It's Beginning to Look alot Like Another Random

I'm participating in the weekly random again this week. It's hosted every Wednesday by Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee and she always has an interesting mix of questions...hence the name 'random'. Anyway, everyone is invited to play along...just answer the questions on your own blog and link here so we can all read your answers.

1. Which Wizard of Oz character are you most like?

Hmmm…Glinda? She seems even-tempered and optimistic and she has a great dress.

2. When you're deciding what you're going to wear each morning, which item do you select first? Why?

If I’m not going anywhere the bottom part is easy…jeans… I heart them. If I’m going out I often think about the shoes (See question #10) and plan accordingly.

3. What kind of animal do you think the world could live without?

I think we probably need them all, that each serves some purpose in creation and if we take one out we will upset the delicate balance that God put in place.

4. How many Christmas trees are in your home?

Three at the moment.

5. Would you prefer to be emotionless if it meant you didn't have to feel a heartbreak?

Absolutely not…I would never want to live without emotion.

6. Do you ever experience holiday let-down or depression?

Not depression but I might feel a little bit let down as January rolls around. It isn’t so much connected to the holiday itself but more to the point that a holiday ending means my girls will go back to university and I love having them home, snug in their beds and at the breakfast table…well, dinner table…they aren’t exactly morning people.

7. Do you like Michael Jackson's music?

You wanna be starting something with this question? Yes…I saw him in concert back in the early 80s. Such an incredible amount of talent…such a sad story.

8. Why is it that we never judge people who have their teeth fixed for cosmetic reasons, but every other cosmetic procedure has a stigma?

I'm not sure every procedure has a stigma...I think it is all about the 'why'. So many procedures are connected to making us look younger but I'm not sure that's the case with our teeth. One of the first things I notice about a person is their smile (or lack thereof). I know we aren't to judge based on first impressions but we do make them. Bad teeth can sometimes keep a person from smiling and feeling confident. It's such a simple thing to correct and it's usually non-surgical. I say go for it...a smile is a beautiful thing.

9. Enjoy horseback riding?

Yes, within reason…I’ve only gone a few times in the past 10 years, all while on holidays. We went once in AZ which I loved because it was a slow meander thru the desert. My husband did not enjoy this as much because did I mention it was a slow meander? We went once in St. Lucia and my husband loved this trek because it started with a trot down a very steep road and then you could gallop across the beach and run the horses into the water. I did not enjoy this one as much because did I mention we had to trot down a steep slippery road and run on the beach? I think you’re getting the picture now. We rode in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee too and this was just right for all of us.

10. Shoes--practical or stylish?

Stylish all the way. Seriously, unless you are working construction or climbing Everest or performing brain surgery shoes should be all about style.

11. What was the name of your first pet? Feel free to post a pic.

A sweet little puppy named Queenie…we didn’t have her long…she was the runt of a mixed breed litter and wasn’t healthy. After Queenie we inherited a wire haired terrier named Misty who lived to be 16 so she was our pet during most of my growing up years. I’ve had two dogs since I got married…Abbey who was a shepherd collie mix and also a wonderful dog who lived to be 16. Then there is our current crazy Gordon Setter who is without a doubt the sweetest animal I’ve ever known. You can see her decked out for Christmas in this post from last year.

12. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done?

Maybe 1/3…yeah…gotta get on that.

Hello December

I know you are expecting something all Christmasy in this post since I did mention December in the title but hold your rocking horses for just a minute. Before we kick into sugarplum mode I think I'd like to say just a few words about the month that was.

During the month of November I participated in a little gratitude meme hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm. It was a simple act really...I was to list one specific thing that I felt especially thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving and I must say that I absolutely loved this. I found myself thinking about what I'd add to my list as I went thru my day, when I went to bed at night and especially first thing upon waking. I loved that each morning when I sat down at my blog my thoughts went immediately to a place of gratitude...not to a place of worry, not to a place of complaint or self-pity, not even to my extremely lengthy to-do list...instead my thoughts were filled with all the things in my life for which I'm grateful. And I realized there are many.

