Yes, we’ve had some snow here in the StL the last 24 hours. Jack always looks confused at the podwer falling from the sky and I enjoy the fact that I can have hot chocolate as much as I want.
Alright, I’m ready for the work week to start… kind of. Four days of rest, relaxation, sleep, planning, family time, and above all, Christmas decorations!
My tree is up (TDH helped).
My stockings are hung.
My manger is set-up in the front window.
The white lights are on my balcony and I’m planning to get some red ones to have a “candy cane,” look instead of just white.
My Christmas cards are 30% complete.
Jack’s dog bed smells pepperminty (had to wash it since he got pathetically sick in it the other night).
So while I’m not super excited to return to work tomorrow, three weeks of work and school and then I am off for TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS. I’m sure I’ll be bored after a few days of vacation, but I need the time off. The first time in over two years that my vacation has been a vacation and not a trip for a wedding!
Oh, and this is the last day of NaBloPoMo so there may be a hiatus for a few days. But don’t worry, I can’t (won’t) stay away for long!
It’s been almost 30 days in a row of blogging.
I’m at the end of my creative rope.
Now that Thanksgiving is passed and we are all living on turkey leftovers, I can move forward with the planning for Christmas!
My tree goes up tomorrow. Each year that I’ve lived on my own since I graduated college, I decorate my place the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with “Love Actually,” on in the background. TDH is helping me this year. I bought a wreath for my front door, white lights for my balcony (a first for me, I usually do multi-color lights), and then I start in on my Christmas cards.
Lots of festivities coming up in the next few weeks: parties, mini-weekend trips, Christmas concerts, wreathmaking days, carriage ride to look at Christmas lights, cookie exchanges, friend dinners and much more.
Fortunately I have seven Christmas CDs to get me through the next month.
With little fanfare I met TDH’s other sister (the youngest), managed to drink four glasses of wine, survived a two-mile walk, dazzled everyone with my baking skills, made some awesome spinach artichoke dip, assisted Darling in the kitchen, tended to Jack (he’s sick again… he can’t resist any tidbit that falls on the floor!), eat two helpings of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, enjoy some vanilla caramel ice cream; stay coherent until TDH came over to vist with my family, wake up at 6 am this morning for shopping with Darling (no tramplings thank goodness), and then take a two hour nap upon our return home.
Highlights:
At TDH’s family dinner he told everyone he’s thankful for me. I had to hold back the tears.
My parents made the best turkey we’ve ever had by far. I can taste it right now…
My brother wasn’t very surly at dinner (he’s 20 and home from college, you know how that goes).
We had 55 degree weather all day.
I blasted “This Christmas” on the radio over and over and over again en route from TDH’s to my parents
Huge thanks to Scarlett Off Course for delighting me and bestowing upon me a new blog award! I just started reading Scarlett in the last few weeks and almost every post she rights I sit and think “me too! me too! ME TOO!” It’s great. She’s hilarious, open and honest, so definitely check her out if you haven’t yet.
And now for the blog award:
Kreativ Blogger Award
1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Pass the award on to five more other bloggers.
3. Post these rules for your recipients.
My award recipients are: SSG- My Scottish friend who has a knack for writing and making you think.
The Butterfly Rush- Check her out. She has a knack for turning the mundane into something you can laugh about. Bonus: She works in radio (I think) and has brushes with superstars whom she occasionally posts about.
Nilsa at Newsomi- She deserves this for her BlogSecret idea alone. She’s smart, funny, poignant and genuine. Check her out.
Confessions of a Jersey Girl- She offers a little bit of everything and isn’t afraid to put it all out there. I admire that. Something I need to work on.
KylaBea- She’s an inspiration in many ways, I mean, the girl can bake, make clothes, headbands, raises two puppies, has a full-time job, recently married, blogs daily, supports her blog friends, and hosts her own blog.
Little Miss Obsessive- I know she earned this already, but I’m giving it to her again (and no, she doesn’t have to pass it on this time around.)
Christmas is coming,
The goose is getting fat,
Please put a penny in the poor man’s hat.
If you haven’t got a penny,
A ha’penny will do.
If you haven’t got a ha’penny,
A farthing will do.
If you haven’t got a farthing
Then God Bless You.
(I was unable to find the author of this rhyme on the internet.)
No idea why I remember this little rhyme as well as I do, but I recall reciting just before (just after?) Thanksgiving with Darling. It always reminds me of the holidays when it randomly pops into my head.
