Post-Thanksgiving........

Thanksgiving was yesterday and it was delicious and relaxing. It was a very laid-back day, minus the dinner prep, which, come to think of it, took about all day. So. The nice thing was, Harrison helped me a LOT. He made the sweet potatoes, the mashed potatoes and the stuffing. I taught him how to make gravy and it was nice to cook, side-by-side. I had expected the girls to be interested in learning the ins and outs of Thanksgiving dinner, but year after year it's Harrison who spends the day in the kitchen with me.

The meal turned out really great. Jeff brined the turkey and it was so delicious. Plus, the drippings made the gravy divine. I made homemade cranberries, and of course, the potatoes and stuffing, green beans and for dessert, pumpkin pie dip with vanilla wafers and graham crackers. We didn't have any pie because the kids were going to their dad's for dessert. The only bummer about that was that I didn't get to enjoy pie for breakfast, as I usually do the day after Thanksgiving.

I heard on the radio the other day that the tryptophan in turkey, that everyone attributes to the coma-like state we all fall into after Thanksgiving dinner, is actually no more than in any other meats, so the myth has been dispelled. But I disagree. I was SO TIRED by 7:30 p.m., I actually fell asleep in a chair, sitting up, with my laptop on my lap. The kids were gone so I just decided to go to bed. I slept until midnight when I woke up and lay awake for a couple of hours. But I went back to sleep and woke up wondering if I should head out to do some Black Friday shopping.

As a rule, I normally don't participate in Black Friday shopping, preferring instead to shop online on Thanksgiving day. Most all of the deals are there, and there's no standing in line! So, I did make a few purchases yesterday, but today I thought I might venture out, just to one store close to home, for the 6 hour sale. Jeff actually agreed to go with me (with no pleading, either!) so we headed out an hour before the sale was over. We found nearly everything on our list and got out of there in less than an hour! It was crowded but not crazy. I cannot believe some of the stories that come out of Black Friday shopping, so I'm glad we only ventured to one store and slept in instead of hitting the road at 4 a.m.

Then,  I came home and washed all my cabinet fronts. After I took down all the Thanksgiving decorations. In preparation for putting up the Christmas decorations. For some reason, I really hate putting up decorations in anything but a clean house, so I'm busting my butt today to get the house cleaned up and prepped for the holiday deluge. We have about ten giant containers of Christmas decorations. Basically, our house looks like a Hallmark store at Christmas. But we love it. We love Christmas! And after the past few weeks of shopping, I've got a ton of presents to wrap already, which is also on my list for today. Along with crafting, all my laundry, ordering photo gifts, making my ugly Christmas sweater for a party, creating an art corner in the dining room for the girls to paint, and cleaning out a few cabinets. Because, you know, all those calories yesterday need to be burned.

But first, I'm icing my back. Because that cabinet washing really took it out of me. And that was only step 1. I still need to wipe them all down with Scott's Liquid Gold so they will shine like brand-new. Like the holidays!

Olympics, Cake and Other Stuff

Last night I went to a party celebrating the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver, BC (I put all that so in the future I'll know which Olympics I was talking about - you know, in case I'm still posting on here when I'm 90). Anyway, it was really fun to watch the opening ceremonies - such cool ideas. People are incredibly creative. So sad, though, to hear about (and watch, ugh) the death of the Georgian luger. Now I hear the track is supposedly too fast and too dangerous. Why do we have to make things bigger and better all the time? At the cost of a human life? Not worth it. I can't imagine the pain his family is going through right now. So sad.

So, for the party I made cupcakes. Jeff got me this awesome rotating cupcake "tower" that makes ordinary cupcakes look like art and it's just the coolest thing. But, strangely, this tower holds 35 cupcakes. A box of cake mix makes 24 cupcakes. You do the math. Anyway, I, of course, was going to make both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. While mixing the vanilla batter, I got distracted with Jeff and Arlie leaving the house and forgot to put the eggs in the batter! Oops. I baked them anyway, and they turned out looking like regular cupcakes. But, oh no! Those deceptive little things were completely stuck inside the wrappers. I hated to waste 18 perfectly good cupcakes so I peeled the cake bits from the wrappers and saved them in a bowl. For what? Oh well, let me tell you. For trifle. Because my kids love trifle. I mean, they love chocolate trifle, but I thought why not just layer up these crumbly cake bits with vanilla pudding and cool whip and maybe even tint the whole mess pink and call it good? Yeah. I have to buy vanilla pudding and cool whip of course. And I'm giving the whole pink mess to the kids at their dad's house. Because I'm cool like that. Anyway, the chocolate cupcakes turned out fine, thanks to the addition of EGGS, duh, and so I took those to the party, sans cool tower. They were arranged on a plate. Sigh.

So, cooking disasters aside, I've been feeling very un-valentine-y. Because I didn't even get out my decorations this year! How could I just skip Valentine's day? I want a do-over. I'm seriously thinking of getting the decor out today and calling it Valentine's week. Except my kids aren't even here to enjoy it. And I kind of decorate for the kids. Well, ok, for me too, but I always have big plans of making adorable heart-shaped sugar cookies and such and a special meal.........well, Jeff and I will have the traditional surf and turf dinner we've had the past few years, but it won't be the same as watching the kids devour crab legs like animals with butter dripping down their chins. I think I'll still make sugar cookies today and at least deliver them, along with a little Valentine surprise, to my kids later. I hate not having the kids on holidays. Even if it is just a created, Hallmark holiday designed to market to us poor fools who fall for all things pink and red and heart shaped.

The good news is, after my husband spends many hours working on his truck, we will do something fun together. We have a movie we (I) want to see, and tomorrow we'll have our steak and prawns. Tonight I really wanted to go see a local high school production of Beauty and the Beast, but Jeff procrastinated on getting tickets so that went out the window. Oh well, another exciting weekend in the Moore/Gordon household.....

But I am excited about our impending trip to San Francisco! Jeff got invited to do some workshops and career counseling/resume writing with the ACS again, and he's getting a trip to SF with hotel, airfare, and his food paid for, so we thought I might as well go along for the ride! My ticket was reasonable and the hotel is in the middle of a lot of shopping and things to do, so I'm going to have another FUN time in San Francisco by myself. I loved the last time we went, and it was only a weekend. This time we're going for five days and for the first time ever, we're leaving the kids with "babysitters". Arlie will stay with our awsesome neighbors Amy and Jason, and the Gordon kids will be with their dad over the weekend. Then, for the two school nights we'll be gone, our amazing friend Amy W. will come and watch them. This will be the first time we've ever left the kids while we've gone somewhere with anyone other than family. Hayley said I should just leave them alone and she can take care of everyone. But she's not even driving and I'm not ready for that. Maybe after she gets her license! Anyway, I'm so excited to take a nice trip with Jeff in a great city! I love SF!

Then, for spring break, we are planning a trip to AZ. We are going to drive and stop along the way in various locations. Still debating on bringing the camper or not. I have to plan that trip this next week while I have lots of time on my hands with the kids gone.

Anyway, off to make my house Valentine-y and get some stuff done. Like shower and get dressed. Since it's almost 1 in the afternoon!