They can accompany you at your Holiday Event...

The air is getting crisp, and it's definitely that time of year.  The edges of leaves are turning red.  I'm craving warm cozy coffees and...SweetPotatoMayas :)  I just pulled out my crock pot, to make a roasted pork loin for dinner tonight!

So it's time to consider putting in an order for SweetPotatoMayas!  Warm them up and serve them at a family gathering, or at your next holiday event.  It is so easy.

And I've got my holiday prices going too.  I can only take a limited amount of orders, so if you're interested, please contact me soon!  And Happy Fall friends :)

One box of 9.......................................$15

Two boxes of 9...................................$26

Three boxes of 9..................................$37

Please let me know how many boxes you would like, and when you would like them delivered :)

They freeze wonderfully in the freezer too!

Email me here: sweetpotatomayas@yahoo.com

Wishing you a wonderfully cozy, beautiful Fall.

Maya

Quit your whinin' and move your...

Yesterday was the Back to School Run for the Global Backpack Project.  What a fun event.  Lots of families, lots of good energy, and everyone cheering each other on.  I ran the 5K, and then jogged the Kids 1 Mile Run with my two girls and nephew.

Now, that last sentence makes it sound like I'm some sort of crazy athletic mom.  Don't be fooled.  I'm am not.  I've been running, yes.  And for some twisted reason, I like it.  But I hardly ran these last two months. Summertime trips and visits and family gatherings got me off my workout schedule, and I had my healthy share of ice cream, wine, salty meats, and cheese.  So, this run was kinda brutal.  I was thinking that, that the run was feeling hard.  But then I realized I was being  all whiny about the run being 'hard' because I didn't have enough time to practice, because I was too busy taking trips to see people I love and stuffing my face with really yummy fun foods.  So then I was like, um...hello Maya, what a tough life you have, it must be so rough for you.  Think about the kiddos in Uganda (because the backpacks goes to at-risk kids in Uganda, Turkey, USA, etc.).  And then I thought about them, but I can't say that really helped.  It didn't stop my shortness of breath or achy legs, but it was the mental slappage I needed to stop being an idiot.   Um...hello, after this you get to hop into your dry cozy car, and drive home.  Quit your whinin' and move your ass!!  ...Ya, that's basically what went on in my head, while I was running.  Just a wild guess but, I think the kids in Uganda deal with much worse discomfort, worry, and uncertainty for like, an entire lifetime.

My brother and sister-in-law came out to hang out with the kids while I ran the 5K, so that was really awesome.  My brother who is a photographer, did not take any pictures (thanks dude), so you will not see any here. But here's the most neatest part.  When I was approaching the finish line I saw my kids waving at me. And then I saw my nephew.  He has autism and is NOT at all into physical activity, and prefers video games of course :)  But he ran into the lane, up to me, and joined me to run through the finish line.  It was the best moment ever!  People were cheering us on, on either side, and he and I held hands and ran through with big smiles.  There was a really nice lady who came up to me later with her camera, and showed me this great shot she got of me and my nephew running together.  She told me she would e-mail it to me, so I hope she really does :)  It was really nice.

And if I may, I just have to mention as a proud mama that; in the Kid's 1 Mile Run, my older daughter placed 1st in girls, and my younger daughter placed 2nd place in girls!  I didn't get to see them cross the finish line (I was running with my nephew - he and I were first...from the very back!), but I was on course with them, and I was so proud!!

I went into more detail than I had planned here, but there you go!  Thank you so much for reading, and YAY for the 2nd Annual Back to School Run...we'll definitely be back next year!!  

I was chopping pecans this morning, in preparation for another batch of SPM's, and I noticed I was getting low on brown sugar and pecans.  I thought to myself, 'oh, I better ask Boo or Memo (fake names - if you couldn't already tell) to pick me up some more brown sugar and pecans at Costco.'

See, I don't have a Costco card.  I'm starting to feel the peer pressure of needing to get one, especially being a small baking business owner and everything.   I know it would totally make sense to have one. But that place kinda scares me.  In many different levels.  But that's another post.

