#personalized frosted plastic cups wedding

[customprintingcups]

Custacup-Personalized Frosted Plastic Cups for Any Occasion-Shop Customized Frosted Plastic Cups Today

Elevate your events with Custacup's customized frosted plastic cups. Perfect for weddings, parties, and businesses, our personalized frosted plastic cups add a touch of elegance to any occasion. Order now!

[sprnklersplashes]

heart of stone (17/?)

AO3

Janis doesn’t remember falling asleep, but when she wakes up the TV is off and her tray table is cleared. A soft moan escapes her lips as she stretches, her legs shifting against the mattress and her hand dragging down her face, her mind still almost asleep and wanting to stay there. Her body fights to stay awake, trying to pull her to consciousness, but it’s like pulling yourself out of quicksand. It doesn’t take long at all for her to give in and pull the blankets tighter around her, her hand drifting to the back of her neck-

That gets her up, even if she’s not entirely sure why it did at first. She lays there, frowning in confusion and wondering why something isn’t right. She looks at her surroundings, checking them off one by one, but nothing clicks with her, not until she pushes herself up and runs her hand over her head. That’s when reality shoves her in the chest, the touch cold and cruel and hard, winding her.

She doesn’t remember what she was dreaming about, but she had hair in it.

“Jesus Christ,” she mutters. She kicks the covers off and pulls her knees close to her chest. Her body is still stiff and sore from sleep and her eyes are still heavy and her vision half-blurred. She buries her face in her hand and pulls at the skin, nails digging in like she can take growing lump of self-pity and rip it out with her bare hands. She swallows down whatever pathetic cry was building in her throat and looks out the window instead, out at grey sky hanging over the parking lot and down to the ant-sized people walking around the parking lot and beyond. She leans forward on her elbow and blinks away sleep. They’re saying it’s set to start snowing soon and judging by the colour of those clouds and the frost creeping up her windowpane, that might be sooner than she thinks. A thrill of excitement runs up her spine, and a slow roll of disappointment crushes it. It may well snow, but who knows what kind of state she’ll be in when it does?

“Morning.”

“Oh my god!”

Well, there’s one way to be woken up, she thinks as her heart rate triples and she nearly hits the ceiling from jumping so high. The whole hospital probably just heard that. She predicts that in thirty seconds there will be a team of nurses flooding in, her concerned mother with them, all expecting to see her in the foetal position in the corner.

When she turns around, to her surprise, she finds Damian standing in the doorway, cup in his hand and a sheepish expression on his face. She turns to face him, blinking once, twice, just to make sure she isn’t still dreaming. She goes through the week in her head, trying to work out why and how he came to be here, anxiety ticking upwards.

“Were we…” she begins. “Were we meant to hang out today?”

“Oh, no,” he says with a shake of his head. “No, don’t worry kid.” She shifts then, her hands half-clasped in her lap and the frown not leaving her face.

“So… and I mean this with all the love in my heart,” she asks. “What are you doing here?”

“I just…” His smile just about wavers on his face and he shrugs. “I was in the neighbourhood.”

“You live half an hour away,” she reminds him dryly.

“Okay, okay,” he replies. His voice is strained, tired even, and there’s a flicker of guilt in her chest. “I… just missed you, I guess. I mean I know I saw you yesterday, but I missed you. Still.” He closes the looks down at the cup in his hand and swirls his around. “I went to go get some tea from the machine and when I came back, you were up. Is it a bad time? I mean, it probably is-”

“No, Damian, it isn’t.” She almost admits that it isn’t ideal either, but she bites her tongue and holds it back. It isn’t ideal, not when she’s just barely woken up and she only feels like half of a person, but he doesn’t need to hear that. Not when, judging by his face, he already feels bad enough. And honestly… she missed him too. Especially when he was by her side almost every day since they met. Only seeing him once a week feels wrong somehow, and so any visit, even when she’s not feeling herself, is a welcome one.

With a soft smile, she pushes herself off the bed and motions for him to sit down. She slips in beside him, her legs falling over his and trapping him on the chair before he can attempt to move. Then she throws her arm around his shoulders and tilts his face to look at her, squishing his cheek to lighten the mood. “It’s not a bad time. You could never be.”

“Aw.” He grins, lighting up the room as he does so, and pokes her cheek in return. “You’re sweet.”

“Mm, I have to be every once in a while. Otherwise I’m just an asshole with a sense of humour and great legs.” He chuckles at that and she feels it against her. Their bodies are so tightly pressed together they’re practically the same person, and she’s reminded of when they were still in middle school, having sleepovers where they would lie side-by-side on the couch. They never stopped being affectionate with each other, but they were never quite as intimate that way again until now. It’s a good feeling, and one she hadn’t known she missed. “So, what’s the haps? Oh, winter talent show, isn’t that around the corner?”

“Sign-up sheet is up already,” he tells her. “You’ll never, ever guess what the Plastics signed up to do.”

“Oh God,” she scoffs. “Well, I guess it’s their last year. It would be rude to break tradition. I take it Cady’s doing it with them?”

“They are,” he says. He opens his mouth and closes it again, and despite the lack of spoken words she hears all she needs to, a silent ‘they didn’t tell you’ hanging between them. “They still need a fourth person. Regina said she wants them to start rehearsing soon. Hopefully, this year runs a lot more smoothly than last year’s.”

“Are you doing an act?” she asks. “I think you should.”

“I don’t know. Although I was talking to Aaron and he said I should do a Cabaret number just to show the drama club what they’re missing,” he jokes. “I told him that’s too petty.”

“Not petty enough. Do a lap dance in front of the director. And make it your college audition.”

“You know someone on the Reddit forums said they did and they got into Elon with it.”

“I would check the verification of that,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “Not because I think it’s not true, but because I so desperately want it to be.” He laughs and whispers ‘okay’ at that before the smile melts from his face, revealing something a little more serious beneath it.

“Sorry I scared you,” he says. “I came in and you were asleep, and your mom said I could wait around if I wanted.” He shrugs. “She went to go stretch her legs. It that was a while ago, but I told her I could hold it down here.”

“It’s fine,” she says and waves her hand to prove it. “She needs some alone time anyway. Although I’m very curious as to how long you sat there and watched me sleep.” The corner of her mouth turns up into a grin. “Pervert.”

“I didn’t watch you sleep I read the magazine your mom left here,” he says before he consults his watch. “And it wasn’t even ten minutes.”

“Mm, you say that.” She leans her head on his shoulder and snuggles further into him. It’s not perfect; her knees smack into his chest and narrowly avoid his face, but it’s okay. “We probably should have taken the bed.”

“Oops,” is all he replies and it gets her bursting into laughter. “Eh, this feels more right. More organic.”

“More gay,” she finishes.

“Eh, that too,” he shrugs. “Plus I think this chair and I are permanently bonded now.”

“I’ll send out the wedding invites,” she jokes. She finds a semi-comfortable position with her head propped up on her elbow and her legs draped over the other side of the chair and as she does, an idea sparks up in her mind. “Hey… maybe I could go to the talent show.”

“What?”

“It was one conversation topic ago,” she says. ��But the school talent show. Well… maybe I could go.” She inspects her nails. “I mean, it’s not definite. But it would be fun. Especially if you decided to do a funky little Broadway medley.” He grins, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes and she feels her stomach do a turn.

“I mean… I’d love that,” he says. “But… are you sure you’d be able to? I mean, isn’t you being here kind of a permanent thing?”

“It’s not like I’m quarantined, Damian.” It’s only after she said it that she realises how harsh she sounds. She swears that it sounded nicer in her head. Damian blinks slowly as her words turn into dust and settle over them, and all she can do is bite her tongue and attempt to work out where the hell that came from. She shakes her head, a short, quick breath escaping her, and smiles. “Besides, even if I was I’d break out for you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he says.

“But it should be fine,” she says. “You know, be back by a certain time. Don’t stay out too much, have my mom on speed dial. And it’s not like we’d be walking around a lot. Besides, we go out all the time?”

“We?” he asks, his eyebrow raised.

“Me and the cancer crew,” she explains. “We’re allowed out as long as we’re supervised and back in time for our chemo. In fact, we’re going to this concert next month.”

“A concert?” he echoes, equally disbelieved.

“Yeah. I mean it’s not something I’d usually be into. It’s that Jingle Ball concert, which isn’t really my thing, but the cancer fund secured a bunch of free tickets. And it’s in some private box. And….” She leans in close, her voice a low, husky whisper to add to the dramatic effect. “A minibar.”

“Oh and I’m sure that’ll go over great with all you underage kids.”

“Yeah,” she grimaces. “But it’s still cool to have. But anyway the point is yes, I am allowed to leave. Thank God. I think I’d go insane if I had to say cooped up in here 24/7.” She shudders at the thought of spending every minute of every day inside these walls. The deal she has right now is bad enough for her. “There would most definitely be a bloodbath at some point.”

“Well that’s a beautiful image,” he says, his eyes going wide as he pictures it too. Janis hides her chuckle behind her hand. “Load of sick children trying to murder each other with their bare hands.

“Don’t be fooled, some of us are very scrappy,” she says. “Anyway, I’ll ask my mom about me going to the talent show. And my doctor, too.” She hesitates then, studying him out of the corner of her eye and gauging his reactions. “If…. That’s okay with you?”

“Okay with me?” he echoes. “Of course it’s okay.” He grins at her then, and it puts her at ease completely. She feels silly for even worrying, even if it was just for a minute. Why would he not be okay with it? “I’d need my biggest fan in the audience.”

“Cady looks cute as shit in that Santa outfit,” she says. “I need to see her in it up close.”

“You already saw her in it last year.”

“Yeah but we weren’t dating last year,” she reminds him. “And also I hated Regina last year, so I kept my distance. And I still hate her, of course. But you know. We’re all friends, I guess.” Damian hums in agreement. She almost opens her mouth to say something else, but she’s too preoccupied by what she just said. That she hated Regina last year and that she still does. The former is true, but the latter? For some reason she isn’t so sure. She may dislike her still, but would she really have called her in her weakest moment if she hated her?

“I’m sure I’ll be able to slip away for an hour,” she says. She shakes her head slightly, trying to clear her head, and hopes Damian doesn’t see. “If nothing else I want to see if they can pull it off without me set designing.”

“You are such a freaking Scorpio you know that?” he scoffs. No sooner has he said it than he gasps loudly, his hand slapping her leg with a loud, loud thwack and likely leaving a little red mark. She rubs the spot and glares at him, even if he’s oblivious to it, hoping to get an explanation. “Your birthday! Your birthday’s coming up.”

“Oh. Yeah.” She shifts in the seat slightly. “That.” Damian looks at her expectantly, his mouth falling into a small ‘oh’, and she just shrugs back at him. “I mean, you’re right. My birthday is soon.” It’s just over a week away actually, not that she’s counting.

“And?” he asks. “We haven’t even started planning yet. What kind of cake do you want? What do you want?”

“You don’t need to get me presents,” she sighs, rolling her eyes. She avoids his gaze entirely, instead focussing on the back of the chair and pulling at lose threads on it. “I mean… it’s fine. I haven’t thought about it a lot.” She pulls harder, the treads making sharp sounds as she pulls them out. “I don’t…. I’m not sure about my birthday this year.”

Damian opens his mouth, the word ‘why’ ready on his lips, but it dies in less than a second and he takes in the room as though he’s seeing it for the first time. She doesn’t blame him, not entirely. Sometimes it’s easy to forget, a combination of old habits dying hard and of conversation taking them away from here, making her feel almost normal again. She smiles to herself, soft and a little bitter, and runs her nails along the back of the chair.

“You sure?” he asks. “I mean I know it’s different this year…. But you only turn 18 once.” He nudges her with his shoulder. “Besides, as the second born in the group, you’ll be setting the precedent for everyone else.”

“I miss when I was the oldest,” she jokes. Back when it was just him and her, and when it was him, her and Cady, she was always the first birthday. Now they’ve melded with the Plastics and Regina’s July birthday has outshone hers. At least she got to go to her party this year. It wasn’t too bad, although she and Cady did end up sneaking out early and making use of the hammock in Regina’s back yard.

Maybe if the topic comes up, she’ll ask her parents for a hammock.

“I just want you to enjoy yourself,” he says after a while. His face is soft when he looks at her, soft and completely vulnerable. It’s one of the many things she loves about him, that unironic earnest manner of his. It’s why she feels the safest with him. The corner of his mouth turns upwards. “Just because you’re in a hospital doesn’t mean you can’t party. And we want to celebrate you.” She raises her eyebrows at him. “Well, I do. And Cady definitely does. And Karen probably just wants cake.” She slaps his head lightly, her touch careful, knowing from experience that being slapped hurts more with a shaved head. But her heart is warm and growing to twice its size, and she needs to take a minute just to compose herself before thinking on anything else.

He’s not the first to being up her birthday. Her mom’s brought it up twice now and both times she’s dodged the topic with as much grace as she can muster and her mom seems to have gotten the hint. It’s not that she doesn’t want to do anything, on the contrary, she wants to do a lot. She had started gathering ideas for her 18th birthday during the summer, gathering inspiration on Pinterest boards and then going to check prices. She didn’t have a concrete idea, but she had hoped a chocolate fountain was involved. It would most likely devolve into a sleepover with Cady and Damian (if her mom would allow a sleepover with her girlfriend). She had other ideas too; maybe a movie marathon, or bowling, or both, and loads of pizza and popcorn and a chocolate fountain and not actually sleeping until the early hours of the morning. The she got cancer, and the plans went out of the window.

The bottom line of it all is, she has no idea what type of day her birthday will be. If she’ll be up and running around and feeling mostly fine or if she’ll start it with her head bent over a toilet and have it all go downhill from there. And the last thing she wants to do is hang plans on something only for it to go south. To have all her friends over and for her to not be here, not really. But Damian’s planted the idea in her head now, and her mind won’t let it go.

“I appreciate that, Damian,” she says quietly. She gives a shrug, a cheeky grin on her face. “And who knows? Maybe we could do something.”

“Really?”

“I said maybe,” she reminds him firmly. Nothing is set in stone either way and that’s the best way to handle anything now. The finer details are a bridge she can cross closer to the time, she decides. It’s the easiest way to not get hurt, and also to make sure no-one else gets let down. For now she smushes her cheek against his shoulder and smiles. “Thanks for coming over by the way.”

“Aww.” He runs his knuckles up and down her arm. “Anything for you, mon Cherie.”

Damian sticks around for almost an hour, the two of them spending the time flicking through the TV and deciding to move to the bed after fifteen minutes, when he says he can’t feel his leg any more. He fills her in on more of the school stuff she’s missed, the news getting more and more mundane until he reaches topics she’s already heard. She doesn’t tell him that though. At some point, she entertains the idea of taking him down to the longue and the two of them commandeering the better TV in there, maybe introducing him to some people, but not two seconds later she pushes it away, suddenly shaken by it. She doesn’t know why, but the idea of introducing Damian to her cancer friends doesn’t sit well with her.

“Thanks for coming over,” she says again, her voice soft and cracking as she does so. She punches his shoulder gently. “I missed you.”

“Sorry I crashed your nap,” he replies, nodding over in the direction of the bed. Janis frowns and follows his gaze. When she looks back at him, he only shrugs awkwardly, his frame almost too big for the door, a guilty expression on his face. “You know… just if I’d known you were asleep I wouldn’t have come over.”

“What? No, Damian.” She shakes her head, her hand halfway extended towards him. “No it’s fine. Besides, it was nice to wake up to you.” She grins. “After the heart attack you gave me.”

