Care Package #6: Christmas, Part 3

This is the last Christmas box...really. Three is enough, right? I thought I would be able to get away with sending the sugar cookies in one of the flat boxes, until I remembered Brian's only request for a Christmas gift: a file holder for his desk. I managed to squeeze it all in together and hopefully the cookies weren't totally broken by the time they arrived. I also tossed in a box of Propel drink mix, just for fun.

As yummy as they are, I just don't think sugar cookies are worth all the trouble of rolling, cutting, rolling again, cutting some more, then decorating. A friend pointed out that it's more fun with little kids helping to decorate, but I'll have to take her word on that. I'm definitely a drop-cookie kind of girl. But I'm glad that I gave these a shot because they looked really great when I sealed them (the diamond shape and colored decorations gave the sealed packages the look of Argyle!).
Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
colored or coarse sugar, for decorating

Directions

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

Combine the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, beating on medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture 1 cup at a time.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide in half. Place each half on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into disks about 1 inch thick. Wrap separately then refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.

To bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Roll to 1/8 inch thick on a well-floured surface. Cut into shapes. Sprinkle with the colored sugar, if desired. Using a spatula, transfer to a large greased baking sheet, sugared-side up. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Harley decided that she wanted to get in on some of this cookie business. I left some butter and cream cheese out on the counter to soften and popped out to the store for an hour. I didn't think anything about leaving them out since Harley has never shown any inclination to get food off the counter. Well, to my great surprise I came home to find that two sticks of butter and an entire package of cream cheese were missing. I mean completely gone: there were no scraps of wrapping or greasy paw prints or anything. I checked the house over top to bottom and found no sign of the baking supplies. Harley was looking a little uncomfortable, so I decided a trip to the vet was in order (cream cheese is wrapped in the foil-type paper, and I didn't think that could be a good thing to eat). Long story short, after $200 worth of X-rays, Harley refunded the stolen goods all over the exam room floor. I didn't see the $200 as wasted because I found out that her hips are in good shape, she has a bit of arthritis in her back and at some point in time she had been shot twice with a BB gun! Harley seems to be doing fine today and hopefully will pass any remaining junk in the next day or two.

Care Package #5: Christmas, Part 2

I hadn't originally intended to send multiple Christmas packages to Brian. But once I got thinking about all the holiday stuff I wanted to make, I realized it would not all fit in one box! So I decided to break it out into three shipments. This second package ended up being a monster, weighing in at 14.5 pounds!

Brian told me that he has become a favorite when packages arrive, so I knew I wanted to make enough for him to share. There are 11 guys in his platoon, so I whipped up 12 stockings. They were really quick and simple, since odds are they won't make it back home after this deployment. As much as I wanted to stuff the stockings myself, due to the logistics of shipping Brian had to be in charge of assemble.

I wanted to make a few different snacks to fill the stockings, and had picked up a bunch of whole nuts on sale at Kroger. My first attempt at candied nuts was not really a stunning success, but they still taste good and I guess that's what really matters.

Real Simple Candied Nuts
2 cups unsalted mixed raw nuts (such as almonds, cashews, pecans, and walnuts)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Heat oven to 400° F. Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Once the baking sheet is cool, line with parchment.

In a large skillet, combine the sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer, swirling the pan occasionally (do not stir as it will crystallize the caramel), until the liquid is amber colored, 12 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the nuts, then spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, separating the nuts as much as possible. Let cool. Break up any large clusters before serving. The nuts can be prepared and stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I had a tough time getting the sugar to caramelize (maybe because I tried to triple the recipe and make three batches all at once?) so I just stirred the melted sugar over the nuts and said done! I'll try it again with a recipe from Alana and see if I have more success.


Peppermint Bark is a very simple but really beautiful holiday snack. I made some two years ago and people went crazy over it!

Peppermint Bark
12 Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bars
2 bags white chocolate chips
2 dozen candy canes

Using a food processor, chop the candy canes up until they are broken into small pieces but not powdered.

