Northward, ho!

Tumultuous – adjective

1. full of tumult or riotousness; marked by disturbance and uproar; a tumultuous celebration.

2. raising a great clatter and commotion; disorderly or noisy; a tumultuous crowd of students.

3. highly agitated, as the mind or emotions; distraught; turbulent.

To describe the past few months as tumultuous would not be hyperbole.  We are slowly attempting to move our cramped, country lives approximately 100 miles north to the land of concrete, toll roads and Trader Joes.  We have both secured jobs in what we Virginians refer to as NOVA (NOrthern VirginiA for those playing at home) and have started a serious search for an apartment that will take our 115 pound Crashy-butt and make our commute much shorter than the current 2 hour one-way trek.   I think this blog will be a reflection of what is happening both move-wise and career-wise.  I am no longer working in a childcare setting, and have instead found a wonderful position in a sweet and bustling community branch of the Fairfax Library System.  I have been there for a week and have found the change to be more refreshing than any vacations I’ve had in a while.  It is overwhelming at times to realize that I am being paid for something I enjoy so much.  I hope this feeling of elation continues as my career develops, because it is one I would love to keep clutched tightly in my heart.  We’ve moving up, and it’s about damn time.

Macaroon Mishaps

I spent an unsuccessful morning attempting to make macaroons. As mentioned yesterday, I received English Tea and Cakes as a Christmas gift, and plan to make many of the recipes found within. Macaroons are featured on a beautifully composed, glossy page with simple instructions and tantalizing colors. I have attempted them once before, and to my dismay ended up with crusty meringues with chunks of almonds on top. Today, with high hopes and an unsuccessful batch under my belt, I set off to make a magazine image of meringuey goodness. What followed was, as with my previous attempt, a disaster. I cooked them longer than suggested because when I opened the oven they were still not completely dry. They had clumps of almond powder sticking through them, and they were way bigger than intended because I didn’t have the correct piping tip.

Being the wife of a Kiwi, I made it a point to master Pavlovas which are a beautiful meringue-based dessert featured prominently in New Zealand. After several attempts I can successfully claim to be good at beating egg whites into submission. That said, when it comes to folding in other ingredients I am not quite as confident. I think this is where my greatest flaw in macaroon creation lies.

While searching Google for some sort of fool-proof macaroon recipe, I stumbled across this blog post from The Baked Road. She seems to have a nice, well-photographed recipe that appears to be something I can follow to a tee with some success. I guess I will have to roll up my sleeves, put on my apron and try again.

Saturday Morning Baking

This morning I felt an overwhelming urge to make scones.  So I did.  These are from a recipe I have used countless times, and I never seem to stray from it.  For Christmas I received a beautiful little magazine called English Tea and Cakes  and in it contains recipes for scones that I am longing to try. Until I do, however, I think I will keep this recipe on file from joyofbaking.com:

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

(This is not my recipe, it is taken directly from the website)

Ingredients:

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

1/2 cup (90 grams) milk or semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks (Kelly edit:  I used white chocolate)

1/2 cup (75 grams) dried cherries or cranberries

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 – 3/4 cup (160 – 180 ml) buttermilk

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. (The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.)  Stir in the chocolate chunks (or chips) and dried cherries. In a small measuring cup whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla extract and then add to the flour mixture. Stir just until the dough comes together (add more buttermilk or flour as necessary). Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk.

Bake for about 15 to20 minutesor until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Makes 8 scones.

 

 

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I have been meaning to write a blog post for a few weeks now, and have been mostly distracted and also without a reliable computer.  My trusty Permalita has lost all battery power, and even the slightest jostle of power cord plunges her illuminated screen into darkness.  Hopefully I can find a new battery for her, or convince the hubs to save up for a new laptop for me.  Unlikely seeing the awesome new changes coming our way…

1.  Chris was offered and accepted a new job in NoVa (about 80 miles away from our current home).  It is exactly in the field in which he wants to be, and makes about double what he and I used to make TOGETHER.  He seems to be enjoying it immensely already, which makes me smile. 

2. I have had one interview with the local library branches of Loudoun County, and a second one on Monday.  Hopefully this works out, the pay is grand and I long to work among books again. 

3. With the new job and potential new job, we are looking to move in the near future! I have only really lived in this tiny little town in rural Virginia, so it will be a big, but welcome, adjustment for me.  I am excited, though.  Excited to have our own home, better paying jobs on tracks we hope to remain on, and being in a more urban environment. 

I hope to blog more about these exciting changes, as well as other thoughts and photos and songs that I tend to post on here.  Now, back to Pinterest to find more awesome things to do with my upcoming new home!  Booyah!

Nervous

This is the first of several daunting days to come, and I cannot summon the energy to get out of bed.

Day 12: together

One of my good friends bought me these earrings because a) they are awesome and b) her ears are not pierced. They seemed to be enjoying their togetherness this evening.

Day 11: Hero

My younger sister is a hero of mine at the moment. She has been through a lot of terrible things over the past few years but always manages to remain cheerful and kind despite it all. While in the hospital she arranged for a birthday party to be thrown for another member of the hallway. She has overcome crippling withdrawals from unneeded and over prescribed medications and has fought it all like a beast. I love her fiercely and think she is amazing. I love you, Katie!