“Yeah I’m sorry about that too,” he adds, but there’s more of a smile on his face now. She stretches up on her toes and hugs him tightly, letting him know it’s fine. It’s all fine, really. And while he can’t see her face, she lets out a small exhale, her face scrunching just a little as she thinks about it more. He missed her, and he came all this way to see her. She thinks that maybe she shouldn’t be so surprised at this, not anymore, but here she is.

Her mom is sitting in the chair when she returns to her room, her glasses perched on the end of her nose and her phone screen reflected in them. She sees from the reflection it’s Solitaire and she guesses by her mom’s face that it’s not going well.

“He’s gone home,” she says by way of greeting. She flops onto her bed and ends up in some half-sitting half lounging position, her knees against her chest.  She looks at her mom out of the corner of her eye, watching her expression barely changing. Must be a hard game.

“How is he?” she asks, half distracted.

“He’s good,” she says. She ducks her head and if she had hair still, it would hide the smile on her face. “It was fun. We had fun.”

“Well that’s good,” she says, still not putting the phone down but her eyes moving over to her. Janis looks down and picks at the sheets, her legs crossed and she bites the inside of her cheek, the elephant in the room nudging her repeatedly with its trunk until she takes a deep breath just to shut it up.

“Pity I was conked out when he came in,” she says. “That must have been awkward.”

“A little,” she admits. That’s when she puts the phone down and looks at her, her eyes all soft. “He didn’t mind sticking around though.” Janis’ heart warms at that even more than it already was.

“He wouldn’t,” she whispers fondly. She picks up the remote and leans back on the pillows, a small grunt escaping her. Her mom’s ears-fine turned at this point-prick up and she looks over at her, closing the cover on her phone.

“You feeling okay?” her mom asks.

“Fine,” she says tightly. She shifts around on the bed, trying to find a position that’s comfortable. At some point when Damian was here, she had felt a wave of nausea roll over her and while he had provided a good distraction-and was fine with the two of them just sitting on the bed-now it seems determined to make its presence known. On the plus side, she’s almost certain she’s not going to throw up (not that there’s anything to throw up), but that doesn’t stop the feeling of something clawing its way up her throat. “Mom could you get me some water?”

“Yeah, yeah sure sweetheart.” About five seconds, if even, pass between her asking and her mom thrusting the glass of water in her hands. She stays by Janis’ side as she drinks it, her fingers against her temple. Janis feels the weight of her eyes on her and if she didn’t already feel heavily uncomfortable, she does now.

“Mom?” she begins. Her mom’s eyes light up, her lips moving in a wordless ‘yeah?’. “I’m okay. You can go sit down. Really.” Her mom nods and pats her head before she goes. She even makes a show of taking out her phone and looking at it, although one eye always remains on her.

She doesn’t feel any better by that evening either, despite having spent most of the day laying around in her pyjamas. So in addition to feeling sick, she actually feels pretty gross too. Her clothes stick to her body, top clinging to her spine and her pants twisted around her legs. The invisible feeling slithers over her skin, that feeling of inactivity and laziness, that, even if she knows it isn’t her fault, makes her disgusted with herself. She tosses a pen between her hands just to give her body something to do, lest she slip even lower.

“Hey.” Her mom taps her hand. “I take it you’re not up for going down to the cafeteria.”

“Nope,” she responds. She might be able to make it down there, but she may throw herself across the first empty table she sees. Her mom nods, her hand starting to curl around hers. “You go on, I’ll be okay.” She waves the TV remote. “I’ve got Jeopardy! to keep me company. There’s probably a good movie on tonight too.”

“Okay. What do you want me to bring you up?” she asks. “Pretty sure they’re doing that mac and cheese tonight. I might get that for myself too.”

Despite her mom’s enthusiasm, Janis shakes her head, her jaw clenching at the idea of eating anything.

“I don’t want anything,” she mumbles and the minute she says it she braces herself for the reaction. She makes a bet with herself that she can predict her mom’s response word for word. “I’m okay.”

“Janis, you need to eat something,” her mom says. “Why don’t I just bring you up some fries?”

“I’m not hungry,” she sighs, focussing her attention on the TV and fisting her hand in the covers. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees her mom’s stone-cold face cracking and she’s a little surprised if she’s being honest with herself. Normally this goes on for at least three more rounds before her mom relents and makes her promise to eat something later tonight. It’s normally Janis telling her that if she eats something there is a high chance she’ll throw it back up again tonight and a mumbles reminder that no-one wants to go through that. But not tonight.

“Okay,” she says. She stands up and brushes down her jeans. She doesn’t seem annoyed or angry at all, and yet Janis feels guilty all the same. “I’ll be fast. You sure you don’t want some fries brought up?”

“I’m okay.” She shakes her head. “But if they have those bread rolls…” Her voice trails off as relief floods her mother’s face. She doesn’t even try to hide it.

“You want butter with it?”

“If I don’t, I think Dad might appear in here and remind me of my French heritage,” she jokes. “See you in a bit.”

“See you.”

She turns up the volume as her mom closes the door and pulls her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on it and tilting her body forwards. Her spine twinges from the position, but it makes the cramping in her stomach let up, so it’s a burden she’s willing to put up with for now. She takes another shaky sip of water and returns the cup to its precarious position balanced between her pillow and the bedrail. One wrong move from her and her pillow is soaked. It took a significant amount of time to get the cup to balance perfectly like it is.

On the other side of her, her phone buzzes, the screen lighting up and showing her a text from Cady, a simple ‘hey there’ followed by a purple heart. With a gentle giggle, she types a reply.

‘What’s up?’ Cady asks. She hesitates for a moment, her fingers hovering over the screen, before carefully typing out her reply.

‘Not much. Feeling a bit ick rn.’

‘Oh,’ is Cady’s reply, followed by ‘everything okay?’ Janis can almost imagine her expression, the way her face probably fell slightly when she read it, the concern in her eyes. She probably tapped her fingers on the desk as she replied too.

‘I’m fine. Just a little gross. Give me a day and I’ll be peachy again.’ She follows that up with a little peach emoji, the joke not lost on her but probably lost on Cady. ‘Mom’s getting me bread rn.’

‘Like…. Bread as in money?’ Janis snickers at that, half-covering her face with her hand.

‘No. As in actual bread.’

‘Ah. It’s the French side of you coming out.’ Janis sends a little French flag emoji and scrolls through until she finds the chef’s kiss emoji too, committing to the art.

‘What’s happening with you?’ she asks. Cady doesn’t respond with a text or an emoji, rather she sends a photo of her desk; three piles of closed notebooks and one open on the table, covered in six different colours of pen and little neon markers sticking out at the sides like little flags. Behind it, the curtains are drawn and the scene is lit up by the desk lamp and nothing else. Janis is just about to make a comment on the when Cady sends another photo, this time of herself wearing a dark blue hoodie that’s at least one size too big for her, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail and waving a French fry sitting on a fork at the camera. And oh god, her face, one cheek puffed out and her eyes bulging. Adorable doesn’t even begin to cover it.

‘Party for one, I see.’ She opens the photo again and narrows her eyes, a detail catching her eye. ‘Is that my hoodie?’

Cady is silent at first, and then,

‘Oh shit is it?’ Janis zooms in on the photo and turns up the brightness on her phone, just to make sure.

‘Yep. The forbidden planet one. Legit forgot I owned it.’

‘Oops,’ Cady says. The little dots appears in the next second, dancing in their little wave. ‘Do you want it back?’

‘Sure, give me a second I’ll jump in the truck and come to yours, you can toss it out the window to me. Like a gay version of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet’ she teases. ‘It’s fine Caddy. You hold onto it. I didn’t even notice it was gone. Besides,’ she adds. ‘You look cute in it.’

‘I knew it was comfortable for a reason,’ Cady replies, and despite being alone, Janis buries her head in her arms to hide her blush.

She really hopes this part of their relationship never goes away; the part where she gets stupid happy at silly, sappy things like this. Whatever else changes, she hopes this never does.

‘Anyway,’ Cady goes on. ‘I actually did want to talk. Basically, I’m pretty booked a lot next week, but I miss you, and I wanted to ask if you want to Face Time one day next week? I know we have Friday nights but….. you know’

‘I do know,’ she replies, giggling into her sleeve. They go back and forth working out the finer details, Janis factoring in her medicines and the days she tends to be at her best and Cady looking through their own busy schedule and after they move around a study session, they pencil it in for Wednesday night.

‘I’ll even wear pink for you,’ Janis teases and Cady replies with a stuck-out-togue cat emoji.

‘I should probably hit the books again,’ they reply, this time followed by a sad cat emoji. Something Janis has noticed about Cady is that if they can, the emoji they send will be one of the cat ones. She’s wondered about that. Maybe because they remind them of their lions back in Kenya.

At that moment, her mom comes through the door carrying two little plastic cartons and a napkin-wrapped bread roll on top of them.

‘Yes you should. My dinner’s here too anyway.’

‘I thought you said you were getting bread?’

‘Yes. Bread is my dinner,’ she explains, like it should be obvious. ‘Trust me, it’s all I can eat right now.’ Cady falls silent on their end as Janis takes the bread from her mom and whispers a ‘thank you’, and she bites her lip. Maybe that was a kind of ‘need-to-know-basis’ kind of joke. She flips the phone in her head, her free fingers drumming on her leg as she debates sending a follow-up message assuring them she’s fine.

She’s about a second away from doing so when Cady replies.

‘Enjoy your carbs. I’ll see you later. Xx.’

It makes her smile, but it doesn’t help her breath any easier. She thought that at this point, she’d know where the line is in regard to that kind of humour. That she’d understand that just because her fellow patients are fine laughing at it doesn’t mean her other friends necessarily will be. But her attempts to separate parts of herself into ‘hospital brain’ and ‘normal brain’ have proven unsuccessful so far.

Live and learn, she guesses.

“So I did grab you some pasta,” her mom says as she slides the other container onto her tray table with a guilty expression on her face. She holds her hand up in defence when Janis looks at her, a response apparently written on her face. “Hey, just in case. They even said to take some up to you or it’ll be thrown out tomorrow.” She shrugs helplessly. “Aren’t you the one who loves the environment?”

“Yeah,” she says. She leans over and takes a look. The container is still warm, steam fogging up the lid. Some sort of creamy sauce and green veg over thick strands of pasta. It would look lovely any other day, but now she turns up her nose and moves away from it. “Maybe later.”

“Okay,” she says, tucking into her own dinner. “You know on the way up; I saw that that support group is on tonight. Apparently it runs a few times a week.”

“Is that so?” she asks, paying more attention to her bread than her mom. Behind her, her mom tenses, and she pretends she doesn’t notice. If she wanted to talk about her feelings, it wouldn’t be with her mom, much as she loves her.

“Just keep it in mind if you ever think you need it,” is all she says before turning on the TV. An air as cold as the one outside settles over the room, and guilt mixes in with the nausea in the most unsettling way possible.

It’s not that she doesn’t think she needs a support group. It’s that she already has one; Cady, Damian, her parents. She’s as supported as she needs to be. Plus, all things considered, she thinks she’s doing okay.

She’s not anti-therapy. Hell, she’s been through it and knows she came out the other end stronger because of it. But that was different in a lot of ways. That was her and her therapist, alone in an office, communicating through art. She’s peeked through windows on that support group before, everyone sitting in a circle spilling out their feelings. And that may well be good, but it’s not for her.

Still though, her mom was only looking out for her. She, like her, is doing her best.

“Thanks Mom,” she says. “I’ll think about it.”

Her mom nods and leans back in her chair, her shoulders relaxing as she fills her in on the latest dining room gossip.

                                                                                                   ******

Late on Wednesday afternoon, Janis pulls one of the chairs into the bathroom and positions it in front of the mirror, her various bits of make-up spread across the sink. Not for the first time, she considers just buying herself a mirror and saving herself the trouble. Even if the bathroom does have really good lighting.

“Do you put on make-up every time you talk to your girlfriend?” Maddie asks from behind her. She’s laying across her bed, watching the world upside-down and her legs dangling off the edge. A few minutes ago she had texted Janis complaining she was bored and Janis, sharp as she is, took the hint and asked if she wanted to hang out in her room while she did her make-up. She know that when she was that age, few things made her as happy or as fascinated as watching her older cousins doing their make-up. She would sit in the corner of their rooms with wide eyes, completely captivated by their tricks. And Maddie, apparently, isn’t much different, albeit she’s far more talkative than Janis was at that age. Not that she minds at all. “Like when you’re just going to hang out, do you put make-up on for that.”

“Sometimes, yeah.” She turns towards her, holding up two eyeshadows. “What do we think? The green or the red?”

“Well, what are you going to be wearing?” Janis answers by gesturing to what she already has on; a dark blue top, embroidered with silver stars, and her leggings. Maddie considers, her face scrunched up in concentration, before she replies. “The red. It’ll make your eyes pop.”

“And you claim you don’t know make-up,” she says, turning back to the mirror.

“But do you?”

“Do I what? Know about make-up?” she scoffs, ready to tell her that she’s been perfecting this skill for years, when Maddie interjects.

“No. Like, wear it all the time. Or is it just for your girlfriend?” she asks. Janis pauses, the lid of a tube of mascara half-twisted off. Truth be told, she doesn’t know how to explain it completely without sounding corny, or worse, unleashing her tragic middle-school life on this unsuspecting child. That in some way, her heavy eyeliner and dark lipsticks became her shield when she returned to school after a year’s absence, making her look braver than she felt already. And the habit stuck. Even with that behind her now, she still feels braver when her eyes are ringed in black.

“I don’t wear it all the time,” she answers slowly. “I just… feel better with it on. And I want to look nice for Cady.” Behind her, Maddie nods, a silent ‘oh’ on her mouth. Janis turns to her then, her eyes stern and her grip tight on the back of the chair. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone. I wear it because I want to.” She shrugs. “And sometimes I don’t. Like here, I hardly wear it at all. Bigger things to worry about.” She looks pointedly at Maddie. “Make sure that whether you wear it or not, it’s because you want to. Not because you think you have to.”

“Yes ma’am,” she laughs, though whether or not it’s out of discomfort Janis isn’t sure. She jumps off the bed and runs over, her footsteps light and quick, and she comes to a halt right beside her, watching her work with fascination. “When I get a girlfriend,” she declares. “I’m going to do exactly what you’re doing.” She nudges her shoulder. “You’ll teach me how, right?”

“Of course I will,” she says, and it sounds a lot like a promise.

Maddie skips on out of the room when it gets closer for the time Cady’s meant to call, not before making kissy faces at Janis though. She shoos her out of the room but doesn’t even bother to hide her smile as she does so.

She settles herself on the bed and opens her laptop. Cady said she’d call her, but she opens the app just in case, wanting to be ready and also checks her make-up in it. Not a bad job, if she may say so. Glancing up at the clock, she finds she still has a few minutes, so she opens up Twitter and wastes the time there, even if she does check the time every thirty seconds or so, getting more and more giddy each time the number changes. By the time the clock makes it to six, she’s practically squealing.

Cady doesn’t call right away, but she doesn’t think anything of it. She’s probably busy or her clock’s slow or hey, they didn’t say exactly six. Janis is a few minutes late to stuff all the time. So she plays around on Twitter for a few more minutes, filling time until it’s 6:05. And Cady still hasn’t called. Her hand grows cold and curls into a fist at that, her nails pressed into her palm so she can’t bite them. She takes a deep breath, her attempt to distract herself again failing this time. She tries not to overthink it, really tries, but it’s been five minutes. Five. She thinks that’s a line.

Five minutes then turns into ten and that’s when it kicks up a notch.  She bites down on her nail, her eyes glued to the home screen as one single thought takes up all of her mind; that Cady’s forgotten her. That she found something better to do with some other people and went and did that instead.