Unwrap the Hershey's bars and line them up side by side on parchment paper. Melt the white chocolate (either in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently). Let the white chocolate cool slightly, then spread quickly across the Hershey bars, spreading evenly. Quickly sprinkle the chopped candy canes over the white chocolate, pressing gently with the back of a spatula to stick them into the chocolate. Let cool completely then wrap or seal in baggies.


Kimberly's mom turned me on to chocolate dipped Oreos. When you use semi-sweet chocolate (instead of milk chocolate) it makes a snack that is nearly irresistible. Really. I couldn't resist eating the ones that didn't dip just right. There isn't really a recipe, just melt chocolate and dip the cookies! YUM!

Since the chocolate peanut better fudge was such a hit, I made another batch of fudge as well. However, this time I made chocolate Oreo fudge! Instead of splitting the marshmallow mixture between chocolate and peanut butter chips, I just used two cups of chocolate chips and stirred in some chopped Oreo cookies before pouring the fudge into the pan. After the fudge cooled, the cookies got a little soft and almost had a brownie consistency. Truly decadent!

The best kind of news!

In the midst of trying to not be depressed about the one year anniversary of losing Mom and Jen, and reconciling myself to the fact that my boyfriend will be in a war zone for at least 10 more months, and attempting to keep some kind of focus on my very busy work life, I have just gotten a bit of the best possible kind of news: pure, unadulterated, no-strings-attached good news!

My dear friends Alana and Xander just got word from their adoption agency: they are having twins! Sure, they planned on adopting a boy and girl under the age of 12 months... But they are getting twins! Actual, honest to goodness, related to each other twins! Check out their blog for Alana's very entertaining recollection of the news.

I couldn't be happier for them to get this news just before the holidays. Of course, they probably won't be bringing the little sweeties home until March, but the worst of the waiting is over. For my part, I can now start making their baby gifts!

Care Package #4: Christmas, Part 1

As I mentioned earlier, this was the first year that I decorated for the holidays. While chatting with Brian, he mentioned that decorating wasn't a big priority for him either. But I figured that if I was going to go through the trouble to get festive, then I'd give him the opportunity, too! So in this first Christmas package I sent a mini tree, lights and ornaments along with festive plates. I don't know if he'll really set the tree up, but I felt better about him at least having the option to decorate. I also sent along some yummy Turkish Delight (thanks to Julie for turning me on to these!). I say "first Christmas package" because I think the next two weeks will also include holiday goodies... might as well make the most of having a ready theme!



Brian said that everyone loved the fudge last week, so the baked good for this package carried on the chocolate/peanut butter combination: Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies! This is the first time I used this recipe and it was SO good. I mean, seriously good. Like, hurt yourself by eating a whole batch good. I wrapped each brownie in cling wrap then vacuum sealed six per package. A few co-workers were lucky enough to get the remaining brownies and they were a huge hit.
Martha Stewart's Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Makes 9 large or 16 small squares
(This recipe easily doubles)

Batter:
8 TBS unsalted butter
2 ozs unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 ozs semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Peanut Butter Swirl:
4 TBS unsalted butter
1/2 C confectioner's sugar
3/4 C smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over the sides. Butter the lining and set the pan aside.

Make batter: Put butter and chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted, then let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then set aside.

Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until well incorporated.

Make filling: Stir together melted butter, confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Pour one third of the batter into prepared baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Place dollops of filling (about 1 TBS each) about 1 inch apart on top of batter. Drizzle remaining patter on top and gently spread to fill pan. Place dollops of remaining filling on top.

With a butter knife, gently swirl filling into batter, running knife lengthwise and crosswise through the layers. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs but not wet, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan (about 15 minutes) then lift brownies out by parchment paper and let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Holiday Shenanigans

Not only did Dad host Thanksgiving at his house this year, but he also did almost all of the cooking! In true Southern style, he used the grill for most of the dishes and even tapped into the Paula Dean cookbook to make coconut crusted sweet potato balls. The only thing that gave him any trouble was the stuffing (which was probably a blessing in disguise for my waistline as I tend to eat stuffing for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it's gone!).


I did have to step in and voice my opinion on one topic: Dad was content to just pick up a store-bought apple pie. I can bend on a lot of things, but store bought apple pie is not one of them! Unfortunately, the only apples we had were Gala and Rome, so the pies didn't come out as well as I would have liked. Dad and Joy said they were still good, so who am I to complain?

