Favors, Favors, Favors

I tried to post all weekend, but there wasn't a long enough stretch where I didn't have chocolate on my hands or pretzel bits on my clothing. That's right, it was favor-palooza at the A household this weekend. I had (childishly) assumed that I'd be done with the dipping on Saturday and the wrapping would commence on Sunday. Actually, there were a number of incorrect assumptions related to this weekend:

1) That dipping 600 pretzel sticks would take only a portion of a day instead of a total of two

2) That I had enough counter space in my apartment to lay 600 of anything flat to dry

3) That a candy squeeze bottle would make white chocolate easier to spread

4) That they wouldn't turn out as cute as they did

Let's start from the beginning, shall we? I wanted to have some form of favor at the wedding, but I wanted it to be edible so it was something people could enjoy and move on from instead of packing into their suitcases or leaving in bulk at the reception. Cookies!, I thought, only to find out that ordered cookies would run about $3.95 per cookie (you do the math) and that there was no way I could bake enough the night before, which is the only way I could ensure they'd be fresh.

So I moved on, thinking I could surely come up with something else just as fabulous. And I think I did: Chocolate-dipped pretzel rods with white chocolate drizzle. Pretzel? Pretty much stale bread. Chocolate? Always a winner. So I dipped and drizzled and wrapped and packed until, quite literally, my back hurt (from squeezing the white chocolate from the tiny bottle in which I melted it) and my hand ached (from--get this--holding the cup of chocolate I was dipping the rods into).

But you know what? I was happy. I've loved doing little things for our guests, things that they might never notice or pick up on, but that I feel good having given to them. The pretzels didn't cost much. In fact, the biggest expense was probably the air-tight bin I picked up to hold them in until the wedding, but it was a great excuse for me to think about the wedding for about six hours straight... ok, more like 10 scattered over two days. Plus, I was covered in chocolate, and what's a good Sunday without a little chocolate coating?

The wedding is THIS Saturday and I couldn't be more excited. Tonight I'm packing, cleaning, and nabbing all those little loose ends with B, who arrives in town tonight. I can't wait to give him a hug! It's been, I think, three weeks since I've seen him. Normally I know exactly how long it's been, but let's just say there have been other countdowns on my mind.