Happy New Year! As I look out my window, unwinding from the whirlwind of family and friends and laughter and wine that was the holidays, I am feeling enormously grateful for the lovely people in my life. Since moving up here, it has been hard to not see them every day--I'm close with my family, and my friends are extremely dear to me--but going several months apart and then spending the time together as though nothing had changed was both comforting and affirmative that distance does not have the grip on our relationships that it once did. Through texts and phone calls and the ever-present Facebook, we have stayed connected and, while I miss them greatly, the distance doesn't feel quite as far as it did before :).

Welcome to 2013! My favorite thing about this part of the year is that, as dreary as it may be (I'm looking at spotty brown grass, a steely overcast sky and temperatures in the 30s), we have passed the longest night of the year and so everything is just an upward tick to spring and then, summer. In the meantime, I plan to continue to use my fireplace as much as possible, and the many wonderful, cozy candles and wineglasses and warm things I was given this year as gifts. 

So in 2012, I wrote a novel. Yes, it actually happened! I was pretty horrible about posting my word count on here daily, because by the time I was done writing for the day I was, truly, done writing for the day. But it happened, all 50,000 words and change, and I am simultaneously thrilled to begin editing and terrified. They say take a month away from your own writing so that you can look on it with fresh eyes, and, hopefully, that is what I will be able to do. If I'll still like it at the end is a totally different story. But fingers crossed that I will be able to find what I need in there, and then beginning looking at the next, completely overwhelming step of attempting to get it published.

I have a tendency to want to rush headlong into everything and, instantly, become extremely good at it. This is both good and bad, because, while it does drive me, it also makes me extremely frustrated when I am not immediately perfect at the task I've set out to do. I'm vowing not to be like that in this process--which, from what I can tell, is often disappointing and fruitless and cruel- but I am sure it will be a struggle, which I will be posting about as frequently as I can here.

Anyway, I have to go do a million other things but I wanted to get the first post of the year accomplished, the beginning of my fourth year on Tidepool :).

Here's to a productive year, to a year full of warmth and unexpected magic, to happiness and successes, to travel and family and love.



MWAH



Moi.

AAAAAND 15,011 words, y'all!

HOORRAY!

And let me just say, lesson learned. No more procrastination for me, no sir. I will be writing my quota daily.

The good news too, though, is that I did power through some scenes AND those tricky plot holes have neatly sewn themselves up in my brain.


Also, I made this awesome gif of Xavier Rhodes dominating a v-tech player last night. It's the first gif I've ever made ever and I have no idea how to embed it, but here is the link.

I know, it's insanely small, and I have no idea why. But look at how he knocks him down with his ARM and then looks down at him. Like the BA he is. LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Okay, I'm done. But seriously. So awesome.

In all honesty, I'm pretty much out of words for today. I will be checking in tomorrow, but right now I have completely abandoned everything but writing so I'm going to go take care of some of that.

See you tomorrow!

Mwah,


Moi.

Calling it in at 1 a.m. 1,000 words shy. BUT I will be catching up tomorrow morning fully, totally and completely. Clocking out at 12,375 words. See you in the a.m., bright and early :)

Okay, I fully deserve to be called a slacker.

I stopped Tuesday at 9,010 words to watch the election--and, because, honestly, I am in a strange place with my plot. Primarily, I need to start explaining it a little more and have my characters start taking actions to further that plot. And I'm not sure what that looks like yet, which means that, yesterday, I hid from my story instead of actually writing it. And that was not productive at all.

So today, I need to make it to 13,333 words. Which I will be doing, I don't care how long it takes. The whole point of the entire month is to write write write everyday, and I need to catch up for my own sanity. So I will be checking in tonight with an additional 4,323 words. Which isn't going to be easy, but it is going to happen. Wish me luck friends, see you tonight. :)

MWAH,


Moi.

AS promised, updated word count! 8, 784. Finally was able to get my head around some actual writing and stop distracting myself. Will check in tonight with the final word count goal of the NaNoWriMo today: 10,000 words!

Today, I was all caught up in formatting and working on the project that is paying the bills, and I was bad, and I wrote very little. And by very little, I mean nufin. But I will be posting an updated word count tomorrow afternoon and then again tomorrow evening, so I will be all caught up. Pinky promise.

