My Savvy Life This Week - In Stitches & Chocolate

This, the first week of the new year, was bound for greatness!  Having not eaten chocolate for an entire year, as last years New Year's Resolution, was a feat in and of itself and my pre-planned chocolate orgy was to be spectacular! Decadent Chocolate Cake was scheduled to be the centerpiece of this cocoa fete, served hot with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup, supplemented by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Oreos, M&Ms, Stephens Mint Truffle Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Milk and anything else I could find! At exactly 12:00 am and 1 second I planned to dive into my feast and make myself sick if possible.

The Carrot Top eating MY M&Ms 
on the way to the doctor

I was getting things ready when my two year old began to cry out from his bedroom.  Low and behold he had fallen on a toy, rounded none-the-less, and cut his eyelid open.  AHHH!  We rushed him to the Pediatrician who confirmed my little carrot top needed stitches.  Stitches on a 2 year old - not super  fun!  We opted for the numbing gel instead of a shot to avoid as much pain and screaming as possible. After papoosing my baby, he was stitched up and we went back home to get ready for the New Years fun.  We got home, loaded up the rest of the kids and headed off to Provo (via more Walmart 75% off Christmas clearance hunting) when my husband noticed the Houdini had actually pulled out his stitches.

Macgyver & The Carrot Top

Seriously?  You picked out those baby stitches without making a sound - how did you do that?  Another call to the Pediatrician.  Another office visit, after hours this time.  Would he keep the stitches in the doctor asked?  I hope so, I said.  This time we opted for the shot to make things go faster and numb the area better.  You may be thinking - How much fun was stitches the second time around on a 2 year old less than 2 hours after the first go round?  Priceless!  Interestingly enough, 2 year-olds have the memory of an elephant when it comes to doctors and needles - super awesome!  After some more, breaking my heart, pleading momma for help from the carrot top we finished with stitches round two.

Needless to say the cake ingredients remain in my fridge even now.  The moment had passed and then life continued.  In mourning, after having licked a melting Wendy's chocolate Frosty as my first chocolate of the new year, my sweet Macgyver offered to do anything that would make me happy so he dropped me off at good ol' Wallyworld a little after midnight.  Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Attack Icecream in hand (and a few more 75% off clearance items) I tried to find some chocolate joy still left in my heart and headed home.  I must say that even though the night approached and crossed over into dismal at many points...

Chocolate Heaven!

it did have one heavenly moment! And I'm calling a do-over on the chocolate cake this weekend!

FYI - the carrot top pulled out his stitches a second time the next morning.  It had glued itself shut enough to hold so we left it as it (besides the doctor said he had never had to stitch a child up 3 times before and I didn't want to be the first pathetic mom to have to do so).  By Friday the doctor said the stitches could come out so I thought we were home free... that is until he fell tonight and popped it partially back open again! Hope the Band-aid holds long enough.  C'mon, give me a little help here son!

My New Years Resolution this year - nothing fried! And you can bet I ate a super-sized Mcdonalds French Fry with some Hot Mustard dipping sauce Dec. 31st!

A Savvy Tip: How Long Does Chocolate Last?

Ok - I haven't had chocolate in almost a year!! My New Year's Resolution was to not partake of it's luscious goodness for 365 days and I'm almost there - 70 days left to be exact - but who's really counting ;-) I mean it's not like I see chocolate bars in the store and hold them up to my nose, inhaling the inviting aroma that will be mine in less than 1,669 hours. Or even, when I make a sippy cup of chocolate milk that I watch the silky stream of Hershey's syrup slowly pour into that snow white cup of milk as if time were standing still for the next 6,008,400 seconds until that sippy cup will be mine - to heck with the two year old.  Pshhhhhh - no big deal!

Alright - I do have a bag of Reeses Peanut Butter cups hiding in the back of the freezer and I have already planned a massive chocolate attack at 12:00.01 on New Years Eve.  I'm making Decadent Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oreo Shakes and stuffing myself in general with candy bars until I throw up - wanna come? 

You might be thinking about all the chocolate I have already stocked in my cupboards for the night of chocolate wonderment that is about to dawn.  Won't it be too old in a few months to even eat? NO WAY!!  Not only am I stocking up on chocolate for my New Years feast, I'm buying bags of snack size Halloween Candy for Christmas and Easter!  Halloween candy is running between $0.74-$1.00 a bag on sale with coupons and will certainly last at a premium quality for that long - I do it every year.  Stockings and baskets stuffed with discount chocolate love - what could be better? (Hope I didn't ruin that one for the believers ;-)


Many years ago I heard Martha Stewart say that milk chocolate will stay at a premium for 6-9 months, meaning no change in taste.  Dark chocolate, if stored in low humidity can actually be kept for years!  Freezing chocolate will change its appearance so if looks matter - don't freeze, just store your chocolate in a cool, dark place (like the back of your dresser drawer or under your side of the bed).  Once again Martha - you are amazing!  Not only can you make my holiday table shine with pizazz, you can make my mouth shine with happiness.

Right now is the perfect time to buy a few extra bags of M&M minis, Snickers, Twix or my favorite, Reeses PB Cups.  They're cheap and they'll make a cheap holiday filler! (or just raid the kids Halloween bag when they're not looking.  They'll never know it's recycled candy, plus you can spread the cavities out over a few months! [Insert evil laugh here] - I do it every year!)