Janis bites the inside of her cheek, her chest tight and burning with a familiar kind of bitterness. The kind that spits at other people, that shakes her head and tells her she’s better off without them anyway. It’s harsh and hurtful and it shouldn’t be associated with Cady. But it is.

Despite her instinct, she waits it out, giving Cady five more minutes to show up. Fifteen minutes is a good cut-off point she decides. All she can do is watch the clock and it’s a reversal of what she was doing just moments before; here instead of going higher, she only plummets lower every time the number changes. By the time it hits 6:15, she’s biting right into her finger and fighting off the urge to cry, the image of Cady texting someone who isn’t her burning into her mind.

But she finds it wasn’t wrong in waiting. Just before she’s about to shut her laptop off, the little ringing noise cuts through the hair and Cady’s selfie fills the screen.

“Janis!” she gasps. She’s not in her room; the paintings behind her are the ones in the Heron’s hallways. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I was tutoring and I meant to be home before six, but it ran overtime and the bus was two minutes late-” As she talks, the scene changes quickly behind her, moving so fast Janis almost feels sick from it, her feet loud on the stairs until she finally reaches her bedroom. “And anyway, long story short, I meant to call at six, I promise. I just lost track of time.” She looks up at her, eyes big and wide and so utterly sincere Janis feels bad for being upset. “I’m sorry, Janis.”

“It’s okay,” she says. “I wasn’t waiting that long.” If Cady notices how close her hand is to her mouth, or her bitten nail, she doesn’t say. Instead she settles on the bed and props up the phone against a pillow.

“You sure?”

“It’s fine, Caddy,” she says, and it is. Except it sort of isn’t, and she’s not sure if she can say it was Cady’s fault. “Just… text me about it next time?”

“I will. I will. Sorry,” she says again. They both fall quiet after a while, Cady winding a lock of her hair around her finger, and the silence weighs heavily on Janis’ chest. Old anxieties from long ago jump up at her like a dog demanding attention.

“So who were you tutoring anyway?” she asks.

“Oh, this freshman girl,” Cady explains. “Lily Reynolds. She’s sweet, her mom just wanted her to have a little help with calculus.”

“And she got North Shore’s finest,” Janis remarks, the corner of her mouth quirking up, and Cady giggles.

They’re close to fine after that, the conversation almost as easy as it’s ever been, save for how off Janis feels throughout it. She can’t shake it, no matter how many jokes they make or how many cheesy compliments they throw at each other. The whole thing, much as she loves it, feels like it’s two inches off from where it should be, and she doesn’t like that feeling.

They wrap it up after a little over an hour, Cady needing to start her homework and Janis aware that she’ll start an IV soon.

“Sorry I was late,” she says again.

“It’s okay,” Janis assures her. “Really, Caddy. Shit happens.”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “I’ll see you on Friday?” Janis swallows and her throat feels like sandpaper.

“Yep. See you Friday.” She blows a kiss to the camera before Cady signs off, her cheeks just about to turn pink. She closes her laptop and sits back, her hands wringing in her lap. She feels like she’s just ran around the perimeter of the ward. She shakes her head as if that can make everything she’s feeling just magically fly off her body and she can suddenly be okay. Like she can forget that for fifteen minutes, she genuinely thought her girlfriend had forgotten about her.

She presses her clammy hands together and bites her lip. Hadn’t there always been this fear, since this whole thing started? That her not being there would take a toll on her relationships and that her friends would become used to her absence and move on with their lives? Find new people, or just fill the gap she had left all on their own? And even if it hadn’t happened this time, it was more than enough to shake her. It had always been there, but it hadn’t been so prominent until now.

She leans forward and runs her hand over her face. She guesses with a sad realisation that this is mainly her cross to bear. She can’t talk to Cady or Damian about this, not without saddling them with guilt. The last thing she would ever want to do to either of them is make them feel like they have to pay attention to her for the sake of it. Besides, how would either one of them, or anyone for that matter, understand something like this?

She leans back on the pillows, about to resign herself, when something on the shelf catches her eye, and she remembers something from earlier. And she realises that if the built-in support system isn’t up to it, she might have to check out a new one.

That’s how she finds herself standing a little down from the longue on Saturday, the nails on her left hand nearly picked clean off of her and her heart in her mouth. She checked the flyer Cassie gave her way back when at least five times this morning, committing the room and the time to memory, leaving no place for error. Cancer Youth Support Group, longue, 2:30pm, Saturday afternoon. Every week. Plus extra sessions during the week.

A voice in her head that doesn’t sound like her tells her to turn tail and go back, make up some story to her mom about changing her mind. That this isn’t her, not what she does and that above all, she can’t do this. She can’t go in there, in front of so many other people, and talk about her stupid insecurities and expect them to get it.

But that little voice fades out, overwhelmed by one that does sound like her, that tells her that even if she thinks can’t do this, she has to try. That she’s okay. And since the alternative is stewing in her own complicated emotions by herself, she strides up to the door, takes a deep breath, and knocks.

The door is opened by a young-ish woman in a yellow polo shirt, the logo she recognises at the cancer centre on the chest. Her eyes grow wide upon seeing her and Janis shifts on her feet. Behind her, a dozen or so kids sit in a circle on plastic chairs, like they used to do in elementary school. Melissa is among them, and she gives her a small smile when she sees her. The tightness in her chest eases at that.

“You got room for one more?” Janis asks and the woman nods, all soft smiles and even softer eyes.

“Always,” she says. “Come on in.”

[custacup]

[berrybluecupcakes-blog]

Cake Decorating Ideas For All Occasions

You really don’t need a special occasion to decorate a cake, but some events that can be made unforgettable and extra special with a decorated treat are holidays, birthdays, graduations, religious occasions, showers, weddings, and other personal special events.

Here are some cake decorating ideas that will help you make any occasion special:

New Year’s Champagne Toast

Bake one 9-in. round and one 9x12-in. rectangle cake.

Cut the round in half. Use one half for the top of the champagne glass.

Cut a 2 or 3-inch long strip for the stem of the glass and a 2 x 4-inch section for the base of the glass. Piece them together to form the champagne glass.  To be sure all the pieces stay together, lightly frost each piece separately before you piece them together.

Place the pieces on a cake board.  Ice the top part (straight edge) of the half-round cake and the stem and base sections in white icing. Ice the bottom part (rounded edge) of the half-round cake in light yellow or light pink icing to resemble champagne.

Easter Egg Hunt   (So easy kids can do it!)

Bake 6 large muffins. Cool and frost them with green icing. Generously sprinkle green shredded coconut* on top of the frosting to resemble grass.  Place colored jelly beans within the coconut so they are half-hidden. Place small bunny toppers on the top of the muffins so they look as if they are finding the jelly beans.

*To tint shredded coconut, place coconut in a plastic bag.  Add a few drops of food color.  Knead color into coconut. Dry on waxed paper.

Spooky Halloween Brownies    (Let the kids help!)

Bake your favorite brownies. When cooled, cut into 3-inch circles, using a cookie cutter or a pattern and sharp knife. Place a Halloween stencil (available in most stores) in the center of each brownie. Sprinkle the stencil with confectioner’s (powdered) sugar. Remove the stencil. Edge the top and the bottom of brownie with tip 14 white icing stars.

Shiny Christmas Ornament

Bake a one or two-layer round cake. Ice the cake smooth with white icing. Pipe tip 5 white icing lines across the top at 1-inch intervals. Vary the shapes of the lines, making one straight, one zigzag, one curvy, etc. to resemble decorations on an ornament.  Randomly pipe tip 5 icing  balls and tip 16 stars between the lines also to resemble decorations.  

ADULT BIRTHDAY / SPECIAL OCCASION

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Bake a heart-shaped cake and a heart-shaped mini-cake.  Ice the larger cake smooth with pink icing.  Place the mini-cake in the center of the larger cake.  Cover the mini cake in tip 16 red icing stars. Add a tip 14 red icing shell border at the bottom of the mini cake and a tip 16 red icing shell border at the top and the bottom of the large cake. Write your message in pink with tip 3 on the mini-cake.

KIDS BIRTHDAY

Rainbow Train

Bake four mini-loaf cakes. (about 3-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches each.)

Ice each one smooth – one with red icing, one with blue icing, one with green icing, and one with  yellow icing. Use the cake iced in red as the engine: Make a smokestack for the engine with 2 large marshmallows. Frost them together with green icing. Attach the marshmallows to the top of engine with a toothpick. Using green icing, attach a piece of white curly ribbon or candy on the top of the smokestack for smoke and attach two white or yellow gum drops to the front of the engine for headlights. With a spatula, place a small mound of yellow icing on top of the yellow car; add small chocolate chips to resemble coal. Place two or three small plastic cars on top of the blue car.  Stick small stick candies, such as licorice pieces on top of the green car to resemble metal parts. Decorate the sides of the cars with various small hard candies for decorations. For wheels: With icing the same color as the car, attach 4 large candy discs, such as peppermint swirls, to the bottom of each car. Connect the cars with one-inch licorice whips or pretzel sticks.

Up!  Up!  And Away

Bake two each: tulip, flower, butterfly and dragonfly cookies (eight  total) and a 9x12-in. rectangle cake. Ice the cookies smooth in various pastel colors with thinned royal icing.**  Decorate the iced butterfly cookie with tip 3 colored icing dots.

Ice the bottom half of the 9x12-in. cake smooth with green icing and the top half smooth with light blue icing to resemble grass and the sky.  Place two small mounds of white icing on the blue half for clouds. Pat down “the clouds” with your fingers dipped in cornstarch. Place the tulip and flower cookies in the “grass” and pipe tip 3 green stems and leaves, if necessary.  Place the one butterfly cookie near the flower cookie and the other butterfly cookie and the dragonfly cookies in the “sky.”  Write your message on the cake with tip 3 white icing.

**Royal Icing Recipe

2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

2 scant tablespoons meringue powder

3 tablespoons water

Beat all the ingredients a low speed until the icing forms peaks.

(Makes about 1-1/2 cups)

[cliftonsteen]

Coffee News Recap, 13 Aug: Arabica prices projected to rise 13% by end of 2021, BOP 2021 announces winners & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news of the week. Here are this week’s stories.

Mon, 9 Aug – illycaffè announces Farm-to-Table Scholarship with The Culinary Institute of America. The programme will support those taking food business management and applied food studies degrees. Two to four scholarships will be given to eligible students.

Mon, 9 Aug – Royal Coffee to host hybrid palate development class in September. On 23 September, Royal Coffee will hold a combined virtual and in-person tasting event on spices and floral notes. Remote attendees can order tasting kits, while fully vaccinated attendees can purchase limited in-person tickets. Registration closes on 7 September.

Mon, 9 Aug – Chobani’s I Dream of Creamer campaign announces winning flavour. “Sizzlin’ Brown Sugar” received the highest number of votes. The new coffee creamer will be available in US stores nationwide.

Mon, 9 Aug – Arabica prices expected to increase by 13% by end of 2021 due to Brazil frost. Reuters predicts ICE arabica prices will reach US 198.50 cents/lb by the end of the year. Brazil’s 2022/23 harvest is anticipated to decrease by around 5 million bags due to extreme weather.

Mon, 9 Aug – Best of Panama 2021 competition announces winners. The Nuguo fermented coffee from Café Gallardo placed first in the natural Geisha category, achieving 94.75 points. The highest scoring coffee in the washed Geisha category was from Itza Priscila Sittón Vega de Amar, receiving 93.50 points. The BoP auction will be held on 22 September.

Mon, 9 Aug – Nestlé and JDE partner for recycling collection service with Oxford City Council. As part of Nestlé and JDE’s Podback service, Oxford residents can recycle plastic and aluminium capsules using designated curbside collection bags. Once collected, recycling services will separate the coffee grounds from the packaging.

Mon, 9 Aug – Fellow releases Shimmy Coffee Sieve. The sieve includes metal filters under 200 microns to remove microfines. The Shimmy Coffee Sieve’s design was inspired by cocktail shakers.

Mon, 9 Aug – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report claims average global temperatures will increase by 1.5°C within 20 years. The report states human activity is “unequivocally to blame” for climate change, and that rapid and immediate action to reduce carbon emissions is necessary to prevent further temperature increases. Less developed regions, such as coffee-growing countries, are expected to be more heavily impacted by climate change. The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) will be held in November.

Mon, 9 Aug – New tree species named after Puro Fairtrade coffee. Puro tree (Sciadophyllum Purocafeanum) was discovered in Ecuador in 2019. It is now the third tree species named after Puro Fairtrade coffee, following the Puro frog and Puro orchid. Puro Fairtrade coffee focuses on sourcing beans from environmentally sustainable initiatives.

Mon, 9 Aug – Clever Bean Coffee Company launches Kickstarter for Clever Cold Brewer. The brewing device includes a finer filter and a larger brewing chamber. The Utah company also offers a subscription service of pre-ground coffee sachets.

Tues, 10 Aug – Tiny Capital announces AeroPress investment. The Canadian holding company will support AeroPress’ product development. Alan Adler, the founder of AeroPress, will retain ownership of the company.

Tue, 10 Aug – Swiss Water releases 2021 second quarter financial results. Revenue increased by 9% to US $28.8 million compared to the same period last year. Sales volumes of Swiss Water’s decaffeinated coffee rose by 74% in Europe, compared to the first half of 2020.

Tue, 10 Aug – SOHO Coffee Co. develops online coffee product range. The UK company now sells three new single origin coffees and brewing products via its online shop. The coffee and food-to-go chain also offers a subscription service.

Tue, 10 Aug – Cauldryn launches Cauldryn Coffee Pro insulated flask. The thermal flask can be set to a customisable temperature range using an app. The 10-hour battery can also boil water.

Tue, 10 Aug – Sigep event to return in-person in January 2022. The B2B Italian coffee and dessert event will be held from 22 to 26 January in Rimini. The event will include a three-day “Digital Agenda” for one-to-one networking.

Tue, 10 Aug – Sucafina reports pallet costs have increased by over 100% since January 2021. Increases in wood prices in Antwerp have led to rising prices for coffee pallets. Sucafina also states similar price increases may occur in Dubai.

Tue, 10 Aug – London chain AMT Coffee plans rebrand under Change Please. AMT operates 50 outlets in service stations and hospitals throughout the UK. The company’s new partnership with social enterprise Change Please aims to double the number of locations by 2024.

Tue, 10 Aug – Gong cha to open Covent Garden location. The Taiwan bubble tea company operates over 1,500 stores in 21 countries. The new London location will include 40 different options for customising drinks.

Wed, 11 Aug – COE El Salvador 2021 auction results announced. Buyers included those from the US, Japan, China, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. The highest scoring coffee (a semi-washed Pacamara) was purchased for US $70/lb by Big Face Coffee – led by NBA player Jimmy Butler.

Wed, 11 Aug – Euromonitor International report finds sales of soy milk are declining. The growth of almond, oat, coconut, and pea milks have led to a drop in soy milk sales. Euromonitor also predicts lab-grown dairy milk may become more popular in the next five years.

Wed, 11 Aug – Cecafé announces Brazil’s July 2021 exports decreased by almost 13%. Shipments fell to over 2.8 million bags, which is a 12.8% decrease on the July 2020 figures. Cecafé says that increasing freight prices and a lack of container space are to blame.

Wed, 11 Aug – Dunkin’ releases new autumn menu items. The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte will be available on 18 August. The brand is also launching a “100% Guatemalan Coffee” as part of its single-origin Limited Batch Series.

Wed, 11 Aug – Caravela Coffee achieves carbon neutral operations. The company has become the world’s first green coffee trader to achieve the Carbon Neutral Silver Standard certification. The certification was granted by One Carbon World, a partner of the UN’s Climate Neutral Now initiative. By 2025, the company aims to certify every kilogram of coffee produced as carbon neutral.