Thanksgiving morning I was feeling very keyed up after my Pilates workout and Joy teased me about my energy level. Her teasing quickly turned to pleas for mercy when I proved my strength by giving her a piggy-back ride around the house (note the look of terror on her face: priceless).
I took Monday off to recover from the weekend and get my house decorated. Since I'm planning on having Dad and Joy at the apartment for Christmas, it seemed like the right thing to do. This is the first year that I have ever decorated for the holidays (as opposed to decorating just for a holiday party), so I had to recruit some help. Jessie stopped by and assisted with tree ornament logistics and encouraged my attempts at holiday cheer. Harley couldn't care less and once Jessie stopped petting her she laid down and slept through the whole effort.
Being of the mind that less is more, I took it fairly easy and went for a minimal approach. A tree with only red and green ornaments (and just white lights) and a few strands of garland, bells and stockings for the mantels was the extent of the decorations. But the smell of fresh pine and the perky colors are a welcome addition for the coming month.

Thanks and Gratitude

A simple prayer of gratitude for the Thanksgiving Day feast:

This food is the product of the earth, the sun and hard work. May I live my life in such a way as to be worthy of it.

Love to all my friends and family.

Care Package #3: Fudge

I have been wanting to try to make fudge for a while. Since the chocolate that I sent in Brian's first care package didn't melt in transit, I figured it would be best to send fudge in the winter (when the high temperatures in Iraq are in the 90s instead of the 140s). I found this recipe in the Hershey cookbook, but will try Mom's recipe in a few weeks to see which I like best.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fudge
1 C each peanut butter chips and chocolate chips
2.25 C sugar
7 oz jar marshmallow creme
.75 C evaporated milk
.25 C butter
1 tsp vanilla

Place the chocolate and peanut butter chips in separate bowls and set aside. Grease or line an 8 inch square pan with wax paper and set aside. Combine sugar, marshmallow creme, butter and evaporated milk in 3qt pan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it boils, then continue cooking and stirring for 5 mins.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Stir half the mixture into peanut butter chips, mix until melted and pour into pan. Repeat with chocolate chips. Let cool and cut into 1 inch squares.

In an effort to really preserve the fudge and keep it from melting all together, I wrapped each 1 inch square in wax paper before vacuum sealing it. I got rave reviews from my family and co-workers on the finished product and think that I'll be playing around with other fudge variations.

Care Package #2: Thanksgiving

I will be the first to admit: I went a little overboard on this package. I wanted to include every component of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but obviously had to get a little creative with some items (in parenthesis is what the item is supposed to represent, in case it was a stretch).

The store-bought items include: turkey jerky and sausage, cheese and crackers, Stove Top stuffing mix, Snapea Crisps (peas), Craisins (cranberry sauce), Pringles (mashed potatoes), and pudding snack packs.



The homemade goodies included: sweet potato chips, corn muffins, applesauce (for apple pie, which would not have survived the trip), and pumpkin spice bread (pumpkin pie). I had a great time making these yummies, and I hope they keep better than the pretzels did last week!



Sweet Potato Chips

This was really simple, but I need to check the temperature on my oven: the chips cooked a lot faster than the recipe said they would, and several ended up a charred mess.



Slice the sweet potatoes (I used a cheese slicer, but a mandoline would probably have worked better). In a bowl, toss the slices with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary or thyme. Place in a single layer on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes at 350° (I think I'll try it again at 250° to see if I can prevent them from burning). Let cool.


Cheater Pumpkin Spice Bread
I got this idea from a co-worker, and it’s an easy way to get a yummy, moist quick-bread loaf.
1 Can Pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 Box Spice Cake mix (you can also use yellow or chocolate cake for a yummy variation)
2 TBS water

Pre-heat oven to 350° and grease a bread loaf pan. Empty pumpkin into a medium mixing bowl and stir in 2 TBS water. Add cake mix and stir just enough to thoroughly combine. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake 20 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Moosewood Corn Bread
1 C cornmeal
1C flour
2 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
.25 tsp salt
1 C buttermilk or yogurt
1 egg
3 TBS sugar or honey
3 TBS melted butter

Pre-heat oven to 350° and grease an 8-inch square pan with butter. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the wet ingredients (including sugar or honey) separately. Stir the wet mixture into the dry, mixing just enough to thoroughly combine. Spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch.

