I think I am officially dubbing today advent calendar day here on my little blog. For starters, here is a little printable from the archives. Click here to print an advent on sticky notes that works great in a stack, in sack lunches, or anywhere else you can think of.

Stay tuned for more today.

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Hello fellow chocolate fans.

I have a little something I have been antsy to share with you for some time.

I’d like to introduce you to Ticket Chocolate’s first-ever eating chocolate.

We call them our Beloved Bars.

Each chocolate bar is a tribute to a Beloved food. A dish that has meant something big in my life. You know how certain dishes are just that way?

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The Waffle Pecan Bar

The Hazelnut Cherry Stuffing Bar

The Grasshopper Pie Bar

The Roasted Chestnut Bar

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We spent the better part of the summer working these out (me and our amazing kitchen staff, who are honest-to-goodness artisans. And also patient, patient people.)

I even dusted off my old high school art supplies to create our matchbook covers.

(don’t judge. it’s been a few years : )

Each bar is hand built

to be something pretty wonderful.

Or at least I think so.

I hope you do too.

p.s. I am fully fascinated by food stories. Do you have a beloved food? I would love to hear about it, and hear the story behind it. Stop by our flavors page some time and scroll to the bottom to share.

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Earlier this year I threw a combined birthday Harry Potter party for about 40 kiddos that turned out to be seriously low-stress. Maybe I’m starting to get the hang of this party thing? I’d better not get too sure.

I have been wanting to share a few pics with you for some time, and thought will all the spooks and tricks and treats around the corner, now would be the perfect time

To be fully honest, the invites were probably the biggest time splurge. But invites are my favorite. I used glassine envelopes (I bought from here), confetti, and an invite and label using a font I found here.

We decided the main even was going to need to be a game of Quidditch. Obviously. We managed a few successful brooms (we made brooms only for our “seekers”) out of pool noodles wrapped in fleece and tied off with yarn. Easy peasy.

We decided on chocolate frogs in place of cake. I used this mold and did my own version of a cake pop, just not the pop part. Just drizzle a little chocolate (or confectioner’s chocolate melty if you don’t want to worry about chocolate bloom), and tap it around to coat the frogs. Once it cools, squish in some cake pop filling, and drizzle a little more chocolate over to make the bottom of the frog. I dropped these guys in a takeout box and closed with a ribbon and a label.

I totally cheated on butter beer. Cream soda + a drizzle of Wilton butter flavoring I had left over. All the kids were thrilled.

Quiddich was a hit. I picked up a couple bludgers for us to toss at the kids while they played, and we decided on a few quaffles to keep things really hopping, which I got from the dollar store. The hoops were about as simple as it gets, pool noodles threaded onto a piece of hose that we screwed into a 2×4. We assigned a couple seekers per game, and sent them off searching for a golden easter eggs (we’d hid several before the party started). And hid a Harry Potter joke inside they got to read when opening it.

We ended the party with a book exchange, which turned out at least as good as I could have ever imagined.

The kids left happy and worn out, with some new reading material. Mission accomplished.

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UPDATE: All REQUESTS to be a taster must be RECEIVED BY 7:00 PM (PST) tonight.

I am feeling jolly.

We have a couple holiday hot chocolate flavors we’ve been working on for months that are, at long last, almost ready for the shop.

We are on the verge of finalizing recipes, we just need some final input.

So we were wondering, would you be up for taste testing for us?

Taste testing would go a little something like last year.

Just leave a comment here if you are feeling so kind as to volunteer your palate,

or stop by our facebook page and volunteer.

Let us know if you are a dark or milk chocolate fan, or if you are willing to taste both. Or let us know if a friend will be tasting along side of you. Tonight we’ll pick a handful of tasters from those who are willing and we’ll pack up some samples and get some chocolate on your doorstep.

Thanks for considering.

NOTE: THE TIME FOR SUBMITTING REQUESTS HAS ENDED. THANK YOU!

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Sweater weather is here. It’s official.

I love the change in seasons. Love pulling out my favorite sweaters and my favorite mug and my cozy winter bedding.

