Chocolates!!!

My daughter is visiting for Christmas. She has turned the kitchen into a chocolates factory! Some bittersweet chocolate, a bunch of semi-sweet, some milk chocolate, and a little white chocolate. Plus centers of unusual flavors, such as lemon-pear, apricot-ginger, bellini, carmelized apple calvados, cherry, raspberry, blackberry, blood-orange, grand-marnier, amaretto-almond, peanut butter, and carmel: plus dipped pretzels, apricots, peanutbutter pretzels, cherries, carmelled pecans, and candied ginger. Mmmm, does the house ever smell great! Good thing we had one long counter made instead of breaking it up with the sink (the sink is in the corner).

RANT: Today I received the last order from my lab, but not in time to deliver. Apparently there are multiple trucks delivering for FedEx Ground here, because we received one package just fine; but the important one for my customer (wall and panel portraits) didn't come; then I checked and it said they attempted delivery (NOT - we were here!!!). So I phoned FedEx and a very nice lady helped me and got the dispatcher to get the driver back here TODAY, because they weren't going to try again till next week! Turns out, he admitted he didn't get out of the truck, assumed we were closed, didn't go to the door where a sign says to ring doorbell, yes he knows we have a waiver that he can leave packages without a signature but he didn't want to try that for Christmas. Well, having to come back probably cost him about 40 minutes of time for his shift. Aaarrrrrrgggghh! It was too late to deliver to my customer by then because she had left for MS, but at least I have it and it's not another five days who-knows-where!!!

Yesterday I received the order with the young soldier who is being stationed in Alaska in January. We weren't sure his photos could be done and back before Christmas, but they were! Mom is *very* happy!!!

Tonight we are going to find a Christmas Eve service. I grew up Lutheran and it seems very strange for me in my current church to be *done* several days before *the day* itself. But it is a wonderful church. However, Christmas Eve services and carols really focus me for Christmas.

I thoroughly enjoy being a photographer. Families are important to me, and portraits are treasure in future years. I am always happy when my customers are pleased even more than they had hoped!