Applesauce is so stupidly easy to make!

Wash and cut apples into small chunks. Coat the bottom of a large pot with a little canola oil. Add a splash of water and heat apples, stirring regularly, until soft. Process cooked apples through a food mill and return to the stovetop. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar (to help preserve). If you want, season to taste with sugar and cinnamon, but I usually leave these out. Then, follow proper canning proceedures.

Now that I know how easy this is, I refuse to buy applesauce. Of course, it's a lot more fun if you can go out and pick the apples yourself!

Random Mid-November Updates

So what do you do when you realize that there is a new yarn shop in town that you're dying to visit but you already have an insane stash of yarn?


First, frantically start planning quick, simple projects that will eat up huge chunks of the stash. Current ideas include very long striped scarves and simple shrugs.


Second, you use your new friend's novice-crafter status as a perfect excuse to visit aforementioned yarn shop, but pinkie swear not to buy anything! I absolutely LOVED walking into Unwind! It reminded me very much of KnitWits in Westerly, which I dearly miss. The layout and displays were tasteful and inspiring and the selections were just delicious.


Most exciting, and most dangerous, is the fact that Unwind carries both Galway and Cascade, two of my favorite wools! Must....ration.....purchases........





I am still trying to adjust to the fact that it is the middle of November and there are plants that not only still have green leaves, but are in fact blooming! There are several rose bushes that have new flowers on them as well as these beautiful azaleas. It just feels...wrong. How am I supposed to get into the holiday mood when it looks and feels like spring?



On a somewhat unrelated note, if I haven't mentioned it yet, I'll tell you now: I've started working out again. For the past three weeks I have been doing Windsor Pilates six days a week, and I'm loving it! I have so much more energy now and just feel better overall, physically and mentally. In order to accommodate a morning workout (which is easier to stick to, since I often have evening classes to teach), I've also been working on getting up a little earlier each day. Much to my surprise, I actually enjoy starting my morning walk before the sun is peeking out from behind the horizon, and getting to hear the birds waking up as Harley and I circle the park to warm up before hitting the mat.
I thought I would struggle with these adjustments, but that's not the case at all. And a pleasant, though completely unexpected, benefit has been a sense of gratitude that seems to break on me with the dawning sun and stay with me throughout my hectic days. I am starting to feel like life is not just richer, but also fuller, than I've ever known it to be. Who knew?

Care Package #1: Oktoberfest!

I've been waiting very impatiently to be able to write about the first care package I was able to send Brian. It was so much fun to put together, and I had to wait SOOOOO long to send it. But on Monday, November 9 I was finally able to ship out Brian's Oktoberfest-themed box, and it only took seven days to get to him! The fact that I actually thought I would be able to send him something in October speaks to my new-found optimism...

Since I am still learning how to seal and ship home baked goods so that they will arrive and be edible, I thought it wise to also include some more shelf-stable goodies as well.

World Market has a great selection of international food, so I grabbed:
Pumpernickel bread
Desiree wafer cookies
Ritter chocolates
Sausages (ok, these were actually from Wisconsin, but still, they're sausage)

And what October package would be complete without some Halloween candy corn! I also included a photo album (that had a picture of me in Germany from 2004) and my favorite movie from this year: The Watchmen.

As for baked goods, I tried my hand at making soft pretzels. I'm not sure if they are really of German origin, but when I was in Germany I had pretzels almost everyday and they were wunderbar! Here's the recipe, but be warned: they got a bit moldy before arriving in Iraq. I think if I baked them a bit longer they may have lasted... trial and error!


