Gimme a break, gimme a...

Haha, I wonder how many people recognized that reference :)

Well, anyway, I had a lovely week last week, and have had an amazing start to what I know will be an amazing one this week :D

Last Wednesday I went out to the school early to watch the 5th and 6th graders show off their dancing skills and compete in waltzing, tango, and freestyle.  That was a blast, and I was SO impressed by the students, they've worked so hard and did an amazing job.  It was especially fun to see how proud they are of what they have accomplished :).  On Thursday night I got to go and see the kids' Christmas program, and it was fun to see their weeks of hard work come to fruition.  I also recognized a few of the songs I'd been serenaded with recently ;).  Thursday and Friday were also training days for me at the Boys and Girls Club, so that was nice.  They were especially nice, because I got to spend a couple hours exploring Lebanon, and found some fun shops, and now am the proud owner of a library card :).

This week promises to rival the last though, because as well as being Winter break.... I'm off to Hawaii! On Tuesday! And my family will be there :) I can't wait! I'm going to go finish packing now ;)

A new discovery

Well, I suppose its not exactly new- just a random fact that hitherto had escaped my knowledge- being laid up STINKS.... prodigiously.  I managed to hurt my knee yesterday, and as a result spent the vast majority of today in bed, which was fairly pleasant.  For the first few hours.  Even bribing myself with a new book didn't do the trick however, and I don't care if it hurts, I'm NOT staying in bed tomorrow.

A tasty, twisty pastime

Trust me, these ooey gooey buttery masses of carbs will make time pass, and before you know it there aren't any left.  I should feel guilty, but somehow I just can't ;) Thanks again to Maddy for the recipe :)

Cinnamon and sugar

Salty

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh so delicious

Anyway, that was Monday.  Tuesday looked like this:

And this is without editing or anything

The sunrise over Foster was absolutely stunning :)

Today's adventure just involved so much rain I had to pull off and wait it out... very scary.  I have to admit though, as I was creeping down the street trying to see through deluge, I felt like I was in a car wash :).  Oh, and we got thunder and lightning too! Very exciting, as long as I don't have to go stand in it :)

Odds and Ends, but mostly odds

  So, due to a snow day on Tuesday, I only had to work one day last week- yay! It was nice to have a break, but I sure didn't catch up on sleep.  Wednesday night meeting was tiny, just four of us up at Garrets, but it was a lovely meeting.  That night Amanda drove down from Seattle to join me for Thanksgiving.  We ate ourselves silly on Thursday, then went over to Nelson's for early Black Friday shopping.  We went to Woodburn (bc sales opened at 8pm) and it was sooo much fun.  We froze a little, but found some awesome deals :).  We stopped by Cold Stone, and while Lenore and I were sane and got Hot Chocolate, Amanda got coffee ice cream! That's right, not hot coffee, ice cream... crazy Alaska girl.  Oh wait... haha.
  This week has been pretty slow- Wednesday was the last day of swimming with the boys for awhile (boohoo), but I might start working Fridays at BGC in Sweet Home- yay for hours! Oh, and the count-down for Hawaii has begun... 19 days!
Now for a little photo backlog

Flatbread pizza of the most delicious sort

Finishing the last of the cake-pops....MMmmm

Skirt I made for Amanda out of shorts- 1 hour!

Now the lack of sleep is catching up, and I still have to get up at six... Goodnight!

Just Having fun :)

 

I am ridiculously awesome, and possibly glow-in-the-dark ;).  Just kidding, but I love those face-mask things... they're SO FUN :D

Oh, and I want to post a picture of the cake balls I made.  This time I actually had time to decorate them, and they were really fun to make, not to mention delicious :)

Temptation

  Tonight I made chocolate chip cookie-dough brownies with chocolate ganache- ooooooooh, the house smells sublime! I can't wait to try them tomorrow :) Although their ostensibly for a going-away party at the boys-and-girls club, I'm thinking not many will actually make it there :). They taste pretty amazing, but they're a bit too rich for casual consumption.  Honestly, next time I won't add the ganache, because as tasty as it is, it overpowers the already delicious chocolaty flavour.  I think what happened is the recipe was intended for use with Betty-Crocker mixes, and as famous as they are, they have nothing on Ghirardelli.  The brownies and cookies I used were so flavorful that they didn't need the extra chocolate- but all was not lost- they are delicious with a glass of milk, or hot with ice-cream.... Healthy, no? ;)

Mmmmmmmmmm.....chocolate :D

Cooks Illustrated recipe- Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mmm mm, swimming in chocolate- just the way I like it

Mail time

Yay for packages from home! She knows exactly what I like :D

And yes, I finally have my shoes back- after 3 months!

  Dinner tonight was yummy, but I ate so much that all I want to do is imitate a puddle.  That wouldn't be so bad, except that's all I've done today, and it's getting ridiculous.  I think I'll tune into the Aces game, and do something productive, like cleaning my poor neglected room :D
GO ACES!!!