Wed, 11 Aug – Cropster Hub rebrands as “V-Hub” after Vollers Group purchase. The commodity logistics group purchased Cropster to develop its functionalities and enhance logistics and delivery services.

Thu, 12 Aug – REBBL launches “STACKED COFFEE” RTD line. The oat milk coffee product range comes in Café Mocha, Vanilla Latte, Hazelnut Latte, and Straight Black flavours. The RTD products also include reishi and lion’s mane mushroom extracts.

Thu, 12 Aug – Brazilian government to provide R$1.2 billion (US $225 million) emergency credit line. Smallholder farmers will be able to access funds using agricultural insurance. Procafé will conduct a survey to assess the level of support required. Earlier estimates report 21.2% of 800,000 hectares of arabica may have been damaged.

Thu, 12 Aug – Tony’s Coffee releases single-use Coffee Brew Bags. The nitrogen-flushed coffee bags have a steep time of 4 to 6 minutes. The packaging is also compostable.

Thu, 12 Aug – Café Grumpy launches US subscription service. The Brooklyn roaster will now provide weekly, fortnightly, or monthly coffee and cold brew subscriptions – with nationwide delivery.

Thu, 12 Aug – ICO report finds July 2021 coffee prices hit highest levels since November 2014 after Brazil frost. Between 20 and 26 July, daily arabica prices increased by 25.4%, from US 165.65 cents/lb to US 207.8 cents/lb. The average price for Brazilian naturals increased by 8.4% to US 160.62 cents/lb – the highest monthly average since January 2015.

Fri, 13 Aug – Oatly to open third US production facility in 2023. The proposed 280,000 sq ft facility in Fort Worth, Texas will produce around 150 million litres of oat milk. The company plans to open nine global factories by 2023.

Fri, 13 Aug – Genuine Origin and Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity to host booth at Specialty Expo. Green coffee traders Genuine Origin will sponsor the booth, while the non-profit CCRE will select six black-owned businesses to exhibit at the expo’s Roaster Village.

Fri, 13 Aug – Bellwether Coffee releases 2020 sustainability report. The roasting solutions company states revenue grew over 100% as installations of its roasters doubled compared to 2019. Bellwether was able to reduce CO2 emissions by 896,096 lbs (406,462 kg) throughout the year, and sustainably sourced over 390,000 lbs (176,901 kg) of coffee.

Here are a few news stories from previous weeks that you might find interesting. Take a look.

Wed, 4 Aug – Starbucks Korea partners with MINI Korea for new campaign. New beverages include Zest Green Blended, Ruby Red Chilling Ice Tea, and Rooftop Grey Latte. The partnership will include MINI+Starbucks brewing cars – serving coffee and other beverages from the Starbucks Korea menu.

Thu, 5 Aug – JDE Peet’s publishes 2021 first half financial results. Sales increased by 4.2% compared to the same period in 2020, fuelled by the at-home market. Peet’s also launched its first range of flavoured K-Cup capsules, including Caramel Brûlée, Vanilla Cinnamon, and Hazelnut Mocha.

Thu, 5 Aug – Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, and Einstein Bros Bagels form Panera Brands. CEO of Panera Bread, Niren Chaudhary, has been appointed as the Group CEO of Panera Brands. The three companies combined operate some 4,000 locations across 10 countries.

Thu, 5 Aug – Café Santo Domingo expands distribution in US. Dominican company Industrias Banilejas and US company Goya Foods signed an agreement for the distribution of Café Santo Domingo products in the northeastern US. Café Santo Domingo is considered to be one of the Dominican Republic’s largest coffee distributors.

Fri, 6 Aug – Ecommerce brand Meritage Coffee debuts on US market. The organic coffee company is selling four blends: Founder’s Reserve, New York Blend, Breakfast Blend, and Espresso Roast. Meritage also offers a subscription service.

Fri, 6 Aug – TORR Industries launches three new cold brew systems. The Brew50, TwinBrew, and Quadbrew are designed to accommodate small, medium, and large-sized coffee businesses, respectively. TORR claims the machines can extract batches of cold brew in under 2 hours.

Fri, 6 Aug – Coffee startup Morning closes series A funding round. The Singapore capsule machine company received US $1.27 million in its funding round from technology firm Razer. Investments will be used to fulfil back orders and international market expansion.

Fri, 6 Aug – Global coffee creamer market to increase by US $2.51 billion by 2025. Demand for plant-based creamers is expected to be significant. The North American market will contribute to 32% of market growth during the period.

Fri, 6 Aug – Fairtrade Fortnight begins to promote Fairtrade products. The annual campaign runs from 6 to 19 August, and encourages retailers to raise consumer awareness of the Fairtrade brand. Gender equity, environmentally sustainable practices, and ending child slavery are focuses of the campaign, including in coffee supply chains.

Fri, 6 Aug – Farmer Brothers appoints Waheed Zaman to its board of directors. Zaman has previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Strategy & Administrative Officer at the Hershey Company. He will now serve on Farmer Brothers board’s audit committee.

Sun, 8 Aug – Starbucks launches two new Pumpkin Spice retail products. The Pumpkin Spice Non-Dairy Creamer is made with almond milk, oat milk, coconut oil, and pea protein. The Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate includes arabica coffee with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavours. Both products will be available in US supermarkets.

Sign up to our weekly coffee news recap to get a summary of all the biggest stories in the sector, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.

Want to keep up with current affairs in the coffee industry? Check out last week’s stories.

Photo credits: Fernando Pocasangre

The post Coffee News Recap, 13 Aug: Arabica prices projected to rise 13% by end of 2021, BOP 2021 announces winners & other stories appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

Coffee News Recap, 13 Aug: Arabica prices projected to rise 13% by end of 2021, BOP 2021 announces winners & other stories published first on https://espressoexpertweb.weebly.com/

[mosylufanfic]

86. "Why haven't you been answering your phone?!" + Killervibe please!

Thanks for your NaNo prompt! I’ve been missing my Killervibe friendship on the show, so I’m going to pretend that this happens in canon. The bit about Cynthia is because she’s listed on the episode page for the crossover, but it also says “rumored” so I’m covering my bases.

Mosylu tell me what’s going on

Maid of Honor Jitters

Her doorbell rang twice in a row and then the key scraped in the lock. She ran over and yanked it open. "Cisco! What if I hadn't been home?"

"Your car was in its space," he pointed out.

"Still."

Cisco, unabashed, pulled his key out of her lock and stuck it back in his pocket. "Why haven't you been answering your phone?" he asked, then sniffed the air as he shut the door behind him. "Oh shit, and you're baking too? What kind of spinning is your brain doing?"

"My phone is charging in the other room and I didn't hear it," she said, turning her back on him and going back into the kitchen. "And I just thought it would be nice to have some treats for tomorrow."

"And the next seventeen years," he said, following her and studying the stacks of plastic containers filled with cookies, pastries, and muffins.

"Maybe I went a little overboard."

"Ooo, cinnamon rolls?" He licked his lips over the pan cooling on the table, the rolls gleaming with sticky icing.

"Oh, those have raisins."

He gave her a horrified look. "Why do you hate joy?"

"Not everyone feels the same way you do about raisins."

"Not everyone is right, either."

"The batch without raisins is coming out in - " She checked the timer. "Two minutes. You can put the icing on if you want."

"That's a dangerous offer. I accept." He opened a container and took out a chocolate chip cookie. Normally she'd fuss at him, but he'd seen her in this mode before. She wouldn't notice if he ate the entire batch. He bit in and let out an mmmm of appreciation. Like a lot of people who weren't very good cooks (even after two years of classes), Caitlin was an excellent baker

"You're stress-baking," he said, sitting backwards on one of her kitchen chairs and taking another healthy bite. "Why?"

"Big day tomorrow," she said, focusing on rolling out her dough to perfect evenness. "Lots going on. Lots of people are going to be here."

"You know everything's all set up, right? We've been machines the past few days. You and Iris were at the church decorating for six hours today. I don't even decorate for Christmas for six hours. Every last little thing is primed and ready to go."

The buzzer went off and she opened the oven to pull out the pan of raisin-less cinnamon rolls and set it on the cooling rack in front of Cisco. He breathed it in. Damn, those smelled good. "Icing?"

"Covered bowl, over there by the box of muffin cups," she said, and he retrieved it.

He generously iced two rolls, giving her time to crack, but she turned it around on him. "Why were you calling me? What's wrong?" She was cutting out little snowmen, tongue sticking out as she worked out how to arrange them so as to optimize her dough area.

"Why does anything have to be wrong for me to call one of my best friends?"

"For you to call me once? Nothing. For you to call me five times in a row? Something's going on." She peeled up the excess dough, wadded it into a tiny ball, and started transferring her snowmen onto a parchment-papered baking sheet.

"I thought you didn't hear your phone."

"Not the first four times. But I saw the last one and then the text that said you were coming over, so I figured I'd wait until you got here. So?"

He slathered icing on another roll, watching it melt over the hot pastry and ooze down into the cracks between rolls.  

"Well?" She set her spatula down and put the first sheet of cookies in the oven.

"I just haven't heard anything from Cynthia yet."

"Ohhhh," Caitlin said, drawing the syllable out in sympathy.

His girlfriend was on a job. She'd sworn she was going to try and finish up in time to make it to the wedding and be Cisco's plus one. But - interdimensional radio silence. "Yeah," he said. "So I'm a little down. Figured I'd see if you wanted to help me eat my feelings." He waved at the bounty of sweets. "As usual, you were one step ahead of me." He shot her a grin.

"She'll make it," Caitlin said, unwrapping another giant ball of cookie dough and picking up her rolling pin again. "I know she will."

He gobbed icing onto another roll. "You horning in on my vibing game?"

"No," she said. "It's just, why would she ever pass up the chance to see you in formal wear?"

He pointed at her. "That's what I said!" He stuck the spatula back in the icing and gave it a good stir. "And anyway, even if she doesn't, there'll be other parties."

"Yeah," Caitlin said. "Of course there will. But she'll be there tomorrow. She will. And you'll get to dance and kiss and spend time together and it'll be lovely."

He smiled at her and kept icing cinnamon rolls. "All right. I spilled. Your turn. What are you really freaking out about?"

"I'm not freaking out." Dough rolled out to a precise one-quarter of an inch, she set her rolling pin aside and scowled over her choice of cookie cutters like she was plotting the invasion of Freedonia.

"Forty-five hundred thousand calories in this kitchen prove you wrong."

She picked out a snowflake and started pressing it into the dough.

"Hmmm?"

"It's stupid."

"Go on. Tell Uncle Cisco. You'll feel better. You know you will."

"It's just that if something happens tomorrow, I'll never forgive myself."

He opened his mouth to automatically refute that, then paused. "Are you, uh, are you feeling a little frosty lately?"

"No," she said. "It's gotten a lot better."

He made a mental note to recharge and pack the power suppressor bracelets anyway. Killer Frost didn't seem have anything specific against Iris or Barry without Savitar screwing up her head, but it would make Caitlin feel better. "Have there been any rumblings from her Crazyship?"

"I haven't heard anything of Amunet Black since the night of the bachelorette party."

"Okay."

"I know that everything is all set up and ready to go. But I can't seem to turn off the little voice in my brain that keeps reminding me that everything I've touched for the past four years has turned to garbage. And then Iris asked me to be her Maid of Honor, and I don't know why. And that little voice keeps saying I'm going to ruin this, too."

He took that in. "Do you want logic or sympathy right now?"

She stamped out three more snowflakes, bam bam bam, very carefully. "Logic, please."

"Okay. That's an incredibly arrogant thing to say."

She whipped around, her mouth falling open. "Arrogant?"

"Yeah! Arrogant. We just got finished talking about how everything is planned to the last detail. There are backups of backups. And you think you can ruin it all by yourself? No. Just - no. And while we're on the subject, none of - " He hesitated. "Most of what's gone to shit in the past four years has had nothing to do with you. It was Thawne's fault, and Zoom's, and Savitar's - "

"Killer Frost was my fault," she said. "I should have done more to get her under control myself instead of trying to pretend she didn't exist."

"You're working on that now," he said. "I've seen you. I don't know what you think will happen, but it's gonna have to be a whole lot bigger than you to ruin this day."

"I can't let Iris down," she said in a trembling voice. "She believes in me. I don't know why, but she does."

"Look, I don't know why she asked you, either, but I know it wasn't to test your worth as a person. You've done everything you can to be there for us, to be honest and make up for the things that Killer Frost did and to work on yourself. This isn't some kind of final exam. You don't have to measure up to some impossible standard. We're your friends, not your mom."

She was still for a moment, and then reached up to wipe her face, leaving a smudge of flour behind. "Is sympathy still on offer?" she said in a small voice.

"Of course. C'mere."

She rushed into his arms, bumping him into the table for a split second, but he held her close and they steadied. She snuffled into his hair once or twice and sighed. He could feel the tension seeping out of her body.

He patted her back. "Look, tomorrow's gonna be great. They're going to have an amazing wedding, everyone will look like a million dollars, it'll be an excellent party, and I'll definitely get footage of you doing the Chicken Dance. It's going to be a wonderful day, and nothing's going to go wrong."

She pulled away to look at him. "Say that to someone who hasn't been around for the past four years."

He screwed up his mouth. "Okay. Fair. Um. If something goes wrong - which will have nothing to do with you, by the way - we'll handle it. That's what we do. We're gonna have more metas per capita in that church than Iron Heights. Something goes down, I'll boom it to shit, you'll freeze it solid, Oliver will stick it full of arrows, Kara will, I don't know, pull out one of her million alien tricks. We'll handle it," he said again. "And you'll be part of handling it. Got that?"

She looked doubtful, but when she met his eyes, she lifted her chin. "Got it." She wiped her eyes again. "I think I got flour on your shirt."

"That's okay, I got icing on yours."

"I've been baking for the past three hours. It's not the first stain on this shirt."

"Three hours? Straight?"

"Mhm." She looked around as if suddenly realizing just how crazy she'd gone. "Oh my goodness. I made a lot, didn't I?"

He checked his phone when it buzzed and held it up. "Wally wants to hit Big Belly Burger. Want me to tell him to come over and pick up some yums?"

"I think you'd better," she said.

He started texting back. "Great. He can take those damn cinnamon rolls with the raisins. Seriously. Nasty."

FINIS

[tastybakesuk]

The Wonderful Realm of the Wedding Cake

In the present modern world there are so many diverse choices and choices offered to people. We could possibly find hold of people by conventional phone, smartphone, routine cellular phone, email, or standard mail. If you would like to buy somewhere we are able to drive a car, ride a bicycle, or have a bus, or even walk along. Considering each of the several alternatives offered to people now, it's just natural that variety needs to work its way right into one of the most precious and respected customs. . .that of this cake. Selecting the flavor of this cake and also the coloration of this icing is merely starting out with the procedure. You'll even have to take time to pick the ideal wedding cake topper to get the personal cake. Within this article we'll be researching the domain of this wedding cake. We'll be providing a few background precisely the convention, and working up into this selection procedure for an ideal topper for this very special Wedding Cake.

The wedding cake is more frequently creatively and creatively placed throughout the wedding party. Regularly towering way upward in the skies, it might contend with the bride since the"centre of attention" on her special moment. This yummy thing of beauty builds a center point which another facets of the reception may revolve round. For anyone that would rather have a flare for the dramatic, the wedding cake might be hauled in to the room by the close of the reception, then providing a"grand entry" for all to find out. To a lot of individuals this expansive entry will trigger memories of this bride that walked the aisle sooner daily.

