A little rough time for Thanksgiving this year. Not that I am not thankful or anything, just felt extremely stressed. First off I came home Wednesday night after finally sorting out work, and agreeing to work on Friday morning for record store day #2, to a Hana-Cat hurling everywhere. In fact he hurled 4 or 5 times in the space of five minutes. Yuck! I cleaned it up, and checked him out, his bottom seemed a little red and swollen, and he made some funny mewling noise, but he didn’t seem too sick. I then realised my house was cold, very, very cold. Downstairs to check on the furnace, and nope not blowing hot air, in fact no pilot light lit up.
Upstairs to feed kitties, and Hana, did not come eat :(. Instantaneous panic attack! Phone Andreas, who kindly informed me that BriarCliff Animal clinic is 24 hours now, and so phoned them and off I drove. Got Hana there before the mad rush of sick dogs :(, and he got seen and diagnosed after an x-ray, with extreme constipation! They thought it best he stay overnight, for observation, a kitty enama and fluids, and eventually I got home at 11:30.
Now to deal with the heat. I tried resetting the pilot light, I tried flicking switches, and nothing. Adam kindly came over and checked the fuses, and they were all fine. So Badtz and I went to bed with the electric blanket on high.
So Thanksgiving day, I woke up liberated Hana from the vet, paid the bill, came home and started making my portion of the Thanksgiving menu – dessert. This year I tackled:
White Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa Snaps
90g white chocolate, chopped
2 eggwhites
1 ½ tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
¾ cup (185ml) single (pouring) cream
cocoa snaps
30g butter
⅓ cup (75g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 ½ tablespoon glucose syrup+
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted
Preheat oven to 160ºC (320ºF). To make the cocoa snaps, place the butter, sugar and glucose syrup in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Add the flour and cocoa and stir until well combined. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Roll ½ teaspoonfuls into 10cm lengths. Place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper, leaving room to spread. Cook for 8–10 minutes or until bubbly and spread. Allow to cool on the trays.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Pour into a large bowl and set aside. Place the eggwhites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until thick and glossy. Place the cream in a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the eggwhite mixture through the chocolate. Fold through the cream. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Spoon the mousse onto half of the cocoa snaps and sandwich with remaining snaps. Makes 14.
They came out really well, and just like the picture! Thank you Donna Hay!
I then packed up everything I needed and went to Charlotte’s house to celebrate and eat, sadly I think from not eating a real dinner the night before, and no breakfast I could not really do Charlotte’s meal justice, though everything was tasty I ate pretty small portions. Home and early bed as it was warm in bed!
Friday morning and woohoo, black friday record store day #2! I got to work and set up and put the heat on, and we were fairly busy, nothing like actual record store day, then after two hours, home time, and some cooking to warm up the house. I miraculously sold my Honda Civic – vroom, and then at about 5 George arrived and fixed the heat! After enjoying the house warming up, I went and got sushi to celebrate my car being sold and then early to bed to read and relax as a lot of stressors lifted in a short amount of time.
This is a beautiful piece I would love #misschristinewu #art #giveaway #repost
This is a beautiful piece I would love #misschristinewu #art #giveaway #repost
My amazing Halloween costume, Ganesh! Thank you @king_egorock for making the mask and taking the photos. #mask #ganesh #Halloween13 #posing #atlanta #kingegorock #elephant #lotus #tbt
Running in the morning means I am watching the trees change and leaves fall. #morning #leaves #colour #trees #fall #autumn #atlanta #grantpark. (at Grant Park)
odditiesoflife:
A Real-Life Teddy Bear — The Adorable Baby Olinguito
Scientists trekking deep in Colombia‘s La Mesenia Reserve Forest recently spotted a young olinguito, a mammal that was just confirmed as a new species in August. Scientists say it is the first new carnivore found in the Western Hemisphere in more than three decades.
The new found baby olinguito, discovered by members of the conservation group SavingSpecies, is about the size of a kitten, so small that it can be grasped in one hand. Photographs of the young creature reveal tiny, curved claws that are useful for climbing trees and textured foot pads that help it grip branches.
While only recently designated as a new species, olinguitos have been hiding in plain sight for a long time. Specimens of the orange-brown creature have been housed in museums for more than a century, mistakenly identified as members of a related group of tree-dwelling mammals known as olingos.
An olinguito misidentified as an olingo even lived in U.S. zoos in the 1960s and 1970s, moving frequently because—not surprisingly—the animal wouldn’t breed with olingos.
It wasn’t until 2006 that a team got their first glimpse of live olinguitos in western Ecuador‘s Otanga Cloud Forest Preserve.
Later genetic analysis revealed that olinguitos are not only different from olingos, but also that there are actually four subspecies of olinguitos in existence. Unlike some other newly discovered species, the olinguito does not appear to be at risk of extinction any time soon.
Scientists estimate that there are probably thousands of the incredibly cute creatures living in the protected mountain habitats of Colombia and Ecuador. (via National Geographic)
Real life teddy bears!
odditiesoflife:
A Real-Life Teddy Bear — The Adorable Baby Olinguito
Scientists trekking deep in Colombia‘s La Mesenia Reserve Forest recently spotted a young olinguito, a mammal that was just confirmed as a new species in August. Scientists say it is the first new carnivore found in the Western Hemisphere in more than three decades.
The new found baby olinguito, discovered by members of the conservation group SavingSpecies, is about the size of a kitten, so small that it can be grasped in one hand. Photographs of the young creature reveal tiny, curved claws that are useful for climbing trees and textured foot pads that help it grip branches.
While only recently designated as a new species, olinguitos have been hiding in plain sight for a long time. Specimens of the orange-brown creature have been housed in museums for more than a century, mistakenly identified as members of a related group of tree-dwelling mammals known as olingos.
An olinguito misidentified as an olingo even lived in U.S. zoos in the 1960s and 1970s, moving frequently because—not surprisingly—the animal wouldn’t breed with olingos.
It wasn’t until 2006 that a team got their first glimpse of live olinguitos in western Ecuador‘s Otanga Cloud Forest Preserve.
Later genetic analysis revealed that olinguitos are not only different from olingos, but also that there are actually four subspecies of olinguitos in existence. Unlike some other newly discovered species, the olinguito does not appear to be at risk of extinction any time soon.
Scientists estimate that there are probably thousands of the incredibly cute creatures living in the protected mountain habitats of Colombia and Ecuador. (via National Geographic)
Real life teddy bears!
Happy wedding day Emily. #wedding #father #daughter #happy #dancing #evening #latergram #bride
My new baby Stella and a baby elephant! #minicooper #new #car #elephant #graffiti #atlanta #today #clubman #wave thank you @king_egorock for the #picture and driving
