Highlights of the past week, in no particular order:
--Thanksgiving dinner turned out fabulous, thanks to my brand new stove. I heart my Maytag appliances.
--I finally found an apple crumb pie recipe that is incredible. Oh. My. God. Incredible. That kind of incredible.
--I ate my weight in turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Oh, and pie. Yummy cinnamony apple pie.
--Christmas shopping is underway. Finally. Thankfully.
--The Highly Selective Book Club With Only Two Members(TM) chose a book for December.
--Bruch at the Jefferson Hotel is a decadent experience best reserved for a once-a-year event.
--I made pizza, Steve.
--I lost about four inches of my hair. If found, please do not return.
--I found the most amazing hand cream.
--NaNoWriMo finished without me. Sad, sad. Maybe next year.
--I braved the crowd on Black Friday and lived to tell about it. I did not brave the crowd at 6 a.m., however. I am not that insane.
--Christmas lights were hung from the roof with care.
--I now own a very cool train set that will soon be beneath my Christmas tree (when I get it, hopefully tomorrow).
--Finding the perfect Nativity scene, however, remains an elusive goal.
--Sheri came and went and I want her back. Sad me.
--I realized my to-do list for the month of December will require all of December and the first half of January to complete.
It’s been a nice little break from reality, but I guess it’s time to get back to work. Somehow, I will survive December. I suspect chocolate will be involved in my survival. Lots o’ chocolate. Donations welcome.
No matter how you spend your Thanksgiving, consider yourself truly blessed if you can afford to put a Turducken on the table. Never mind that it looks like a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. Never mind that the name is as tacky as a faded plastic Santa sitting on the front lawn. Chicken, duck and turkey on one plate, with two different kinds of stuffing? What’s not to love?
Of course, even if you can’t afford the fancy store bought, shipped to your house Turducken, you can always make your own. At least it’s not Tofurkey.
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have this little tradition at my house. On Thanksgiving, while we’re gorging on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce from a can, we go around the table and say what we’re thankful for. Despite a few rough spots, I have much to be thankful for this year. Most of all, I am incredibly thankful (and very lucky) that the people closest to me seem to love me as much as I love them. Awwww....
I am thankful we only have one more year of George Bush as president. Please, please, please.
I’m also thankful for the luxuries, the necessities, the wild nights, the cute guys (not to mention the cute girls), an incredible trip and my work.
Now, what are you thankful for?
As I predicted, something had to give and it was NaNoWriMo. Sigh… it’s still a great idea and I really want to finish this book, but it’s not going to happen in November. Too much on my plate this month, most of it self-inflicted. I’m annoyed with myself for not completing this challenge, it’s not like me to start something and not finish it. At least, not something I want to do. I think I may take two weeks in January and finish the book, just to have it completed. I’ll call it KriNoWriMo. I still want one of those nifty NaNoWriMo T-shirts, though.
Meanwhile, the to-do list keeps growing as November slips away. Some of it simply won’t get done and that’s a fact I need to accept. I really don’t know why I put so much pressure on myself at this time of the year. It’s not like anyone else is going to notice if my cabinets are organized or be impressed that I’ve baked every cookie from scratch. I mean, really, who cares? The answer to that, of course, is: I care. I care about the details and the traditions and, yes, the rituals. I care about making people happy and cooking good food and decorating and card writing and thoughtful gift buying. I care because it matters and it’s important, regardless of how much I complain. And, believe me, I will complain.
Life. Love. Writing. Friendship.
Sex. Books. Movies. Travel. Politics. Feminism. Academia. Insomnia. Rants. Raves. Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Some names have been changed, some stories have been embellished. Thanks for stopping by and beware of the dog. Read more...