 To Begin with

 Starting as a very simple sign of fertility, it's turned itself in a artistic heritage which could have lots of different artistic interpretations. For a lot of ancient peoples wheat proved to be a sign of fertility and also a bountiful harvest. This habit finally evolved to attracting little cakes produced out of wheat into the marriage feast itself. Folks would subsequently repaint this dessert over the mind of their bride to need the happy bunch"many kids". The guests could eat the dropped crumbs as being a sign of sharing at the pair's fortune.

 Many believe this"crumbling of this cake" within the bride's mind may possibly have evolved to the following wedding-day convention? Do you realize exactly what exactly it really is? As a way to guard the hapless bride out of the wheat shower which will come, gentleman draped a cloth over her mind until the"crumbling convention" happened. Many think this simple cloth evolved in to the marriage veil of now.

 Welcome The Middle-ages

 Throughout the dark ages buns or candy rolls had substituted the wheat cakes, however it was very customary for guests to create those yummy snacks into the marriage day. Put into a enormous heap between the wedding couple, in the event the happy couple managed to kiss this enormous heap of wheat, then it had been believed they would be blessed with lots of kids.

 It's often believed that the second part of the growth of the conventional cake has been conducted by way of a French pastry chef throughout the 17th century.

 The Timeless Style

 Are you really comfortable with the timeless style of this present day wedding cake? You knowthe person with all the distinctive look of smaller tiers since the cake builds downhill? What is that for a little bit of trivia for you personally?

 Victorian England has had us lots of the appreciated wedding customs. By way of instance, Queen Victoria herself is thought to have needed a cake which completes in at 300 pounds. Since confectioners and bakers became daring and skillful, their creations turned into more adventuresome and more complicated.

 The Edition of Today

 In the present modern world the wedding cake is not earmarked to the rich and famous. Each day can share from the tradition of owning a wedding-cake inserted with their special moment. The wedding cake pros of the modern world have obtained their art to towering peaks (pardon the pun). Over are such dull days whenever you're confined by some white cake with white frosting. Even though a white cake will always be probably the most common as a result of the normal significance, now's couple is bound solely by the constraints of the imagination (and funding ) as it comes for their wedding cake.

 White is certainly the coloration of a marriage, however were you aware there is certainly just another reason the snowy would be your habitual color of wedding cake? In case the cake needed a white racket, this demonstrated that only the very best & priciest white sugar has been used. Brown-sugar has been a great deal more widespread, and so not as costly. Therefore, the further whitened the cake, the more wealthier the folks.

 Make Certain You Plan Ahead

 Do not leave your distinctive wedding cake before eleventh hour. This really is among the main matters which you may remember. Whether you pick the baker in the future, a talented relative, or perhaps a pastry chef who focuses on such yummy masterpieces, in the event you want well ahead of time you're going to find a way to take care of whatever barriers may possibly come your way. Many bakers require a minimum note, while some bakers are reserved much ahead of time. It's really a shame to get this ideal cake for the fantasies have been"cancelled" because of this truth that you can't devote a baker's time.

 Now you don't have any idea that will soon be baking your own wedding cake? If you never possess a specific baker at heart, you possess somewhat of homework in front of you personally. Check around and find some excellent tips from family members and friends. Read the yellow pages and also the internet since they have been both valuable informational tools. If you just happen to be surfing the internet you will understand that lots of bakers to day are posting photos of a number of the masterpieces. As sort of master piece cake gallery, then they exhibit what they truly are effective at producing. This will run your imagination regarding that which you want your wedding cake to appear to be.

 Do not overlook Your Allowance 

You need your big to become one of party, maybe not your day you started your travel in to financial disaster. Lots of men and women are astonished at the price of a wedding cake. Remember that you're requesting a artisan to produce a master piece for youpersonally, and also this may usually be reflected at the price he will probably soon be charging. The expense of work is frequently the most significant expenditure in the inception of a wedding cake but bear in your mind the inescapable truth that fondant is more expensive than buttercream.

 Have you ever thought about staging your master piece? This includes next. Make sure you spend the wedding cake rack under account during your preparation period. When some cakes might be only positioned on horizontal boards which won't be seen by the public, the others have been elaborately displayed on amazing represents everybody else to find out. Bear in mind the inescapable actuality that actual size of this cake table has to be in ratio to the true size of one's cake. A table that's too small is likely to get the cake look much too large, while a table that's too large is likely to create it resemble a very small cup cake. And before we forgetyour cake table will probably require a lovely covering to glow its strategic location at your wedding dinner. Oh, remember that the cake knife and cake . There has to be considered a location on the table to get both of these items also.

 The topper"shirts off" your personal wedding cake. While it's correct that many couples want to own the very simple style of a unadorned cake, so most would rather get this final"crowning touch"the wedding cake ring, sitting at the top of top layer of this cake. In the present modern world the very simple plastic"groom and bride" of the past has likely been substituted with the timeless ceramic figurine of now.

 Thus what kinds of wedding cake toppers are readily available to people now? We're happy you're asked. Many diverse kinds of statistics are readily available. They include the classic presents to figurines constituting a number of those potentially"funny" areas of this weddingday. By way of instance, a bride pulling the hapless dress back into the altar. Exotic wedding cake toppers may also be popular nowadays, whilst niche toppers such as a"marine union" have their own place too.

 To Conclude 

There's simply so much detail that someone may get to in a very simple article, also we now have far more to express relay. In the event that you'd really like to find out more about bridal cakes, and wedding cake toppers are far specific, please visit us on our weblog.

[dreaming-skiiny]

DIY Beach Wedding Favor Ideas

Whether you're holding your wedding at a genuine beach resort or not, the theme conveys a relax and enjoyable experience for everybody. But being among the most popular wedding themes, it can be somewhat hard to organize it unique. Luckily, considering DIY ideas isn't that too complex to manage, creating your own beach wedding favors for example.

Do-it-yourself wedding ideas help make your big day different from others. By making your own favors, you can put your personal touches which makes them personalized. There are numerous wedding favors that you can personally create. The majority of them are simple and most importantly, less expensive. So whether you're on a tight budget or not, DIY wedding favors are a terrific solution to add uniqueness to your big day.

Among the simplest and cheapest do-it-yourself favors which you may have on your beach wedding are candles. Just about anybody uses candles, which make them a very practical idea for the beach wedding. They are inexpensive to buy or make. If you opt to create candle wedding favors, there are plenty of candle making kits which you can find at a craft store. A kit usually includes everything that's necessary in making candles, including of course the directions. To make a beach-like feel on your candle favors, be certain that you decorate them with a few tropical touches or some other element that are often found on beaches such as seashells, seashore stones, and sand. You can also have miniature beach umbrellas, reverse slops, beach hats, or beach balls. These are a few of the popular decorations to deliver the beach theme to your own candle wedding favors.

Edible beach themed favors are also a fantastic alternative for your beach wedding. If you prefer to cook or bake, you can create your own chocolate or cookie wedding favors. To create an interesting twist, make them in shapes of a seashell, seahorse, dolphin, or palm tree. This idea creates a wonderful beach theme on you can decorate the cookies with frosting, M&M's, or candies. Both chocolates and biscuits can be shown in favor bags or boxes with a beach themed design.

You might also make a very unique message-in-a-bottle wedding favor for all the guests. This is quite straightforward and easy to make also. All you will need to do is to buy empty bottles in your craft store, or if your family has a set of empty wine bottles, then that would really help a whole lot. Inside each bottle is a special paper that's printed with a popular poem, song lyric, or a personal message to your visitors. You can get really creative on this favor idea, such as including your photograph and a few beach themed decorations within the bottle.

There are tons of pre-made beach wedding favors you could buy online if you don't have time creating DIY wedding favors. Start looking for an online store that carry a huge array of special favors to choose from and enables you to customize your favorite item.

Wedding Favor Projects - Four DIY Ideas for Master Crafters

If you like to create and have a craft project going, these wedding favors should be easy and fun for you. Maybe you may also get friends or relatives who also love crafts that will assist you place these favors (guaranteed to get your guests"oh-ing" and ah-ing) together.

Project #1: Rosebud kisses

1. Buy: Hershey's Kisses; Double-sided tape; Colored cellophane; 18-gauge florist wire (cut in 2 equal spans with wire cutters); green florist tape; silk rose leaves; ribbon. 2. You will want on hand: Scissors and cable cutters.

Instructions:

1. Cut cellophane in 4-inch squares. 2. Put the tip of one of those kisses in the middle of the square. 3. Wrap the cellophane around both kisses, gathering the corners together round the tip of another kiss. 4. Wrap the accumulated corners together tightly. 5. Insert florist wire into the accumulated cellophane till it touches the tip of the Hershey's Kiss (Do not allow the wire pierce the candy.) 6. Tape the"rosebud" on the cable with the florist tape. 7. Tape the amount of the cable with the tape until fully coated. 8. If desired, tape silk rose leaves on the stem or use a ribbon bow for decoration.

Project #2: Embroidered Lace Handkerchiefs or Hand Towels

1. Buy handkerchiefs or towels in bulk online in your wedding colours. 2. Use your sewing machine (or hand embroider) the first of the last name of the groom on a corner of the handkerchief or towel in a coordinating shade. 3. Roll up the handkerchief or towel scroll style and wrap with a ribbon.

Project #3: Miniature Soaps

1. Purchase unscented glycerin soap blocks. 2. Melt in the microwave (use food coloring and essential oils, if wanted ). 3. Pour the heated glycerin into chocolate molds, paper cups or whatever you decide on that will mould the soap. 4. After at least 20 minutes, you can discharge the soaps out of the molds. 5. Be creative with how you present your own soaps. It's possible to decorate plastic boxes for containers, fill organza bags, or match votive candle holders together.

Project #4: Decoupage Glass Plates

1. Buy clear glass plates. Start looking for them in Dollar stores, discount stores or online. They may be found as cheap as three for a dollar. 2. Decoupage the torn paper pieces onto each plate. 3. Using the"sponging" technique, sponge gold paint over the whole plate.

Remember several factors before you pick the favor that's ideal for your wedding. Look over your budget, the style or theme of wedding you are having, and the amount of wedding guests. Also, determine what you may enjoy receiving as a wedding favor.

Use the job instructions and ideas above as a base to create your own wedding favors. Creating your own favors is a great way to save money if you are on a tight budget and to provide your guests a personally selected memento of your wedding

[lepus-arcticus]

17.

Gibson Praise is small for twelve. He has poor eyesight and a juiced up God module, the jaded fatigue of those burdened with a gift. This listless little boy, a sublime specimen at the fringe of human understanding. This child without a childhood. Scully wants to take a Stryker to his brainpan, harvest a slice of that magnificent temporal lobe. She wants to take him to get soft serve at the beach, let him throw pebbles at the seagulls. She wants to murder anyone who would attempt to harm him. And just to complicate things further, Mulder's magnanimous warmth with this boy, with any child, really, sets her bones to singing that artless old song. Are you two the parents? 

Diana Fowley slinks up from the mire, with her soft voice and doleful eyes, her belief and her wonder, the red slash of her slanted mouth. Despite Mulder's oblique avoidance, Scully senses there is something old and true between them. Something with scar tissue. She spies them in a sentimental moment, their hands clasped, smiling like lovers, and an unexpected jolt of pain sends her running. 

What else has he kept from her? His closet might as well be an ossuary. Diana bleeds out onto the hard motel carpet, and the boy is stolen away. The powers that be at the Justice Department, thoroughly pissed, put through an order for reassignment. And the basement office burns. Mulder is still unresponsive by the time she gets him back to his apartment. He sinks into the couch, head in his hands, his breathing ragged and shallow. Scully squeezes his shoulder and feeds the mollies, watching their gaping, translucent mouths lip at the mosaic surface of the tankwater. Struck by her own uselessness, she makes coffee in his sparse little bachelor's kitchen, meditating on his unused Japanese knives, his wooden spoons. The breakfast nook is obscured by scraps of newsprint, scrawled notes, a water-warped back issue of Fortean Times. The percolator babbles. She fishes out two dirty mugs from the hoard in the sink and rinses them clean. Mulder doesn't move when she sets a steaming cup for him on the coffee table. She eases herself down beside him, as cautious as she'd be approaching an injured moose. Her thigh against his thigh, her palm flat along his vertebrae. At her touch, he finally begins to thaw, and she leans into him, resting her head on his shoulder, inhaling campfire and burning plastic, bitter coffee, warm male. "If she dies..." he says, a small, furious sob interrupting him. Scully nuzzles her nose into the crook of his neck, somehow unable to find any words of comfort. "She was there when I discovered the X-Files." "I know," Scully says. "Frohike told me." The memory stings. Mulder sucks in a breath, lets it drift back out. "I owe... so much to her, Scully. She was instrumental in their reopening. She was the first person to believe in the work, to fight alongside me. We were partners." A stone drops in Scully's stomach. Part of her had always assumed that before her, Mulder had been solitary in his quest - that she'd been his only witness, his only ally. That this magical, horrific world was theirs alone. "We were married." She stiffens, mind blazing with the image of the ring on her bedside table. Mulder pulls back, the hint of a smile on his lips. He looks awful. "She left me." Has he ever bent Diana over his desk? Did she edit his case reports? Bring him bottled iced tea on stakeouts? Did he ever wake her at 2:30 in the morning with questions about quasars? Before she can stop herself, she imagines him caressing Diana's face, tucking an untidy lock of sable hair behind her ear, rubbing a thumb along her cheekbone. So Diana chose him. Diana chose the X-Files. And she was merely assigned. A spy. Mulder leans his forehead against hers, his eyes fluttering closed. "But you won't leave me," he says. "You'd never leave me." Anger sparks. How would you know what I'm capable of, Mulder? He's sliding a dry hand underneath the hem of her sweater, his fingers lingering over where he knows her tattoo is, the spot on her lower back that he's touched thousands of times, in anger, in passion, in protection, in affection, in familiarity. Where did he love to touch Diana? Was it the same place? And then he's pushing her back, pushing her down, his tongue pushing into her mouth. He's half hard, pressing into her hip. How did he fuck Diana on their wedding night? Did Diana ever touch that ring? Scully pulls back in a fresh swell of outrage. Mulder's expression is momentarily one of terror and guilt, and then of desperation. He grips her hard, blinks slowly. "I... think I just need some time," she manages to choke out. He looks at her for a long moment, that one outlandish pupil of his widening. "Stay with me, Scully," he whispers. "Please." And despite everything, she finds she can't deny him. The couch is small, and Mulder is large and hot and clings like a sloth. But she manages to doze in his arms, burnt out from the roil of emotions within her. In the morning, she slips out from under him, swallows a mouthful of the cold, untouched coffee on the table, and leaves before she changes her mind. Her phone rings in the hall. "Hi, this is Janet calling from Dr. Parenti's office, I'm looking for Dana?" "... This is she." Scully crushes the cold metal teeth of her keys into her palm, punches the down button on the elevator panel with knuckle. She can't seem to breathe. "Great - Dana, we have the results back for the specimens you submitted for testing. It's good news, so don't you worry! But we'd like you to come in as soon as you're available to discuss your options and how you'd like to proceed. We have an opening tomorrow at 9:30, will that work for you?" The elevator door opens. Scully can't move. "... Dana?" She swallows several times, and forces herself to speak. "Um. Yes. Yes, tomorrow is fine. Thank you." She rides the elevator down in a trance, walks across the frost-crisp lawn to her car. The morning sky is the colour of a robin’s egg.  (A/N: Many well-marbled beefsteaks to Flor @defnotmeyo​ for her sage counsel regarding the arcs to come.)   (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16)

[perfectionprintshoppe]

©️ Personalized Frosted Plastic Tumblers 🥰 Get the chance to carry this personalized frosted plastic tumbler anywhere. These tumbler can brighten your parties with different colorful design. You can send one or more colorful designs for printing. Create beautiful designs based on your favorites and party’s theme. Product details Personalized Frosted Plastic Tumblers (White Colors) 💙💚💛💜🖤🧡❤️ Personalized Tumblers perfect for gifts. 📍Size: 650ml 📍Material: Plastic 📍 Sold with no box 📍 Layout (client provides the files ready for printing) send layered .psd file format in RGB mode provide the complete design details if you need the layout service (oneheal@yahoo.com) 👍 85 pesos each * Minimum Order Required* ⏩ White Only Made of Plastic • BFA Free ( Safe na safe po sa mga Kids) • Cold Liquids Only ▶Silver Cup with Tie Handle #frostedtumbler #frostedplastictumbler #gift #partyph #birthdaygift #giveaways #gifts #somethingdifferent #affordableph #tumblers #frostedplastictumblers #plastic #personalizedtumbler #unique #digitalprintingph #wedding #frostedtumblerph #wine #wineglassph #glasses #weddinggift #birthdaypresent #reunionsouvenirs #birthdaysouvenirs #corporategiveaways 🌿 🌿🌿🌿🌿 Keep in touch with us by like, follow and subscribe to our social media accounts. 👇 https://www.instagram.com/perfection_printshoppe/ https://twitter.com/perfectionprin3 https://www.youtube.com/perfectionprintshoppe 📲Please INBOX US for Inquiries and Orders For Faster transaction👍 https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YSPKnpE8m/?igshid=18z3bcnsg83k6

[sprnklersplashes]

Across My Memory (4/?)

