HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!

A New Year doesn't approach that I don't feel pretty reflective on where I find myself. Don't worry, Kids, you'll be spared my lengthly musings...for now. ;) I've much to ponder and plan and (for goodness sake!!!) DO in 2009! My one resolution for 2009...no resolutions! Yep, that's right! What about you? Are you taking it all on or just going to take it easy? For the moment let me wish you all a VERY Happy New Year 2009, Kids! Hoping for the best for all of us in the coming year!

Yeah, I know. Here I am again anyway. It's late. It's Christmas. And this song has been in my head today. Sure, some of it has been dubbed over in Italian...but the translation is certainly the same (and my favorite scene from a favorite movie). Hope your day was merry and bright. Bye for now, Kids. Happiest wishes sent your way on this frosty eve.

Well, Kids...here we are. On the precipice of the 2008 holiday season! It's been a wild ride of a year but one that we've shared together...along with our hopes for an improving 2009. As things begin winding down to the height of the holidays I figure more of us will be diverting our attentions to friends and families so I will be signing off for a while. I'll be taking the time to decompress a little bit (I hope!) and focus on plans for 2009. So I'll be back again in January. But until we meet again, Kids...thanks for all your loveliness and inspiration, your loyal readership, your patience and perseverance, and for gettin' on and riding this ride with me in 2008! I wish you all the very best holidays and a monumentally joyous New Year!

With a full heart, Your Uncle, Beefy

Dashing through the snow....

Looking down my street.

Kids, if you're perusing any of us Pacific Northwest bloggers you'll see that we're incessantly talking about our winter snow dump. Sorry...we just don't see this often especially around the holidays. Forgive us.

Walked home from work again last night. After a day of delightfully gleeful shoppers, I headed to the grocery store, loaded up on a few essentials (including some wine), packed up the back pack, and began the 50 minute walk home. It was so still and peaceful...okay except for my calves and thighs as they were anything but! However, I remedied the situation by having the iPod going and pretending that it was merely all part of filming the most glorious music video ever. Seriously, if you lived along my walking route and looked out your window, you would have seen a man resembling a cross between an over-sized four year old and a shuffling geriatric dancing (alright, and lip syncing!) his lil' heart out in the snowfall! It was magical! That is until I slipped and fell. And when? Just as I was within the headlight view of the ONLY car to drive by! Great. I mean, the fall I could have rationalized as all part of the video choreography, but the onlookers just shattered my suspension of disbelief.

Oh well, I dusted myself off and made it the rest of the way home to the scene shown above. Dreamy. After making it through the 9+ inches and in through the doorway of my lil' house, I saddled up to some pasta, a couple glasses o' red, and, later, s'mores made with my homemade marshmallows and a culinary torch. Life is good right now, Kids. Cold....but oh so good!

Hope your weekend is shaping up nicely. :)

Walkin' In a Winter....

Kids...have a wonderful weekend! Gotta scoot off to work! These are some images taken on my walk to work yesterday. It's clear today but much icier...wish my bum luck in getting to work unharmed! (And don't forget to vote for Erin! See below.)

It's beggining to look a lot like...

Good morning, Kids! Went to bed last night....nothin'. This morning...SOMETHIN'!!! Woke up to a flurry of flakes and it is hard to wipe the 4-year-old-little-kid grin off of my face! We don't typically get snow around the holidays so this is feeling like an extra treat at the moment. I will be walking (NO driving for your Uncle!) to work today, a lot earlier, but a lot lovelier too. Hope your day is off to a happy start. :)

French Baby Monkeys

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo via oh hello friend
via Joslyn at Simple Lovely.

Today...Joslyn decided to take full advantage of my Francophile heart. It is now broken into tiny bits of French Macarons and love. Sigh.

What? You expected me NOT to say something?
More cupcake love to be found here and here.

Do you See what I Saw...

Got my sweet package from Raquel & Angela at See Saw yesterday! My letterpress calendar, snowflake gift tags, and cards! Just a bunch of lovingly-wrapped wonderful! It was so sweet to see...saw!