Soft Pretzels
From The Joy of Cooking
Combine in a mixing bowl:
1 C water (105 - 115°)
1 Package Active Dry yeast

When dissolved, add and beat at least 3 minutes:
1.5 C sifted all purpose flour
2 TBS soft butter
1 TBS sugar
.5 tsp salt

Stir in:
1.25 C sifted all purpose flour
And knead until the dough loses its stickiness. Let rise in a covered greased bowl until doubled in bulk. Punch down and divide into 12 pieces. With palms, roll pieces into 18-inch lengths about pencil thickness, tapering the ends slightly. Loop into a twisted pretzels shape and place on a greased baking sheet and let rise until almost doubled in bulk.

Pre-heat oven to 475°. Have ready a boiling solution of:
4 C water
5 tsp baking soda (do not use an aluminum pot for this)

With a slotted spoon, carefully lower the pretzels into the water for about 1 minute. Return them to the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and bake until crispy and browned, about 12 minutes.

Operation Spoil Brian: Underway!

If you had asked me two months ago if I would ever be happy or excited to know that my boyfriend was at an Army base in Iraq, I would have given you a dirty look and an emphatic "No!" But after three weeks of him waiting around in Kuwait, and a week sleeping in an airport, I was excited and relieved to finally get word this weekend that he is settled in to his new base. Not only does it mean that he will be able to get into a routine that will hopefully make the next 11 months fly by, but it also means that I have an address where I can send goodies!

It has been over a month since Brian left Georgia, and I started assembling his first care package almost before he left. Well, I started brainstorming ideas and gathering supplies almost as soon as he got his orders. Anyone who knows me should not be surprised by the fact that I have an Excel spreadsheet mapping out what I will send and when. My first attempt at mailing a package to an APO address was pretty mundane. Sure, what's new to me is probably a really common occurrence for the postal worker. She wasn't nearly as friendly as the guy who helped explain the customs forms and different size boxes, but the package got labeled, stamped and is hopefully on its way!

I will post pictures and detailed summaries of each package the week after I send it (it wouldn't be a surprise for Brian if I spilled the beans as soon as I mailed it!), so stay tuned for the contents of the "Oktoberfest" package. I'll also include any recipes for home made goodies, just in case you want to try them out. If anyone has ideas for themes, feel free to pass them along. The big holidays are pretty obvious, but I'm going to have to stretch my imagination for the weeks in between.

During my four hour baking marathon on Sunday, I decided that holiday gifts for friends and family this year will also be of the food variety (apologies to anyone who was hoping for a full sized quilt or cable knit sweater). I'm really looking forward to trying a bunch of new recipes, ones I've cut out of magazines or found in cookbooks that I've bought but seldom used. This morning while reading The Savannah Magazine and enjoying my yogurt and granola, I found a great recipe for shortbread from a local chef. It sounds delicious and made me think of Scotland. Yum!

Etsy Update!

Hello Internet-land!

I just updated my Etsy store! Feel free to stop by and browse for your holiday gifts... and tell your friends and family, too. I will (hopefully) be adding many new and exciting items after Thanksgiving, so check back again soon.

Skye Tyler Designs

Slowing down the crazy train

For those who haven't heard me whining and complaining, October was a crazy month! Dad was installed as Vicar, Brian deployed but is still on layover and trying to get to his base, I spent a week in Rapid City, South Dakota for the American Center for Credit Education conference then flew home with a flu that I couldn't shake for almost a week. I had an insane number of workshops and classes on top of planning three large community events for Protect Your Identity Week. Just thinking about last month makes me tired.

So, for November, I am making a concerted effort to slow down. I'm spacing out my work obligations, and even managed to say "No" to an evening PR opportunity. I'm not beating myself up for taking some downtime in the evenings to read or watch a movie. Sure, I'm way behind where I think I should be with my holiday crafting, but so what? I've started doing Pilates again every night and love the fact that I've managed to make my health a priority over all the clutter that usually clouds my motivation (I know working out doesn't really qualify as "taking it easy" for most folks, but it really helps bring me into balance, so I'm counting it).

There is another reason, besides the potential for burnout, that I'm trying to pamper myself a little this month. The fact is, December is only a month away. December means the first anniversary of losing Mom, Jen, my old job, and the life I thought I was going to be living. While I am very happy with the way my life has shaped up here in Savannah, it's still a bit overwhelming. Grief and transition are similar to tides and the waves at the beach. You can be standing in warm, dry sand one moment and then a big wave washes over you, buries your feet in muck and flings sharp rocks and shell shards of sorrow against your legs. I want to be in as good of a place as possible going into next month; an ounce of prevention and all that.

