Thanksgiving Planning: Pumpkin Trifle

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  It is not because I want to celebrate any of the things this holiday is known for, I don't even like turkey, and I am certainly not over the moon about the European domination of the western world.  No, it is all about the food. 

I love cooking and eating  a lavish Thanksgiving dinner.  I start planning moments after Halloween (which, by the way, is my FAVORITE holiday and requires me to clean up my spooky decorating for days after the fact, something I am doing today while I plot Thanksgiving) and it is all about what I am going to eat.  I usually try to find some new delicious recipe to make alongside my standards, but I rarely give myself the chance to test them before I make them on the actual holiday.  Silly, I know.  But, this year will be different! (she says with equal parts hope and sarcasm).  Well today I tried out a trifle recipe I dreamed up.  It is delicious AND adorable so I feel like it is a smashing success!  Oh, and it is super easy so you can focus on making the perfect turkey.

Easy Pumpkin Trifle:
1 can pumpkin (29 oz)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 box Vanilla flavored instant pudding mix
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (to taste)
1 bag of Pepperidge Farm "Gingerman" cookies (or similar product)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
whipped cream to garnish

Simply mix the first four ingredients together with a whisk.  Line a trifle dish with cookies (you can stand them up along the sides and use any broken ones to line the bottom) reserve a couple cookies to garnish the top.  Pour pudding into trifle dish, being careful not to disturb the cookies.  Sprinkle top with cranberries.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour, can be chilled up to 4 hours, but cookies will eventually become soggy.  Top with whipped cream and reserved cookies when you are ready to serve.

A Perfect Day...

So, lately I have been contemplating what a perfect day would be for me.  I keep rolling it over in my mind, and the more I think about it the bigger the question seems to be.  I am not trying to figure out a perfect day off, or a perfect date, or a perfect day with the family... just a perfect average day in the life.  I am trying to fill in the blanks on what I want to do EVERY day.  I am trying to figure out the ages old, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" question.

I know I want to get up slowly, with coffee and my garden.  I want to hit the gym, no really, I do, I enjoy the energy it gives me.  I want to shower and dress in something fun, because I looooove clothes (or I am vain, or maybe a bit of both).  Then I want to work, but that's where it breaks down... Work on what?

I want to make things, beautiful things, whatever I feel like, but in a beautiful studio setting.  A barn or a cabin or a hill with a view, maybe even my garden shed... I don't know.  AND I want to be able to make money at this, which is where it gets really complicated.  So, I stop thinking about it and go on with my actual day, which is NOT perfect (at least not yet).

you should click this link and listen to what Lou Reed says about a perfect day!
Lou Reed's Perfect Day

New Tattoo... Sewing Needle and Thread

I have many updates for the days to come, new toys, new projects, a parade!  But for now, a quick picture of my new ink.

Tattoo by Scott Hale of Tattoo Garden

It has been ages since my last post.  I have started writing several entries in the past few weeks, but nothing sticks.  So I will keep this short and sweet.  I had a lovely photo shoot with my hubby today.  It came on the heels of a couple other lovely shoots with strangers.  Shooting with hubby has one really distinct advantage over the wonderful seasoned photographers I have had the pleasure of working with recently; I can get my hands on his pictures immediately and do whatever I want with them! bwah ha ha ha ha (uhm, yeah, that is supposed to read maniacal laughter).  So here are a couple of kooky, fun, over edited photos from today.

 Oh, yes, and I made these things, and a bunch of other ones since last post, but I'll talk about that next time...

Hoarders...

Would somebody please stage an intervention for me? I have been CRAZY busy for the past couple of weeks, and it has led to some really scary mess taking over my house.  I need to clean, but instead I have been making new messes! 

Behold my office floor, at least that is what you should see in this picture.  I have another show coming up in a couple of weeks and I am super excited about the new pieces I am making, but this is just ridiculous!  I belong on "Hoarders," I think there is a dead cat under this pile (okay I don't have a cat, but it IS really messy).

Since I am publicly shaming myself into a cleaning spree I will also share this photo of one of the jackets I am working on so you can see I am not a total loser.  The show will be amazing.  We have a Mad Hatter's Tea theme.  There will be hats and all of my garments are going to have velvet or corduroy in them, they will feel fantastic!  I can't wait to see everything completed, so I guess I better get back to work.  If you live in the PNW come see us at the Anchor Pub in downtown Everett on Sunday March 10th.

Dropped Balls and Other Dilemmas...

When I decided to plan a fashion show for Valentine's Day with only one month to prepare I knew it was a little crazy.  But I figured, "what the hell?"  and I went for it.  Now that I am counting down the last 24+ hours to the show I am alternately excited and panic stricken.  I should be baking my second batch of brownies for the chocolate buffet right now, but somehow the morning has gotten away from me.  Does anybody else find they procrastinate worse at the last moment? 

Oh, well.  I know the event will happen, and it will be fun, and hopefully I can catch my breath long enough to enjoy it.  And, by the way I decided to debut my first ever burlesque clown act tomorrow night, because you know, I didn't have enough to worry about.  Wish me luck, especially with my juggling acts, you know the real one and the metaphorical one too.  Wink, wink.

