What's your Christmas tradition, baby?

The hubby and I are spending our third Christmas together. And last night, we were giggling in front of our tree and the fire and talking about memories of Christmas past.

Our family traditions are different. In his, the kids wake up and tear into their stockings while the parents suck down coffee and wake up slowly. It's festive and lovely and there is lots of laughter. We eat eggs benedict with Christmas Eve's leftover ham. And then the family gathers in front of the tree to open presents. Honestly, it's a bit more sedate than my memories, but then again - we all are over the age of 25 and I wonder if that has a little bit to do with it. I have never enjoyed Christmas as much as I do now. I'm guessing, again, that it has something to do with my age.

In my small bag of tricks I bring from my family, the kids wake up the parents, but the kids have to wait upstairs - with clean teeth and brushed hair and made beds, while the parents have their coffee. We wait for the sound of Christmas bells and my father to utter, "Ho Ho Ho!" to know that Santa has finally left the area and we race down the stairs to recover our stockings. I've also never met a family that treated the nativity like we did. Baby Jesus never arrived in his manger until Christmas morning. It was placed under the tree while we slept, so my brother and I always checked to make sure he was there. You know, finally.

Luckily for me, my first Christmas away from my family included the bells and the cookies and trappings that were important to me. My mother-in-law called me and asked what made Christmas for me and she included my traditions into her festivities.

When K. brought up the fact that Christmas will be much more fun once we have little ones - besides gagging - I thought of the beauty of combining our respective traditions and making new ones for just our family. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to celebrate. Am I the only one who not only leaves cookies for Santa but also a small slice of cheese for Santa Mouse?

I love Christmas. We're leaving today for the warmer south and will be down there a week. I hope all of your Christmas wishes come true - and that you are surrounded by the warmth and love of those you hold dear. Happy Christmas!

High of 78

It's the week before Christmas and I have all the windows in my house open. Bright sunshine is streaming in and I want to put on shorts. Tomorrow is supposed to hit 80 degrees. It's my third Christmas in Florida and for the first time, it really feels like Christmas.

Our house is all decorated, and I've finished wrapping all the presents. My aunt will be here in two days and I cannot stand how excited I am for Christmas. K. and I are exchanging gifts (real gifts) for the first time. The last two years we wrote letters to each other, and while I hope that tradition continues, there will be something a little more materialistic under the tree this year. And no, K., it is not a nintendo wii. I am so ready to celebrate the holiday with my family.

ps. Voting on haircolor continues until Friday morning. I still haven't made up my mind.

Drunken Cherries

Oh my. Y'all, cherries are on sale at Publix this week - go get you some. I got mine drunk and now I am a very happy girl. You can do it too! Really.

Simple, simple, simple. Now I canned mine - meaning that I processed the jars (wash them by hand or stick them in the dishwasher, then boil them for about ten minutes and keep in hot water till you are ready to fill them with the cherries). Visit www.freshpreserving.com for more information about easy canning.



Okay, so onto the drunken part. Wash the cherries thoroughly and submerge in water. Discard any cherries that float (supposedly, they might have worms in them). Using a pitter, pit all the cherries. Trust me, a pitter is a worthy investment. You'll start making pies after this. Really.



In a saucepan, bring some (recipe below) sugar, water and lemon juice to a rolling boil. I also added a few strips of orange peel with about 50% of the pith removed. Once the syrup is boiling, lower the heat to keep a simmer and add all the cherries. Gently stir it all up and let it simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and add the liquor (I used Gran Mariner - go crazy: brandy, cointreau or hazlenut liquor would be yummy).



After all that, ladle cherries into jar and top with the remaining liquid. If you're processing your cherries, I put them in a boil bath for ten minutes. Spoon over ice cream, into a pie crust or over chocolate cake. These are so good. SOOOOO GOOD!

I just started canning. My marmalade, while tasty, came out cloudy. My red pepper jelly is pretty fantastic, but I tried to do something with pears that we will not talk about. Ever. Loved this quote from angry chicken "Well, nothing like homemade gifts." Let me know if you get your cherries drunk!



Drunken Cherries
4 lbs Cherries - washed, stems and pits removed
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. lemon juice
Thinly sliced rind from 1/2 an orange
1 1/4 c. liquor

I love me some l'oreal.

I love coloring my hair. When I was younger, I did it myself. As I've grown up, I've realized that (at least for me) heaven is not found in a box of L'Oreal. That has not stopped me from being adventurous.

