Chocolates 2010. Day Four and Five.

Well friends, I am done.
Done with the big stuff anyway.
Still have a few batches of toffee to make for the family.
I'm just gonna go ahead and shoot straight with you...
this was an off year for me.
The Caramel Curse of 2010 nearly did me in.
But I didn't let it get the best of me--
I fought on! And in the end I prevailed!!

And now, after a very long week of candy making
and a very lovely book group fondue party
held last night
hosted by yours truly, featuring the
famous Chinese table,
where I was able to share the chocolate bounty
with a Pack of Chicks I adore
I am more than ready for a long winter's nap...
could someone tell my kids??

P.S.
I heard through the grapevine that
Adam said that my chocolates
are the best part of Christmas.
If my kids think that then it is all worth it.
Because when I was growing up,
I felt the same way.

Yes, Virginia, Chocolate does Rule the World.

Chocolate 2010. Day Three.

The day started just before 5. That's 5 in the AM.
Dipped my little heart out for a few hours.
Made my day, actually.
My dipping high carried me almost to dinner time.
From then on, it's been a little sketchy.
Seeings how the day is now almost officially over,
I think it's time for my sleepy little head to hit the pillow.

On a completely unrelated side note:
If one of your children comes home from school
complaining of an ear ache and you,
trying to be nice and also trying
to stop the complaining in
the fastest, most efficient way,
think to yourself that a warm towel
might feel nice to the child and
decide the fastest way to provide said warm towel
might be to put it in the microwave...
THINK AGAIN.
There is a distinct possibility that you may come
very close to setting your house on fire
and certainty that you will make your
house stink.
Really bad.

Chocolates 2010. Day Two

So, I think the fact that I got the year right shows an improvement from day one.
Upon my mom's suggestion and my husband's request I took it a bit easier today.
I mostly spent the day doing one of my other favorite pass times....cleaning.
Let's face it. A clean house = a happy farmgirl.
Tonight I was back in the candy making business.
Everything is shaped and ready to be dipped.
Tomorrow is dipping day.
woohoo.
That's my favorite part.
I was born to have my hands covered in chocolate.

Chocolates 2010. Day One.

From the trenches.
After 14+ hours of candy making I am almost too tired to form complete sentences.
This was a long day.

Some good things:
-My kids are beyond thrilled. Tis the season and they are oh so excited about the chocolateness of our house.
Yes, they are truly mine.
-In the process of checking a really big item off the Christmas time 'to do' list.
-Speaking with me madre three
(was it three? honestly i'm so tired i can't remember--at least three)
times today on the phone.

Some not so good things:
-Having the first center of the day not work and needing to recook it.
*good news, in the end it turned out great*
-Needing to threaten to chop Grant's finger off if he touched the center again while I was beating it.
-Dropping a 10 lb block of chocolate on my little toe.

My brain is far too close to the state of mush to muster much more.
As Scarlett would say, Tomorrow is another day.