Sister Sara

So, I wasn't quite sure what to write about this week....I was thinking about the upcoming Legacy Ball in Algona that I'm donating to as well as attending...(it's a fundraiser for the hospital) then I thought about the new holiday keepsake boxes that will be appearing later this week...but all that was clouded by thoughts of my sister Sara.

Sara just started her rounds of clinicals for physical therapy school. She will graduate in May, but before she walks across the stage, she will have worked in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Texas. In the next 6 months she's gone, I'll probably only see her a couple of times.

This is quite a shock for me, considering she's been living with my husband and I for a couple months, but it seems much longer than that...(in a good way!) The house just doesn't seem the same without her, and I know the dogs are depressed and missing Aunt Sara :)

Who can live without her coming home at odd hours, leaving mounds of her PT books around the living room, or having to look at several outfits before she decides on the pink shoes with black sweater, instead of the red shoes with cream sweater....

All I can say is that my days seem just a little bit more lonely without her and my life doesn't seen as full without her REALLY random stories...and even though her stuff is still at my house (for now)...it just serves as a reminder that I will never again have those moments of her and I going to the grocery store or me coming home and seeing the dogs all over her on the couch while she tries to study on my laptop....
So this week I just want to remind you to appreciate the little things and really take a look at your life and those you love who are in it...because your life changes every day and you don't get a second chance to just stop and take it all in....so start today.

PS- Good Luck to Sara during this difficult and exciting time in her life! You'll do famously and I'm sure you'll make lots of friends and learn tons that will prepare you for your promising future....I'm so proud of you!

Are you ready for some....cookies?

I don't know what's been going on this last week...but I guess everyone is in the mood for cookies! Of the several I've had already, two in particular stand out because they came from some very special people in my life.

One was from my best friend, Nicole. She, and the lovely people of Scottish Rite Park, had some fun contests last week and the ultimate winner received a custom basket. The winning team also receives something special this week...football shaped cookies, with the winning team's colors, gold and black, of the Iowa Hawkeyes.This proved to be slightly challenging in that the request was for a shaped chocolate chip cookie...and well, I found it's hard to shape a chocolate chip cookie because
A) the dough isn't stiff like a sugar cookie B) the chocolate chips cause the cookie shape to bake unevenly...causing the original oval shaped cookie to bake into a fatter, rounder, version of a football. :0)Well, I still think they turned out cute...especially with the finishing touch of detailing in white chocolate.

Another impressive cookie order was one from Priority Envelope. My sister Amanda and two of her sweet friends, Laurie and Jessica, placed an order of popcorn, ghoulish apples and cookies...lots of cookies....(taking advantage of the discount cookie special...smart girls!)It was fun making dozens of several varieties and packaging them with ribbon and just seeing tons of cookies...I hope they enjoy them as much I as enjoyed baking them (with love!)Hope you're all enjoying the final days of October and look forward to a new product in November...just in time for the holidays!!!

Two down...one to go!

The countdown is on....of my favorite Fall things! I just recently had a wonderful day at Vala's Pumpkin Patch with my husband and the weekend before I enjoyed an authentic and wonderful s'more at the Chi Omega Alum exchange! (it was burnt and everything!) Now the last thing to accomplish? Eat some pumpkin pie! Mmmmmmm.......

This Saturday was tons of fun with my hubby....we started off going to the last official Farmers Market in the Old Market where we bought green beans, a couple squash, fresh tomatoes and.....enchiladas? Yes...only Brad and I would buy enchiladas at a Farmers Market! I also got to taste my first Pancrepe! Yum!!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the pumpkin patch...complete with afternoon rain showers! We ended our marvelous day with a movie at home....and all I can say is wow...i love my crazy, sweet, off-the-wall, kid at heart, handsome husband....who ate a really huge hot dog at the pumpkin patch! (off the topic...but seriously...it was huge) :0)
Hope you're all crossing off your favorite "to-do's" of Fall and I wish you an awesome week!

PS- a big shout out to the lovely ladies at Creighton's Gamma Phi Beta! Thanks for inviting me to speak about the world of chocolate...it was fun giving you a presentation and I hope you had as wonderful time as I did! You girls are super!

What a Fun Request!

Last week I had tons of fun in the kitchen...especially with a certain order from my friend Kim! (this friend, actually, is semi-responsible for helping my husband and I meet..if she hadn't told him to leave his office and meet me out front...well...who knows what would have happened!)

So Kim and her beautiful girls must have been in the mood for some Halloween chow because that was the theme of their order. They were able to sample the cookies n' creme apple and ghoulish apple, which entitled them to free caramel corn. Since they got caramel corn, Kim ordered rocky road popcorn for her friend and some decorated sugar cookies and truffles for her friends and family (both of which, of course, were decorated to be like Halloween characters)

Making truffles look like a pumpkin, mummy and Frankenstein proved to be a fun, yet challenging request...but I was excited for this opportunity to deviate from the norm!

I hope you enjoy these pictures of my final creations for this wonderful family and a big thank you to Kim, Rick, Bailey, Riley and Samantha for allowing me to be artfully stimulated with these fun, fun projects! You guys are the best! xoxoxo

I Love Fall!

Can you believe it's October? Wow, time has flown by...but how can I be sad about the passing of another year when I get to look out out huge windows to see the leaves changing and I get to feel the brisk morning air. This time of the year is always perfect...it feels cool during the morning and warms up to the mid to high 70's still by the afternoon...you get the best of both seasons right now!

Also with fall comes the excuse to eat s'mores (as if I ever needed an excuse!) eat caramel corn, caramel apples, pumpkin pie and break out the hot chocolate and spiced cider! Kids get excited about Halloween (My favorite costume was Peter Pan...I wanted to be a fairy, but my mom thought the Tinker Bell costume was to skimpy for a child my age!) I get excited about going to haunted houses, an apple orchard or pumpkin patch and eating pumpkin pie...(wait..did I say that already?!)

What are your favorite things about October? The weather? Food? Time with family? To help you celebrate all your favorite "Fall things", The Chocolate Season is featuring its Gourmet Apples.

Buy any 2 of your favorite apples and get a big ol' 8 oz bag of Sweet Caramel Corn for FREE! For the month of October only, you also get the chance to purchase a whimsical "Goulish Apple" (a white chocolate covered apple, tinted orange, and topped with dark chocolate)

And don't forget the cookie special, which will be extended till the end of October...Every cookie order is 20% off!
I hope the month of October is only the beginning of a Fall full of picture-worthy moments with friends and family, and I hope The Chocolate Season will help make every moment even sweeter!