I changed my blog background today...my previous background was full of fall colors and they felt out of place in this month of reds and greens and golds and silvers. It feels like our focus wants to change this month as well. As Thanksgiving approaches we somehow manage to take a collective breath and step back long enough to recognize how much we have to be thankful for...we make an effort to be grateful, often even in circumstances where gratitude is not the obvious response. And then December comes. Almost overnite it seems we move from November's quiet contemplation to December's activity bordering on exhaustion.

Like everyone I have a laundry list of jobs to complete before Christmas Day. Shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping and making my house ready for lots of company...I'm sure yours is similar. Sometimes those things make me cranky. Really cranky. But I don't want to be cranky. I want to be grateful. December is here with all its joys and stresses and it is in this month that I want to remember the spirit of thankfulness that filled my November. I want the words 'be grateful' to remain at the top of my to-do list each day.

So bring on December with all its busy-ness, late nights, early mornings, spending and wrapping and baking and houseguests and even the laundry...in the midst of it all I will find my November.

And just in case you don't study my sidebar when you visit, here is my list from the meme-

I am thankful for...

holiday traditions

nephews

sweet daughters

music

live theatre

my central vacuum

a clean house and a well stocked frig

great books

lunches out

my sweet mother

safe airline travel

the mountains of East Tennessee

sunshine and warm weather

college friends and our shared memories

my husband

Camp Sandy Cove friends and memories

good health

my brother (Happy Birthday S!)

old friends

Mexican food

those who serve our country

sisters

a full moon peeking thru the trees

the right to vote

deer on the backyard hillside early in the morning

the colors of autumn

A lot of a lots

I have been away from my computer for most of the past week due to the fact that I was cooking. A lot. And had a houseful of company. A lot. And my daughters were home and we needed to talk. A lot. And laugh. A lot. And today I am feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the words in my brain so I'm just going to dive right in and leave a few here.

Thanksgiving. Lovely. Filled with family and food and my sweet daughters and two little nephews who we loved having in the house.

Oh and fyi- little boys are completely different than little girls and I'm not talking about just the obvious here. Little boys can make all things silly. And little girls can talk. Boy can they ever talk! After dinner one night we sat around the table and my two daughters were telling stories about this and that and I wish you could have seen my nephews faces. I should probably add here that my girls talk reallyreallyreallyfast and they were telling these stories in a sort of tag team fashion and those little boys were completely mesmerized. Not so much with the content but more with the speed and all the words and the animation on my daughters faces. They sat absolutely frozen in their seats looking from one girl cousin to the other...kind of like a tennis match. They were trying their best to follow what the girls were saying but it was pretty much futile. My husband says they shouldn't worry though...that's how he feels most nights at the dinner table when the girls and I get to talking.

We were really hoping to have some wildlife in the yard to show the boys while they were here but I think the forest animals knew this was a holiday in which to lay low. Of course just a few hours after everyone took off we glanced out back to see 8 wild turkeys.

I suppose they knew we'd had our fill of bird on Thursday and Friday and that it was safe to come out. On Sunday morning we awoke to deer in the yard...four of them. Maybe they were with family for the holiday too and are just now getting back home. They are beautiful, particularly the bucks, and I did take a couple of photos but they were thru the window and the glare is bad so I'm not posting. I can't step outside to get their picture anymore as they freak when they see me raise my hand to my eye. I've tried telling them its just a camera but they're not taking any chances.

After all the company left on Saturday we went to see The Blindside. If you haven't seen this movie get yourself to a theatre...such a heartwarming story about love in action and how that impacts a life. Oh, and take some kleenex because you'll need it. And of course after a good cry you need food so we stopped at a favorite pizza place on the way home. Ahh....pizza...it's the anti-turkey.