Today, I made frittata and crepes, and felt super European and healthy. K was extremely suspicious--"Isn't that a quiche?"--but I assured him that no, it was not disgusting and, lo and behold, it was delicious. I used egg whites, and it turned out perfectly. The crepes were a minor disaster, as we had no butter. But we ate them still, because we do not waste food--even experimental food--in this house! And we had them with apple butter, which automatically makes everything 1000x better.

Here is the frittata recipe:

8 eggs (or 10 egg whites)

4 cups of whatever you want to be in the frittata. (I did mozzarella, spinach, turkey sausage and green peppers).

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. It's done when a knife comes out clean.


I'm not going to include the crepes recipe. But you should go buy some apple butter, like, now.

Today's NaNoWriMo count: 6,689! YAY! I'm up by 20 words! It took a while, but feels really good. Going to go celebrate now with vino and some apple butter.


MWAH,




Moi.

Spent part of today catching up on New Girl. Seriously, that show makes me giggle. Me and a million Americans, I know. But still.

Short one tonight, just keeping up with my resolution. I have completed 2, 980 words. The goal by Sunday is 6,667 words. So I will hopefully be checking in tomorrow with that number, or above! Wish me luck :)

Mwah,


Moi.

So I have discovered the best tea in the world. It is Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasonings, and it is even better than Starbucks chai tea lattes. YES, I went there. And the best part? It tastes sweet and perfect without adding any sugar. I don't know, it's bizarre, and probably magical. You should try it.

Starbucks sent me an email today letting me know that the red cups were back. It was one of the bi-weekly emails I've been getting since they made the rude announcement that gold card holders -- who, through the purchase and chugging of 30 freaking drinks in less than a year, had believed they had attained free soy and syrup for at least the rest of the year--would no longer get these benefits. 

This was a terrible idea, because 1.) Consumers don't like having their free stuff taken away from them, duh and 2) You are dealing with people who would drink mass amounts of coffee to get a small discount on drinks that, to keep, they must keep purchasing. They are not rational and they are obsessed.

I, of course, fall into this category. I was so ticked off, I wrote a comment, along with 986354896 other pissed off latte-chuggers. The general tone was strongly worded disappointment. Polite, but scathing. 

"New and improved just means that you are giving us less" observed one disenchanted customer.

"It's ridiculous to have a rewards card and then take rewards away," wrote another. "Buh bye Starbucks."

Some resorted to threats. 

"I've just done 'the math"' on the change," wrote Sbuxxxx. "Even with earning free drinks faster, the charge for soy means that over the course of 6 months I would be paying over $100 MORE with the new program. 

 Looks like I'll be making my own coffee more..."

Others tried to bargain. 

"I am very disappointed in the decision to eliminate free soy. I agree with those who have suggested staying at 15 as the limit for a free drink as opposed to 12 if it means the elimination of free soy."

But, alas, it was all for naught. Starbucks stonily refused to give us what we want. They burned up that lactose intolerant bridge, boy did they.

But now, I am getting the equivalent of "come back, baby" emails. 

"We gave you free drink!!!!"

"We have yummy pumpkin things you love!!"

"We HAVE RED CUPS! You know how DELICIOUS red cup drinks are! They are CHRISTMAS! Peppermint Mocha! Gingerbread! Eggnog! Santa!"

But you know what, Starbucks? Taylor Swift said it best, I think.

LOLZ yeah right I'm totally going there this weekend for some pepperminty deliciousness. Plus, I need 13 more drinks to stay a gold card member! Time's a wastin!

So I said I would check in daily with my Na No Wri Mo total, and so, here it is.....drumroll please....: 1,298.

YAY! Couldn't make it to 1,300. Idk. Tomorrow though, for sure.

MWAH,

Moi.

So we had a total of two trick or treaters. Which means lots of leftover candies. What a shame.

Halloween is over, friends, which apparently means now that we all storm head-first into Christmas. Good lord. It's already happening. I walked into Target (SHOCKER) and there was a massive, green and red and purple and gold GLITTERY sign that proclaimed, "All is merry and bright!!!".


