiday that makes me happy to see each time I walk through the door!   

just in time for the jolly holidays...

i get it.

we are in a recession. 

everyone is hurting - government, businesses and individuals.  living in new york, and particularly metro new york, it's a given the prices will be higher on everything.  i get that too.  i've lived in this state my whole life and i've come to accept a lot of it. 

until this week.

NEW YORK (CNN)-- A budget plan by Gov. David Paterson that would plug budget shortfalls by slashing spending and raising taxes on items from sugary soft drinks to iTunes downloads is drawing criticism in New York.

The proposed budget calls for 137 new or increased taxes, consolidation of more than a half-dozen state agencies and the closing of more than 10 state facilities, including six children, family and youth centers.

New Yorkers would face tax hikes on beer, wine, non-diet soft drinks, and digital services like iTunes downloads. Cab fares would rise 4 percent while the cost of cable and satellite TV services, tickets for sporting events and movies would also jump by the same percentage.

and the biggest slap in the face of it all?  jobs will still be lost, disadvantaged children will be losing access to services, educational programs will be cut to the tune of $698 million AND good ol' new york will still be over budget. 

and the article ended with this quote:

"This is where we are," Paterson said. "We should have thought about this when we were depending on what we thought was inexhaustive collections of taxes from Wall Street, and now those taxes have fallen off a cliff."

yeah, ya think? 

so not loving new york right now.

tomorrow i will post photos of some of my holiday decorating and i'll get back in the festive spirit.  but, right now, i'm po'ed about this and am just going with it.

as promised...

a few more of our engagement photos...

         

 

i have yet to frame a single photo because i can't decide!

how to fit more hours in a day...

no really, how can i get just a few more? 

this time of year i'm always trying to stuff more errands, wrapping, visiting, cooking and organizing into a day than is really possible.  sometimes i make it, sometimes i fall short.  my mission each year is to simplify a bit more.  i've done a better job of that this year, out of sheer necessity.  there will be less gifts given, there is no tree (although, our home is decorated - pics to come).  i sent several christmas cards but, they were store bought and, i'm okay with that!  as much as handmade gifts are important to me, there may be several i.o.u.'s under the tree for those.  and, the annual cookie-fest will be put off this year.

it's just fact. 

this year is compounded by christmas + wedding planning.  we're down to the details and, oh my, there are a lot of details.  most of the things are fun.  but, all of them take time. 

what are you doing this year to simplify your holidays?

something tells me...

       

...that this is the start of a truly fabulous year, where some of those candle wishes will be realized.  from this view, thirty-something is looking pretty darn good!

thank you for the birthday calls, texts, cards and facebook messages!  <3 to you all!!!

jen