The girls were headed back to uni on Sunday but before they left for the airport we did pull out the Christmas decorations and had a little tree trimming party complete with eggnog. We drink our eggnog in our German Christmas market mugs because that makes us happy. It was fun to pull out all the decorations this year. When we moved to the UK we only took about half of our Christmas boxes with us and the rest went to storage so a lot of the items we hadn't seen in several years. I have lots of Snow Village pieces and none of them came with us to the UK since the electrical current there is scary and is also the reason why there are no outlets in the bathrooms. The plus side is water boils instantly in the electric kettles there. Ooops-tangent. Told you...words...I have a lot of them.

Anyway, when we decorate our Christmas tree every year it is tradition that hubs hides the pickle ornament and the girls have to find it hidden in one of the Christmas trees. Except of course my husband gave up years ago putting it in the tree and now they pretty much have to look all over the house to find it. Hiding a pickle ornament is supposedly a German tradition that says whoever finds the pickle will get an extra treat from St. Nick. This is perhaps more of a myth since the Germans I know have never heard of it but its still fun.

This year hubs left the pickle in a really obvious spot and the girls walked by it a couple of times before daughter1 finally noticed it hanging on the clock case. Whoever finds it hangs it somewhere on the tree...not sure they view that as an 'extra treat' but that's all I got.

I can't finish this Thanksgiving post without a brief mention of the angel pie. Firstly, these cuties baked the pies this year.

Let's just take a moment here.

If you are thinking that it looks like scrumptious custardy wonderfulness then you would be correct. Several people asked me last week for the recipe after I mentioned it in a post and I fully intended to publish it right here on the blog because I'm nice like that. However.... my sister in law was here and she threatened to have her husband hack into my blog and remove it if I dared and my brother in law is a bit of a computer whiz so I'm thinking I best not. I am on email though, wink wink.

Whew. Like I said...a lot of words. I feel better now so thank you.

The random in which I mention angel pie...a little slice of heaven

The weekly random dozen lands a day early this week due to the holiday. If you'd like to join the fun just answer these questions on your own blog and link your answers here. Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinarily adventurous?



Traditional…don’t want a revolt here now do we?

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")



my home…we have been renters for the past six years while living overseas. We loved our house in the UK…it was completely charming but we couldn’t really put our own personal touch on the paint, window treatments, flooring. Plus the house had lots of wallpaper and we didn’t want to put any holes in the wall so all my pictures have been hung too high for the past six years…we just put them where there were already hooks in place. I’m not complaining because I truly did love that house like it was my own and the owners were wonderful people and did I mention the garden..sigh. Still it is fun to be in our new house this year and we’re really enjoying decorating and making it feel like home. I especially love my kitchen and am excited about all the cooking.

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.



I like your example-hope. Where would we be in this crazy mixed up world without it? Hope for a future and hope for eternity.

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.



Nothing specific springs to mind and in fact it is probably the 'sameness' from year to year that I love the most. I enjoy thinking back to Thanksgivings growing up...helping my mom in the kitchen, my dad carving the turkey, family all around the table, the smells...happy times. This is what I've tried to recreate in my own family. I love to have extended family and friends at the table too...it somehow makes the meal more special.

5. What is one thing you know without a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?

Well overeating comes to mind. I'm determined not to but I'm pretty sure I say that every year.

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?



Are you kidding me??? Of course.

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?



Well, we pray before every dinner and we always hold hands and we always stay seated. And it is the same on Thanksgiving. The 'who' will vary...probably my hubs but sometimes it is one of my daughters and sometimes me. And it is always spontaneous.

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?

definitely watching football unless of course I'm napping which is also a favorite Thanksgiving day activity

9. There are two distinct camps of people on the issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?

No oysters in the stuffing...I love oysters but no no no-not in the stuffing on Thanksgiving. Must not mess with perfection.

10. Do you consider yourself well informed about the first Thanksgiving?

yes

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?



A tiny sliver of pumpkin with lots of whipped cream because I must save room for my very favorite-angel pie. If you are not familiar with this deliciousness you should be...it is a meringue crust with a custard filling, topped with whipped cream and shaved German chocolate. Oh my.