So tomorrow is the big Turkey Day for those of stateside and a day of no consequential importance to my international blog-friends. I braved the crowds at the grocery store last night and after about an hour of shopping and standing in line (thank goodness for internet on my phone and cheesy gossip magazines at the checkout counter), I made it home with all the fixings my Thanksgiving contributions:
Spinach Artichoke Dip. So it may be different but my brother is a vegetarian now so besides stuffing, vegetables and potatoes I thought he’d like something different.
Lasagna Roll-Ups. Sounds like a kids food but is quite delicious. Spinach, ricotta, mozzerella cheese all mixed and rolled into one lasagna noodle, topped with pasta sauce. Delectable. Normally I use ground turkey for a hearty meat sauce but I’m obviously going to skip that for my little bro.
Cupcakes. Nothing fancy here, but my bro loves them, as do the rest of my family.
Peppermint fudge. This is a new recipe I’m trying and I’m super excited about it. I hope to have enough for TDH’s family and mine.
Another Thanksgiving Tradition I neglected to include yesterday: my parents have us go around the table and list a few things we are thankful for. It sounds cliche, I know, but it’s part of what we do. I have much to be thankful for this year. A short list:
My awesome support network. I would be lost without the core (my parents) and my very best friends.
Jack. Everyone needs an animal in their life for love and companionship so far as I am concerned.
TDH. You read all about it here, I don’t need to say more.
My health. I’ve had a few scares this year. I’m taking a moment for a public service announcement: girls- make sure to the “feel your boobies,” on a regular basis. Fortunately what I found is nothing of consequence or to worry about, but what a scare! I am so blessed to be able to afford health care, receive quality treatment for things like crooked hips and etc, and have the aforementioned support network to lean on if need be.
Gainful employment. You read the news. You hear the horror stories of lay-offs. I’m glad to have an office to go to each day.
My creative outlet (aka this blog). Thank you to all of my friends for reading, supporting, encouraging, caring!
Anything in particular you are thankful for this year?
So while things will probably be a little different this year since I’m doing double-duty on Thursday, my family and I have several Turkey Traditions. While I don’t know when/how they started, they’ve become a part of our day in recent years:
Darling and I watch You’ve Got Mail, usually before the Boss and my brother are awake. We don’t watch the whole thing per se, but we have it on as background while we flutter about the house getting snacks ready, setting the table and etc.
Christmas Wish Lists. Each year, we all sit down together and write our Christmas wish lists, which are posted on the fridge or pantry door in my parents’ kitchen. I think we started this as my brother and I got older, it’s harder to tell what we want (or need, as the case may be) for Christmas.
Decorations. We are a little Christmas eager at my house, in a good way of course, so we get out the Christmas tree, add the lights and get started on the outdoor festitivies as well. Bonus if it’s a nice day out so the lights don’t get tangled up in our gloves, electrical tape sticking to our hands and faces.
Games! It’s just the four of us each (plus three dogs, hahaha), so after we eat in the late afternoon, we sit around with comedies on the tv and games in front of us. I’m thrilled because TDH agreed to come over for game time and drinks with my family. (It’s only fair, he gets Thanksgiving day and Christmas Eve.) A little healthy competition and laughter ensues.
Black Friday. Yes, it’s true. Darling & I venture out for Black Friday. Not in the sense that we stand online at 3 am for the latest video game consoles or movies or DVD players. Just for fun. We stumble out of bed around 7am, ignore make-up and our hair, pray we don’t see anyone we know, and just meander around Target, Pier 1, and whatever else catches our fancy. We tend to buy Christmas decorations, cards, and any little giftie we see that would be good for someone. We top it off by enjoying some lovely IHOP breakfast. It’s great girl time and great fun.
What are some of your Thanksgiving Traditions?
(You’ve Got Mail Trailer for those of you not familiar with it)
Random Side Note, first: Just a quick, cheesy note of thanks to all my readers both new and old. You have all brought me new perspectives on life, made me laugh and cry, and I’m thrilled to have virtually met many of you. I’m constantly amazed by what a great network of friends and caring the blogging community is! And, just a point of clarification, I am not moving in with TDH until mid-2009, assuming he formerly asks me at that point. I’m just working out my thoughts on it publicly. And now for Mindless Monday…
DTV. I finally bought one of the digital converters I need for the coming TV revolution. TDH hooked it up for me last night and I must say, I’m rather impressed. It comes with a guide, I get 11 channels total including some great PBS channels I’ve never had before which I’m actually excited to watch. Unfortunately one of my TV’s lost it’s DVD capabilites last week… fortunately I was able to salvage the Sex & The City DVD (Season One, Disc Two) that was in there. I’m contemplating purchasing an HD TV in early 2009, you know, if I have the money.