Anywho...  While I was thinking about sending in another request for a Costco run, it occurred to me, that I am extremely lucky to have Boo and Memo, my two moms.  No, I don't have gay moms.  Although, that would be super cool to have gay moms.  Mine are not.  But they are still really cool.  Boo (I'm keeping their identities secret for their own safety.  It's much cooler that way.  And when you're running a business and it gets big  - because I'm certain it's going to - and if someone gets mad at your pies they can't come after your moms) is the mom who grew me and pushed me out.  Every once in a while the subject comes up, and she makes a point to tell me how much she enjoyed being pregnant and how easy I was to push out.  On a pile of newspapers.  In a doctor's home/make-shift office with one naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling, way out in the boonies on the very Northern Island of Japan.   Memo is the free extra gift that came along with that thing I decided to invest in, called marriage.  She's come in quite handy, in that, she helps me with my kids, and is always around to do stuff with.  A really fabulous extra bonus I got out of the marriage.  So I have Boo and Memo, always in the wings, ready and willing to go to that place Costco for me.   I am so lucky :)

Oh, and Boo or Memo?  May I ask for some more brown sugar and pecans, next time you're at Costco?  Thank you~  oxoxox!

Hello out there!

Kind of a quick and dirty update here...

SPMs are still going strong over at World Cup Coffee, and I just gotta say I LOVE going in there weekly to deliver my goods.  Great location downtown :)  They have such a great vibe over there! Thanks you guys, for carrying my stuff!

And it looks like Driftwood Coffee will be carrying SPMs starting this fall.  Of course, whether they carry SPMs or not, you should visit this place.  A little off the main streets and busy shopping centers, this simple yet super cozy coffee place has beautiful light inside, and the owner makes you feel right at home.  And her coffee creations are delish.  There's local art inside too.

Once the school year starts, I'll do my other part-time job; the 10 week-long, math intervention program for 1st graders and Kindergartners.  After that, I'll pick up aid sub jobs when they need me!  And, SPMs will be sharing me with another part-time job, beginning this month, as a bookkeeper for an auto repair shop (thank you so much miss Jill, for the referral!).

My girls and I  - let's call it Team SPM - are signed up for the Back to School Fun Run, on Aug. 25th.  So this will get us back in the school spirit, and even better, this events' benefits provides new back-pack and school materials to at-risk boys and girls.  Talk about helping each other, and getting the kids involved :)  Please pass on the word if you know anyone in the Portland area who might be interested.

And as always, thanks for checking in and visiting, and I hope y'all are having a safe, healthy, good summer!

The strange but beautiful color Blue the sky turns, during July and August in Oregon :)  Captured by the Mr.

Buying the Domain

Last weekend I went downtown to the Saturday Market.

In preparation for my annual road trip to California with my girls - we'll be there 1 week from today! - I wanted to get a couple of gifts for my two best girlfriends we always stay with.  Both of their birthdays are in August :)

Our lovely, creative, wonderful friend Susan of Mugwump, has a booth at the Saturday Market, and I wanted to buy her bags as gifts for my girlfriends.  Susan creates bags, wallets, totes and other accessories out of reclaimed/recycled materials like; discarded game boards, hardback books, record album covers, vinyl banners...so cool!  Just look at how cute they are.

And in talking with Susan, I finally got up the nerve to commit and buy the domain for SweetPotatoMayas.

I know it makes business sense, and it's one the first things small business owners should do.  But I hadn't done it yet because it didn't feel right to me.  My logic was; I have no business adding onto my expenses, when I'm basically selling just enough pies, to cover my expenses. (But you know I couldn't be happier, and I feel very grateful that I get to do what I love!)

But, I guess you gotta spend a little, if you wanna keep up with the rest of the world and give your little business a surviving chance!  So thank you Susan, for setting me straight, and for the beautiful bags I get to gift to my girlfriends in Cali :)

It's hard to believe I made these muffins, over 13 hours ago - but they were my 'fun' breakfast for the family this morning.   I love baking in the morning on the weekends, with the aroma of coffee beans filling the house (I'm a tea drinker but I still love the smell of coffee!), and kiddos still roaming around in their pajamas with their crazy bedheads :)

With what I had on hand, today was Oatmeal Whole Wheat Muffins.   With two different types of fillings: one with fresh blueberries and white chocolate chips, and the other, fresh cubed bananas with milk chocolate chips.  You see, I have one daughter who loves bananas, and one daughter who loves blueberries :)  I cut the sugar in half, threw in a couple of chocolate chips (for the extra 'fun' element on a Saturday morning for my girls), and added flax-seed meal.  It may not be the ideal 'everyday' breakfast, but weekend mornings are special when you're a kid.  And I'd rather have my girls eat a few chocolate chips for breakfast, before Captain Crunch or Pop Tarts.