12. Do you feel for the turkey?? (This is a humorous throw back question related to the 12th question in another Random Dozen!)

nope

Oh What a Night

Late December back in 63...what a very special time for me as I remember what a night....okay, so it was actually late November in 2009 but it was still special. And I do know that Frankie was talking about somethin' completely else but I feel the need to spout Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons lyrics today. So I'll just hang on to what I got...I don't have much but I got a lot...let's see...time to walk like a man and get this post written. That's really bad I know but I can't help it. I'll stop now. Well maybe.

My father in law turned 75 in August. We weren't together for his birthday but we did get him tickets to see Jersey Boys in NYC since we knew he would be in town for Thanksgiving. My in-laws arrived this weekend and on Sunday we took them into the city for dinner and the show.

The show is awesome. It is so much fun and the music...oh it just makes you happy...when they break into Sherry I dare you not to smile. Hubs and I had seen the show in London with our girls and we all loved it. We loved it just as much this time around too. I think the NY version has a bit more of an edge to it...it's a little more 'Jersey'...they did throw out the big naughty word a few times and we don't remember that so much in the London version. But the guys who made up the original Four Seasons were Jersey boys from the rough streets of Newark so I think the language was probably pretty accurate. Regardless the show really is all about the music which was fantastic!

We saw the 3 pm performance and after the show we walked across the street to Gallaghers Steak House for dinner. There are probably 14,325 steak houses in NY city but Gallaghers is an old (1927) and well known institution. The tables are covered with red checked cloths and the walls are covered with photographs of the many famous people who have dined there through the decades. And the steaks...

yeah.

I could probably produce an entire photo album of my husband with waiters around the world...he always makes friends with the waiter wherever we happen to be...after our meal these nice gentlemen brought out a scrumptious chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate syrup as a birthday surprise. I'm sure I don't need to tell you it was delicious... or I could just say Who loves you pretty baby? Do you think Frankie was addressing chocolate in that song?

After dinner we took a cab to Times Square because you gotta see Times Square when you're in the city at night.

Can you tell this city makes me a little bit giddy? I love the beautiful countryside we live in but I'm so thankful to have easy access to this amazing place too. We headed to Rockefeller Plaza next...I mean why not???

We're here, the air is cool but not bitter and the city is already looking so festive. Here is the official tree (wrapped in scaffolding) being made ready for the official lighting ceremony to be held officially on December 2nd. It's officially massive...they say the ideal tree for Rockefeller Center is at least 65 feet tall and 35 feet wide but most years they are at least ten feet taller than that.

.

Can't take my eyes off of you...

sorry.

I'm so looking forward to coming back in to NYC when our girls are home for the holidays and several times during the month of December. We have tickets to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall the week before Christmas...we haven't been to this show in many years and it is truly 'spectacular'...ooh, I just remembered how much (and how often!) I like to use that word.

It was getting late and although we wanted to staaaaaay, just a little bit longer we made our way back to the car, forked over the equivalent of a semester's worth of college tuition to release our vehicle from its space in the garage and headed for home.

Oh what a night indeed.

A Pre-Thanksgiving Post

My husband has been in Taipei on business all week and I haven't. I'm not bitter though. I confess that I did have to pull out the ole map to see just exactly where Taipei is located (allow me to save you a trip to Wikipedia....it's in Taiwan, off the coast of mainland China. You're welcome). Gracious, what did we do before Wikipedia existed??? Well kids...in my house we had two entire shelves of bookcases that held something called The Encyclopedia. And I have older siblings so basically the set we owned was out of date before I ever needed to access them. And you bought them from a salesman who walked from house to house or rather 'door to door' with his suitcase of encyclopedias. Then the world went a little mad and we stopped answering our doors and stopped being at home and Al Gore grew up and poof along came the internet and remind me again how in the world I ended up on this topic? I betcha even Wikipedia can't answer that.

