Feeling wonky that's what I need!

Here I am sitting in the main area of our temporary apartment for the next three weeks, minimum.  We moved ourselves this past weekend.  Besides preparing our condo for the work to start on Monday, we packed stuff to move here.  It's a cute little apartment, in a big building, right in the heart of town.

It has the basics and it was cleaner than our Bodø apartment.  The worst thing about this place is the sofa.  It is used and so low... maybe it's because we're tall but still it's ridiculously low.  Not good for old bodies like ours.  We brought a lot of our stuff over, beside our computers, our laser printer, we completed the kitchen with our pots and spices, etc.  Overall, the place isn't bad.  This morning they shampooed the hallway carpet, which is a good thing.  I haven't really heard noise, unlike our condo, but for the past twenty minutes I've been smelling some wonky tobacco... I might be high by the time the husband gets home.

The past few days, not to say weeks, have been challenging to say the least.  Not only is our patience being tested, our backs and mental health in general as well.  Besides having to deal with every day life, Hubby is super busy at his client, and we have to deal with our new roles as condo administrators.  At times, I can't help but feel it would be hell if we had kids to add to this mess.

2013 by way of the alphabet

I did this last year, and since I always do a review of the year we're about to close I thought of doing it again this way.

Apron: something I started wearing one when I bake

Bowling: activity we did one night, was fun, but really a once a year thing at most.

Cold Shoulder:  what I've been getting from Hubby's cousin, don't really know why (even if I did ask)

Dermatologist: managed to see one, burned me with dried ice and didn't resolve issue. Damn Quack!

Expectation: what I still had, since some people manage to get me down... when will I learn?

Flushed: what I did to a few of my clients.  It did take a load off, somewhat.

Garage Door: after many arguments with our neighbor and discussions with the condo admin.,
we finally got an automatic door closer installed!

Henna: what I had done for Hubby's 50th... on my ass!

Idiots: those we seem to find more and more of, even without looking for them!

Jowl: reason why I'm happy not to have Richard Fish (from Ally McBeal) in my entourage

Kitchen: a place where I seem to be spending a lot less time than I used to

Las Vegas: where we celebrated on thirteenth wedding anniversary

Mother: someone I haven't seen much of lately

Neighbor: the worst one we've never experienced finally moved away!

Obscurity: what I was in when I wrote this list, due to yet another power failure

Postcrossing: what I've been spending lots of time on...

Québec: province where we live and think it might be time to move out off

Rings: what are too loose on my fingers...

Stinkypaw: what I sort of reveal to everyone on Bacefook...

Tobi: my sweet boy, I miss dearly

UVs: what I caught too many of in Punta Cana, DR

Visits: what we made too many of, especially to funeral homes

WW: what I joined and lost twenty-three pounds, before the Holidays that is!

X-Rated: what I should probably be

Yuletide: when we did a lot of "social", time of year obliged

Zoom: what 2013 did, it zoomed by!

Mish Mash

Oh my!  I can't believe it's been a month since I posted.  Funny thing is I don't have much to report... We celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary in Las Vegas.  We wanted to go somewhere we'd been before, where it would be hot and where we wouldn't feel like we had to visit, so Vegas it was.  I will say this though, one week on the Strip is a bit long.  After we've done some shopping, saw a few shows, and ate a good restaurants I was ready to come home.  We didn't lounge around much, and that was what I felt I needed.  I needed to rest.  I did sleep in most mornings, so that was good. 

We went to see "Menopause The Musical" at the Luxor.  What a funny show.  We both laughed and recognised the menopausal traits. It was worth it.  We also saw "Le Rêve" at the Wynn - what a show!  Being from Montréal, home of Le Cirque du Soleil, we've seen many Cirque shows.  I was at their very first show when they first started under their big orange and blue tent.  Over the years some of their shows wowed me and some disappointed.  I guess it gets to a point when it is hard to be inventive and to create something new. We've also seen some of their shows in Vegas, on previous trips: "O", "Love", "Ka" and "Elvis Story".  Only one was sad to watch, and this despite the soundtrack, it was "Elvis Story" - it is no longer playing.  Because of that we chose not to see one of theirs, especially after reading some reviews of their new Michael Jackson show which were not that good. We went for "Le Rêve" which turned out to be a flavor of Le Cirque... there was element of water, some acrobatics and some comedy.  We enjoyed the show, it was worth seeing for sure.  I'm glad we did.

Food wise we spoil ourselves some.  We're food snobs, I'll admit that much.  We sorted can afford it.  We like to eat well and at times we'll splurge.  This last trip was one where we did just that.  For our anniversary dinner we went to Roy's.  Since we got married in Hawaii, and had visited two other locations (in Hawaii) where we really the food, we thought it would be nice to give their Vegas restaurant a try.  They took care of us, the service was full of attention and the food was so good.  We had a great dinner, and this despite the high cost.  When paying that much money the food and service better be good.  It was.

While enjoying our delicious meal, we both came to the realisation that we do eat well at home, we feed ourselves well.  We like going to restaurants but we also like to cook, and that we do well.  Eating in restaurants and tasting different things made us appreciate what we prepare and enjoy in the comfort of our home.  The big plus of going out is and probably will always be the fact that we don't have to do dishes and clean up after we've eaten.

Another delicious meal we had was at Sinatra at the Encore.  It was delicious and pleasantly flavorful.  We loved our meal and the service, but when the bill came that was anything but cheap, that's for sure.  I'm glad we went though.  Between our cocktail and dessert I walked out of there feeling tipsy and oh so satisfied.

