Happy Thanksgiving to All

Just a quick note to all of you.  Thanksgiving is a great time of the year.  Sometimes it is so warm and other times it is like the middle of February.  This year it looks like it will be nice and most of all, it will be spent with some of my family.

Mom and I spoke this evening and did the run down.  Two pies and cake she'll bake tomorrow, and put out the serving dishes and such.  I'm making the salad for the dinner and the special salad for mom and I.  My salad is a vegetable salad - it has just about everything in it and is very colorful and good.  I'll be making a fresh vinaigrette dressing.  She puts the turkey in the oven about midnight and by the morning - the bird is just magnificant!  I've picked up various types of bread for dinner - a soft loaf and two crusty loaves.

 I'm also bringing another Thanksgiving tradition - the indian apples.  Now if you look up indian apple and get the defination - it's not Podophyllum peltatum, native to North America; also known as May-apple, mandrake, wild lemon, raccoon-berry, and wild jalap. It's pomegranates.  I remember as a kid enjoying them to no end and always sad when we finished them.  That tradition has been passed on to my nieces and nephews.  It also seems that I'm the "incharge" on getting and supplying the indian apples for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What are you traditions?  Are you passing them along, remember that those experiences that are passed along are great memories for down the road.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

PS - The Macy's Day parade begins at 9am!

Great Shopping and a Christmas Gift!

Ho Ho Ho!  Merry Christmas.  I know we haven't finished Thanksgiving dinner yet, by the way, yum yum!

A little while ago, I need to return an item to Macy's.  If you know me, I really dislike shopping.  So just before the expiration of the return period, I got it returned.  That lead me by the winter coat area.  Last winter I got away without replacing my winter coat.  I've had it awhile, it is showing wear.  It's a great coat, black, boiled wool JG Hook - classic lines.

So I'm going through the racks, more and more of the same - geez, where are the 'classic coats'? Until I turn around and on the end of a rack, this lone coat calls out to me.  With one look and touch, I fell in love.  It was so soft and with great texture - it was made from Alpaca!  It was so ridulously priced at almost $500.  When did winter coats get that expensive?  Though it was a sale  40%, and if you put it on your Macy's card - another 15%, and if you don't have a Macy's card and open one on the spot, then you'll get another 20%!  Do the Math - 40 + 15 + 20 = 75%  Now the coat will cost $187 - such a deal and I took it home.

So you say - what does the dishes have to do with the coat?  (it's a story and a half as I take a long breath)   It is easy - the new Macy's card gave me a 20% off anything I could charge for that day and the next. Hmmmm.  So I go and get a new pair of gloves for my new coat.  Then up to housewares - there must be something I can use and get this great discount.

Bottom line - I was looking through the fine china.  My china that I got right after college has served me well.  I've used it and used it on a daily basis, and it is now showing all the good lovin it has had.  Several pieces have just broke as the chips have finally become cracks.  While getting china was very low on my list of things, it would be nice to set a great table with dishes without chips and cracks even if it only for me.

So I mixed to patterns - Macy's Hotel brand and Lenox's Tin Can Alley.  Two plates from Hotel and two plates and the bowl from Leneox.  Actually they look great together and the sales clerk was liking the mixing of the two patterns. Neither pattern had enough of the right size plates.   I'm keeping my cup and saucer from my first set.  Now get this, the patterns were on sale, and if you purchase them and charge them on your Macy's card, and of course it is in the discount period - voila!  I have purchased eight placesettings for a net $49 per place setting - yes - bone china!

If you want to give me a Christmas Gift that I would really love - how about sponsoring a place setting?  Mom and Dad have laid claim to two of the place settings.  Thank you Momming and Daddy!

House Guest

About a week ago I had the company of my former neighbor and assistant, Leslie come and stay with me in her worl-wind trip through Connecticut.

She's been on the road over the last couple of years, first moving from CT to Asheville NC, then to Cape Gerardo MO, and now in the Lake Country of Texas.  What a treat for me to have her come and stay with me.  While she had an itenerary that would have your spinning, we got to visit quite a bit in-between our respective schedules.  She arrived on Thursday and we went out for a quick dinner at Joey Garlics. What great sandwiches - enough that we had lunch for the next day!

Friday she ran around between events, I was gone most of the afteroon as I was preparing to give a seminar on Saturday.  Her plans kept her visiting with friends and she stayed over night with one of them.  We met up between my seminar and charity event for a quick chat. I had made that lovely barley mushroon soup and there was enough for Leslie to have a big bowl and take a nap.  As she said, "you go and do the charity thingy, I'll catch a nap with KC and we can visit when you get back."  And we did.  It was like being back at ole Woodsedge, hanging out telling stories and discussing the events of the day. 

On Sunday, her daughter Shannon came to pick her up and that was another treat.  I've watched this young lady grow up over the years and am as proud of her accomplishments as if we was a niece of mine.

So it is my time to get down to visit Leslie - at least she is in a warm place now.  Thanks for being such a great guest! 

Great Quote

“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun”

From Into the Wild - by Jon Krauer

I found this quote in my library or book travels.  It amazes me how I come across such items in life.  I know that it is when you are open to the day at hand, then you are able to accept the gifts given to you.

This quote may really sum up my perspective in life.  Each day is quite exciting.  Okay I'll admit that some of the day may seem mundane, though even a simple chore is one to take some pride in completing. 

In a few days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.  Are you going to take time to celebrate, say thanks, or have it be a day, with lots to do, and get it crossed off a to-do list? 

I wish to each of you - take a moment, whatever that is to you and say and give thanks to all that you have received in your life.