To Trifle with a Truffle

Minus 20 outside, fresh snow...beautiful. It was a clear, crisp day, and it made all the little things I had to do that much more cheerful with the bright sun streaming through the windows, even though it disappeared so early behind the trees on the hill above us.
Finished (!) my baking today with the most finicky little truffles (chocolate)...of course, I've never made truffles before so I had no idea what to expect. All I know is that they are rich and huge...I started the centres ever so small (chocolate and sour cream), but as I added on each required layer (done exactly as the recipe called for), they grew into these monstrous golf balls of chocolate and rum and kahlua. Yummy, but one is enough!
Off tomorrow for the last of my Christmas shopping - this time for my husband. Hmm...I know what I'd like to get him, but the questions is will I find it? It'll be a day of searching around town, I'm afraid, but every opportunity I have had to get those certain hard-to-find gifts, he was always there with me! I'll just try my luck.
Three more sleeps till Christmas!

Baking Frenzy

Well, the Christmas baking marathon began today...it was my plan to make one treat per day, maybe two, just to spread it out and not end up in the kitchen all day. Somehow, I did end up in the kitchen today. Once I started, I couldn't stop! I made the granola last night, which was great for breakfast. My mom's recipe, and one of my favourites. Then I thought I'd start dealing with the pastry and the meat pies, since they always seem the messiest and longest to make. In the end I also made buttertarts. It seemed silly to get started on the pastry and not do those as well! And while the meat cooked for the meat pies, which always takes a long time to simmer down, I thought I'd do one of the other interminable jobs, which is making peanut brittle. Of course, my husband didn't bother telling me until I was boiling the sugar water that the candy thermometer broke last year when he was making the brittle, so I had to eyeball it. I totally bypassed the soft-ball stage, but it worked in the end and is delicious!
Now I think I'll get, and stay, off my feet for a little and enjoy the white lights all throughout my house. It's snowing outside, just cold enough but not horribly so, and I don't have to work tomorrow. Soooo lovely!

NaNoWriMo Countdown - 3 days!

It's cold outside, there's a fresh coating of snow, and tonight we unpacked our Christmas boxes while putting on our first Christmas CD of the season - King's College Choir's "Noel" (classic!). A lovely Friday evening...
On the more panicked side, there's only 3 days until the end of NaNoWriMo! My blog challenge will continue, but my mad race to 50,000 will be over, although perhaps I'll just pretend it's on all year so I keep spewing out words!
I don't know if I'll make 50,000...I had this brilliant idea that, if I were to type up 5,000 per day from yesterday to Monday, I could do it. But, I only did about 3,000 today, maybe 1,000 yesterday. So...slim chance. BUT, I have 33,000 words! I'm so excited! And, most of it's pretty organized. I just can't wait till I type the last word and say, there's no more to add!
Then comes the really hard work - redrafts and editing. Hmm...tackle that battle when I reach it. My novel is slow to write now because I'm trying to avoid massive rewriting, by have the narrative work NOW.
The burn on my wrist is ok today, still slathering it with Polysporin and wrapping it up to keep it clean, but it's not causing me any issues other than the fact that it the bandage seems to have a homing device for my dog's tongue (what is it with her and licking things ? You should see her with hand cream!).
Here's keeping the fingers crossed for massive word count tomorrow, and more snow, and more holiday cheer!

Snowy Days and Sundays = Writer's Best Friend

Finally, success! The snow began to fall this morning, and a feeling of luxurious timeless descended on our house. There's is nothing like being at home, knowing you don't need to be anywhere else, to do anything but what you love, while you watch the snowflakes fall from the sky and alight on the ground.
I spent three hours of my day in the kitchen covered in flour...up to my elbows in pastry and yummy meat filling for homemade meat pies. According to my mother, I have inherited my grandmother's knack for pastry, and it just so happens my husband is a pastry lover. I cracked out my Australia Women's Weekly meat pie recipe, and off I went! A delicious treat well worth the elbow grease.
I also (and I must say, most importantly!) managed to sit for huge amounts of time and write away. I feel great knowing I've accomplished some writing today, and have boosted my wordcount up 2,000 words from yesterday! THAT is what I love about Sundays, and snowy days. I can start my week on good footing, reading to dive in Monday night from where I left off today. This is good - very very good! I can go to bed content, frustrated only that the weekend has come to end, but happy that it was fruitful.

Novel Word count: 9,786!