If you're in the neighborhood, come see the show

3231 Presents: Sweet Nothings...

Tickets just went on sale for the spectacular fashion show I am organizing!  Do you live in the Seattle area?  Want to see some awesome performers, and sexy models?  Need to impress a date on Valentine's Day?  Go buy tickets now!!!

And, did I mention this version of me might be making a special appearance... just in case it helps you make up your mind.

Just a Trickle...

I am so excited, I simply cannot wait any longer to share a little more about my upcoming project!  I know  they say, "haste makes waste," but who the hell are "they" anyway?  As I mentioned the other day I am planning a fashion show for next month, so here is a peek at the front of the postcards, I know it isn't much, but it will give you the event number for tickets early (they won't actually go on sale until tomorrow!  Now don't you feel like a VIP?

I am moments (and a few key bits of info) away from finalizing the flyers, postcards, and online presence for our show, so tomorrow should be a busy day!  Regardless of these trifling details tickets will go on sale tomorrow afternoon, wish us luck!

Changes

Well things have been very busy around here, and I have some big decisions to make in the near future.  Most importantly, do I say goodby to my online presence in favor of my new brick and mortar location?  If anybody out there has faced the choice between selling exclusively from a shop or doing both online and boutique sales, please help!  I am trying to imagine a way to insure no conflict between sales online and in the shop, but I don't have a realtime tracking solution at the moment...  I guess I should just take a moment to  enjoy my little corner of the new 3231 Creatives Fashion Boutique, before I panic about the next step.

The Last Minute Show

Well I am officially loco.  What?  You already knew that, oh well... I guess this is like my first step.  I am admitting I have a problem.  I am a Last Minute Lucy.  You know, the girl who waits until the last possible moment to do stuff.  Yeah, that is me.  Yesterday, while I was moving my inventory into the boutique I decided to plan a fashion show... for Valentine's Day.

I am still working out the details, but as of now I have three designers on board (okay, one of them is me), a DJ to MC the evening, two belly dancers, four models (okay, again one of them is me), a man to pour the champagne, a poster with a couple of blanks for more names, and a venue willing to allow my madness to continue unchecked.  Not bad for an idea I hatched about 18 hours ago. 

Sneak Peek- this image is the beginning of my poster...

And I found the perfect fabric on clearance to make the kirtle that will go under my houpellande, now I just have to sew those in the next two weeks, while I plan a fashion show...  Yeah, loco.

Start to Finish

Have you ever thought about the term "start to finish"?  I know I can't be the only person out there  with trouble getting things done.  If you are like me you are probably AMAZING at starting things, but less than stellar when it comes to finishing them.  When I titled this entry I thought, hmmmmm start to finish, as in; I should start to finish this project.  No pressure, I am not saying it is time to get it done, just start to finish.  For some reason I like the sound of that. 

I am in the final stages of sewing on four "period" tunics for use in the SCA.  Three of them are for friends/clients and I should really get them done, the fourth one is for my son (I liked the pattern I used, and thought he should have one too.)  For some reason having these four tunics sitting here makes me think I should really get started on my own garb for Ursulmas.  I am considering a velvet houppelande, something along the lines of van der Weyden's Magdalen Reading...

Image borrowed from http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/15th/ thank you kindly

I know what you are thinking!  I should, under no circumstances, begin this dress until I have completed the other pieces in the works... but, but...  I already have the fabric in my stash, and I really do need something warmer to wear to this cold winter event, and I have at least a dozen more crazy reasons I could give you why I NEED to do this.  Gah!  In the end I know I shouldn't start anything new, did I mention I'm supposed to be organizing and pricing my inventory to place in a boutique tomorrow too? 

Yeah, I guess it isn't the right time to start a new dress... but maybe I could find time to work in a little knitting today?  Hopeless!

Happy Birthday (to me)

I keep waiting for the birthday that comes with an engraved invitation to the secret grown-up club...  Apparently I haven't reached it yet, because no such invite arrived in today's post.  But, I did get a wonderful birthday card from my mother-in-law, and a hand delivered card from one of my girlfriends, sneaky!  My cell phone greeted me with good morning birthday love from my mother and my oldest bestest friend first thing this morning; always a great way to wake up.  And, of course the FB yielded a collection of delightful birthday wishes from far away friends (and some not so far away).  I am so lucky to have all these people in my life!  Birthdays are always a sweet reminder of who you have in your corner, they are like an annual support group check.

Now on to the celebration, since I am still running around in my adolescence (at age 34) I will be dressing up, feather boa and tiara included, and heading into Seattle to squeal with glee as men in dresses serenade me.  That's right!  Look out, Le Faux Show, I'm coming to town, so make it fierce!  Time to go wax some things, and charge up my camera battery...  Tomorrow there will be pictures!

This New Year

It is that time of year again.  Everyone you know is reflecting on the past twelve months and projecting into the void in front of them.  I suppose I am too.  This morning I went for a walk in the sunshine to look at the frost. 

It was beautiful, but it was also sad.  It reminded me of home, and of friends too far away to reach.  I used to have such lovely walkie talkies with my girls back in Cali, and I miss them.  But, I have made some wonderful new friends here in the PNW, and I am thankful for them. 

It was indeed a happy new year at my house yesterday, even though we were ALL very tired from our revels.

So heading into this new year I am wishing you love and joy, go soak them up!