Best Christmas Present Ever

It's true. It came early.

I was on the phone this evening with my mother (and feeling impatient during the call because she likes to call right when I ought to be cooking dinner, and talks about nothing important at all) when I got the dreaded call waiting beeps. Usually I ignore them since I am terrible at interrupting people.

This time I took the call. I had to when I saw that it was a business where my husband had been for a job interview just yesterday.

He got the job. His first day is January 3rd. Yes, this is the best news, and present, we could have asked for.

Here is to more happy days ahead.

Pelee Island, August 2010

Productive, Unproductive Day

I am working on my last term paper. It is getting ugly now - my ultimate plan is to stay up tonight until this puppy is done.

Remember my mantra - FINISHED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. Finished is productive. Finished is useful. Finished is freedom. I am desperate to remember it myself. It is the only thing that can save me.

A mediocre finished paper is still much better than an unfinished, late, weight-on-my-shoulders term paper.

I stayed up until 4am last night. Today, I needed a slight break so I decided the best thing ever would be to sew FIVE PAIRS OF PYJAMAS! It had to be done, really. If there is one thing my kids need it is PJ's. The best thing about these is they were made entirely out of my fabric stash. I was just fortunate that I was able to match enough fabrics to coordinate tops and bottoms.

Most of my homemade Christmas gifts are sitting unfinished (is there a theme here??!!). Some are really close to being finished, but not quite. Thankfully, teacher gifts are done and given. Phew.

Not having much to wrap is a sad state to be in.

Those who know us, know that my husband has been out of work for five months. My own income is pretty shabby since I finished my contract job last summer and I don't have much time with my full-time classes. So, I have to make a WHOLE lot of gifts this year (every year actually, it never really is that different).

I know a lot of you out there are in the same boat. Maybe some choose to make things because they believe in it - it is from the heart truly then isn't it? Perhaps others would like to be able to buy a few things, but it just isn't happening this year.

Here is my Christmas UFO and TO DO list:

1. Vanity and Chair (it already exists since it was purchased from Kijiji, but needs paint, some repair and to recover the cushion)
2. PJ's pants for one older child 
3. Camisole and panties - Jalie 2568
4. Girls Nightgowns  (from peasant style dress instructions)
5. Mock Crochet market bag
6. Zombie Knit Hat (making this up)
7. More Bath Bombs (finished one batch - turned out awesome!)

Stuff that was planned but will not get done:

1. Knifty Knitter Socks
2. Knifty Knitter Mitts (2 pair)
3. Knifty Knitter Poncho
4. Monster Pillow Copy
5. Dress up clothes
6. Jalie 2919 - Cardigan
7. Knifty Knitter Sweater

Since I have much to do. I will get to it.

Quit stalling.

First Snow Day

Today was the first REAL snow day this year. And there was no mistaking it either. Everything in town screeched to a stop. The municipal office closed. Some roads were closed. The mail was not delivered. The snowplows were pulled off the road.

My chickens were snug in their hen house. They refused to come out into their covered run today (let alone the uncovered run!). There are wind gusts up to 50km per hour.

This is a great day for hot chocolate, baked beans (in the oven baking as I write this) and a good book, Christmas movie or anything else comforting to do. It isn't a day for building snow forts or skiing.

Looks are Deceiving

Okay, as a follow-up to last week's post I am writing a review for the cinnamon bun recipe I mentioned Clone of a Cinnabon.

As you may remember from the last post Lazy Day, Sunday I wrote that I tried out a scratch recipe for cinnamon buns (among other things) and that while it took a really long time to rise, they came out fabulous. Tender, sweet, fluffy, flaky - although they were somewhat small and hadn't risen that high.  They didn't LOOK like the most wonderful cinnamon bun, but they tasted great.

This week I decided to break down (it is the holidays after all and I want the perfect cinnamon bun for breakfast Christmas morning - a tradition in our house) and try another recipe. I was hoping to find one that worked in the bread maker, assuming that it would be faster, easier and perhaps better.  You are right to point out that no one NEEDS cinnamon buns two weeks in a row.  They aren't healthy and most of their ingredients are not local either. :( However, we can't be perfect every week can we?  I feel good in not buying Pillsbury dough or supermarket premades (I am pretty sure that should be a word).

These buns look absolutely picture perfect. They are huge - you get 12 rolls in the batch (compared to 16 in the last recipe). But that is more of a method, not the recipe itself - which is actually a 4 1/2 cup of flour recipe,  versus the 3 1/2 of the other recipe - since it instructs you to cut them into 12 rather than 16 for the previous ones. You could cut them into 8, 13, 27 or whatever and have larger or smaller buns. 

In the moment of  truth - they aren't as tasty. They are fluffy and flaky, but they seem a bit bland and they are a little drier. In fact, I found that they didn't have enough icing  and they were really just TOO BIG. I wasn't enjoying the last few bites. And, that is a bad thing. 

Consider them side by side:

                 1st try                                                                                2nd try

So, next time I will compromise.  The first scratch recipe could easily be made into 12 larger rolls - then they would be higher and perhaps more visually appealing, yet with the smaller batch of that recipe, they would not be as large overall as the Clone of a Cinnabon recipe. Sort of in-between. I would still get the flavour and moistness of my preferred rolls but just a little bigger.  

Can't wait to try it - when I can convince myself that we need to try another batch. Right now we still have to eat another 10 HUGE rolls.  So off I go...