AO3

Emma had her eye on the clock that hung just above the diner’s kitchen; the minute hand ticked onto twelve, then past it. One minute past three. Just one hour and fifty-nine minutes until she was allowed out. In her cursed mind, she remembered Jenny wouldn’t even pay attention to the clock, just filling her time with smiling at customers. She supposed now that if time never moved, you wouldn’t be concerned with things like when your shift was going to end, or how much your legs ached or how you were struggling to keep your eyes open or hoping that the next two hours would pass with as little trouble as possible.

Those hopes were dashed when Mayor Mills strolled in, Henry scampering in after her in his Storybrooke elementary uniform and his bulging backpack almost making him look like a turtle. She swallowed a chuckle as she watched him lagging behind Mayor Mills and hoist his bag onto the bench at the booth before trying to jump onto the seat.

Any real mother would help him, carry his bags, not sit and roll her eyes and inspect her nails while he struggled to take his seat opposite her. But she wasn’t a real mother, certainly not his real mother.

When Regina snapped her fingers at her, Emma fought to suppress the urge to lift the steak knife from the kitchen and shove it through her throat.

“Yes, Madam Mayor?” she chirped when she made her way to their booth. “What can I get you?”

“Coffee, two sugars, keep the milk in the jug so I can pour it myself,” she said coldly. “And Henry wants an orange juice and toast.”

“Is that all, Henry?” she asked, turning to him, making him jump. He bit his lip, his little hands drumming on the table, his big green eyes looking up at Regina.

“Yes,” he said hoarsely. “That’s everything.” Her boy was always such a bad liar, especially when it came to food.

                                                                                               ******

The banquet table was laden down with every kind of dessert imaginable; a rich three-tier chocolate cake, a plate piled high with a mountain of eclairs, pristine glass bowls overflowing with every kind of ice-cream she could think of, a tower of cupcakes and glistening cheesecakes. And to add to that, servants were dotted around the room, one in every corner, each with a jug of a different kind of wine to make sure their cups never emptied.

“You know, love, if this is our engagement banquet, I can’t wait to see what the wedding would look like,” Killian remarked, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t think I’ve seen this much food in my life.”

“You should have seen Emma’s sixteenth birthday, Killian,” Robert added in. “She wanted five different types of cheesecake and a chocolate fountain. And she got one.”

“The fountain was mother’s idea,” Emma corrected him. “And besides, Roland put the idea in her head. I just never stopped him.”

“It was huge,” Robert whispered to Killian. Emma rolled her eyes at her brother as he kept describing, and over exaggerating, Emma’s past banquets. If he was trying to get him to run before the wedding, Emma knew he was doing a poor job. It was going to take a lot more than Emma’s questionable eating habits to tear them apart.

She turned and looked at her son next to her. His plate had two scoops of chocolate ice-cream and a slice of strawberry cheesecake, but while he ate, his eyes were somewhere else. Just out of reach of his tiny arms, was a plate piled with cupcakes, decorated with glittering, rainbow coloured frosting and topped with marzipan butterflies. Henry had always had a soft spot for cupcakes, and these ones were so tempting she couldn’t blame him for looking at them like they were the most precious treasures in the world.

Her mother had been lecturing Henry about his eating habits ever since he could properly sit at a table. She sympathised, she and Robert had both been through the gruelling process of being instructed on how to eat at banquets-sit up, back straight, small mouthfuls, don’t shovel. And don’t indulge yourself, the last thing you want to do is appear greedy. But that was what her mother had taught her, and as much as she loved Snow, she was not Henry’s mother.

“Do you have enough to eat, Henry?” she asked, smirking.

“Yes, mother,” he said, looking up at her with sparkling hazel eyes. “Look at all my food!”

“But, would you like a cupcake?” she asked, playing with his hair, making him giggle and squirm when her fingers danced against the back of his neck.

“No,” he said. “I’m fine.”

“Nuh-uh,” she said. “I can tell when you’re fibbing, Prince Henry.”

“Grandma says I can’t eat too much,” he reminded her.

“Well, I’m your mother, and this banquet is technically for me,” Emma said. “And I say you can have what you want. So do you want a cupcake?”

Henry didn’t even hesitate before nodding, giving her a toothy grin. With a wife of her hand, a cupcake appeared on is plate, decorated with red icing and silver balls.

“Wow!” he gasped, the way he always did when she used magic. “Thank you, mother.”

“You’re welcome, kid,” she laughed, rubbing his cheek affectionately before turning back to her own dessert.

                                                                                                               *****

“Jenny?” Granny called as she folded napkins. “Phone for you.” Emma was confused; the only person who would need to contact her was her brother and he still had almost twenty minutes before he was let out of school. Maybe it could have been Mr Elliot, but there was no way he’d want to contact her at work. “Jenny, phone!” She nodded and left the napkins to pick it up.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Jenny Bird?” a woman whose voice she didn’t recognise asked.

“Yeah?”

“This is the Storybrooke General Hospital. Your brother Jonathan was hurt and brought here and you’re on his emergency contact list.” The word ‘hurt’ hit Emma like a bullet. She pressed one hand against the wall to steady herself, the cold of the wall nothing compared to the cold of the palm of her hand.

“Hurt?” she asked. “Is he okay?”

“He’s all right, just broke his arm. But, we need you to come down and get him.” Emma sighed and looked at the clock. She was nowhere near finished her shift. “Can you please just hold for a minute?”

“Of course-” Emma was sure she had more to say but she immediately covered the mouthpiece with her hand and called to Granny.

“Ms Lucas, I’m so sorry about this, but it’s Jonathan, he’s at the hospital and they need me to pick him up and I promise I’ll work overtime…”

“Go,” Ms Lucas said, her hand on his shoulder. “Go on, girl. Make it up to me another time.”

“Thank you, Ms Lucas,” she whispered, her heart still racing despite the knowledge that her brother was fine. She turned back to the phone. “Tell Jonathan to hold on, I’ll be there soon.”

Emma didn’t even bother lifting a coat; she just sprinted out the door and continued to barrel down the street without even thinking, stumbling round corners and almost tripping over herself before bursting through the doors of the hospital and clambering to the desk.

“My brother, Jonathan Bird,” she panted. “He was hurt, I’m his sister.”

“Okay,” the receptionist said, looking a little bit unnerved. She supposed she would be too if she were her, but that wasn’t important. “He’s just down the hall, third door on the left.

“Thanks,” Emma sighed before taking off down the hall, slower, more casual, but still with haste.

Sure enough her brother was sitting in a dark blue armchair in a small office; a desk sat in the corner almost completely covered in papers and plastic wallets, the window had a light dusting of steam on it, an old white kettle sat unplugged on the windowsill next to a sadly dying rose. A thin, pale, older woman with chestnut brown hair and a white doctor’s coat sat at the desk, bouncing her leg nervously and watching Emma.

“Jenny!” Jonathan called out, jumping up from his chair. Emma ran to him and threw her arms around him, mindful of the cast on his arm. She cradled the back of his head as she blinked back tears.

“Don’t scare me like that,” she sighed.

“I’m sorry, Jen,” he mumbled.

“What were you even doing?” she asked, pulling back from him.

“I was in gym and we were climbing the ropes,” he explained. “I fell on my arm.”

“You’re okay now,” she said. “That’s the main thing. Come on, let’s go home.”

“Actually, Miss Bird,” the woman interrupted, standing up. “You do have to pay for Jonathan’s bill.”

“What?” Emma asked, feeling her heart be crushed. Damn this realm and having to pay for medical treatments. In some kingdoms back home, including her kingdom when Regina had ruled, people did have to pay to be seen to, but not when her mother ruled, or in Arednelle or Dun Broch or her Aunt Ariel’s kingdom. “How much is it?”

“$190,” the doctor said, looking pained.

“What?” Emma exploded. Money was as tight as it normally had been, and she could probably afford that, if she and Jonathan didn’t plan on dinner next week. Jonathan took in a pained breath and hid his face his free hand. “Is there any way we can pay it off later?”

“Yes, you can pay it off in instalments,” the woman said, picking up a chart from her desk. “You can pay it off over the next four weeks if you pay….”

“That won’t be necessary,” a small voice piped from the doorway, making all three of them jump. “I’ll pay for the bill.���

When Emma saw who their mysterious benefactor was she almost had to sit down. Her flowing raven locks were all cut off and she was left with a short mop of black hair, but she still made it look beautiful. Petite and pale with a heart shaped face and green eyes and a chin so like Emma’s it hurt her. Soft pink lips in a sympathetic smile, twisting a silver ring on her hand.

Her mother.

“I can’t let you do that, Miss….” Emma protested weakly.

“Blanchard. Mary Margaret Blanchard,” she said. “And you aren’t letting me do anything, I’m offering to help you.” She reached into her bag, pulled out a white wallet with a gold clasp and began looking through it. “Um, $190 was it?”

“Miss Blanchard, that’s incredibly generous,” Emma said. “But I don’t need to take charity. I can do this myself.” Aside from the raging embarrassment she felt at the idea of someone else paying for her, this would just be proof to Regina that she is not capable of looking after her brother and then have him sent somewhere where she can’t save him.

“It’s not charity,” she said, handing the money over. “You can pay me back later.”

“Thank you,” Emma whispered, biting back tears.

“Jen?” Jonathan asked, tugging on her shirt sleeve. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she said numbly, wrapping her arm around him. What else could she say? This is our mother, she loves us, and she can’t remember us, and you can’t remember her and it’s tearing me apart. “Come on, kid, let’s go home.”

“Oh, I’ve finished my shift, why don’t I drive you?” Mary Margaret asked. Emma felt both defeated and elated. She wanted to be close to Mary Margaret, at least that way she could have some time with her mother, or the person wearing her mother’s face, but she didn’t know how much she could take. Hell, it was hard enough having Robert-but-not-Robert around her on a daily basis and Killian-but-not-Killian running into her. “It’s not an issue, really, I’m in no rush to get home.”

The lonely part of Emma, the part that needed someone to hold her, that needed her parents, won out.

“Thanks, that’d be great.”

                                                                                               *****

“And one, two, three, one, two, three,” Snow White counted as she spun around her bedroom, her white nightgown billowing around her, her raven hair flying wildly. The early morning sun shone through the chamber window, the birds tweeting a light melody that Snow danced along to, her bare toes on the rug and her five-year-old daughter giggling in her arms.

“Too fast, Mama, too fast!” she said. “You’re making me dizzy.” Snow laughed and lay her girl on her bed, empty now that her husband was off visiting his close friend Queen Abigail of the neighbouring kingdom. Emma grabbed the blanket and rolled herself in it, pressing her nose into the fabric. Soon all that was visible was a heap of golden hair.

“Well, clearly there’s no-one in my bed,” Snow sighed. “So I suppose I’ll just lie down then.” Her heart warmed at the sound of Emma’s muffled giggling. When she lay down she very deliberately threw her arm across Emma’s stomach and tickled her back. “What on Earth is this in my bed?”

“It’s me!” Emma laughed, throwing the covers off and climbing on top of Snow, her chin pressing into her chest. Snow pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

“So Miss Emma, what will you do today?” she asked. Emma shrugged and kicked her feet up in the air. “Well, how about since your Papa is away on his trip, why don’t you and I pack a picnic and go down to the river?”

“Really?” Emma gasped, a grin stretching across her whole face and her eyes sparkling. Snow nodded, brushing Emma’s hair behind her pointed ears. “Mama, thank you!”

“Come on, darling,” she said, lifting her off her and walking her down to her room. “Let’s get you dressed, shall we?”

                                                                                               *****

Mary Margaret’s car was a small white thing with the back seat covered in papers and files. She cleared one seat by shoving most of them onto the floor awkwardly so that Jonathan could sit while Emma sat in the front passenger’s seat.

“Where do you guys live?” she asked as she pulled out of the hospital driveway.

“103 Winter Drive,” Emma answered. Mary Margaret nodded and set off in that direction. A silence descended on the car; Jonathan kept his eye on the cast on his arm and stroked it gently while Emma looked at Mary Margaret, who tried to focus on the road, but her eyes occasionally kept going back to her. “So, you’re a nurse?”

“Oh no,” she laughed, shaking her head. “No, I’m a teacher, I just volunteer at the hospital during nights.” Emma smiled despite everything. Volunteering to tend to the sick was such a Snow White thing to do that Emma knew her mother was not lost to her.

“That’s really nice,” she said. An idea came to her mind. “Do you think I could maybe volunteer?”

“Really?” she asked.

“Really?” Jonathan echoed, but where she was intrigued, he clearly did not believe her for a second.

“Yeah,” she said, ignoring Jonathan. “It sounds cool.” What really sounded cool was spending time with her mother, but she didn’t need to reveal that little detail. “Helping people and stuff…. It’s noble.”

“Well if you want, I can get my hands on some application forms for you,” Mary Margaret said. “It’s just a simple background check and then you’re all set.”

“That would be great,” Emma said, smiling. “I mean I work most days but I’m sure I can squeeze in some time.”

“It’s a great thing to do,” Mary Margaret went on. “Not just for CVs or whatever but for yourself. Knowing you did something good for people, knowing you put a smile on their faces. It’s a remarkable feeling.” They pulled up outside Emma and Jonathan’s house. “And this is your stop.”

“Thank you,” Jonathan said from the back.

“Yeah, thank you so much. I don’t know how we can ever repay you,” Emma said.

“You’ll work it out eventually. I’m just glad you two got home safe.” She looked out the window as a few spots of rain began hitting the car. “And just in time too.”

“Good night, Mary Margaret.”

“Good night….”

“Jenny.”

“Good night, Jenny,” she smiled.

The moment Emma was inside she was hit with the feeling she knew was coming. Like a stone hitting her square in the chest, grief from missing her mother so damn much even if she had been sitting right next to her. Her hands curled up into fists and she schooled her breathing, which was fairly natural after years of practice at audiences. Her brother seemed to look past the mask, something he kept from their old lives.

“Jen?” he asked. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry about the money.”

“It’s okay,” she sighed, pulling him into a hug, his head resting on her shoulder. “This country’s messed up healthcare system isn’t your fault. And gravity certainly isn’t.”

It was Regina’s fault. All of it. And she’d make her pay.

Eventually, it seemed.  

