Obsessions

When I like something, I don't just "like it." I either get into something full force, or not at all. Such has been the "liking" of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. It's just one of the best things about North Carolina, specifically Winston-Salem. I am ever grateful for Vernon Rudolph who started selling the dessert in Old Salem in 1937. What a grand idea.

Fast forward to my first doughnuts....and vacation morning breakfasts, every project in high school regardless of subject, the birthday I received stock & became a part owner, the countless late night talks, the freshman hall theme that I oversaw, the cup of glaze that I froze, staring at doughnuts on the "glazy" river...I could go on & on & on.
So, of course, when Josh & I started dating, doughnuts were a part of our relationship. For example, one time we spent an entire date night making incredible desserts out of doughnuts. This was one of them (a Krispy Kreme strawberry shortcake):
And after he proposed to me, we went to Krispy Kreme before coming back to the dinner he had made for us.

Because I've been obsessed with Krispy Kreme since my toddler years, the one thing I had planned about my wedding before I was ever even engaged is that I wanted to have a Krispy Kreme cake. After thinking of the idea, I later came across the Occasions brochure with some small Krispy Kreme cakes made by local bakeries. When the time for our wedding came, I decided it would be even more memorable if I built the cake myself. Why leave all the fun up to a caterer?!?

The summer before the wedding, I was working at NC Governor's School in Winston-Salem. While I was an RA in the dorms, I had an excuse to buy several dozen doughnuts "for the residents." I was able to experiment with different ways of stacking doughnuts before presenting the doughnuts to the dorm. This would be the only "practice run" in building a small doughnut cake. We couldn't buy hundreds of doughnuts again just to practice! This made my mom nervous, but even if the actual cake was a "flop," we would have Krispy Kreme. If worse came to worse, I was willing to just pass out doughnuts and not have a true wedding cake!

Luckily, my dad is an engineer, so I convinced him to help me with my project. We sat down with graphing paper (of course) and sketched out a drawing of the cake. We decided on 5 white tiers, edged with black satin ribbon and decorated with pearl button pushpins. The cake needed to look classy since our wedding was going to be an evening military wedding. I decided on using all original glaze to keep the look uniform.
The tiers would be stacked, one atop another, in descending size. We used glass vases as columns in between the tiers, and we filled the columns with white string lights. On the top tier, we planned for a vase of tall white gladiolas. The bridesmaids bouquets of white tulips wrapped in black satin ribbon and pearl pushpins would surround the cake at the reception.

I placed the order for 50 dozen doughnuts a few months before the wedding. When the day finally came, we picked up the doughnuts after the rehearsal dinner.

The morning of the wedding, bridesmaids, friends, and family headed to the country club for decorating and the long-awaited cake building. But, when we arrived, I decided the only person helping me build would be my dad! Everyone else watched as dad and I began stacking the doughnuts. The doughnuts were placed on the outside of the columns and were stacked like bricks: each layer was offset by 1/2 of a doughnut. Our graph had worked out perfectly. We had estimated just the right number of doughnuts per tier.
After the wedding ceremony, the celebration began at the reception. The cake was a hit, but wasn't surprising to all my friends and family. They knew it was exactly what I had wanted to do for years! When the time came to cut the cake, Josh and I had to use a sword, as the military tradition goes. We speared one of the top doughnuts for the "cutting of the cake" and then ate our first doughnut off of the military sword. TOO COOL!

So, like I said, I'm not too good at just "liking" things. Go big or go home. And pick up a Krispy Kreme along the way.

Winter Weather

Yeah, yeah...so I know it's been since this summer since I posted. That's what happens when you start traveling and then school starts back.

Life recently looks like this:

So, I've been dreaming of summer days that looked like this:

I really had been wishing for snow this summer, especially after seeing all the NC Christmas Day snow posts. Their snow was SO beautiful. It just looked so calm and peaceful- a winter wonderland with white trees and deer tracks. Well, we have our snow! Blizzard 2011 followed by Snow storm #2, complete with thundersnow and 40+ mph winds with blowing snow and -20 wind chill. How peaceful. Thank youuuuuu, Oklahoma! :)

But, I was able to have lots of quiet time around our little house. I did all sorts of paperwork and schoolwork that needed to be done...and managed to find more EVERY DAY. I don't know if it's me or the job, but there's always something to be done. And sometimes, it's not school work.

For example,

I did a little vacation planning for our trip to San Fran this summer. Restaurants bookmarked, hotels scouted, etc. I thought about other summer fun such as redesigning our living room, getting a puppy, and making curtains.

Of course, I cooked. Tried looking at the "I have one egg left in the fridge" as a sign from God not to bake. But then the roads cleared before storm #2 and I saw THAT as a sign from God to go get more.

Watched so much NCAA basketball. We don't have cable so thank goodness for ESPN3 that I rely on for my favorite time of year. We know ACC games aren't going to be local here in OKC, so I would have been driving ol' Shifty the F150 all over town trying to find THAT place that would let me change the channel. (Not that I haven't done that before...so. many. times.) All for Duke basketball. CRAZY WIN THIS WEEK. (can't stand UNC.)

I read my magazines. Each year the music department at DC does a magazine sale as a fundraiser. I kindly take the time to support...and buy magazines that I don't have time to read. But I read them ALL this month! I just love Southern Living. Great recipes, great houses, great local info...& all in the south.

Also read more of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Found the chapter on the "Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes" very interesting. Maybe I'll talk more about that in a later blog.

I watched a documentary on the making of Steinways. I know, it's somewhat work related, but I truly love music, and absolutely love pianos. So, here's to Note by Note, and it's wonderful work in tracking the creation and life of Steinway L1037.

AND...the proudest moment of the snow break. I sewed. This is a monumental moment in my life, folks. Made something with cloth and thread and a sewing machine. And the world isn't coming to an end.

My dad's response? "Help me out, here. Is this really my daughter? The I 'don't want to take any elective that has ANYTHING to do with cooking or sewing' daughter?" Well, Dad, I've grown up a little and learned that cooking and sewing have their place. I took all music electives in high school...and college...and grad school. So now, all my free time is spent in music. Careers in music & education don't usually allow for much free time, so put the two together, and you get a life with no life outside of music education. BUT, throw in a huge winter storm, and you might actually get real free time. In which case, I have to find hobbies for myself, right?! Last year, I found out that I love cooking, especially with chef Josh in the house. And today, I found out that I hate sewing but that I somehow found satisfaction in completing an apron after 6 hours of rethreading a sewing machine approximately 54 times. sigh.

At least a day full of ESPN basketball was on in the background.

p.s. OHIO STATE lost. I'm getting excited for March.