Yes, I've been away again for a while. Halloween came and went with no contest wins for that wonderful Steampunk ensemble. I think the best thing I got was 2nd or 3rd place for Strawberry Shortcake. Thanksgiving came and went.

I made Grandma Davis Cake...

I didn't have enough of either flavor of jelly to "ice" the cake with so I did it half with Scupernog jelly (it's a southern thang) and half with homemade, sugar-free strawberry-fig preserves (it's a family thang.... except I prefer the full-sugar version). It was supposed to be 4 layers, but if I would have put the 4th layer on then the lid to the cake carried wouldn't have fit. I think only 2-3 pieces got eaten. It was very light. But, my friend who was carrying it back to the car when we left tripped and fell and the cake exploded (If I had known how much she had had to drink I would not have given her the cake to carry.... all that work lost to a front lawn).

It called for 2 cups of milk (I've never made a cake with milk). Dad said to use half and half..... so I did.

They barely fit into the oven!

All in all it was a fun experience to make a recipe that has been in my family for over 100 years!

Christmas came and went. Working in a store for a change kept me busy busy busy! Bought a new computer with my Christmas money. Everything runs so much faster and quieter now!!! New Years came and went.... I think I would have had more fun if I would have stayed home.

Then last week, the big ball dropped..... I got laid off! Nearly 11 years with a company and they say "Sorry, there's just no work right now." So, I've been job hunting for a week. Had 2 interviews last Friday. Turned down a second interview that was scheduled for today because I really can't see myself selling AT&T services (even to existing customers) for more than a couple weeks before wanting to jump off a bridge. I want to work with a repeat customer base week after week. I have come to realize that I really valued my regular customers and I will miss them all. So, yesterday and today I decided to really get my Etsy site updated in hopes of bringing in a little money in the mean time. So, when I get back from the gym tonight it will be an evening of photo editing and early morning Etsy posting. Can't sleep late tomorrow because I'm taking my first trip to a food pantry in the morning. Gotta save money wherever possible right now.

Here's what was listed on Etsy last night.

So check out my site if you see something you can't live without!