On the other side of this food extravaganza,  we wanted to try one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant since we love to watch him on "Master Chef" and "Hell's Kitchen".  One evening we tried to get in at his new Burger joint at Planet Hollywood, but the line up was more than one hour and this despite having a bunch of empty tables - don't know how they managed their tables but that was strange. We decided to instead go to his pub & grill at Ceasar's.  That was way below our expectations.  There was no Michelin star coming out of that kitchen, where that new chef, Ja'Nel, from the last "Hell's Kitchen" has been working.  We didn't even have dessert there, that how disappointed I was.  It was overpriced and tarnished, for me at least, Ramsay's name.  Let's just say I'm not about to go back to one of his restaurant any time soon.

While we were in sunny Las Vegas we've experienced true heat.  I loved it.  I love the dry heat of the desert.  Even if it was friggin' hot, we could walk and not be drenched.  Dry heat is the best!  I love the feel of the warm sun on my skin, I truly felt like the heat was getting to my bones.  Over here, I always feel cold, inside.  Plus, it's so ridiculously humid here that summer and winter feel burk.  I know not the best choice of word, but the only one I can think of which reflects how I feel about our weather.   To see 44°C on our little travel thermometer was something we don't see often, ans yet I didn't mind it - go figure.

Maybe there is something to this warm climate thing for me in my old age...

That time of the year... again!

I don't know about you, but I'm a little freaked out.  It's already the 10th of December - where did it all go?  Yesterday, Hubby and I made a mistake.  I needed specific things (read Christmas card, in French, with penguins, for our company) so after doing a quick run at the hyper crazy-busy Costco, we made our way to a pharmacy to see if they would have some cards.  Then Hubby suggested going to Dix30 - I know, crazy, right?  Actually it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.  It was way better than Costco, anyway.  We hit Indigo and another store near by and within two hours all together  we were back home.  Not bad if I do say so myself.

Because it is that time of the year, I've been cooking/baking, not just for us but for others as well.  I've had a few orders for meat pies, chicken pot pies, some sweets... I've also baked some cookies that I've spent Thursday decorating with a dear friend.  We worked over six hours on these babies.  She took some pictures of them, but haven't sent them to me yet...

Just now I've done some sweet treats and managed to burn my index of the right hand with the boiling caramel, it hurts! Dang!  And they're not even for my pleasure!  Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who accepted to do the dishes so that my throbbing finger doesn't feel worst in the hot dish water.  Did I say how much I love this man?  I do!

Martha Stewart has nothing on us!

This time of year represents many things for me:  baking, preparing food, decorating the house, gifts, spending time with friends and family, more food and snow.  I just love it all, except for the snow when driving.  I could do with no snow on roads, it would make life so much easier.  The thing I hate the most about this time of year is going to a mall. Thus my shopping year 'round!  I'm done with all my Christmas shopping, I just need to wrap now.  I'll be dressing up my tree this weekend, and let's just just 'tis the Season as far as I'm concerned.

I wanted to bake some sugar cookies and give them away to friends... just because I like baking and love giving.   Last year, while a good friend of mine was doing some henna design on my arm (see it here), I came up with the idea of me baking some cookies and her decorating them.  We talked about it some and left it at that.  We got together last month for a day of creation (at a local ceramic cafe) and decided to give it a try.

Chocolate cookies awaiting to their fate...

Sugar cookies, the unchosen ones...

So, on Sunday I baked cookies and Monday she came over and we spent over seven hours decorating cookies.  Man oh man, it was impressive to be in the presence of such talent.  She's an artist, there's no doubt about that!  We only made about thirty of them (what I needed for my meditation class).  I kept on decorating after she left, because I just enjoyed looking at them...

Look at these beauties...

No two cookies were the same...

Aren't they the cutest thing?

As we decorated them, we both agreed the idea of selling them was a possibility since the end result was so nice.  They taste good and look great, a winning combination for sure, but who would be willing to pay for these, because let's face it, the amount of time it took to make them? We would have to find a niched clientele.  I'm sure there is a market for these beauties, but making these babies was a lot of work.

Cookies Extravanganza!

Look at this detailed work!

Beautiful! 

Tonight, during my class they were passed around so each person could choose the cookie they wanted.  The amount of hooos and aaaws I've heard were nice to hear.  Compliments were flying because of their uniqueness and their good taste.  I was proud and happy to see people liked them as much as I did.

I even gave one to a client (who came by for his weekly visit) and he was impressed by the details in all of them.

Talk about a successful endeavour!

Yes it's easier, but...

For those of you who were asking if it wasn't easier to buy ketchup in a bottle, the answer is yes. Yes, it is!

Ketchup batch of 2010

It's much easier all the way, trust me.  But I'd have to say it doesn't taste the same either... Some people prefer homemade stuff, since in this I know what ingredients were really put in that pot.  Look at the pot!  Don't you wish you could smell it too?

That was just one of the many steps of a long process. To be honest I'm not sure it is worth all the effort (read trouble), but it occupied an afternoon and we have ten jars of homemade fruit ketchup.

Watching that pot while it boiled and making sure it wasn't burning at the bottom was somewhat nightmarish, but it didn't boiled over nor burned, I made darn (read slowly and carefully) sure of that! Hubby mentioned something about it being an "experiment in surface tension". Ah!

I enjoy making preserves, but what I really LOVE is when people are eating what I've made!