And we're off.

We'll be on vacation for 15 days. We don't have a laptop, so any internet use will be extremely sporadic. I'll be updating Twitter along the way, but that's it.

If you need me, text it! (Info is found from my 'First Post' on my userinfo, if you don't already have it.)

See you on the flipside!

My best friend Heather is the very best, best friend in the world. She really is.

An afternoon away.

I am so in love with this new song. Truly.

Today was a happy day. My friend Liz called me just after 1pm. Her husband had taken the kids to the zoo, and she was up for chatting. Chatting turned into a discussion of tatting, and then the discussion turned into an excursion to get more supplies for my vacation tatting projects.

We stopped by Runza to get a reimbursement check I was due, and then to the bank, and then we set out for our impromptu afternoon. We lunched late at Qdoba (a first for both of us) and enjoyed the best burritos either of us had ever had, and then we shared a brownie. Next, we drove to Mangelson's, where we both stocked up on nifty thread colors we can't usually find. Leaving, she spotted a Bernina sewing store in the same plaza, so we popped in for her to pick up a few more bobbins and needles. Then we headed down to Hobby Lobby for more shuttles and even more thread for me (I was looking for a very specific teeny thread). I also found a tatting book, and I bought it straight-away. (In my experience, tatting finds are so very rare that I've learned not to walk away from them for a "next time.") Liz found a new basket must-have for her thread collection, and then we called it quits - we put locks on our wallets!

We returned home just after 6pm, too. Who knew that a phonecall would turn into all of that?! I began one project within half an hour of walking in the door, and Philip and I quasi-watched a TV show while I worked on it. (I was propped up on the pillows, and he was propped up on me.)

I have a VERY long, very tedious, very difficult tatting project "idea" milling about in my head. I sketched out some pieces of it last night, and I showed it to Liz. Of course, she's my tatting cheerleader and somehow thinks that I can do just about anything, despite my efforts to explain to her my very basic skills. So... we'll see if that "idea" ends up turning into a real project, or if it'll just stay in my head for years to come - eep!

Countdown to vacation: T-minus 5.5 days.

I need to sit at the computer for a while, but I have absolutely no desire to. I need to pay a bill online, to clear up the receipts on the desk, to finish up some photos, to check out prices/fees for all the different places we're heading to on our vacation...

so.much.stuff.

We're very nearly at crunch-time, and it feels like there's just SO MUCH to be done before we leave. We'll be gone for 15 days, so the house stuff really has to be taken care of, too.

- oil change
- brake light appt. (we got a letter about a recall in the mail)
- bank (travelers' checks)
- packing (which includes laundry)
- gift-shopping (already have the cards for three birthdays, plus one gift - need two more)
- gift-wrapping
- finding a boarder for Tuck
- scheduling one mowing with a lawn service
- working every day before we leave (which makes the other items difficult)
- deciding on our meal for the condo (and food-shopping accordingly)
- arranging flower care for two weeks
- cleaning house

We don't have a laptop, so we'll be extremely sporadic with internet access. Because of this, I bought a small journal, and I hope to record things. If I feel really ambitious, I'll consider typing out entries once I get back. ;-)

Half-Blood Prince.

The movie was great, the company even better. :-)

Pastries!

Like I said, I was giddy with glee that the pastries turned out so well. :-)

First up: Baked Apple Pastries.


Puff pastry layered with homemade pastry creme, fresh apple slices, and topped liberally with cinnamon and sugar.




Next up, I made the pastries I had most been looking forward to. You see, I fell in love with a seasonal item at Panera®, and they haven't brought it back since the fall of '07. But now? Now I don't need them! I can make my own!

Second: Caramel Apple Pastries.


Puff pastry topped with pastry creme, layered with fresh apple slices, dusted with cinnamon & sugar, then liberally coated with caramel sauce. Fresh out of the oven, I sprinkled them with powdered sugar.



The final attempt was Strawberry Pastries. I first baked a few with the berries on, but those didn't turn out so well. They tasted fine, but the strawberries lost their bright color and firmness in the oven, and they just weren't very aesthetically pleasing (hence, no photos). So I baked a couple more without the berries, and as soon as the timer went off, I pulled the hot pastries out and popped the fresh berries into the moist creme in the center. Ta-da!

Third: Fresh Strawberry Pastry.


Puff pastry layered with pastry creme, then topped with fresh strawberries and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Lastly, and not really planned, I baked a couple "plain" Cheese Pastries. I dusted the creme with a bit of cinnamon & sugar before baking, and I took a picture of them alongside the Strawberry ones. A.J. really liked these. :-)



Success! I will definitely be making these again. :-)

I am absolutely giddy that my pastries are turning out smashingly. :-)

Strawberry Tarts.

I made these for dessert last night, and they were phenomenal. Seriously, just SO.GOOD.



Puff pastry
Homemade pastry creme
Strawberries tossed in warm Red Raspberry preserves
Homemade whipped cream

I got the idea from here, but I wasn't able to find the puff-pastry shells the author mentioned (and showed, in pics). Instead, I bought puff pastry sheets, cut them into quarters, and then formed each quarter into a cup in the well of a muffin pan. I then baked them at 400° for 15 minutes, and then I followed the rest of the original directions. I also used a different jam/jelly, and the raspberry flavor gave mine a bit of zing! that was wonderful. :-)

Restored.

Remember when my iTunes directory went kaput a few months back? I've worked on it here and there, and finally - as of tonight - it is fully restored.

Added to, even.

*contented sigh*