Now don't get me wrong. I am all about some Christmas, tidings of great joy, family, food, presents, snow, rocking out to Mannheim Steamroller. Sign me up. But let's give it a week or two, right?

There was also a massive display of Christmas candy. Eyeing this tempting collection, I booked it for the household cleaning aisle, safe and far from chocolate urges. I just ate 747436 pounds of Halloween candy in the spirit of "What the heck, it's just for Halloween". This is greedy, folks. Greedy.

To detox, I concocted a delicious zucchini, tomato and canned chicken entree.

Now, I know what you are thinking. Canned chicken? Isn't that nasty? Doesn't it have the texture and appearance of albacore tuna? And yes, all three of those things are true.

But we have hurricane food left over, and waste not, want not, I always say. That chicken will be going bad soon (expiration date 2099) and also I forgot to defrost actual fresh chicken.  THE POINT IS that I improvised ratatouille and it was very easy and fresh tasting. Cooked it up with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and gave it to K, who ate it despite the canned chicken, something I love him for.

It's like Julia Child up in here, I tell ya.


In other news, I've decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a novel in a month. 50,000 words. It's, obviously, a rough draft at the end, but the brilliance is that it gets you to actually write the book. Which, despite the fact that every published author I've ever met/read has insisted is the best/only way to ever get published, I have yet to do. So here it is. In writing. I am embarking on this journey of 50,000 words, and will see it to the end. DONE.


They say to make yourself accountable, and so I am going to make myself accountable here. Every day, I will write an entry here, and update my word count and status. I also promise that it will take up no more than a few sentences, because really, unless/until it's published, who cares?



That was easy!


I leave you with the video that has dominated my evening.







Mwah,





Moi.

Boo

Happy Halloween! It's officially Halloween as I type this, and we are out of the candy that we purchased on Thursday as part of our storm preparation.

Two things happened: the storm( thankfully!) gave us only driving, cold, wet rain but no power outages or flooding, and we ate up all our emergency rations.

 And by emergency rations, I mean Reese's. Leave me alone, I KNOW.

And, this is the sad part: I hid half of it under the bed. And that was no deterrent, especially with the lack of anything to do, really, but eat candy. And watch the West Wing. What happened to politics, really?

Anyway, I guess the poor trick or treaters will be getting craisins, the supplies we didn't eat.

FALSE. We are so getting some more candy tomorrow. I love Halloween.

SO I decorated! As we speak, our redneck jack o'lantern, which I brought in from the inclement weather, is glowing on our counter. We carved him last weekend, and I am so delighted. Just look. He's so cute.

For my centerpieces on a budget, I went with a thrift store basket ($2.55) and filled it with baby pumpkins, gourds, and apples (about .69 cents each) and added a candle on either side. I want to eventually spruce it up with sparkly leaves or sticks, but I am desperately lacking a Michael's up here and Joanne's makes me feel lazy for not making my own clothes.

And how freaking cute is Spooky?

K found her a few days after, and was like, ??? But I mean, what's to explain, really?

And of course flowers and the beloved pumpkin candle! It's 44 degrees up here, btw, so you can bet that baby has been burning away.

Oh and I had to spend $12 dollars for my costume, which is a witch hat. And a black dress I  have. I will be  wearing it all day tomorrow, because I love Halloween.


In other news, I need to finalize decorating our bathroom, which right now is done in the style of Mess. We keep everything mostly pretty tidy, I think, but somehow the bathroom is always a disaster. It doesn't help that our counter is approximately 2 inches on either side, and I cram every beauty item I own on it. So washing your hands is kind of a booby-trapped adventure.

But I need to get my act together here pretty soon and buy some matching towels, because K's family is coming to visit for Thanksgiving! Which I honestly cannot WAIT for, because it will involve decorating and planning a menu and baking and cooking and wine and great conversation and hello, have you met me. But I do need to freshen the towel situation to something from this century.


Anyway, I leave you with a glowing pumpkin and wishes for a sugar-filled day.


MWAH,

Moi.