Twilight. Okay, I have to confess I LOVED this movie. I laughed. I cried like three times. Edward, though not what I pictured, was really great in his role. Bella is pretty perfect too. My only issues? They made the movie less serious than the book and toyed with my images of Bella’s friends. When the lights came on at almost midnight on Friday, I was ready to sit back and watch it again. And again. And again…
Joe-Joe’s Candy Cane Cookies. Go to Trader Joe’s immediately and purchase at least three boxes of the Joe-Joe’s (think Oreo) Candy Cane Cookies. They are amazing. All natural and deliciously pepperminty. My brother and I each bought three boxes of them on Saturday night.
Saturday night. TDH was busy being a super dork with his video game friends, so I hung out with my brother and then had some Greek food, wine and Sex & The City movie with one of my newer friends (a fiance to one of TDH’s best friends). We had a great time talking about weddings, movies, house updates, dogs, moving in, so on and so forth.
Thanksgiving! The day is fast approaching. I’m doing double duty (certainly not double-eating) by going to TDH’s family’s dinner and mine as well. Despite the fact I’ve met all his family, I’m still nervous. TDH says it’s just”coming over lunch.” Uh-huh. Sure. A big, fancy lunch on a national holiday.
Seven. Only seven days left in NaBloPoMo. My creative juices are starting to dry up a bit…I feel a complete lack of words coming on.
Things I would do if I had time/money freely available: hit the gym up every day; work on whitenening my teeth again; finally dye my hair; go tanning a few times; communicate a bit better with some friends who live afar; decorate my apartment more.
Dream. I had a dream early this morning that all the planes in the US were crash landing due to change in atmospheric pressure. I somehow managed to jump out of my plane with a parachute on my back and land on a rollercoaster. I recall the state of chaos in my dream, the loud noises from the planes landing and lots of screaming. Talk about a terrifying way to start a Monday morning!
I’ll admit that as much as I seem to have my shit together, there are moments where I fear the vulnerability of being in love, of being a grown-up, where I think maybe I should turn back and run to the starting point instead of putting it all out there and risking getting hurt (not just by TDH, but in general), which seems safer, but far less rewarding than the way things are going now.
I shared with my Boss (aka Dad) some of my recent feelings as my future and my life become more clear to me as he is a solid rock for me to lean on if I’m having a “girlie moment.” And he, in turn, shared this with me:
From “The Prophet,” by Kahil Gibran
When love beckons to you follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become scared bread for God’s sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but itself.
Love possess not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say “God is in my heart,” but rather “I am in the heart of God.”
And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, it directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must have needs and desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return hom at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a praryer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
I can’t say it better than that myself. Total immersion. I think that’s the only way to do it. It’s not always easy, but man, is it worth it.
I went to Target on Thursday to buy face wash and a card for TDH. I walked out with the soundtrack to This Christmas and season ten of Friends (it was on sale for $10! How could I pass that up? My collection is finally complete). I also resisted tons of Christmas decorations. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a total Christmas fanatic.
It’s not even after Thanksgiving yet and I’ve been listening to Christmas Music. Harry Connick Jr is coming to StL in a few weeks; TDH tried to get tickets but they are over $200 a pop now, so instead he bought me his new Christmas CD called “What Night?”. Harry Connick has such a smooth voice. His rendition of “O Come all Ye Faithful,” had me near tears yesterday morning.
I finally got internet capabilities on my Blackberry. This now means Facebook Mobile, Gmail at any time, internet browsing capabilities, free messaging to those who have Blackberries (if you have one, send me your pin and we can chat for free!) and a new addiction that I surely don’t need.
I have been a very bad No Mush!er this week. Really bad. As in only one day of exercise and two days of bad eating. I think I need to change my schedule so I get up in the morning (ahahaha, if you know me, that’s funny) and going before work. It has to be done. I feel my best when I exercise.
Last week, on a non-TDH night, I let Jack sleep on my bed. It was too big and lonely without him.
I am insanely nervous about meeting TDH’s other two sisters this holiday season.
I did a super girlie thing the other day. I put a ring on that finger for a few minutes, just to see how it would look. Craziness, I know.
I took Thursday night completely off from graduate school work. Probably a bad idea but I couldn’t fathom the idea of attempting to comprehend sentences that are over one paragraph long.
I got way too much joy out of my ex’s ex asking who the flowers were from. I shouldn’t have smiled when I was able to say “my awesome boyfriend.”
I like cable apparently. TDH recently upgraded in order to get super fast internet. I’m addicted to TBS, National Geographic, History Channel, A&E and FX. Great.
