W is for...

Who wouldn't want to find this bundle under their Christmas tree? We were lucky enough to spend the whole weekend with this little gift and enjoy every last bit of her cuteness. The girl can eat. And it shows.

This one was a little harder to please, but a bucket of fabric scraps did just the trick. She had three days of fun with those scraps. I think I know what she's getting for her birthday.

Uncle Steve pulled out all the stops to make this the best weekend a toddler could hope for. There was lots of hide and seek, reading, and a surprise favorite game that involved sitting on the kitchen floor pretending that they were driving in a car. And sometimes they would stop the car and go into the grocery store for a few necessities.

Don't let the Precious Moments eyes fool you though- she doesn't even sleep. Sometimes I started to believe that she was some type of loud, demanding robot with a long battery life. But then she would do something different, like kiss my boo-boo or smile at me while I scratch her back, and all those moments added together more than make up for all the loud. And the demanding.

She is a little bit her mom and a little bit her dad and a whole lot herself. And I love her like I always knew I would, even before I knew her.

Sweet cheeks here was even more charming than the last time I saw her and I must have put my nose to her head to inhale her sweet baby smell at least 30 times. She smiles constantly, loves to cuddle, and makes little grunting noises just for fun. She was the perfect house guest, except for all the spitting up, and nobody really minded that.

There is no picture of the best part of the weekend though- my confidante, encourager, helper, and friend of the past 22 years and I spent an entire evening by the glow of the Christmas tree, talking. We shared losses and victories, frustrations and joys. No sorrow is as bad once I've shared it with her and no joy is complete until it reaches her ears. Sometimes I wonder how I was chosen to receive the gift of her friendship. I've said it before, and I'll say it again- my cup runneth over.

And speaking of blessings, I am also blessed with a husband who truly gets how much I like to decorate for Christmas. So much so, that when I said "let's go all out this year" he replied with "we should paint the coffee table red". So that's what we did. Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of all the holiday cheer around here.

wrapping things up

We finally made it to dinner time. After a couple of fun hours in the kitchen with Mom, everything was ready and relatively hot.

A buffet line was formed and plates were filled. And filled again.

We toasted the year and settled in for the evening together. How many days do we get to spend every hour together? Not enough, that's how many.

We cleared the table, dishes were done courtesy of one amazing sister, and we got down to business. It's just not a holiday without a fierce round of Nerts. And I'm telling you, things can get pretty intense. At one point I was up on my knees in my chair for a better angle. And I may or may not, but probably did, tell Steve that I would bite his arm if he put it in front of me again. Maybe.

We took a "break" for dessert, but then were in such a cheesecake coma that we could not continue the game. So Corbin won, but we all know it's just because he has the longest arms.

This was just one day. I haven't even mentioned the Black Friday shopping or the haircuts. The time that my sweetheart and I snuck away to the tree where he proposed almost exactly six years ago. The visits with old friends. The dinner at Cracker Barrel on the way home that raised Cracker Barrel a whole three notches in my opinion of road trip stopping options.

I could go on and on. But it is December 1st today and time to move on to December things. And just so you know, my love for the first of the month is multiplied by 100 in December. It is, by far, my favorite 1st.

Next week, I will have lots to share about all the holiday prep that is going on around here. This week, I have lots left to do. Especially because tomorrow night will bring a sleigh full of visitors, one of which will be making her inaugural trip to our house. So we want to have everything just right.

Will she care about the red and white pillow covers or the fresh greenery on the mantle? I think she just might.

thankful, part two

"Suppose for a moment that God began taking from us the many things for which we have failed to give thanks. Which of our limbs and faculties would be left? Would I still have my hands and my mind? And what about loved ones? If God were to take from me all those persons and things for which I have not given thanks, who or what would be left of me?"

Who or what would be left of me, indeed.

It is easy to get caught up in the details of life and not notice the blessings. It is easy to wish for things you don't have. And it's easy to take for granted the things that you do. So, without wasting another moment, I am giving thanks:



for my brother, and his mad guitar skills,

for my husband, and his ability to shine at Rock Band even when his drumsticks are two whisks, swiped from the kitchen,

for every last person in this hilarious family portrait as we rocked away the afternoon on Thanksgiving day,

and for this one, who watched us quietly from the corner and took pictures of the action,

for a long family walk on a beautiful day that included a visit with two llamas. That's right, two llamas.

My cup runneth over.

Thanksgiving morning

There are very few days that warrant three separate blog posts just to get all the goodness in, but this Thanksgiving was one of them. Honestly, any day that begins with these cinnamon rolls is probably going to be pretty great, but this one even surpassed my high expectations.

Post-cinnamon roll, we all lounged around and checked out the Black Friday ads while watching the parade. It's not Thanksgiving without the parade, specifically the parade on NBC, as I tried to tell whoever kept changing the channel to CBS. Al Roker and I have spent many a holiday together and we're not about to stop now.

The leaves were in full-color mode and the pear trees made me feel right at home. The boys played football in the yard, which made the day feel just right. I don't necessarily want to be playing football on Thanksgiving, but I sure like it when someone else does.

So the sisters watched from the porch and occasionally caught a pass or two. I spent some time alternately marveling at the handsomeness of my husband and the grown-up-ness of my baby brother. Gosh if I don't love those two to pieces.

And, as is the norm with almost any trip we go on, there were dogs. But they're both pretty mini and not so bad, as dogs go. Lucy likes to be carried around a lot, but who can blame her? Why walk when you can ride?