Fall

It's been a while, friends, because I have been full of business.
1.) We found a table.
2.) I have been spending a lot of time trying to concoct an idea for a Halloween costume for free.
3.) I went to Atlantic City and DC as a part of my freelancing gig, and played black jack like a PRO. (The slots, however, are SO stupid.)
4.) I have been basking in the glory of Virginia fall.


Lately, flocks of Canadian geese have been camping out in the park outside my window, which I love. I know they are cranky and evil, but I think they are majestic. From a distance.

Fall is officially here, and the windows have been open non-stop all week. It's been a glorious 63 in the afternoons and a chilly 50 in the evenings, which is delightful to fall asleep too. K and I are plotting our first attempt at making a fire in our little brick fireplace, and I cannot WAIT.

I am actually about to run out and get some fall flowers and a gourd family to throw together in a way I'm not entirely sure about yet. My approach to decorating is this strange combination of pottery barn and things I can find in the dollar store, which, as you can imagine, can be pretty hit or miss. I'll upload pics as soon as I get it together to let you judge for yourself :).

If I'm truly honest with myself, the part I am really looking forward to is the bit when we fill a gigantic bowl with candy and eat it all in the name of being festive. The issue with this is, of course, we have a candy problem. Moderation does not exist for us. Candy in the house gets eaten. The first day of October, I filled our awkward pumpkin with candy corn in celebration. It was gone in a week. So new approach to this will be to temper the candy supply and hide the rest. Out of sight, out of mind. I will also let you know how this goes.

One thing I want to try for sure this year is popcorn balls. When I was a small girl, I went trick or treating with one of my friends, and we stopped by her grandmother's house, where I tasted the best and only popcorn ball of my life. I am determined to recreate them at some point this year. I found a variety of recipes, and they all involve massive amounts of condensed milk, sugar, and butter. Which kind of sounds like I can't lose. Which I like when baking.


I'm out the door in search of fall, since this part of the year is too fabulous not to discuss.



MWAH,




Moi.

Bread

Today, I made bread.

I understand that on the grand scale of important things people do, bread is down there with like, drinking water.


Although bread has recently enjoyed a comeback in the popular mind due to Peeta, AKA THE BOY WITH THE BREAD, for the most part, it is a No. 1 on the scale of awesome things to bake. With my Reese's cake being at like, a No. 7. So 10 is the best. Okay you've got it.
So, despite the fact that bread is not that big a deal, this was a huge success for me, especially since my father makes an amazing french baguette and sour dough, so I had the expectations of the family on my shoulders as well.
But I'll be honest here, there were several times when I didn't think it was going to work out. Give me a batter, some chocolate chips and some butter and we are good to go. But dough? Yeast? Foreign tools my friends.

The going, at times, was rough.

When I didn't have a dough attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer, for example. Or a Kitchen Aid mixer, for that matter.

I had to do it pioneer style with a wooden spoon (which I got a set of five for for a DOLLA at Doller Tree. Yah. Still reeling from that bargin).

Which let me just take a second to vent about the lady in this video, who says, "Attach the dough-metal thingy to your Kitchen Aid mixer and turn on" like everyone has one just waiting on the counter.

FIRST of all, the KA standing mixer is coveted by every baker, ever. And actually a lot of other people who don't bake. They just want to be able to put it on their counter to gesture to, nonchalantly, when company is over and say, oh, that ole thing? And maybe throw some dough in there for a demonstration.

ALSO, they are FREAKING expensive. Close to $400. For a mixer. So, sorry Allrecipes, where I am for FREE recipes, I don't just have state-of-the-art mixing technology at my fingertips.

So I had to Laura Ingalls the first two steps, upper-body strength style, and imitate what I hoped was what a dough-extension would do.

Which, as you can imagine, left lumps and something to be desired.

The second complication arose when my first ball of dough (making bread has more phases than the moon, each with its own rigorous rising schedule) looked like a brain. I re-watched the video. No brain.  But that is okay, because whatever, I thought. I am throwing it in the oven, brain-resemblance or otherwise. Thankfully, the brains disappeared after BREAD PHASE 3.0 and only slightly resembled it when I began to roll out the second ball of dough (BREAD PHASE 5.0), but was squashed by my rolling pin, AKA a bottle of red wine. Yes, I know, but you use what you have, right?