What did your last weekend in October look like?

As I may have mentioned to some of you, last week was national Protect Your Identity Week. I planned three community shred events and felt that, overall, they went really well. It was a learning experience for me, since I hadn't done anything on this scale before. Luckily we had wonderful weather all three days, and decent turnouts for the events in Savannah (South Carolina was a disappointment in attendance, but the guys from Advanced Document Shredding and the Port Royal Police Department were good sports).
Speaking of wonderful weather, this past weekend felt more like August than the end of October! Sunday was so perfect that Harley and I grabbed a blanket and laid out in Forsyth for a while. We got there just in time to watch folks pack up from the Jewish Food Festival, Shalom ya'll. What a great name!

An ant's-eye view of the live oaks with draping spanish moss. It felt so good to just be outside and relaxing: this kind of day was made for jeans, t-shirts and barefeet in the grass.

For my friends in the chilly northern climates, I can almost guarantee that you do not have morning glory blooms right now. Yet, here in sunny Savannah, they look as fresh as the first of spring.

A Finished Project!

I decided that I needed to challenge myself with learning a new quilt block. I know, I don't have enough on my plate already, right? Well, I wanted to try making a rounded pattern, since all I've ever really done has used 90 or 45 degree angles. I skimmed through my quilt book library, but couldn't quite find anything that spoke to me. So, just to make things harder on myself, I decided to improvise...

This should have turned out very, very badly. Given past experience with craft projects, it's usually a really bad idea to wing it on a new project when you're already overwhelmed with life in general and your behind schedule crafting obsession.

But, in a rare twist of fate, the quilt actually turned out well. Sure, it was a learning process (as intended), but I didn't have to rip out more than one seam and I absolutely LOVE the way it looks! I will be using this pattern again, to be sure. Oh, and the quilt is for Pastor and Cindy Koch, who are having their first little boy (first BOY, who will have four older sisters!).

Random photo: the light from the setting sun reflected off of the plastic container I use to hold Harley's food and cast these really pretty reflections on the kitchen wall. They just struck me as really funky, so I had to take a picture.

Better photos from the last post...

I didn't have these downloaded when I wrote yesterday, so here are some additional pictures to go with the old news.

Dad got his vicar's collar and a beautiful cross necklace from the folks at Messiah Lutheran Church. He's really loving his new role and is doing a great job on the study load for his classes.

This picture of Rushmore came out a little better than the one I took with my phone. Dad's photos from this spring are much more dramatic with a clear blue sky behind the monument. Oh well!

This mountain goat was wandering around by the parking area when we arrived. It was a little sad to see how tame he was, since this wasn't a petty zoo or anything. But at least there wasn't someone herding him around and charging to take his picture (a la Peru).

Look! Snow! That's real snow on the ground and blowing in my hair. With any luck this will be the only snow I see all year. My knees are still recovering from the cold and I don't think I'll miss shoveling or scraping my car windows.

What happened to October?

I guess that I will never cease to be amazed at how quickly time passes. On October 1st I took my dinner out to Tybee and ate on the beach. It was such a perfect autumn day: warm sun, cool breeze, soft sand. I picked out a few neat shells, watched the minnows dart in and out of the waves and spent some time cleaning out the cobwebs in my head.

The beach has always been one of my favorite places to go and think. I'm sure this will come as no surprise, but I rarely just lounge in the sand. My best thinking, and meditating, is usually done while active, and walking the coast is a very therapeutic way for me to work out the kinks. On this particular day, I spent a lot of time thinking about how much my life has changed over the past year...and how much it is still the same. Earlier this year I spent several months feeling like my whole world had been torn apart and shaken to bits. I had a hard time feeling like myself, or even feeling like I knew what it meant to feel like myself. Lately, I have begun to realize that I am still me, I just have a few more experiences to tally up. I don't feel nearly as fragile or tender, like another emotional blow will break me to pieces.