The Mr. kindly took this shot for me, and then we were off - taking care of our friends' three kiddos for the day.  The two older ones are spending the night - shhhhhhhh.  They just fell asleep upstairs!  Our friends are moving this weekend.  And really, who can move one their own with a 7 year-old, a 4 year-old, and a 10 month-old, right?  So our house was filled today with laughter, running around playing games like hide-and-seek, and some 'where am I, I want mommy!' baby cries.  All wonderful sounds :)  One of our wonderful nieces came over and hung out and gave us a hand too - huge help!  Even the sun came out so we got to be outside!  Praying there will be sun again tomorrow, so we can walk over to the park, and visit the duck pond.

I'm staring at the muffin pics and just can't believe how fast the day flew by.  I thought I was going to bake another batch of SweetPotatoMayas today.  And I was actually planning to post THOSE pictures.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  I crack myself up sometimes, with my grand delusions of doing everything my mind thinks up.  

Wishing you a sunshiny, lovely weekend :)

Since my temp-job came to an end, I got right back into baking SweetPotatoMayas, AND started working on a "vegan and gluten-free, Crusted mini SweetPotatoMayas".

I thought you'd like to see how they turned out.

...This is what they look like, when you drop the entire batch on the floor :)  (Thanks to the Mr., who still took some glamour shots for me)

It was overcast and rainy in Portland all this week.  And down-right cold some days, with blustery winds!  Of course, this is nothing compared to what those poor families in Oklahoma went through.

But for some strange reason this morning, the sun graced us with little moments of coy appearances, keeping the beautiful countryside roads through Tualatin hills dry for the 1st Annual Portland Free Them 5K.

 World Concern put on this event, and the annual event in Seattle that's grown to thousands of participants over the years, finally came to Portland!

Let's continue to fight against Human Trafficking, and bring education, vocational skills, and resources, and help keep families together.  So that these families don't have to lose their mothers, sons, or daughters, who are lured away by traffickers offering 'work' and 'money'.

US Government's fight against Human Trafficking/CNN video

Hello there!  It's been a while since I've posted anything.  SweetPotatoMayas has definitely taken a backseat since I took this temp job.  Friday is my last day - I've loved the job, and I'd like to blog more about that at a later time :)

And I am also, very excited to get back to making my SweetPotatoMayas.  I've really missed it.

The latest with that, is...I cut out the granulated sugar.  Completely.  I just sort of closed my eyes, and forged on with the baking without using any granulated sugar.   Then, I gave it to my Mother-in-law without telling her anything.

She did notice the difference, and actually liked it better!

AND, it lowered the carbs by 5g, and the sugars by 3g.  And 20 less calories.  With SweetPotatoMayas, it seems, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Good stuff, eh?  So here's to more happy foods, and I hope everyone's doing well.  And as always, thank you for popping by and reading :)

Race for the Roses

Well, we did it.  We actually made it through!  SweetPotatoMayas' very first run.  In true Portland fashion, it was very cold, grey, and drizzly this morning.  But, wouldn't you know it - running with a bunch of people who are all there for a good cause, makes things super exciting and uplifting :)

And wow - hundreds of volunteers working the event and cheering on the runners.  They are amazing too!!  Thank you Race for the Roses, - an awesome event for a very important cause that touches so many lives.

p.s.  Running is for Crazy People explains how I got here :)

Delivery to World Cup Coffee

 Due to Staff Development, there was no school today.  I took my kids with me to deliver SweetPotatoMayas to World Cup Coffee :)

A kids' hot chocolate is a must.

The case where our SweetPotatoMayas get to hang out with friends.

