After a full day of making holiday boxes and filling the candy case at work, I came home to make my own candies for Yuletide. Super excited which makes my boss laugh. His comment to me @ 2:30 pm was "I don't want you to get burnt out." I laughed. Sure I'd been there since 8 this morning but it's a different task then I'm normally doing at work so I was fine.

Anywho! Candy!

Last week I made my own peppermint bark. Came out pretty awesome if I say so myself. It took a few days since I was working on it only at night after work. However, tonight I am making a whole slue of things.

1.) Honey & sea salt roasted, dark chocolate almond bark

2.) Coconut dark chocolate bark

3.) Dried fruit dark chocolate bark

4.) Apple granola

I stopped at Fresh Thyme market on my way home and really meant to only pick up enough chocolate for my almond bark …. Clearly my 3lbs was too much chocolate!

Peppermint Bark

Dark Honey & Sea Salt Roasted Almond Bark

Dark Coconut Bark

Dark Dried Fruit Bark

Dark Hazelnut Bark

The garden is all batten down for the winter! We're now awaiting spring!

I got some new things going on. No surprise right! & with Christmas coming too! Ugh! I don't like this time of year to be honest. I've got nothing against giving people gifts but this time of year it's expected .... and people expect expensive 'things'. Lots of people don't appreciated things made from the heart and with them in mind. It makes me sad and all uncomfortable. But I try my best to push through and get my peoples things they might like.

I can't go into detail the things I'm getting them ... as they might be reading this and it'd be cheating! But I will say I'm exercising my creativity a bit. At least for some.

Anyways, rant over! Merry Christmas! Happy Yule! And all the other holidays being celebrated this time of the year!

My boss, though not putting me to work has been presenting me with corporate sanctioned signs that have been killing me. He has asked that I help his business get at least enough sales that he is in the black rather than the red. So my creativity has been running rampant. I've been working on signs, displays and advertisements for our café.

I've also had a patron come into the library. Asking for help on how to make a 'we're closed for Thanksgiving' sign then when we get back to the computer he had me make the darn thing for him. I really wanted to give him my business card and tell him I'd be happy to help him when I'm not working and that I charge $20 an hour. However, I was feeling generous .... a little too generous recently .... it's no wonder I make no money! I give away my services! I did tell that manager that if he came back I'd give him my card.

Let's see ... what else have I been up to?

OH! I registered with the state for my mobile bar! Super excited about that. I also found a trailer that will work. The owner is checking with the maker to see if the counters can hold the required weight. If so then it's a go! If not ..... I might be able to get them at a lower price so I can go in and reinforce the counters. I'm also attempting to set up a 'go fund me' account to see if all you lovely people will help me get this ball rolling faster! Fingers crossed!

Almost forgot Oglebay!

Took a wonderful vacation with mon minet! Cross state into West Virginia at Oglebay. There were loads of deer all over the place, chilling in the shade of some trees amidst golfers! They let you get so close as to slap their rumps! We hiked all over the place and had many fun impromptu photoshoots! I just love nature!

I'll be posting photos soon as I get time to offload them onto my computer!

I have changed with the Seasons! 

Happy Halloween y'all!

Went through a tour of the Brothers Drake meadery ... it was awesome! I picked Owan's brain good!

Coming along nicely

Working hard to finish this corset for the renesaunce festival! I honestly need a rump roll or paniers to help the authenticity of it, but I'm not seeing that happen without my sewing machine. Which is inconveniently packed away. I'll definitely have to get one made for Rendezvous!

Handsewn front lacings

I'm hand sewing the front lacings ... because what else would I do! I wonder if it'll fit under my bodice? O.o I gotta check that!

The corset

More pics from the weekend trip!

Over the weekend we rode our motorcycles up to the lake. We missed the ferry so we were forced to eat at Mon Ami and stay on the main land ... for shame!

Our meal: hot spiced wine, white wine, onion soup, sliders and lobster bisque

French Onion soup

 Bright an early we hopped the ferry to Small Bass island aka Put-in-bay!

Ferry crossing ... a fairly turbulent ride for 2 un-strapped bikes but no one fell over!

Grilled Chicken! .... & someone's stealing my drink!

Apparently it was the half way mark for St. Patrick's day so a time to celebrate!

Finishing our ice cream before going into the monument!

Totally looking hot with her motorcycle helmet!

The view from my back! ... O.o

Lions on guard!

I wanna ride Jack Sparrow! O.o

The best Mayan Mocha EVER!

Entering the forge turned cafe!

That Mayan Mocha I was talking about ... with extra cayenne on top! Yum!

Enjoying our drinks!

 Heinemann ... can't visit Small Bass without visiting this vineyard!

... hick-up ...

I'm back! I was out of town battling the Dragon! What is the dragon you ask. Well let me tell you! It is the best and scariest road around. It's technically rout 129 down in Tennessee and North Carolina but this 11 mile section is called 'the tail of the dragon'. & for good reason. It's got 318 turns! Yes you heard right!

Crazy right! So day one: we unload our bikes and at mile 6 I lowside my Ninja. Yup, laid her down just at the end of the turn when I was about to set her back up right, I ran out of road, hit the dirt and down we went on our sides! She pinned me too. I couldn't get out from under her until this nice Harley stopped and lifted her back tire up so I could snake out. The guys I was with all raced back once they found out I'd dumped it but by then I was able to start the bike and away we road back to the room to assess my damages! Nothing major just some crazy bruise on my calf which has only gotten bigger and darker as time goes on! >.>

After that I learned that a full leather suit is nice! Not that I wrecked again this trip. Thank the gods!

We mostly ate food we cooked but some meals we had out at some local haunts. Tapoco lodge, bottom grill, great pizza and the view ... OMG right on the river at night with mostly full moon. So romantic! Their cupcakes were amazing as well! Thank you Killboy photographer for recommending it to me!

The last day there I spent a good 4 hours out on the dragon taking photos. I found a few wicked corners [Parson's Curve, and Copperhead Corner] that had some lovely spots to climb and hide from my targets! At Parson's Curve I had a lovely rock about 12' high I think, that I perched on. & Copperhead, (I didn't know the names or I wouldn't have gone into the trees) were I planted myself on a tree root at first, then with the Killboy photographer once he showed up and let me use his lens .... so freakin' nice! I'm soooo freaked when I let people borrow my camera, and that's people I know not complete strangers!

Pulled pork sandwich

Barbeque

Unloaded and ready to go

Just got myself a hydrometer and pulled my mead. It had a gravity of 1.020 & based on the assumed attenuation of 92% for my yeast my original gravity (which I didn't know I needed) was 1.250. That makes my mead 20% alcohol by volume or 40 proof. Not bad. It's still fermenting too so that will go up with time!