On October 3rd I got to spend a few brief hours with Brian then went to Brunswick to watch Dad get installed as a Vicar in his church. I'm so proud of all the hard work he has put in so far and know that he is going to make a wonderful Pastor.

October 5th was Brian's deployment date. I got to talk to him while I was driving to Dad's, and he was kind enough to humor me by leaving a voicemail that I can listen to over and over during the next 12 months. I was actually doing okay with the whole thing until he mentioned that it may be a few weeks before he was settled in at his base and could email me. I didn't like the idea of "no news is good news" when the only way that I have to get news is from him! I didn't have to fret too much, though, because I got my first email from him on Tuesday, so I can start breathing again.

From October 6 through 10 I was in Rapid City, SD for the ACCE LIFE Conference. I had an awesome time and loved networking with so many other financial educators. I didn't get the weather memo before I left, so I wasn't completely prepared for the temperature dropping to the teens and snow. But it was still a great trip. We had a group outing to see Mount Rushmore and dinner at Prairie Berry Winery and I even sang a little karaoke at Murphy's. The only real complaint I had (besides constantly delayed flights) was that I was fighting a losing battle against a cold/flu/bug for the whole conference. I finally lost the battle on the flight home and have had a fever off and on since Saturday. Yuck.

Mystery Solved!

Boy, you really can find anything on the internet! My beautiful backyard visitor is Lycoris Radiata, commonly called the Red Spider Lily. Seems like I have had a bunch of spider visitors lately... I'm afraid to try digging up the bulb to transplant it, so I guess I'll leave it alone and see if it blooms again next year.

Happy Autumn!

Wow, the first day of Fall is already here. It's a balmy 88 degrees here in Savannah, and it looks like potential thunderstorms are brewing in the clouds.

So what, you may ask, have I been up to since Labor Day? Well, I admired this beautiful flower that bloomed out of nowhere in my little back yard. I haven't a clue as to what it is, so if you know, please enlighten me!

I've been out a few times with some of the girls from work. We stopped by the rooftop bar at the Bohemian Hotel on Bay Street for drinks (chocolate martini: yum!) one afternoon, then hit Fannie's out on Tybee another night (mudslide: yum!). It's great to be out and socializing more, but it did make me miss my girlfriends back up north! This ginormous cargo ship came into port while we were sipping. It's amazing the thing can stay afloat!

I finally finished the laptop cover that I started back in January! It's a felted wool sleeve lined in cotton with a bright yellow zipper (which you can barely see on the left side). I've been playing around with the knitting machine and wool felt appliques and have to say I really like the results!

Last night I bumped into this lovely Black Widow...in my kitchen! She was starting to spin a web across my back door and I almost walked right into it! After taking her mug shot, I relocated her to the other side of the back fence. I know they are toxic, but I can't bring myself to kill something that eats mosquitoes!

The Savannah Jazz Festival is going on this week, but I haven't had a chance to look at the schedule yet. I think there is a show in Forsyth either Saturday or Sunday, so maybe I'll be able to catch it.

That's all the little, day-to-day details. Now on to the real news. After much hinting and poking, um, I mean, encouragement from various friends, I took a stab at online dating with eHarmony. (Pause for giggling) I really wasn't expecting, or hoping, for much more than some interesting dinner conversations and maybe the chance to make some new friends. So I was just as surprised as anyone when I actually felt that "click" with the third guy I met.

That, in and of itself, was not as surprising as the fact that he's in the Army. Even people who just met me said that I didn't seem like the Army type. But I figured that dating self-absorbed, creative-types hasn't worked out so well for me in the past, so why not try something different? After just the third date I was promoted to girlfriend status and, by promoting him to boyfriend status, gave myself the awkward job of breaking it off with the two other guys I had been seeing (a small price to pay, really).

Unlike most of my past relationships, where I've known the guy for weeks or months before moving on to dating, Brian and I decided that we're both up for the long run and just jumped right in. Again, also not like me, but I'm OK with that. So things are going great and I'm walking around with that goofy "I've just fallen" look on my face. Couldn't be happier. Except...

You knew there had to be an "except" in there somewhere, right? Well, it seems that I haven't quite used up all my bad fortune from last year. See, just a mere five days after the "can I call you my girlfriend?" conversation came the "I just got my orders to go back to Iraq for 12 months" conversation. Yup. Oh, and he leaves in less than two weeks.