New Delivery to the Bizee Bird Store

Today I got to do something unusual and fun.  I hope you don't mind me sharing.  I was making a delivery to a first time customer, Beverly Morlan, owner of the  Bizee Bird Store.  I was delivering a box of SweetPotatoMayas to her shop, and, oh my goodness was it dangerous.  I confess - I love birds.  I have a major weakness for baby birds.  Puppies?  Eh...  But baby birds??  Come to Mama!!

I had the pleasure of meeting 'Sophie', a very friendly Macaw.  She grabbed my finger, got on my hand, crawled up my arm and made herself at home on my shoulder.  Then, very gently, she gave me a  'honk-honk' on the nose!  I was tickled.  Literally.

Sophie on my shoulder :)

I had a java finch as a childhood pet - she flew around the house freely or hung out with me perched on my head or shoulder, and went into her bird cage in my room at night time.  I got her when she was about 12-16 weeks old, and hand-fed her and raised her.  She joined us at the dinner table quite often, picking up food she wanted, and drinking milk or water out of the edge of my cup.

I know what you're thinking.  But what about the bird poop?  Didn't it poop all over the place?  That's so gross!  And the answer is yes.  Of course she pooped.  What's the big deal? - 'Everyone Poops'.    You know how you love your baby to pieces, and changing your baby's messy diaper doesn't bother you?  Well, it was the same thing for me with my soft feathery friend ;)

there's me at the table with a bird...

Please don't turn me into the Agricultural Department, or the TSA, but when I was 12 and moved from Japan to the U.S., I put my little finch in a cloth bag, put her under my sweatshirt, and got on the plane.  She stayed in there, and chirped sometimes but it was so loud in the cabin that only I could hear her.  I remember it feeling very tense and secret mission-like.  I took her to the lavatory many times to let her drink water too.  Once inside the lavatory, I would take her out of the bag so she could stretch.   And I filled a bottle cap with water for her to drink out of.  She drank A LOT.  I realized the dehydration on the plane was the same for animals, as it was for humans.  But I remember being worried because she wouldn't eat.  All she wanted to do was drink.   What did I know as a 12 year-old girl?  Anyway, she made it with me all the way to the States, and lived 5 more wonderful years.  I should probably take this opportunity to say a very long overdue thanks to my mother, for helping me smuggle her in - holy crap that must have been the longest flight of her life.

Hmmmm.  I sort of got off subject there...sorry about that!

Anyway, Sophie was super fun, and her sweet friendly disposition just made my day.  Clearly, it brought back some memories O_o!    I wish I could have stayed at the store longer.  Thank you so much Beverly, it was really nice meeting you and Sophie, and I hope you enjoyed the SweetPotatoMayas!

Reprising the Mini...

Hello there, how are you?  I hope everyone's been well.

Yesterday, I started playing around with the 'mini' SweetPotatoMayas again.  It's the bite sized SweetPotatoMaya that I came up with in the very beginning, when I started this whole thing.  It's a good size, it's darling visually, and it's the perfect combination of nutty and sweet flavor, all in one bite.  But because of the inconsistency of the sweet potatoes, the little pies held together sometimes, and just fell apart in a mushy mess, all other times.  So I stopped making the mini's.

And ever since, I've been tossing around the idea of a mini pie crust.  This way the sweet potato can be held in a flaky, buttery, cozy little shell!  But that's adding a whole new element in the 'system' .  

How will it effect the nutrition fact label?  I'll need to print new ones out.  Can I figure out an efficient way to make high quantities of mini pie crusts?  While keeping them fresh?  It will take longer to produce them.  What about the cost of ingredients?  I will need to find new packaging with new dementions...oh my god, the world is crashing down on me, aaaahhhhhhh!!!!  

 Yeah, you know the drill.  And I've just let those thoughts hang around for the last few months because, quite frankly, I hadn't had the time to deal with it.