                                                                                               ******

Emma’s bedroom was lit by just a few candles, one on her bedside table and two by the door, giving Snow White just enough light to see the book she was reading to her daughter as a bedtime story. She had began sitting up across from her but ended up lying on her side with Emma next to her and the book between them. Emma’s tiny hand traced the illustration of the smiling puppy dog on the page.

“But Chip was a brave puppy, he summoned up all his courage and trotted out into the rain to find his friends…..” She trailed off and looked at Emma, her eyes half closed, her breathing deep and even. Snow began to close the book, slowly so she wouldn’t wake, and planned on slipping it under her bed and tiptoeing to bed herself, but Emma stirred and opened her eyes, apparently having other ideas.

“The story,” she whispered. “You didn’t finish it.”

“Sorry, Emma,” Snow said. “I just thought you were asleep.” Emma giggled tiredly as Snow picked up the book and began reading again. Just as before, Emma’s eyes began to close, she snuggled into her mother’s side, her arm tightening around the stuffed bear her Aunt Red had given her as a present. Snow kept reading and watched Emma until she shifted in her sleep and turned her head away. Smiling she closed the book and set it on the floor beside her.

“Good night, Emma,” she whispered and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

                                                                                               ******

Emma went back to the hospital the next day with a small bunch of flowers, an envelope containing $40 and a box of chocolates. Not just the discount ones from a gas station; she swung into a supermarket and picked up an almost fancy box. Just about fit for a Queen.

She found Mary Margaret in the coma ward. It was far too quiet; the early morning meant that very few visitors were in. The sunlight bounced off the tiled floor and white walls, making the room seem harsher, colder. Mary Margaret was walking delicately quietly around the ward, placing small vases of flowers on try tables, asking visitors if they needed anything. Emma inched closer and closer to her, feeling incredibly idiotic.

“Mary Margaret?” she asked, just loud enough so she could hear.

Mary Margaret was startled, but still smiled when she saw Emma, her grin bringing life and joy to such a grim place. Her mother had always been able to do that.

“Jenny! What brings you here?” she asked.

“I wanted to give you these,” she said, handing over the gifts. “It’s just my way of saying thanks for the ride home last night.”

“Oh, well thank you very much.” She eyed the envelope suspiciously. “But I can’t take your money, Jenny.”

“It’s fine, please take it,” she insisted. “It’s just out of the rainy-day money, and you spent nearly $200 on my brother last night.”

“How is he?” she asked.

“Fine. Gone into school like he didn’t have a care,” she replied.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Mary Margaret smiled. “Oh, here I have something for you.” She led Emma to the front of the room, where she had places her handbag on a chair near the door. “Here, the application for volunteering.”

“Thank you,” Emma sighed. “I should probably get to work.”

“Well I hope to see you here, Jenny,” Mary Margaret said.

On Emma’s way out, a patient in the bed right next to the door caught her eyes and made her stop dead in her tracks, taking small steps closer to get a better look at him.

“That’s our John Doe,” Mary Margaret explained. “He’s been here since…. Forever, I guess. Someone just found him on the side of the road with a huge gash in his right shoulder and brought him in. The doctors say that if he had been left for any longer it might have been too late.”

“And no one came for him?” Emma asked, her voice breaking.

“Nope.” Mary Margaret turned to look at Jenny, frowning slightly. “Jenny, are you all right?”

“Fine,” Emma said, wiping her eyes quickly. She may have been good at spotting lies but she was awful at telling them. She was upset, and she had every reason to be. “What happened to his shoulder?”

“No one knows. Complete mystery.”

Emma knew what it was; one of Regina’s knights had run him through with their sword while he was trying to protect her. He had always protected her.

The man in the bed was her father.

                                                                                               ******

Princess Emma Eva of Misthaven was born just as dawn was breaking to two ecstatic parents. After Doc had checked both Snow and the baby and confirmed that they were healthy, he left them with a bow, giving them some long awaited quiet time with their little princess. She was fast asleep, nestled in the blanket Granny had spent weeks carefully knitting, her name etched in purple thread.

“Oh, she is so beautiful,” David sighed, stroking her cheek softly. He kissed Snow’s forehead gently. “You’re amazing.”

“And to think we almost lost this,” Snow gasped. She hugged her baby closer by instinct. “Regina nearly took her from us.”

“Regina cannot tear this family apart,” he whispered, not wanting his daughter to even hear the name of that woman. “We won and now we’re all here, together.”

“She is going to be the happiest girl in the land,” Snow decided. “Whatever she wants, she’ll have.”

“And no-one will ever make her feel unloved,” David agreed. Emma started to squirm, uttered soft grunts and opened one eye. “Hello little princess.” Unfortunately, Emma began to cry.

“Someone’s hungry,” Snow sighed, and she opened her dress to let Emma feed. “It’s okay baby girl, I’ve got you.” After Emma had her fill she popped off her mother’s breast and began dozing against her, her mouth hanging open and a little bit of dribble on her chin.

“We should probably put her in her crib,” David said, smiling at his wife.

“Mm, probably,” Snow murmured. “But she seems happy right here.”

[ashadeofpemberley]

The Perfect Christmas

For @anneelliotscat my dear giftee!

Prompt: “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

Rating: G (Literally this might give you a cavity)

Summary: A super short and sweet ficlet about Gideon’s first Christmas. 

AN: Sorry for any mistakes, I procrastinated to the max and didn’t have time to send it off to a beta! Hope you enjoy anyway!

Rumpelstiltskin slumped back in his chair with his sleeping son resting in his lap. Having never really been a fan of the holidays either in Storybrroke of the Enchanted Forest, he still couldn’t wrap his head how in a matter of two weeks his wife had managed to turn their home from a cluttered mess of Gideon’s ever-present toys and magical antiquities into a cosy Christmas wonderland that would have made even Martha Stewart turn positively green.

This was Gideon’s first Christmas and as far as Belle Gold was concerned, it was to be the grandest affair since the invention of glitter. The library had been ransacked for information about what would constitute the perfect family Christmas. Luckily for them, family was something they had in abundance. The whole clan had been enlisted to help with preparations right down to the former Evil Queen, who had been charged with bringing an assortment of apple-flavored pastries to dinner. Despite her recent good behavior, most of the guests, save Henry, opted for the pumpkin pie Ruby had brought with her from Granny’s.

Baelfire and Emma had been put in charge of finding a tree for the family room, and in hindsight Gold could admit that it might have been a mistake to give his daughter-in-law an axe, sheriff or not. For not having had very many family Christmases, both of them had very, very strong opinions about what constituted a good tree.  

“Are you insane?! This one looks like someone you’d see in a Peanuts special!”

“Well at least mine will fit through the door! Yours needs its own zip code!”

After six hours of heated debate and threats of frostbite, the couple returned to the house hauling in what could quite possibly have been the largest pine tree ever created along with a three foot sapling that had lost a fair amount of its needles on the drive back. It had taken several mugs of hot chocolate with cinnamon and a promise to simply buy a plastic one for next year from Belle to get the two back on to speaking terms long enough to do some light trimming. Gideon even participated as he “helped” put the stars on top with a little assistance from his older brother Bae, who was by far the tallest of the Gold men (though Henry was giving him a run for his money.)

After the trees had been suitably drowned in tinsel, various holiday knick knacks they all had found in the attic from his days spent as Mr. Gold, pawnbroker, curse victim, and apparent reindeer enthusiast, Rumple thought the worst was over.

Then came the food.

Now, Rumpelstiltskin was no stranger to a good feast. He had seen plenty in his time as the Dark One, and plenty more after whatever curse they were under currently was broken, but nothing could have prepared him for the absolute sugar-coated insanity that had descended upon his kitchen for the last two weeks. One thing he had always admired about Belle was her tenacious spirit. If she wanted something, she would go after it whatever it took. Unfortunately, that spirit was the same one that told her that making enough food to feed Storybrooke and a good portion of Maine was an excellent idea. If the oven could speak, it probably would have asked for an attorney or a therapist by the end of the first week. By the end of the second week of marathon type cooking, Rumplestiltskin could confidently say that a grand total of two pigs, three lambs, four turkeys, seven Cornish hens, and one terribly unlucky duck had all met an untimely end in his kitchen. Normally, Belle was an incredibly gentle person, but she had tenderized that duck like it owed her money.

Of course, that only covered the main courses. His wife had outsourced several side dishes to various guests since her kitchen was currently serving as the clove-scented hell of the animal kingdom. Snow White had graciously taken up the task of making the potatoes…all eight variations of them. Potatoes had been scalloped, baked, roasted, mashed, smashed (“Yes there’s a difference, Rumple!”), fried, shredded, and covered with cheese. At promptly five o’clock this morning Mr. Gold watched as a seemingly endless parade of dwarves marched dutifully to his kitchen, each of them armed with an aluminum pan fill to the brim with some combination of starch, butter, and salt. Looking back, he really shouldn't have been surprised. The Nolan’s and their dwarfish friends personally catered Emma and Baelfire’s wedding reception in a matter of two days, it was a wonder that hadn’t caused another famine with two weeks to work.

Henry had volunteered to make the gravy and stuffing (with the supervision of Regina), Leroy offered to bring drinks (including non-alcoholic options for those who were still breastfeeding), and Mulan had kindly brought in an assortment of fruit from her latest travels. Ariel and her husband had been sent an invitation but unfortunately had to decline due to a recent hurricane, they did however send a lovely (albeit a little soggy) fruitcake as an apology and a promise to visit at New Year’s.

That left the cookies. Although Regina was taking care of the rest of the desserts, Belle has insisted that she be the one to make and decorate cookies. He had to admit, the spool-shaped ones were certainly clever, and Henry adored the book-shaped ones, Belle had even managed a batch of swans for Emma, but it was Gideon who had been positively delirious with excitement as he mounted an ungodly amount of frosting and sprinkles onto each of his wizard hat cookies. He was certainly his father’s son. Rumple hadn’t bothered trying to count the number of cookies that had been made, consumed, and then remade within the last two weeks, if for no other reason than he was convinced they were spawning when he wasn’t looking.

All in all it was a party to rival even the grandest event in the Enchanted Forest, let alone Storybrooke.

Guests had started to trickle in right after lunch. Bad and Emma were the first to arrive, but only because they were each trying to ensure that the other wasn’t planning on sabotaging their respective trees. Ruby had brought along Dr. Hopper as her guest, to absolutely no one’s surprise. Those two had been dancing around each other long before the first curse took place, though being no stranger to silent pining, Gold supposed he should keep that little observation to himself. Mulan had carpooled with the dwarves, seeing as she didn’t have a car in this world and there were no appropriate places to park a horse in the Gold’s driveway. The Nolan/Mills clan had arrived last seeing as there was some debate about how best to transport five dozen apple turnovers with three gallons of gravy.  

If you were to tell Rumpelstiltskin a year ago, that he would be having Christmas dinner with the Charmings, the former Evil Queen, a Chinese warrior, a werewolf, a former cricket, several dwarves, the Savior, the son he’d lost, his grandson, his True Love and his newborn son he probably would have asked what curse they would be under and how much alcohol there was in this new curse.

After dinner was over and everyone was properly comatose with food, they all adjourned to the living room to watch the children open their gifts. Gideon had received several new books from his mama and papa along with a small cape that was a gift from his big brother (“You know, so he can practice that dramatic woosh thing,”) and a tiny dreamcatcher from Emma and Henry.

The festivities continued on long into the night. Stories were shared, jokes were told, and a few even decided to dance (that might have been due to Leroy’s special eggnog though).

The last of the guests had finally left just as Gideon settled himself into a deep sleep on his papa’s lap.

Looking around all he could see was colorful paper, stray cups and plates, and the odd scarf left behind. And strangely it didn’t bother him at all. Seeing his wife so content surrounded by family and friends was more than he could have ever wished for her.

There was only one thing left.

“Rumple, look it’s snowing!!”

Gently removing himself from his son’s sleeping form, Gold smiled as he walked over to where Belle had been collecting the last of the plates by the bay window.

She looked at him quizzically, “I thought it wasn’t supposed to snow until next week?”

He shrugged, “Well, I was put in charge of exterior decoration.”

“Rumple, you didn’t use magic did you? You know how I feel about altering weather patterns…”

“Sweetheart, I promise I didn’t use a single drop of magic on this.”

“Then how,”

“Let’s just say,” Rumple cut her off with a quick kiss to her lips, “I called in a favor from a certain Snow Queen who happened to be in town recently.”

Belle only smiled as she shook her head.

“This wasn’t so bad, was it Rumple?” She asked resting her head on his shoulder as they both looked out at the softly falling flakes. His only reply was another kiss to the side of her head.

If having their home be covered in tinsel and obscure family members for one day a year made his family this happy then, well, that wasn’t so bad at all.

[petallica08]

Unique cupcake packaging ideas for your small business

Congratulations on turning your passion into your business. Opening a small cupcake business is a unique business idea as they are famous among children and adults. Even thinking about fluffy small-size cakes with sweet icing would make everyone’s mouth water. However, the packaging is also a crucial part of your business. The right packaging will help you attract more customers and also keep your product safe. So, here are some unique packaging ideas using cupcake boxes UK and other supplies that you can use.

 ●       Floral packaging

Floral packaging is the best way of gaining the attention of your potential clients. You can use artificial flowers UK wholesale for this purpose as they would not wilt during the time of delivery. You can attach some small artificial flowers at the top of the box for a magnificent look. You even have the option to choose the colour and type of flower depending on your customers’ personal preferences.

 ●       Cupcake basket

You can make cupcake wicker baskets UK where you can put different flavours of cupcakes for your customers. You can even pack the basket with clear plastic wrapping to display the items. You can tie little bows, ribbons, and lace or even use stickers to give it a beautiful look.

 ●       Cupcake jars

You can use small mason jars to pack your single cupcakes. You can even put crumbled cupcakes with frosting in the jar to give your business a unique approach to the baking industry. You can even decorate the jar with helium wholesale balloons UK. This would also make your product a great gift for birthdays, baby showers, and more.

 ●       Disposable packaging

If you are in search of cost-effective packaging solutions, then you can try out disposable packaging. You can use disposable dessert cups to pack your cupcakes, especially for on-the-go orders. They are easy to handle and pack, giving you the opportunity to provide equal time behind other aspects of your business other than packaging.

 ●       Single cupcake boxes

If you are selling single cupcakes, then there are a wide range of packaging options that you can try. You can look for themed single cupcake boxes according to different occasions like Christmas, Saint Patrick’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Birthdays, Weddings, and more. You can also choose the packaging material type for boxes, such as wood, plastic, and paper.

 ●       Egg carton packaging

Egg carton packaging boxes have become a trend in 2021, and if you are making mini cupcakes, you got to have them for packaging. The egg slots are a perfect fit for the mini cupcakes, and you can decorate them in a lot of different ways. Moreover, they are also eco-friendly. Hence, you would be protecting mother Earth while making your business a success.

 Wrapping Up

Selecting the right packaging option for food products can get challenging since you have to keep your food safe and market it by having a unique packaging system. Hence, look for professional packaging suppliers who will help you fulfil both these requirements seamlessly.

[itesfashion]

Everyone loves Corelle!! It’s featherweight, conveniently stackable and an excellent option for my requirements.

Everyone loves Corelle!! It’s featherweight, conveniently stackable and an excellent option for my requirements.

Really unhappy when using the cups (these were created in The far east). They are simply reducing their blue colored color selection. The dishes and dishes are very good (they had been built in America).

To have an new residence, in this situation for recently-weds. The layouts are presently so different and amazing it’s turn out to be hard to solitary 1 out. I actually do ignore glasses and saucers–but our company is now particularly useful to the cups. These meals enter in the dish-washer, the microwave oven, and keep on being the colourAndnbsp;immediately after several years. They generally do not disappear.