I went red a few months ago (look to the left), but now I'm looking for a change. What do y'all think? Keep the red or go darker like Natalie from Love Actually (I set the dvr and I think I've watched it seven times now). Help!

poll by twiigs.com

See the USA in a Chevrolet

The Big Three

I have a lot of thoughts about what's going on with the proposed bail out of America's biggest employer. I'm a fan of keeping auto workers working.

I'm shocked that car companies are being blamed for chasing profits. Sure, it's great to look back and shake our heads at the gasoline beasts - the Hummers, the giant trucks, the Explorers. Man, that was silly! But during the height of the crazy buying sprees, very few were thinking that we should create cars that would be better for the environment, easy going at the pump.

You know who was thinking of all that? Lemme tell you -- (you might have guessed) -- the BIG THREE. That's right folks... Ford had to come up with the Explorer in order to come up with the Hybrid Escape.

I know that there's a certain resonance with build it and they will buy. But, who's to blame for the Hummer craze? It's the buyer right? I mean, no one was forcing aging men to buy tanks to drive down Appalachee, Augusta or Forest Drive. Since when are Americans afraid of making a profit?

Bail out the Big Three. Do it now. Do it before our economy gets worse.

Turkey Recap

My husband and I traveled down south for Thanksgiving. It was fantastic -- absolutely lovely to spend four days with our family. First, let's talk food... I actually got to help in the kitchen, which was pretty cool. I learned how to make Nana's stuffing, which according to the spouse was a make-it-or-break-it deal. If I couldn't make sausage stuffing, I'm pretty sure we'd be in couples counseling.

I like Thanksgiving. It's a big deal in my book - a major holiday. This was the first one I spent with a family that was not my family. And in doing so, I realized that my family was much bigger than I imagined.

Friday entailed sleeping in and a long boat ride. Nothing like fresh air and sunshine to follow a huge meal. I wish I'd brought my camera. K. and I sat in the front of the boat, snuggled up against the cold wind. I had a long and meaningful conversation with my mother-in-law. The more time I spend with them, the more I feel the knots of family tension (my own baggage) unwind, unfurl, ease. The more time I spend with myself, I become who I am.

Ohmygoodness, and the pies! I made dutch apple (passed down from my great-great-grandmother), pumpkin and cherry. Yes, I'm domestic. Dude - my motto is if you're going to eat pie it should be really good pie.

The Little Lost Angel

One of the many things I miss being estranged from my immediate family is the holiday stuff. No, not opening presents or swilling eggnog, but the very things that help to dress up the holiday itself. The handmade Thanksgiving runner? The kissing Mr and Mrs Claus? The large coffee table book with no words? Yes. Those things.

I hate to admit I miss these things more than I miss my parents, but let's face it - the book Santa Mouse never caused the level of tension in my house that they did. I miss my ornaments, the ones that I always claimed - the ones half-broken with my name scrawled on the bottom. I miss the special dishes and tins, the way certain things were celebrated - unique to my family and my family alone.

I ran across a small used book - the The Little Lost Angel. I remember it so well. I can remember the feel of it under my fingertips. I decided it was my Christmas gift to myself. (Well worth the $4).

Gettin' Figgy.

I crack myself up.

Meanwhile, I have a pound of figs in my fridge that need to be made into something. Anything. Well, something that travels well - perhaps something I can take to Thanksgiving or even freeze. The figs are gorgeous. Deeply purple.


But what does one do with them? Any ideas dear readers?

Domestic Terrorism.

I blame the Dutch. Why did they come up with the dutch oven? What were they hoping to prove? What point were they hoping to make?

I doubt there was political motivation. No - one night, a particular gassy man decided to prank his poor bedmate and the threat was born. Honed over generations, it's the procedure that makes a fart that more damning.

Makin' Whooppee!

A pastor in East Texas is challenging his congregation to commit to seven days of sex. You heard me (or, um, read me) correctly. Sex. Seven days. In a row. Link here.

At first, I was sort of scandalized. I mean, a preacher talking about sex in the pulpit? Are you kidding me? And then I remembered a marriage book I read earlier this year. It was authored by two ministers who claimed that it was a lot harder to hate someone while sexually satisfied. That it was a lot harder to ignore doing a chore, keeping a promise or being nice when you still had that ahem, rosy glow.