ANYWAY, the result was crusty and delicious (although a slight sprinkle of salt was needed) and K and I devoured it. K probably because I was literally baking bread for 3 hours, and it was 9 O'clock.

Bread, GLORIOUS bread. Okay, I'm done now. Here is the recipe if you are so inclined to try it yourself : )




MWAH,






Moi

Just DEVOURED "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness. Brilliant. Loved it. Go read it. I'm not linking to amazon, I'm not that kind of person, but seriously. It's SOO good.






I got my library card, in case you didn't know. Which you probably don't because, really, who cares? WELL my friends, it just so happens that my new library has a online order button that is fast as lightening. And got this girl the latest in the RR Martin obsession two days after I requested it. TWO days. In Tampa, it took about 8 months to get a in-demand book. I'm livin' it up, here in the historical capitol of the state.

But I do wish that they would not brand both of the books with a little pink "fantasy" sticker.  I mean, come on. It's got a freaking unicorn on it, for heaven's sake.

There wasn't a unicorn in "A Discovery", okay? And witchfire is not something to laugh at.

In other news, I found this on Pinterest, and it summed up exactly what happens to me every time I go to Target. Which has been pretty frequent.

As in daily.

I keep wondering if anyone ever looks through the security tapes and is like, HER? AGAIN? GOOD GOD!














































You can imagine, I am sure, what K thinks, with the pink fantasy stickers and my daily trips to Target. But we do have nice curtains.




MWAH,






Moi.

I moved :)

And I'm in love. It's amazing here. I keep going outside just to feel the difference in the air, just to see the different trees and birds. It doesn't go above 80 most days, Fall is already in the air and I cannot WAIT to begin preparations with pumpkin spice candles and the like. In fact, confession, I splurged and bought one at Marshall's early. :D It's hiding in my cabinet above the stove, waiting for the first really cold day to bring it out.



In all honesty, I was hunting for an inexpensive set of mixing bowls, since I don't own any, apparently. And I was wandering, as you do in Marshall's, when I saw they had their Yankee fall collection in and on the shelves. And we are talking newly minted and brought from wherever Yankee candles come from and find their way to discount stores everywhere. I felt, and you may roll your eyes but it's true, like I had come across my own little treasure trove. Right there in Marshall's, with adult contemporary music playing in the background.

A fellow shopper and I looked at each other, hardly able to believe our good fortune.
"Wow," I said, breathlessly. "This is all their fall stuff. Their autumn collection."
"I know," she said.
"I found this one back there." She put down an obviously inadequate, off-brand orange candle, stuffing it behind some apple chips. "I had no idea about these."

This doesn't happen to me. I get the dregs of deals. I go last. I never go out on Black Friday, I don't cut coupons, I usually pay retail price.

I never get the creme of the crop selection of the Yankee Candle Fall Collection.

Let me explain really quickly why I got so excited. Yankee Candles are the best of the best. They have the best scents, the most subtle hints of flavor, the best burn.

They are the couture of candle lovers everywhere. And their pumpkin spice flavor, which I bought MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OFF, is their best.

So, in other obsessions, I live across the street from Target. Which is a problem.

I have been there, no lie, every day. First, they have our favorite brand of wine( Rex Goliath) on sale there for $5.50. So, you know, gotta make sure we have that in our wine rack.  Secondly, they have the best house-brand sour gummies I have ever had ever.  Thirdly, it's, you know, Target. And full of things I need/want/we should have one of these, right?

AHHHH I need to stop going to Target. Although I did learn how to construct a bookcase because of their "it's on sale, assemble it yourself, you can do it!" attitude toward carpentry.

Yah, I shouldn't be a carpenter. Making a long, sad story (there were tears, I'm ashamed to say) short, you really must pay attention to which side is A and B. And, a word of the wise to all of you aspiring DIYs out there, you should definitely make sure the back part you hammer on is facing the right way before you hammer it on with 30 itty-bitty nails. And that it is being attached to the back, not the finished, colored front, before you do it.

I think it looks better without the siding now, anyway.