But something happened yesterday - maybe after a week of hard honest work at this new job did me some good, or maybe it was that little bit of sunshine gracing us with it's presence -  I finally dove in to give it a go :)

Last Thanksgiving with my sweet helper

In an attempt to stay with the whole Gluten-free thing, I used Brown Rice Flour for the crust.  It was my first time ever making a crust out of  brown rice flour, and I gotta say, like anything else, change can be tricky!  I tried three batches, each time half laughing and muttering to myself - 'this is not going to work...it's not going to come together'.  That's just my coping mechanism when I'm trying new recipes.  But I kept marchin' on, and it wasn't that bad.  The first batch, the crust was a little too thick, and it showed me that I needed to make more room for the sweet potato goodness for a better balance in flavor.  The second batch turned out better, with less crust and more sweet potato goo.  By the third batch I felt confident, and was enjoying this new adventure.

So today I'm going to an Oscar Party my wonderful friend hosts each year.  I get to join these lovely moms and  none of us have seen any of the movies, but it's an event I look forward to all year because we just get to share food and wine and laughter, hang out, oogle at and critique all the glitz and glam - and do all this while sitting on a comfortable sofa in our slippers :)  Aaaaannd you guessed it, they don't know it yet, but they are going to be my victims to try these new Mini's...  

Below is another shot of the Mini SweetPotatoMayas, shot beautifully by the Mr., in a rare moment of sunlight in the Pacific Northwest :)  Well...as always, thank you for visiting, and happy food tidings!

Life sure is full of surprises.  Aren't they?

Last week, the Mr's principal approached me about a temporary, part-time position at the school.  So then I applied and interviewed with the school district and principal, got hired, and trained for this new position.  All of that happened in one week, and tomorrow I start my new job as a kindergarten and 1st grade Math Interventionist.

Because of the fancy title, I thought maybe it meant I had to intervene when kids were having too much fun with math.  You know, like tell them it's getting out of hand, and how math is ruining their life.  But to my relief, it just means I get to give extra math support to kiddos who need it.  And I'll be there till mid-May.    

See?  I just knew there was a reason for me getting that Accounting Certificate last year!

So, if you happen to notice SweetPotatoMayas' not harassing you with as many posts, and wonder what's going on, that's where I'll be :)

They gave me counting tools like blocks and teddy bears.  I'm thinking I can add my personal touch with some empty wine bottles.  Ooh, I've got plenty of corks, too.

Hey, nothing wrong with teaching to 'Re-use. Reduce. Recycle.'

Photo by Sammy Gould

Damaged Goods (Happy Ending)

Back in November, I wrote about the terrible mess I ended up mailing to a couple of customers.  If you want to get the dirty details on my total embarrassment, you can Click here.  When the SweetPotatoMayas arrived, they were sloppy, wet, misshapen clumps of goo in a box.  With soggy crumble pieces scattered all over inside the package.  Sounds fun, huh?

It took some time, but I got the correct packaging method figured out so that SweetPotatoMayas could make it to it's destination in a presentable manner. While packaging for shipping HAD to be corrected,  it was very important to me, to make things right with the lovely customers I sent crap to.  So last week, I was  finally able to send fresh, properly packaged SweetPotatoMayas to them.  I did hear from one of the customers, who was so gracious in letting me know they got them, and that they were great.  I am so thankful :)

Happy Friday SweetPotatoMaya friends.  I don't have anything really profound to share today.  I know, I know.  You are totally disappointed!

I've noticed that the last few days, I've received many comments and encouraging words.  And kind people have left sweet comments in places I can't really respond in.   So I wanted to say 'Thank you!!  I see it, I feel the love, and I really appreciate it!' 

There are some terrible colds and viruses going around.  My niece has been very sick with a temp of 104,  and the Mr. was missing 10 kids from his classroom this week.  So please be careful, and take care!  Lots of fluids, good food, and rest.

Getting off my soap box now :)

Hi again friends!  Are you on facebook?  I'm not.  I learned that if I'm on it, I don't get anything else done.  Too...many...cute...baby....pictures...!!!!!  :)  

But, SweetPotatoMayas made it on the cover of the February issue of Beaverton Resource Guide, with a little cover story inside!   The online version can be viewed on facebook, if you would like to check it out.  SweetPotatoMayas on Beaverton Resource Guide

Photo by Sammy Gould

As always, thanks so much for stopping by, and happy food tidings!