They are certainly not fairly as many as Corelle’s assumed good quality. Have realized terrible glazing in locations on many of the servings and a number of the evening meal dishes certainly are a bit irregular. Nevertheless, for every single day use and comfort of washing, and simply being compact when compared to the stoneware we received recently, they are really very good. Perform including the cups greater for capacity and coping with far better than the dinky Corelle from decades earlier.

I really enjoy these meals! These are so light source and straightforward to take care of. They also have stylish shapes. With all of the data of late about recycled plastic ware not in good health make use of with diet the Corelle will give me fantastic ease and comfort and peacefulness.

Enjoy these recipes. They happen to be gentle together with the design is actually comparatively.

I like this set in place, nonetheless its every day life is just short.

Right after 4 mos of mindfully use and fretting hand clean up, the dishes and dishes scraped. I can begin to see the metallic underneath the enamel layer. Really let down.

Also, amazon . com site is attractive plenty of to subject the warrantee, which is actually a return.

Pretty doubtful about corelle high-quality from now on. I like this arranged also have a for just a spherical two decades. Fairly long lasting and lovely.

My Corelle Dinnerware Establish emerged tightly twisted in addition to new ailment. I had delay this invest in for quite a while. I needed The far east however it is so high priced. The Corelle is stunning. I don’t take a meal washing machine as a result it spots the kitchen sink as well as being not remedied like chinese suppliers. It is not necessarily delicate! I got 2 packages with the intention that basically if i shattered one or two I wouldn’t must structure a lot more without delay. An additional factor, basically if i performed crack a little something, I will change it by discovering an individual reselling their own on Amazon marketplace. The variety of habits can even come together, at the very least in my view they might. One and only thing I ignore can be described as saucer for those mug. Nevertheless I required a mug and they also don’t come along with saucers. I am just not sorry I purchased the cups, They believe terrific within your fingers which has a warmer enjoy with them. That concerns in my experience with a frosty day time! Appreciate it, Linda

Regular food merely weigh up far too much for my spouse to elevate and bear upon her surgical treatments. Attaining roughly shelving to eliminate recipes was easily way too hard in her shoulder joint. These load the expense properly. They are simply light and portable and check wonderful – we couldn’t be more comfortable using our choose. We acquired two offerings – all dishes, servings, saucers for example., turned up in top condition – no potato chips or smashes.

I proceeded to go straight back to Corelle. I needed a really pricy group of Pfaltzgraff. It had been amazing, nevertheless it really chipped very easily, thus i made the decision to return to Corelle. I needed my other established for a few years and do not stood a chipped or broken down chunk. Like it and definately will keep it going.

enjoy these,really lighting with you and a second click the ground but by no means best white dinnerware shattered

Excellent for each day – absolutely love the dishes (the bigger the first is greater than the slightly older type of Corelle, that i am thrilled with). The lesser dishes are fantastic for toast during the morning. We have ample dishes but the are best for section command ;), plus the a cup of coffee cups are considered the just ultimate. Absolutely love the retail price and all about these

Affection this arranged. It appeared a little bit of “ancient girl”-ish while in the snap shots initially when i first purchased it, however, if it landed I fully transformed my thoughts about that. It seems a whole lot better physically which is very tough. My dads and moms hold the Corelle fixed aided by the berry on there and they’ve obtained it consistently without the troubles. However these are folks that decline to utilise cutlery along with other barbecuing implements considering they can’t be make the dishwashing machine, so they are certainly not highly emotional or attentive relating to food.

I prefer these and acquired them considering that I love how easy to carry they are simply, but they also do keep along within the water, not really that ideal for a nail biter rofl It’s a little bit of tricky to buy them aside!!! Basically If I experienced fingernails, it becomes a simple process!

I had generally beloved Corelle Ware and also have tried it for ages. It unquestionably attained my anticipations. Excellent is definitely fine. I found myself only let down every time a working week just after I got myself it the retail price lowered from $40 right down to $26 for exactly the same arranged. How on the globe managed to do which happen?

We picked up two groups of these plates for my Mum on her birthday celebration and she appreciates them. We certainly have friends and family dishes at Mums on a regular basis so these include employed like regular cuisine plus they are incredibly sturdy. The flavored coffee cups are particularly attractive intense-task stoneware. The foods are light-weight plus they thoroughly clean up very well. I might strongly recommend these meals to every person. We have used them regular and in addition we are content with them.

These containers are ideal for us. Compact but heavy duty. Paid for extra products to accommodate ever since the dishes are small-scale. You can find a breakfast cereal serving intended included in this tendency and therefore i picked up bare bright Corelle assisting dishes simply because are an even better worth as opposed to State Bungalow dishes.

This is the next collection of these I ordered. I needed at first ordered these for my families as being a Xmas treat a couple of in the past nonetheless they previously had presently picked up their and permit me to make them. So thankful they would bring about I adore them a great deal of we possessed to obtain more! They also have as picked up 3 units of their very own. These are fairly strong. I’ve fallen the dishes just before without having to break. Wonderful!

I am just pretty frustrated because of this goods,Single serving chipped at the same time heating up in micro-wave together with other one out of the diswasher.

I really enjoy Corelle- I preferred this sequence. Spotted them web based- got a Amazon . com site Surprise Charge card- so in fact it charge me $4.79 out from my budget. So for $4.79 will never whine. But within the retailer I bought these from- they seem to be a little flawed/unnatural. A small number of items 1 larger dish and two dishes look “warped”. But other then that. really enjoy them.

I assumed I’d blog post this overview soon after I lowered a soapy serving with the house basin around the tiled floorboards last night. It created a serious racket and so i was particular it was actually broken down, but it surely wasn’t. I’ve possessed this looking for half a year now, and am thrilled using it. No food items unsightly stains, safe for use with the micro-wave and dish washer and relatively stop immune!

Market price was fantastic but a lot better than that would be their overall flexibility, micro-wave, cooker and so forth .. They happen to be light-weight Andamp; don’t use up the most space or room as my previous recipes managed. The trend is fabulous Andamp; I adore that. The mug is an effective dimension without having to be so large that my senior less strong possession can’t manage. They coordinate the cups very well at the same time

This type of adorable habit. I’ve blended many elements of the wintertime Frost Bright along with them and it also meets up appropriately. I journeyed from large stoneware to such really light foods and haven’t regretted it for one moment. As well as, they’re basically unbreakable.

It’s not too high quality (low cost appearing) but can be a fine established for realistic use. I will apply it regularly from home however i wouldn’t apply it for a proper celebration.I do think it’s terrific supplement towards the total price!

We enjoyed this plenty of we bought a 2nd placed. We have a set up at our next dwelling. Ideal for micro-wave. We don’t utilize it for provider but wonderful to obtain accessible and way, much better than pieces of paper dishes. Pretty long-lasting. Effortless to keep mainly because dishes are so incredibly skinny. Java mug is an effective measurements, also.

Really enjoy this dinnerware. The lite excess fat in the dishes will make it this easy for my partner (who may have joint disease) for our grandkids to take care of. I strongly suggest the crooks to anyone that wants long-lasting every day dinnerware…

Why managed i put it off such a long time to acquire corelle? My mother once had a full large range of corelle. So i never imagined regarding it, right up until i needed obtained very substantial dinners so when i began to clean them (within my unique residential home), i recognise thats a job i had get myself personally with! I am just so thrilled i got these corelle, they really are so gentle and so this precise set in place can be so dainty and attractive. Cleansing them following dinner time is easy because they are so simple to clean and they may be dedicated to the dishwashing machine way too. Currently being microwave oven risk-free, we rely on them to warm up food items to boot. Anything emerged undamaged, no broken or cracked or chipped dishes. Adore them!

I would personally of rendering this a 5 legend ranking but one of the many treat dishes is destroyed currently, might be I used to be overly challenging in it however i didnt know it would crack. Everyone loves having the dishes within the microwave oven to warm-up leftovers and how big the dinner time dishes are appropriate.

good for my remolded your kitchen in granite crafted from dark/green/gold,,, I have to request a different established,,well, i have assistance for 8 Bext Doctor. Lynne

They were an amazing alternative to my former Asia collection. Awesome benefit!

Corelle outstanding and gratifaction happens to be the exact for years and so this is not any exception to this rule. I needed a set up years in the past and also have long gone back in it now to apply exterior for BBQs. A lot better than melamine and dish-washer risk-free on all shelves of your dish washer. Only grievance would be the greens meal will be much smaller compared to it ought to be, alternatively I am just most content with this collection.

I needed a arranged that wasn’t ungainly. I’ve held these for up to yearly and they’ve placed up wonderful throughout a lot of washes in your dish washer. Superb within the micro-wave, at the same time.

This list of cuisine is really worth the funds. Have owned and operated Corelle recipes historically,rather happy with them,they last for many years! Place Bungalow routine is very really! Like the pink tone for the glasses. Love the modification to stoneware through preceding type of glasses,that has been a superficial receptive glass that precipitated caffeine in becoming chilled too quickly,adjust is really a extensive development. Only criticism may be the smaller-sized platter is very small,puts useful to have a sandwich scaled dish rather than a delicacy dimensions.Will nevertheless begin using these but must choose a couple of luncheon dishes in order to make this a very purposeful range containers. But on the whole very happy with the buying, Andamp; endorse these people to any person taking into consideration choosing a sensibly priced collection of day-to-day meals.

I’ve have this dinnerware consistently and called for an additional fixed since you can have never an adequate amount of these containers. They really are so light. I’ve under no circumstances harmed you however immediately after two decades. The senior you will get the a reduced amount of you would want to cope with substantial major recipes.

Everyone loves the cuisine but I have to get alot more and the lunch break dishes. I’m thinking about buying a second establish very quickly.

My mother purchased me corelle as i picked up committed 34 in the past (and i’m continue to working with it regular currently) — to ensure that it was a pretty simple selection for my most ancient as he bought committed — my new little girl-in-laws adores them (specially the style).

Ideal minimal couple of foods I obtained for an individual that is aging population. They may be light in weight and also a wonderful layout. This similar established bought from any local retail store for a similar fee but without the servings. This particular one finding the glasses incorporated taught me to purchase it on the net. It came punctually from owner and absolutely nothing was destroyed. A really good shop for.

These meals are incredibly excellent to provide on plus they clean up quite easily at the same time. I really like the lighting excess weight experience together with the layout. Mugs are exactly best dimensions.

I actually have suffered from various types of dinnerware, i am betrothed 44years… and also to exactly the same gentleman far too. The different containers, the dishes, wine glasses, servings, saucers.. were actually chipped. In spite of how cautious I used to be, I’d must chuck them and obtain new. I traveled to a garage area selling, and obtained various dishes, the evening meal dishes.. and i also wanted it a great deal, I proceeded to go over the internet to choose a finished establish. Good I have done. I am just so proud of this new dinnerware, and Internet marketing more more pleased about the belief that it won’t scratch on me. As well as its just relatively. I am just quite content with this remedy and suggest it to everybody focused on a good quality product which persists very long, and appears unique on top of that.

Terrific Corelle superior quality. Straightforward to cleanse, spectacular minimalistic habit, and also that extremely lumination but strong assembly.

Light in weight; pleasing flower structure in the boundary; ideal looking for control that opt for coping with light and portable objects!

Been hanging around for the appropriate chance to purchase these for a amazing amount. Its been some thirty years given that now we have possessed a very good collection of Corelle dinnerware. Thank you so much

I’ve generally dreamed of Corelle existing ware Andamp; lastly wanted to order some personally! I’m remarkably happy about it!!The structure I select truly satisfies my identity Andamp; I adore which the plates are really light-weight considering that I needed stoneware previously. I’d strongly recommend this particular product to everyone!

Lightweight, particularly very thin. The caffeine cups are classified as the most large tens within the collection. Didn’t recognize that the dishes was included with covers… I assume this is actually a great contact even so can’t certainly envision utilizing them.

I enjoy Corelle goods having said that i feel like the Corelle cheated me now because of this Corellle Dinnerware place. The dishes and dishes come in America and delightful. I really enjoy it. Nevertheless the mugs come in The far east. The glasses are way too large and low-priced. Two breaks have the glass nevertheless i don’t need to spend your time to come back. I would recommend Corelle ought not selection products and services manufactured in North america and Chinese suppliers, then state this revolutionary product is done in United states of america. I look and feel so distressed even continually appreciate Corelle products and solutions. Many thanks for looking at.

They are excellent. The cups are actually good. Uncomplicated to maintain and the perfect measurement. Like this establish! Hard to interrupt far too! Far better acquire on a save despite the fact that because doing so came broken down when obtained while in the email.

When you get it approximately $20, it’s a terrific importance-for-capital collection. It always promotes for $27 on The amazon website, nonetheless have witnessed occasions when it markets for only $20. However those occasions are small number of and also small. So just invest in when you need it.

Really appealing and lightweight bodyweight. Doesn’t require much space in cabinet. Not hard to clean. When plan came, one of the several cups was shattered. Referred to as organization additionally they received a replacement straight out to my opinion. Extremely pleased with choose.

These matched up our pre-existing dishes and dishes. They happen to be pretty slim and light-weight. We haven’t become any cracking on these types. Even if we certainly have obtained one thoroughly shattered.

The dishes and dishes are gorgeous and moreover, they come in the You.S.A. I want the caliber of these dishes and dishes.The cups, nonetheless, are discouraging. They can be stoneware, created in Chinese suppliers. These would scratch very easily. The ability for the mug is in addition not big enough. In general, nevertheless, the number of dinnerware is perfect significance. The dishes and dishes are worthy of getting.

Glasses are generally more greyish than soft bluish. They recipe established is Corelle that are great day to day cuisine.

The post Everyone loves Corelle!! It’s featherweight, conveniently stackable and an excellent option for my requirements. appeared first on Guest Blogging Platform for Jewelry & Fashion.

from Blog – Guest Blogging Platform for Jewelry & Fashion https://ift.tt/2H1ari7 via IFTTT from Untitled https://ift.tt/2GqREPS via IFTTT from Ladies Fashion https://ift.tt/2GIgR7S via IFTTT

[perfectionprintshoppe]

©️ Personalized Frosted Plastic Tumblers 🥰 Get the chance to carry this personalized frosted plastic tumbler anywhere. These tumbler can brighten your parties with different colorful design. You can send one or more colorful designs for printing. Create beautiful designs based on your favorites and party’s theme. Product details Personalized Frosted Plastic Tumblers (White Colors) 💙💚💛💜🖤🧡❤️ Personalized Tumblers perfect for gifts. 📍Size: 650ml 📍Material: Plastic 📍 Sold with no box 📍 Layout (client provides the files ready for printing) send layered .psd file format in RGB mode provide the complete design details if you need the layout service (oneheal@yahoo.com) 👍 85 pesos each * Minimum Order Required* ⏩ White Only Made of Plastic • BFA Free ( Safe na safe po sa mga Kids) • Cold Liquids Only ▶Silver Cup with Tie Handle #frostedtumbler #frostedplastictumbler #gift #partyph #birthdaygift #giveaways #gifts #somethingdifferent #affordableph #tumblers #frostedplastictumblers #plastic #personalizedtumbler #unique #digitalprintingph #wedding #frostedtumblerph #wine #wineglassph #glasses #weddinggift #birthdaypresent #reunionsouvenirs #birthdaysouvenirs #corporategiveaways 🌿 🌿🌿🌿🌿 Keep in touch with us by like, follow and subscribe to our social media accounts. 👇 https://www.instagram.com/perfection_printshoppe/ https://twitter.com/perfectionprin3 https://www.youtube.com/perfectionprintshoppe 📲Please INBOX US for Inquiries and Orders For Faster transaction👍 https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YSNrgpfcc/?igshid=1rbtt8gx3cih8