MWAH,


Moi.

So I just realized something.

I need to power watch as many Dawson's Creek Episodes (or AT LEAST to the season where the opening theme is "I don't wanna wait") as possible before Friday because 1.) I will have no internet connection for a while and who wants to be That Girl in the library and 2.) I'm thinking that it isn't going to be high on K's list of things to watch on Netflix.

I've got about 6 episodes to go. That's about 4.5 hours. This girl is on a mission.

And other productive things I do with my time since quitting my job.

Departure for VA is in less than two days, and I am loading up everything tomorrow night. Tonight, M was a doll and helped (read: forced) me to schlep my stuff to the dining room, right next to the door. (M has turned into kind of a gentle drill sergeant when it come to moving. I move two bins, begin to get a little sweaty, suggest we turn on a movie. She looks at me, and begins unplugging the lamps in my room. Silent, but effective.)

Right now, I am staring at a mountain of bins and random re-usable bags from Whole Foods and a random hamper full of kitchen supplies and wondering how it is all going to fit. Which is relaxing.

Tomorrow I have to deep-clean my bathroom (aren't you SO glad you stopped by?) and answer the ever-perplexing question of whether or not to bring the toilet brush.

Tune in next time for the conclusion of that exciting tale.


Mwah,




Moi.

Let's talk briefly about moving, which is what I am in the process of doing. For the last five days. With a few pool days/ sitting on the couch catching up on the BBC Sherlock (I'm cool like that) and discovering spotify. And sleeping. Quite a bit of sleeping.

Anyway, everyone always approaches moving with this notion that somehow all of the many miscellaneous pieces of life will fit in categorized bins organized based on their function.

This works for exactly two things: kitchen items and clothing. The rest of it---photos, thank you notes, usb cable connectors, wallflowers, candles, notebooks, jewelry boxes, calligraphy kits --where the freaking heck is it supposed to go? In an effort to be organized, I made several lists and found a Sharpie to label what goes where and is in what, but finally I just said forget it, I have no idea what bin this Barbie I got for my birthday last year as a joke but really would like to keep belongs in, and threw it all together, slapped the lid on and labeled it MISC.

I know that is going to be my favorite one to unpack.

Short recap of the last 3 months: I quit my job and I am moving to Va to be with my sweetie :) Which is really REALLY exciting, especially since I depart on FRIDAY. The ONE thing that is posing a little bit of a challenge is the fact that everything has to fit in the back of my father's pickup and my itty bitty gold Saturn, (BACK FROM THE DEAD!!), meaning no bed or furniture or anything resembling furniture.

I'm envisioning a lot of pizza on the floor with candles (i'll take a picture and send it to Pinterest as a DATE NIGHT IDEA OMGGGG) or whatever you do when you have no furniture. Or TV. Or cable.

Probably mostly be uncomfortable, actually, I think.

Which is why I am already searching on Craigslist (Yes, I realize I blog a lot about my secondhand furniture searches but it really does take up a large portion of my life) for items. THING is, the nearest "metropolitan area" according to Craig, who is also apparently a higher-up at the Census Bureau, is about 45 mins away. So that could be tricky. Wish me luck. And pet-free sellers.

In other news, I am reading the history of the world. In a variety of forms by a variety of different historians.

One thing I've noticed is that we all sort of accept historians on their word, which, since their works are often based on lifetimes of research and study, is a fair thing to do. BUT they all have their own agendas. They pick their favorite historical figure or era, and they want to make it your favorite too. One man's Arnold Schwarzenegger is another man's King Richard.

 I really love history. I hated people in school who would roll their eyes and sigh whenever the subject of history came up or was brushed on at all. Like history is boring. You know what is tedious? Vera Bradley handbags. You know what isn't? Lewis and Clarke.

The reason I'm being all pretentious is because my kindle broke (again  :( ) and I am stuck 86 percent  of the way through Game of Thrones book 4. I'm ruined for fiction right now. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF EDDARD's family.

ANYWAY, that's what has been going on here. Tomorrow, I tackle my trunk, which hasn't been cleaned out for probably 18 months. I'll let you know how it goes. :)



MWAH,




Moi.