Here we are again lovely people, already at the end of another week.  How are you?  I hope everybody's been healthy, safe, and feeling good stuff inside :)

Photo by: Yoshiko Wong

Welp, last week I applied for an account at a local produce distributor, and I was approved.  I have no idea how - I'm just teeny tiny small business - but I'm gonna go with it!

This was my next strategy in the quest for the right sweet potato variety.  I'm gonna start ordering each variety, one case at a time.  I haven't given up hope that I'll be reunited with my favorite sweet potato to bake with!!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and sending you a intergalactic cyber space internet world **HUG**

Photo by: Sammy Gould

Sammy Gould,  is a local food photographer I was lucky enough to meet through a mutual friend.  She recently gave me the honor of working with my pies.  She takes amazing shots of food, animals, stuff...just about anything!  I especially love browsing through her wild life shot.  Seriously - they are absolutely lovely.  You can check them out on her website at:  www.nekosam.com

She also has a super fun '365 Project' going on at her blog at: www.nekosam.com/blog

I got back from the East Coast yesterday, and tonight, I got right back to baking SweetPotatoMayas.  It feels good :)

If I may, I'd like to share kind of an unrelated story today.  The last couple of weeks have been kind of rocky for the sweet potato and I, and I've been yappin' at you a lot about my sweet potato woes - perhaps you would enjoy a little break from it :)

The Mr. and I are heading back East this weekend,  to see an old friend get married!  I'm so excited to attend our friend Eddie's wedding.  AND we get to stay at our cousin's place, and it will be so great to see him and his lady too.  I really love traveling.  Traveling, and visiting seeing people you love?  Even better!

The Mr. and I have a special connection with our friend Eddie.  The three of us met at a community college in 1995 - that was 18 years ago.  We all auditioned and were cast in a production of A Little Night Music ( best known for the song Send In the Clowns).  So we were stuck with each other rehearsing, whether we liked it or not.   And 5 years after that, in 2000, when the Mr. and I got married, Eddie performed the ceremony for us.

Man...we were kids!  We were in our mid-20's, and Eddie lead our wedding in front of 100 guests that day.  He had all of us laughing, smiling, and feeling emotional...  I was too young to realize what a huge thing Eddie had done for us.  So you can understand my excitement right?  I'm just all smiles thinking, that in just a couple of days, we'll be sitting there watching Eddie get married!!

Being the travel loving geek that I am, I looked up where I was going.  I looked at maps, I looked at the facilities where the events will be held...it's too much fun!  The ceremony is going to be held at St. Patrick's Church in Yorktown Heights, and when I saw a picture of this place, my jaw just dropped.

So beautiful.


And after the ceremony, the hardcore celebration will take place at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. Looks like a spectacular location to celebrate the newlyweds.

I'll be away from my kitchen and all the 'SweetPotatoMaya-ness', and I'm feeling a bit nervous about leaving my post.  But I can't imagine a better reason than this, to step away for a couple of days :)

Well...thank you for letting me share my excitement, and for taking a look here.  I really appreciate it.  And I hope your weekend is a good one too.

We're on our way Eddie!!

Well hello again :)  I hope everyone is off to a good start this week!

I have to be honest, in terms of SweetPotatoMayas, mine hasn't started off as well.  I went to another produce distributor in the area yesterday, and that seemed like another dead end.   One nice shipping manager from a California farm I spoke to last week, told me they were shipping two kinds of the sweet potato variety I was interested in, to a distributor in my area.  And it was to arrive Monday.   So I went there yesterday, but by the time I got there, one of the pellets had already sold and was all gone.  And the other pellet that was still left, carried the sweet potatoes I didn't want.

This shipment and the distributor was the one lead I got after calling 4 or 5 farms, speaking to numerous people at each farm, trying to explain what I'm looking for.  I'm wondering if the sweet potatoes I'm looking for, even exists anymore.  I kind of feel like a detective on a case that's gone 'cold'.  Except my case isn't really that cool - it's just about spuds that grow in the ground.

I admit, I went through a 'moment of funk' yesterday - nothing major, just questioning my own love and commitment to sweet potatoes.  But I snapped out of it, and I'm ready to press on!  I feel silly that I even let it get to me.   But, eh.  I'm human and such is life.    I have a new plan - I'll write about it later - and other leads I'm going to follow.  And we'll see where that takes me :)  It's all an adventure and a journey, and I am so blessed to get to experience it.