So, I could curl up in a pathetic little ball and bemoan my crappy luck. But I opted for looking at the glass as half full: I'm dating an amazing man and get to make him some really kick-ass care packages over the next year! Sure, it sucks that we will have to go through the first year of our relationship with him stuck in a desert, but things could be much worse. We'll just make the best of the situation and spend lots of time emailing.

However, I do reserve the right to curl up in a ball at any point, should the need arise.

Non-Laboring Day

Dad and Joy spent the weekend in Savannah with me and we had a GREAT time! I finally got out to visit Fort Pulaski, a Civil War era brick-and-mortar National Park. It was a beautiful day (clear, bright, warm and with enough of a breeze to keep the bugs away) and the park is really well maintained. I have to admit that the Civil War is not my favorite history subject, but I think I could easily get into reading about it!

My friend Jessie works at the fort on restoration and the cannon squad. I helped hem up and take in her costume, as she is much smaller than most of the other re-enacters. I didn't get to see her in action, but watching this other petite ranger if full Confederate garb gave me an idea of how the whole costume comes together. We wrapped up the outing with a late lunch at Huck-a-Poo's out on Tybee.

One of the best parts of my Labor Day weekend was getting to finally meet the rest of the Stiles family! I'd heard so much about Jenny and Christian that it didn't feel like I'd never met them before. It's such a blessing to have great friends that you stay close to, even though there are years between visits.

Since they are expecting another baby boy in December, I whipped up a cute Teddy Bear themed quilt. But I couldn't let Christian go home empty-handed: he got an actual teddy bear! The bear was almost as tall as him, and he tucked the teddy in to sleep on the couch with his brother's blanket, which was pretty cute. But the saccharine levels overloaded when he crawled under the blanket himself and pretended to sleep in the teddy's arms!

New Cute!

After some serious consideration, and more than a little number crunching, I decided to go ahead and buy my first-ever NEW car: a 2009 Honda Fit.

I had actually looked at getting a fit back when I bought my Civic, but the dealer was back-ordered. Part of me would have been perfectly happy to take the insurance settlement and buy a reasonably used older car. However, the Cash for Clunkers program effectively dried out the supply of $5000 to $7000 used cars! I wasn't about to get anything for under $5000 (mainly for safety reasons, but also because I know I'd end up spending a lot on upcoming repairs).

When I looked for gently used cars (2 or 3 years old) I found that many of the Hondas in this age group were selling for just about $1000 less than a brand new car. Now how could I rationalize buying a 3 year old car with 40,000+ miles when for just a grand more I could get a brand new one?

The answer is, I couldn't. So I find this wonderful little base-model Fit at Southern Motors Honda. The staff were friendly, helpful and not at all pushy. And, lucky for me, they had the only Fit in town with a manual transmission! (It doesn't hurt that I liked the color, too) I have really enjoyed driving my new car this past week and will eventually get over the fact of having car payments again... I'm still trying to figure out what to name her. She's much cuter than my last car (which was dubbed "So Cute") but I haven't found just the right name yet. Any ideas?

Geico, geckos and Tootsie Rolls

Well, the insurance company decided that my car was a total loss. I got a decent settlement, considering the age and mileage. The insurance guy was pretty surprised that I was moving around as well as I am, considering the damage. I was amazed at how fast Geico settled this: I had my check a week after the accident!
The body shop actually had to use a winch to pull the fender out far enough for me to get my stuff out of the trunk. Poor little car.


When I was heading to bed last night, I found this little, tiny gecko hiding in the corner of my dining room! I have no idea where he came from or what kind of gecko it is, but he was adorable. I mean, I have seen roaches bigger than this guy! I almost felt bad letting him loose outside to fend for himself, but I did anyway.

A few months ago, Dad and I had an amazing Sunday Brunch at the Firefly Cafe. As we were walking back to the car, this clever squirrel was munching on a Tootsie Roll. The cutest part was the way he was holding the candy, and even pulling the wrapper back. It made me think of the old book "The Rats of NIMH."