A little less or a little S'more?

Don't hate me, Kids. But, my latest weekend baking ~ S'more Cupcake. Making and toasting the marshmallow was too much fun! Sticky but fun. (Careful with your comments on that one, people! Behave.)

Sia...later.

(Lyrics below.)

Yes...okay. It's another one from Sia. She's a freakin' superstar! This one goes right to my heart as well. And, frankly, if I were planning a wedding this would replace the classic "wedding march". If you weren't crying happy tears by the time they reached the end of the aisle...I'd probably want to use your heart to keep the drinks cold. Mmm, hmm...I said it.

(Michael...you've spread some serious joy my way. Thanks!)


Pick me up in your arms
Carry me away from harm
You're never gonna put me down
I know you're just one good man
You'll tire before we see land
You're never gonna put me down

Oh I've been running all my life
I ran away, I ran away from good
Yeah I've been waiting all my life
You're not a day you're not day too soon

Honey I will stitch you
Darling I will fit you in my heart
Honey I will meet you
Darling I will keep you in my heart

You'll risk all this for just a kiss
I promise I will not resist
Promise you won't hold me down
And when we reach a good place
Let's be sure to leave no trace
Promise they won't track us down

Now I've been running all my life
I ran away, I ran away from good
Yeah, I've been waiting all my life
You're not a day, you're not a day too soon

Honey I will stitch you
Darling I will feel you in my heart
Honey I will meet you
Darling I will keep you in my heart

I've been running all my life
I ran away, I ran away from good
Yeah I've been waiting all my life
You're not a day, you're not a day too soon

Oh honey I will stitch you
Darling I will feel you in my heart
Honey I will meet you
Darling I will keep you in my heart

A, B, Sia

Ever since hearing this over at mchl mchl I cannot stop this from running through my head. (And I love seeing how giddy-happy she is at the end.) Oh...and I love her painted hands! Okay...and the official video is fantastic! Me thinks Sia may have a new fan! :)

Cupcakes to Cards...

After rounding out the cupcake brigade... (What? I'm just mentioning it! I'm not showin' ya's more cupcake pics! Jeez!) ...I busted out my screens and got to printin' up some holiday cards to schuck out at Kennedy & Kate (but they're not available from the website...just sayin'). Every little bit helps these days, y'know? But I suppose some sleep would too.

Failure Forward

I have no idea how Denise manages to find the YouTube treasures she does while I just find ones of insane dogs and the Jonas Brothers (eew!), but this was a delightfully uplifting dose that I needed today. Thanks, Denise.

Local Boy Bakes Good

Good Monday morning, Kids! So how was your weekend? Hopefully, it was a good one with a little early holiday shopping (from fabtastic independent retailers?) and some much-deserved relaxation and down time. As you all know, I was bustin' it out baker-style with my Saturday morning cupcake marathon session. All in all...273 in total! We managed to deliver all of them to Sarah in one trip with only 3 casualties in the process - two to the laws of awkward movement and gravity and another to a rogue coat zipper. What was on the menu? Chocolate Cake with Coconut Milk Buttercream & Toasted Coconut, Yellow Cake with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream, Lemon Cake with Pomegranate & Blueberry Buttercream, and Orange Cake with Fresh Cranberry Buttercream. All from scratch, no flavorings or artificial colorings, fresh fruit...and a whole lot o' deliciousness! (I'm just sayin'.) ;)

Am I going to show you pictures...you ask? Honey! If you asked a Grandmother to show you photos of the grandkids d'you think she's gonna say, "No, not now."?!! Of course I'm gonna show you photos! More than you may be able to stand! But after today, I promise, it'll be a good while before I subject you to these again.

Haley (loveliest employee and all-around-person in the universe!) and Sarah putting the finishing touches on the table o' treats. By this point, I was a little sick of my sugar trip but I made very good friends with that champagne punch...I'll tell you what! Woo woo!

Le Grande Finale!