So, for anyone that's out there, thanks for letting me share my neurotic quest for the right sweet potato, and for putting up with it.  I have a feeling the saga will continue...

  

I made a New Years Resolution for the first time in my life, and I'm breaking it already.  See?  What did I tell you?

My New Years Resolution was - mind you, I made this big hoopla and even blogged about it - to contact one prospective customer per week.  In other words, make one cold call per week.  And just to be clear, in my SweetPotatoMaya world, that means showing up in cafes, restaurants, assisted living homes and any other food service facilities, and forcing my pies on people.  Who wants to 'hear' about it?  Let's cut to the chase and have 'em taste it.

But for now, that super fun expedition will have to wait.  You see,  I've run into the 'inconsistency in sweet potato variety'  issue again.  They turn out slightly different in appearance, and that is a natural thing.   But I just don't want to give - let alone sell - my pies unless they are made exactly the way I want.  I have a vision of how they should turn out.  And having the wrong sweet potato flat out takes the baking spirit out of me.

So this week, I've been on a quest to straighten this out.  I've been tracking down where I can get my sweet potatoes - direct.  I found out a farm will not, and should not, deliver to me.  For starters, I'd have to buy by the pellet, and a pellet holds about 2000 pounds of sweet potatoes.  Having 2000 pounds of sweet potatoes in my garage, might quite possibly be my ultimate fantasy, but I don't think the neighbors will share the same sentiment.  And the other tiny problem is that we live in a little cul-de-sac, and the rig would definitely get stuck in it.  So...direct from farm was out.

To anyone who was kind enough to give me the time of day on the phone, I said I was looking for a specific sweet potato: plum/purple color skin, with a starchy buttery yellow flesh.  Well, you'd think that description was specific enough, but so far I haven't  found anyone who knows which variety that is.  But then yesterday, one farm gave me the name of a major distributor in my area.  A new lead!  So today I drove out to this distribution center, and asked to walk through their warehouse so I can look for these darn sweet potatoes that are being so coy with me.  After waiting in the reception area for about five minutes, a very nice sales manager escorted me through their ginormous sub zero warehouse.  I'm certain he wanted to keep an eye on me - I definitely looked suspicious with my stretched out mom sweater and a pair of galoshes.

In the end, I didn't find the sweet potato I was looking for.  And the very nice manager said he was sorry I wasted a trip.  I told him 'No!' I told him it was actually quite the opposite.  I really appreciated his time!  And I learned so much.  And then he said he will put together and e-mail me, a list of  the farms they buy from, and the sweet potato variety each farm offers!   Isn't that so awesome?  So I'm really glad I went out there in person.  Meeting people is good.  And although I broke my New Years Resolution, I took another little step forward for SweetPotatoMayas.

I've never made a New Year's Resolution in my life.  What's the point?  I know I'm gonna break it anyway.  The thing is, I'm such a weak little cheater - I've avoided making any New Year's Resolutions because I KNOW I won't keep it, and I'm way too scared to face that kind of failure.

But lately, I've been failing in all sorts of ways, so it's starting to not feel as bad.  'Why can't I get my kid to memorize the multiplication table...she's already in the 4th grade, why can't I just stop at two glasses of wine,  good lord I haven't put the family album together for the last 5 years...'.  You get the picture.  The list goes on and on.  I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on this 'failure' thing.  Either I've developed a tolerance for failure, or I'm finally growing up and letting go of the little things.  I'd like to go with the latter 'cause it sounds much cooler.

Anyway, all this is to say, I think I'm going to make a New Year's Resolution this year.  I hope I didn't miss the deadline...I've never played this game before.  Hopefully it's not too late to jump in - and here is my New Year's Resolution:

• Contact one prospective customer a week - and blog about it.

That's it. So lets let'er rip.  In blaze of glory like a crazy mo-fo.

...I'm always late to join the party, but I'm finally learning that it's so much more fun to crash and burn tryin', than playing it safe and not doing anything at all.

So here I go, with my sweet potato love child ;)