Over at Ticket Chocolate, we decided to put together a little something to celebrate fall that I think you’re going to like.

This week, and this week only, we will be awarding one winner

a $100 GIFT CARD to any Select Registry Inn, to be used at any of the almost 400 independent inns in the US and Canada that are members of Select Registry. (Only the finest independent inns are part of Select Registry, and you’ll understand why after you read this).

and a $50 GIFT CARD for Ticket Chocolate (plus a bonus chocolate sampler).

All you need to do is start planning your dream getaway on Pinterest.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Follow Ticket Chocolate on Pinterest via HERE.

2. Follow Select Registry on Pinterest via HERE.

3. Pin the chocolate! Pin one or more Ticket Chocolate hot chocolate Ticket Sticks you want to taste, from ticketchocolate.com. Include #TicketFallGetaway in the description of each pin.

4. Pin the inns! Pin one or more Select Registry inns you want to visit, from selectregistry.com. Include #TicketFallGetaway in the description of each pin.

5. Email us at connect@ticketchocolate.com to let us know you’ve completed everything above. Or come back to this post and leave a comment.

Inns pictured from here 1, 2, 3, 4. Chocolate pictured from here 1, 2, 3, 4.

All entries are due by Friday, October 19, 2012. | One lucky winner will be announced Monday, October 22, 2012 on Ticket Chocolate’s Favorite Sweater board. | The winner will receive (1) $50 Ticket Chocolate gift card, (1)Ticket Chocolate hot chocolate sampler, (1) $100 Select Registry gift card, and (1) Select Registry guidebook. | NO Purchase Necessary. Open only to residents of the 50 United States | and D.C., 18 years of age and older. ENDS: Friday, October 19, 2012.

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Yesterday here felt like fall.

Glorious fall.

So I thought I’d share a few fall favorites from the archives to send you on your sweater-and-boot-wearing, leaf-changing, blustery, cozy way this weekend.

My favorite, tried and true homemade caramel recipe.

Mini caramel apples + notes on making the perfect caramel apple.
Pumpkin printables available right here.
Chili. And cornbread. In a jar.
Fall care package.
And another care package idea, and Pumpin Pie Milkshake recipe.
And a simple project to keep you cozy this fall. I’m thinking I need one in black and orange. go giants.

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This weekend I am planning to update my handmade holiday checklist. Because Christmas somehow is just over 12 weeks away (i am gasping in astonishment right…now).

Some of you have let me know in comments that, like me, you have OCD tendencies that would make you appreciate the checklist that much better if the dates on each week jived with this year’s calendar. Afterall, I think it is the OCD in me that gets jazzed about a good checklist in the first place. So I will share as soon as it is updated.

And while we are talking about comments, thank you for your amazing comments on yesterday’s post. I was totally wrapped up in reading them. Thanks for the heart to heart.

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I heard this once on a lecture from here and it never left my mind (if anyone else has heard this and knows the exact lecture, please tell so I can give credit!)

a market need + your knack (or ability) = a job that will make you some bucks, but maybe not make you satisfied

your interests + a market need = fun job that may never take off

your interests + your knack = a hobby

 + + + + + +

but

your interests + your knack + a market need = magic. this is where you find your career. your contribution.

I’ve been thinking about this lately, and also been thinking how this piece of my life sort of shifts the whole equation:

What are your thoughts? Have you ever taken low pay to do something you love? Have you ever made bank at a job that you couldn’t bring yourself to enjoy? Is a job even a place to to look for satisfaction? What about life balance? Would love to hear what you’re thinking.

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Have you been by Glad’s Mom Made site?

I’ve been stopping by lately, and last month I was eating up the tips from Amy Clark of MomAdvice and loving her PDQ pasta recipe.

If you have a moment today, head over. You’ll find me there all month sharing organizing tips, printables, and a slew of other favorites. And if you’d like to keep tabs on Glad, including keeping up with their awesome Cookies for Kids’ Cancer program, you can follow along right here on facebook.

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