As I was saying...hubs phoned this morning to tell me he was getting ready to go to bed on the floor. His hotel room sounds interesting. He says it is beautiful and his room is two stories high yet he is sleeping on the floor. He has had some new foods too...I don't think I'll elaborate but let's just say it's a good thing he is an adventurous eater.

Anyway, don't feel too sorry for me because I made a little trip of my own this week...to South Jersey. It's sorta like Taipei I think except my mom lives there. One of the nicest bits about being back in the states is that I am close enough to pop in for a couple of days. My pup loves it too...she's all about a new place to explore plus my mother just might have a soft spot in her heart for my crazy dog which basically means my pup ends up eating roast beef at pretty much every meal we have there.

My mom and I had a nice visit...we did a little shopping, played some Rummikub, and talked a-lot. My sister and her little boy and my brother and sister in law all came over for dinner on Wednesday night. My nephew is three and adorable. And busy. Very very busy. And he likes chocolate. Props to you moms of toddlers...if you are in the midst of those days they are exhausting. But rest assured the exhaustion fades and what you remember down the road is all the sweetness.

My life is beginning to feel like my life once again. I like to be a little bit busy. I like to have a few things on my calendar. I like to see and do and go and meet and learn. My in-laws arrive tomorrow, my daughters on Tuesday, and my sister in law and her family on Wednesday. It will be a full house here next week and I am looking forward to so much. What you ask? Well...

taking my in-laws into NYC, a show on Broadway, hugs and kisses from my daughters, complaining about how much they sleep when they are home, watching them sleep, talking, more talking, lots and lots and lots of talking, seeing their toothbrushes, hairbrushes, straighteners, shoes, pjs, jackets, and you get the idea, in the bathroom and bedroom and wherever they land, sharing the cooking traditions that go along with the Thanksgiving meal, baking pies, eating pies, wearing my Harrods apron, corn pudding, playing pool, nephews visiting, hubs having some r and r, a beautiful table, cornbread stuffing, watching old family movies, taking pictures, blogging, football, sharing, praying, laughing, and feeling grateful

just to name a few.

12 at 12

It's time for week 12 in the random dozen meme  hosted every Wednesday by Linda over at 2nd cup of Coffee.   Everyone's invited to the party....just answer the questions on your blog and link here so we can all come and visit.

Here we go...

1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?

ballet

2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?

My husband always seems to know what all the bells and whistles are that we are looking  for so I generally go with his recommendation.  

3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?

Ann Farmington

4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?

I don't like this question.  Just sayin'.  I mean I can't imagine any circumstance where this would be necessary but...am I giving up a single favorite food or an entire food group?  A favorite genre of music or a favorite artist or just a favorite song?  I will give up a single favorite food...I gotta have my tunes.  Plus I'll be honest and admit I have quite a lot of favorite foods so in giving up one there will surely be another to take its place.   

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?

Pristine yellow.   Over ripe=banana bread

6. Your favorite tree is?

Japanese Red Maple

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?

I’m going with a 3…I mean I did manage to create my blog all by myself so that’s gotta count for something right?

8. Has H1N1 touched your family?

Not so far!

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?

I think it depends on what we’re talking about here.  Maybe that means I'm analytical :  )  If we’re talking about something that falls under the realm of the mysteries of the way God works in the universe then I’m accepting…if we’re talking about some of the things going on in the realm of politics and our government then I’m analytical.   And angry but I guess that's another post.

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?

Not sure what the personality of a koala is so I’m going with a dog....at least that's the one I aspire to- happy, loving and completely forgiving...plus they sleep all night and then get up and take a nap...who doesn't want that?

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?

Absolutely…I just wrote about this on my blog on Monday

12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?

Ahh…the mind game known as the check out line….I would most likely go for the shorter line rather than a long express.  I normally scan the contents of the carts and I also like to eyeball the people in line to decide ahead of time who looks like they might have ‘issues’ when they check out.  With just a few items though I’d most likely go to a self checkout line which all of our stores now have.