OMG. 
So I baked the most incredible Reese's cake of my life the other day. It was seriously amazing. The recipe is found on the flickr page of this genius and replicated below (with my notes, of course):

CAKE: 

It really doesn't matter. I went against my own creed (because it was 9 p.m. on a Tuesday) and made it with Pillsbury box mix. The cake itself is NOT the main event.

FILLING:

8oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (chocolate chips worked great)
8oz heavy cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (choosey moms choose Jiffs)
1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter cups, roughly chopped (those little baby ones were perfect, and super cute for decorating)

Heat the cream until it just begins to boil (be careful, because it starts to foam and go EVERYWHERE). Pour it over the chocolate in a medium bowl. Whisk until it melts, then whisk in the peanut butter. Set aside 1/4 of the filling for the first layer of frosting. Cool the other 3/4 completely, then gently stir in the peanut butter cups.

FROSTING: (OMG THIS IS THE BEST PART. My only suggestion would be to double it, because I didn't feel like I had enough)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the butter and peanut butter until they are fully combined and kind of fluffy. Add the vanilla, then stir in the sugar.

ASSEMBLY:
Place one 9-inch round on a cake stand or plate. Cover the top in the peanut butter fudge filling. Place the second 9-inch round on top. Using the reserved filling, spread a thin layer on the outside of the cake. Refrigerate until the fudge is set and firm to the touch.

Slather the whole thing in the peanut butter frosting. Decorate with peanut butter cups.

So I would have taken a picture of it, but it isn't pretty any more, because, turns out, when you hack off the side of it with a spoon every evening standing in your kitchen because you don't want to commit to the fact that you are eating a hearty slice of peanut butter cake every evening a pretty picture it does not make. On several levels.

On a related note, I wish I had more time to bake. I really love it. I am seriously coveting the entire set of Martha Stewart baking tools, which are all brightly colored but tasteful and functional yet fun and WANT IT ALL:

So the hosts you are bringing your DELICIOUS cupcakes to aren't appalled when you bring them cupcakes with frosting all OVER the freaking place

So your cookies aren't a FREAKING mess 

COVERED mixing bowls. For when you don't want all 18 pounds of cookie dough all at once.

I feel like an ad for Martha Stewart. Which I guess I sort of am. In that I aspire to her, not that I think she would would particularly want me to endorse or represent her brand (see above: eating peanut butter cake in the kitchen).

Anyway. I wish I could bake more, had the time, and when I had the time had the energy, and when I had the energy had the money (supplies can get pretty expensive, especially if you are making them from scratch! Butter, seriously, makes things DELICIOUS and is almost $4 a pound). And the green grass grows all around all around. 

My shouting bird has been replaced by a barking frog, btw. I didn't realize that there was a downgrade from a shouting bird (or maybe nature thinks it's an upgrade?) but he is serious about communicating something to some jungle creature out there and he likes to do it RIIIGGGHT as I am falling asleep. 

I'm not even going to try to describe what this barking frog sounds like, because you are probably thinking "Oh, is she in the rainforest? Or some other similarly tropical place with a pier 1 and exotic, noisy creatures?" and the answer is NO I am not, the most exotic thing we have is a mutt upstairs named dodger but the FROGS ARE SO FREAKING ANNOYING I'm getting pretty worked up about it and exaggerating. 

Taking a deep breath, and coming around to the pin of the 15th day (Sounds like a Harry Potter title)

SO cute. I will make some day.

MWAH,

Moi.

I want to talk for a moment about lightening bugs.

Is there anything more fabulous? What a wonderful notion--I'm lighting a beacon, come find me.

I know, I KNOW, it's technically their little buggy bums lighting up because they want to make little baby lightening bugs. But for the sake of poetry and sentiment, let's just go with the metaphor.




Speaking of beacons, I have always been completely enchanted by lighthouses. There is a part of me that wants to live in one.

There would be a warm, cozy kitchen that overlooked the sea, a loft to sleep (none of this extra house BS) and, of course, the long, winding staircase to the top of the world.

