2010-12-26 Christmas Redux

Today, we get to get the whole family together, except a few members who are out of town. We've planned a lovely brunch...


...and a few hours of opening gifts and hanging out.

The gifts were fun...and the family was funner! Here's my mom, my brother and my nephew.


My sister got some yoga stuff...


My dad and brother-in-law watch others open gifts...


My niece gets a cuban coffee maker with cups and all the fixin's...she's going off to college and needs the caffeine!


And of course, my brother received the traditional Christmas harpoon...what? Yes, it's a harpoon.


Well, it was a great day!

2010-12-25 Sorta' Cuban Christmas

Christmas is here, and I have arisen from my designated sofabed to prepare for our Christmas lunch. We ordered a paella which is to be reheated slowly this morning while my parents hie themselves off to church. Paella is not a traditional Christmas dish, but it is a traditional Cuban one, so we started off the day in Cuban style.

I mixed up a Christmas punch of cranberry/pom juice and vodka, and my dad made a little concoction of rum and fruit juices. We'll need the alcohol.

We sat and had our lunch and it was a lovely day, but the smallest Christmas gathering I can remember in years. My sister and her husband awoke for the first Christmas with "empty house syndrome," having just married off their youngest in July. But we made a day of it and watched old movies on TV.

Of course, paella is not a super-filling meal, so we called over to the local Cuban restaurant to see if they were open. Score! They were...only the take-out window was open, but the full menu available. Now we can end the day Cuban-style, too.


And we weren't the only ones who had this idea, because right after we arrived, about 7 other parties made their way up to the window.


I had a Cuban sandwich, 2 croquettes and some chicharrones ("real" pork rinds). My brother had the same, except he had Papa Rellena (mashed potato stuffed with picadillo and fried). Oh my tummy was happy.

And, with a rotund belly, I fell back into my sofabed after watching "White Christmas" for the thousandth time.

2010-12-24 O Pippin Tree

Mmmmm, Pippin likes the smell of a fresh Christmas tree. He's been sniffing it for a while, but poking himself in the nose when he gets too close!


I've arrived at my parents' place and I'm getting settled in for about 3 days of ups and downs. I'm sure everyone has certain moments during Christmas that they wish could pass them by...moments that you have to endure because of family or friends or because of memories or whatever. I am one of those people. I am incredibly merry on the way to Christmas, but getting through the actual holiday is only what I can call a "mixed bag" of great and not-so-great times. Eventually, I find myself happy to be headed home.

For now, the plans are to have a small Christmas lunch for those of us family who are in town. We're having a lovely paella, which I'm looking forward to. Then on the 26th, another portion of family comes into town and we do a gift exchange. Now that there are no little kids left, this tradition is a fun time for me, and I enjoy this most of all. Not for the gifts, but for the joking and relaxed atmosphere.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

2010-12-15 New Job Celebrations

My friend (on the right) got a new job!


You may recall from last week, we were doing some interview clothes shopping. Well, the job came through so we're toasting her re-entry to the world of work this evening.

It's so good to heard good news...

2010-12-12 Pippy Pillows

I bought new pillows! Hurrah!

Pippin discovered the pillows! Doggy hurrah!


I put them on the couch while I washed the sheets and he immediately buried himself between the pillows and the couch...until I came over and disturbed him, that is.

I made a terrible mistake with Pippin, you see. Pippin grew up using a crate, which is great. He loves going in there to sleep or to feel safe. I used to buy those fleece pads for the bottom of the crate, but annoyingly Pippin would often get into a playful mood and pull his sleeping pad out of the crate and bring it to me to play tug-of-war with.

So one day, when his pad got manky enough to replace, I decided I would take an old pillow, which I was about to throw out, and cover it with a cheap pillowcase and use it for his bed. It was literally the exact size of the inside of the crate. Well, he loved it. And it was a little too big for him to haul out of the crate, so it stayed firmly in its place.

However, dogs are smart animals. Once he started sleeping on a old pillow that smelled like me, he thought, in his doggy brain, 'All pillows must be my bed.' And so a battle has begun. When he sees the couch pillow, he lays on it. When he sees my large body pillow, he lays on it. And infuriatingly he occasionally tries to lay on the pillow I use for my head. Arrrgh! Everytime I see him on it, I tell him to get off. It makes me furious, but then again, I created this monster. I thought I was saving some money, and now I've got a pillow-loving doggy.

Oy.

2010-12-11 Lunch with Jen

What a lovely day! I went down to Naples and met my friend Jen and her daughter Carly for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.


We had a super-buffet of appetizers and exchanged Christmas gifts while we ate and watched Carly play. It was one of those days where the sun was fully warming up a slightly cool day. Perfect weather for sitting on the patio. And the best part was only one other group was out there so we could just lounge around talking for as long as we wanted.

Carly enjoyed her fries and cheesecake!


We both left cheered by the holidays and a great couple of hours with a friend!

2010-12-10 Sweet Herb

I'm loving the way the grocery store displays these beautiful herbs...


I'm getting into that holiday mood where I like to cook and want to make things I've never made. I've always wanted to grow herbs but my yard is just not conducive to the idea. I've only got space in full broiling sun or complete darkness and shade. No spaces with nice access to morning sun...there are just too many large trees on the property.

But I've always thought it would be amazing just just open the kitchen door to a small garden of herbs and select vegetables, but alas, it's not to be. I will be among the hordes at the grocery buying stalks of basil and rosemary for one dish, just to throw the rest of the package away. For this reason, I always cringe when the recipe calls for fresh herbs. I do hate to waste them.

Ah well, maybe I'll be a gardener at my next home.

On a sad note, today my friend's sister-in-law, whom I also knew well, died after a protracted battle with cancer. She was a beautiful lady, undeserving of her fate, and I hope she is now resting comfortably in eternal bliss. Godspeed to O.

2010-12-07 Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, all I can say is...


Today's the big day -- the big 4-0!

Having an awesome and relaxed day. Did my usual of having lunch with friends at a local Mexican place that gives a free birthday meal...and they take a picture of you in a sombrero. Hm. Doesn't sound as exciting when I typed it in, but it's fun, I swear!


It's a work night, so no further partying was done, but I feel I've extended my birthday fun across the whole weekend. Now, I'm back to paying attention to work and Christmas.

However, I will say that as I leave my 30s, I'm feeling hopeful for a continued happy life. I'm not scared of the 40s. I'm planning on making 40 my bitch.

2010-12-05 Having a Lie-In

As the Brits say, I'm having a bit of a lie-in with my little munchkin...


We had a great night last night and today is all about spending Sunday in bed with a book and a little warm puppy.

I LOVE this time of year! Shopping is done...only a few days of work left in the year, so most projects are going to bed. Mmmmmmmm, me time!

2010-12-04 Party Night

Had a great early birthday celebration with some friends at a lovely local restaurant. Oops, did someone mention shots of Patron?


Yowzer!

I had the most perfect buzz after my few drinks, and no hangover! We loved the dinner and cake and I had a super-nice time with my friends.

I had a smile on my face the whole night!


Of course, true to form for the year (as I mentioned in a previous post), we received a call in the middle of dinner that one of my friend's step-father finally succumbed to his months-long illness and died peacefully in his home. It had been expected for some time, and at this point there was just relief that it was over.

Despite the sad news, we enjoyed the evening, and I marked my 40th birthday amongst friends, even if it was not the huge blow-out I had planned.