And you know what, they're right. In busy households around the country partners are pulled in three thousand directions. There are so many distractions - responsibilities piled on top of responsibilities. How do we make an effort to connect with our partners? I heard a joke recently, told by a young man with nine brothers and sisters. Apparently his parents didn't have a TV in their bedroom. Hmmm....

The Bible talks about sex - a lot about love between two people. I really believe lovemaking is an important component of a marriage. Will it solve major problems? Will sex save a sinking ship? Will making whoopee rescue your 401k? Um, no.

But the connection achieved by a loving, compassionate and satisfying sex life might help prevent some of those catastrophic problems. It's a lot more fun than couples counseling.

We're watching Paula Deen this morning. She starts slicing into a huge turkey.
Across the room, I hear a rumble... a growl from my husband. "UGH! THANKSGIVING!"

"I WANT TURKEY."

People. Life is never boring in our family.

Want.

Oh you sneaky Anthropologie...
Monograms make me melt. I heart my initials.

Gorgeous mother-of-pearl cuff. Or maybe in black? I'm almost tempted to get a K.Want.

Awesome.

I love bacon. I love bloody marys.

HEAVEN.
Check out The Farmhouse at Serenbe. I must go there soon.

Make me a pie.

There's something about pie and the men in my family. PIE! Pie. PIE! They get on a roll: apple! cherry! strawberry! blueberry! peach! Dear lord, it's as if the only way these men eat fruit is when encased in a crust.

For once, I'm not making something chocolate for a family celebration. Nope, we're talking three serious pies. Pumpkin (using Smitten's recipe), Cherry and Dutch Apple. I didn't quite realize it, but the Dutch Apple pie has been passed down from my great-great-grandmother.

I'm excited. I'm not a huge fan of pie -- I hate apple pie for instance (the Dutch Apple notwithstanding). But something about the pumpkin sounds good. I'm really ready for Thanksgiving. I have so many things to be thankful for this year.

I'll let you know how it goes. I'm charging the camera for the making of the apple pie. I'm going to take pictures. Really.

Pancakes

I don't usually like pancakes. Like, ever. I can remember the exact day that my normal American love of pancakes died... My dad was joking around and uttered, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips." Ugh! Could he not have said that about - I dunno - french fries? Onion rings? Hot dogs? Nope. Pancakes were ruined forever.

And quite honestly, I'm sort of okay with that. It's not as if I've missed doughy breakfast. Until this Sunday. People, I made some pancakes. And ohmygaw, they were so good I am now a believer.

I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe as a base. But, I didn't have any buttermilk. Instead of using the whole vinegar in milk thing, I added a little sour cream and some fresh ground nutmeg. And I used some leftover cake flour. We're talking light and fluffy. Then, I sliced one apple thinly. Tossed the slices with some cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. I cooked them after making the pancakes and then served the apple stuff on top of the stack. I just now recovered. Wished I'd taken pictures. When will I learn?

Where's Kansas?

Is there anything better on a Sunday than to eat barbecue (thank you Sal for the Carolina Gold!), take a walk on a chilly night and then curl up to a fire and the Wizard of Oz?

I think not.

I need this dress...

Seriously. I hear it calling to me. It's gorgeous.

Now, just somewhere to wear it....

Things I did today,

while hopped up on Mucinex and cough syrup:

1. Read two (2) of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Easy read people.
2. Shopped online - Talbots Outlet, I heart you big time.
3. Read all the bios of the new chefs on Top Chef.
4. Decided to make all of the desserts for big-family Thanksgiving.
a. Made spreadsheet with possible items
b. Tried to align each family members taste with possible items.
c. Decided I needed to get better quickly.
5. Set up TIVO/DVR Thing to include not only Burn Notice and Dr. Who (K.'s additions), but also Lipstick Jungle and Army Wives.
6. Wished for the zillionth time I liked taking naps when sick.
7. Whined to myself, to the dog and to Chris on the phone, a lot.

UGH.

blah sick.

I am blah sick. And I do not feel good. And I am glad the weather got my memo about behaving appropriately because now it's sort of gray outside instead of like yesterday when everything was bright and beautiful and mocking me because I could barely move from one room to another.

And did you know one of the best things when you think you have the flu, but are pretty sure it's too early to have the flu because your doctor hasn't even warned you to get the flu shot yet? Watching Steel Magnolias. And drinking green tea. And whining. Whining really pulls the whole thing together.