Even with all the fun going on at home, I still managed to sneak out a few times- to the grocery store with Mom and out for coffee with Bren. I am super thankful for moments alone with each of my family members, as much as I love being all together.

And, if you can believe it, we haven't even made it to lunchtime yet! Tune in tomorrow for the next installment...

deck the halls

Usually it takes zero effort for me to get into the Christmas spirit. By the time October is over, I am ready for Christmas music and the scent of pine. In fact, I usually only hold off on the decoration until after Thanksgiving as a courtesy (to who? I have no idea). But this year, the warm weather has me tricked and I am slowly dragging myself along to get ready for the holidays.


Of course, I needed to be in the spirit even earlier than usual this year, as I was hoping to get a few things ready for the shop before December is upon us. So last week I cranked up the holiday tunes and started working, ready or not.

I started with two sets of Christmas ornaments, an idea provided by my creative friend, Emily. Once I got into it, the ideas started flowing and now I'm just hoping I'll have a few spare minutes to make some more decorations before it's too late! This week is super busy with work and holiday baking, but early next week seems like the perfect time to stitch up some stuffed snowmen.

And now I just need to mention that I have posted two things in a row that have nothing to do with food (and certainly nothing to do with soup) and, as a result, I will probably need to share some pictures of cinnamon rolls tomorrow. So you've been forewarned.

field trip

Okay, so it's not quite "tomorrow" as promised, but there are no pictures of soup.

Last week, on my way back from the fabric store, I took a quick field trip to Belmont. It's right on the way and I have always wanted to stop there. And as I was driving home last Thursday, I thought to myself, as I always think to myself, "I'll bet Belmont is really cute. I wish I could stop in sometime." And then I wondered why I couldn't and then I just did it. Do you ever do that? Wish for something over and over and then realize that (usually) you can do what you want?

There are two reasons that I have always wanted to stop in Belmont. #1: the college. You can see Belmont Abbey from the interstate and it looks like an enchanted castle. And I'm not talking about Shana's version of an enchanted castle, I'm talking the real thing. It is a good thing that I didn't consider things like "college visits" a necessity in my day, because otherwise I would have ended up at a super tiny, super expensive, private school with great architecture and landscaping and then where would we be? Certainly not where we are now, so I really dodged a bullet on that one.

Anyway, this college was just as pretty up close as it is from the road. I drove around campus and admired the buildings and the trees. I checked out the students and thought about what it might be like to go to a school that fancy, with a campus coffee shop called "Holy Grounds". Clever indeed.

I hopped out of the car for a brief moment only, because I could not find legal parking anywhere. But I did get a few pictures of the buildings and one of this nice sappy tree. It took me back to my childhood when one of my favorite things to do outside was play with the sap tree in our yard. That's right- I called it the sap tree and to this day have no idea what type of tree it was. But it was great for climbing and, more importantly, making lots of nice sap. Not the super-sticky-never-comes-off-your-hands-white-Christmas-tree sap. But the shiny-golden-bubbles-up-into-beautiful-mounds sap. It's difficult to say exactly what the allure of the sap tree was, but it had me hooked.

Reason to stop in Belmont #2: downtown. There were signs advertising the "historic downtown district" and they did not disappoint. Historic it is. And super cute. With places like "Shirley's Restaurant" and "Belmont Electric Company" and lots of little shops just begging to be wandered in. I refrained from wandering on this particular day, both because I did actually have other things to be doing and because I was without my favorite wandering partner. But we will go back soon and wander, he and I. We will wander all over that cute town.

Frank's Minestrone

It has occurred to me that I write a lot about soup. It has also occurred to me that anyone who actually reads everything I post about soup, might be so interested in soup themselves as to want the recipes. I use the term "recipe" rather loosely here, because I make most soups up as I go and don't measure anything. But I will try to remember and estimate measurements when I can. So, here it is, fresh from Monday night, Frank's* Minestrone:

olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
5 carrots, cut into thin circles

Saute the above ingredients until they start to get soft- probably about 30 minutes. Then add:

3 small zucchini, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups broth or stock (any kind will do)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (40-50 oz. I think)
1 small can of tomato sauce (6 oz.)

Stir everything up and turn the heat up until it boils. After it reaches a boil, turn the heat back down to low. Add the spices (about 1 teaspoon of each):

salt
pepper
parsley
oregano
basil

Simmer for as long as you can. I like to do about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add water if it looks too thick. I probably added about 3-4 cups of water during the simmering process. It just depends on how stew-like you want it to be.
30 minutes before you want to eat it, add 1 1/2 cups of dry mini shell pasta. Give the pasta time to cook and then the soup is done. I like to serve it with a nice snow cap of Parmesan cheese on top and some good bread.

I may eventually get around to posting a recipe for last week's corn chowder, but this will have to do for now. Happy soup making!

(Note: tomorrow I will have things to share that have nothing to do with soup. Pinky swear.)

*This soup is named after Frank, our pest control guy. He stops by once a year, so as you can imagine, we're pretty close. He even bought our dehumidifier. Frank happened to be here on Monday when I was making soup and was so enthusiastic about the aroma and the idea of homemade soup that I felt a little sad for him. And then he shared that he'd be eating canned soup for dinner, and I felt a lot sad for him. If the soup had been ready, I'd have sent him home with some.