 It would be a life covered in salt spray and storms, I would live on hot, briny soups and warm bread and  would polish the beautiful glass panes every day, making sure our light shone pure and clear, warning away ships from the treacherous cliffs.

Oh, right, I've never thought about this at all, never, no way.

But the technicalities--how do get things like dishwasher detergent, for example, or if a girl fancied herself a new sundress and a Corona Light-- would get in the way pretty quickly, I think.

I love science, speaking of technicalities, and going back to our lightening bugs. I think there is actually a lot of romance in science-- I'm more of an art mimics life kind of gal. I think the masterpieces we create, the love stories we write: these are our own interpretation of the world around us. But we like to eliminate the rough edges, turn our bit of colored shard into sea glass--softer, more beautiful. I think sometimes, like when trying to comprehend the universe, we can't do it. We need a mixer, ear plugs, a dilutions.

Those who stare straight at the sun go blind.

AAHH that is reallll. Makes spilled milk seem PRETTY pointless.

But the best books walk that thin line between the hard truth and the foggy land of a dreamer--which, I really feel, represents reality.

I'm done waxxing poetic, I promise (which, what the freaking heck does that mean?). It's been a dreamy weekend-- I spent it on a porch staring off into space, which I highly recommend to anyone and everyone. Watching birds sing and the wind through the trees is good for your soul.

Now, there are frogs making love outside my window, which is less poetic and not good for my soul at all. I'm in search of a good, thick pillow: wish me luck.

Pin of the, um, week? It's good enough for seven days, I think :)

MWAH,




Moi.

I'm feeling drunk on bluegrass right now. There is something about the harmonies, the twang, the taste and the heart of it that is good for my soul, wakes something up in my blood.

Bluegrass often gets mislabeled, I think, in the popular mind. It is thought of as backwoods/hick/up-a-crick music. Banjoes are picked by toothless, shirtless paws on a porch a la Country Bear Jamboree , spitting tobaccy and blowing on an empty 'shine jug.

For those unfamiliar with how beautiful it can be, the opening riff of a bluegrass song can make them wince and look at you with a "you have 10 seconds to turn that off or I am leaving the room/pretending I don't know you/never riding in your car again".

Of course I'n not speaking from personal experience.

In reality, bluegrass holds some of the last true artistry in any music genre. You can't autotune a fiddle. Harmonies can't be faked. The timing necessary to launch a chorus that gives the listener goosebumps can't happen unless everyone knows what they are doing.

Alison Krauss & Union Station is probably my favorite group ever: try it. I think you'll be surprised.





Oh, so I've FINALLY finished book two of Game of Thrones (hereby going to be shortened to GOT). This is a big accomplishment, since I purchased it in late December, broke my Kindle for four months, and then got it replaced (for FREE! YAY amazon!) at the beginning of this month. So I have had this book in the back of my mind for a long time, and I'm glad to have finished it.

Confession: I get this weird (THAT is a hard word to spell after midnight) sort of satisfaction after I've read a book. It's a conquest. I award points to myself based on how fun it was to read and level of literary clout.

According to my Kindle, I am 75 percent of the way through Moby Dick OR The White Whale. (AP style= put those in quotes. MLA style = italicize. I'm at a loss.)  NOW the decision is do I pick up the NEXT installment in GOT, or do I eat my veggies and see if Ahab ever gets that blasted whale? Tune in next week for the answer to that cliffhanger!


Speaking of cliffhangers, we've decided to watch 24 as roommates. We get all the seasons on Netflix, and it was the only one we could all agree on.

AND OMG.

K and I used to watch it together all the time when he was in town, but I've only seen one or two seasons and we've started with season 2, which I've never seen. I forgot why I stopped watching and have since remembered.

I wake up thinking someone is going to kill me.

No lie. Sit straight up in bed, panicked. Certain someone has woken me up. If I had a dagger, I would be clutching it.

M said the same thing used to happen to her too. Which makes me wonder sort of why I keep watching...right? But M and I came to the same conclusion about that one, too.

So I found this pin and it was supposed to be a super cute (and STUPID) way to reuse a slinky but I am obsessed with the bird. He is one of my favorite things about today, and, incidentally, your pin of the every-third-day.

MWAH,

Moi.