Merry December 27th

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  I know I'm looking forward to having the next week off for some much needed R&R!

This year, my mom had a little tamale shindig at the house but things were so hectic that I had to make my set separately.   My favorite this year were the chile and cheese because MAN those Anaheims were PICOSO!!!  I wasn't expecting that and had taken them to a friend's house Christmas eve...I'm surprised nobody said something about how hot they were, because even momma said they were hot and I think if it were up to her, she would have used a Habanero (he he he).

For Christmas, we went to Mom and Dad's and did the usual stuff then went off to Ben and Lorraine's.  Geoff and I are going to celebrate with his mom and dad tonight since we didn't get to see them.  I'm hoping next year we have a house so we can just have both sides over...especially since we'll have a new member to be looking after.  Hmmm, I wonder if anyone will figure that one out?  Well I guess we'll see if my mom starts getting phone calls on Monday.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!!!

This Month in News

Well...I just got back from a business trip in big bad NYC!

The Big Apple was averaging about 40 degrees the whole week, but bundling up was a nice change.  The city was packed since the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center was on Wednesday.  If you're guessing I did my best to stay away from the thousands of onlookers, you guessed right!  Sorry to disappoint, I'm just not down with the possibility of getting caught in a stampede.  Regardless of how packed Midtown was, the city was truly magical with all the Christmas decorations and lights.  It really is an exciting place and I feel truly blessed to visit-once in a while.  I wish I had pictures to share with you...maybe next time.

Geoff's birthday was the Monday before Thanksgiving.  My parents bought him the ice cream attachment for our kitchen-aid.  He's made strawberry and an extra special welcome home vanilla bean and peanut butter cup ice cream.  I eat around the cups (stupid frozen chocolate)...plus, the vanilla is seriously RIDICULOUS!  I'm just throwing it out there-I think he likes his new toy!

We're looking forward to the upcoming holiday here, it's gonna be a good one!  I think I'm going to attempt a pecan pie, for REALS!  Miss everyone great big and hope to see you all real soon!!!

Turkeys on Parade

Thanksgiving in Oceanside was something new this year--I didn't have to cook anything. We went to a friend's house about 10 minutes from our house. They had five types of turkeys: roasted, barbecued, smoked, smoked with hickory, and deep fried (2). I've seen lots of turkeys before, but they weren't cooked. We went home with half a fried turkey and two pies. The fried turkey was very good, but I'm glad we only got half of one.

This year I also learned how to make a real sweet potato pie. I went to my co-worker's house on Thanksgiving morning. She doesn't use precise measurements, so who knows if I'll ever be able to make one again. But the two I took home were delicious.

This coming weekend, I'm hoping that Dad and I will make it to the International Tamale Festival. I'll have to call Dad to "plan" his days accordingly. I tried to take Mom for a few years, but she was never well enough to go. We always thought we had the next year...

I managed to get the bargains I wanted for Black Friday--some toys for Toys 4 Tots and some fleece for my blankets. That's all my feet could take.