Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone! Have fun tonight. Drive safely and be well.

Thursday Thirteen, ed. xviii

Thirteen Resolutions for Interstellar Lass in 2007 I don’t normally do resolutions, but if I did, this is what they’d be. 1. Exercise. Ha ha. Yeah. No really. Seriously. I’m running (slooooowly) again, and NYC is an absolute this year. 2. Diet. Well, not so much diet, but eat better. I guess the mushroom risotto that I made for Christmas wasn’t quite the start, but damn, it was good. 3. Take my kids on vacation. We’ve never taken a ‘family’ vacation where we go somewhere other than family reunions or events. Zed is really pushing to visit Metropolis. I’m pretty sure Nick won’t have a problem with that. 4. Make a budget and stick to it. I’m good at making one. Just the sticking to it part is hard when I pass by a pretty pair of shoes. 5. See more movies. I’ve been to more movies in the past 2 months (especially the last 2 weeks!) than I have in over a year. Don’t worry, there’s an entertainment line item in the budget. 6. Finish reading that newbie email from Flylady. My office needs help. 7. Finish Start my wedding album. I have the album. I have papers, stickers, and the photos. On disk. Yeah, I only got married a year ago (on Monday). I did send out thank-you notes already. 8. Not procrastinate so much. She says as she looks at the Christmas cards she still hasn’t mailed out. Never fails. Good thing they said Happy New Year too. 9. Read more. I’m not sure I finished a book this year. I started a couple. I bought two new books last night. They’re by the bed. 10. Continue keeping up with my planner. I’ve done a good job this year. Didn’t lose it. I’ve had my 2007 planner for a couple of months, and I’ve already got appointments in it! 11. Take better care of my skin. I still get carded when I buy beer. I want to continue to do so for a few more years. 12. Get more sleep. She says at 12:15 am. Resolutions don’t really start till Jan 1 though, right? 13. Oh just one more! What will it be!?!? Hug and kiss my kids and my husband every day. That’s an easy one! My favorite thing! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all get exactly what you asked Santa for.

Thursday Thirteen, ed. xvii

Thirteen Random-Stream-of-Concious Thoughts from InterstellarLass 1. Last night Nick and I went to see Rocky Balboa. I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of it, but I ended up loving it. Other than Sly’s pencilled-in/sewn-on right eyebrow, this film was 100% perfect in my opinion. I even bawled like a baby through the entire fight scene. And a couple of other places too. 2. Like the closing credits. Showed regular everyday Joes and Janes, running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Admittedly I am a giant nerd. This kind of kitsch appeals to me, and to run up those stairs myself is on my list of things to do before I die. I need to start this list actually… 3. Yesterday, we got our Christmas gift from Nick’s sister. Some very pretty Santa coasters, two top-quality champagne glasses – they make this beautiful bell sound when you bump them – and a generous gift that brought me to tears. I’m not used to that kind of generosity. 4. Last night I found out my cousin is going out of town for Christmas, so that’s three off my list. Makes me a bit sad because I was looking forward to seeing her, but gives us a bit more breathing room. 5. Yesterday I distributed the list of “things to bring” to everyone, and she was assigned wine. THE most important job! I’ll have to give a specific list to my sister now. In my family, people like to drink wine, but I’m the only one that pays attention to what’s on the actual label. I don’t want to end up with a box of Franzia. Sorry if you like Franzia… 6. I need to place my meat order for the beef dish. I think I’m going to order from the local butcher that happens to be right down the street from me. Their price is decent, and I think it’ll be fresher and a better cut than the grocery store. 7. All the to-do’s on my Christmas-gift-list are slowly but surely getting crossed off. Anyone that’s already all done…bleh. Where’s the fun and excitement in that? I mean, yesterday I just got a 50% off on Christmas Eve only coupon from Michael’s. Can you imagine what a zoo that will be? I’ve got to pre-shop so I know what it will be that I want to get! 8. Over the weekend I took the kids to see Eragon. It could have been such a good movie, but it just missed the mark somewhere along the way. It wasn’t cohesive and seemed to jump from one scene to another. The special effects were pretty cool, but there wasn’t enough of something to make it really good. Of course my 11-year old loved it, and he’s getting both books and the soundtrack for Christmas. 9. The other movie that I’ve seen recently was Casino Royale. We saw that over Thanksiving while we were up in Kansas City. Um, whoever said that a blonde Bond is a bad thing? Yeah. They were so wrong. Daniel Craig is perfect in this role. Gets back to the real Bond. See it. Love it. Drool. 10. Some friends of mine were supposed to go on a family ski trip to Keystone. Yesterday, their flight into Co. Springs was cancelled due to the blizzard. So they rented a car and are driving up. I hope that they’ll make it through safely. 11. Our weather forecast for Christmas Day is a low of 29 and a high of 51. That’s not too bad for Texas. Makes it seem semi-Christmassy weather-wise. Maybe we’ll be able to have a fire in the fireplace Christmas morning. 12. Our plan this year is to have a little bit of quiet family-time with just me, Nick and the kids in the morning. My family won’t come over for dinner until later in the day. Oooh! This just reminded me! I need stocking stuffers! Makes note on list. 13. I hope you all have very Merry Christmasses, Happy Hanukkah’s, Happy Festivuses, and wonderful times with your family and friends. May your gravies not be lumpy, may there be plenty of wine, may the boxes not be more played-with than the toys that came in them, and may your hearts be filled with love! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Mummy B 2. MommaK 3. Chickadee 4. Sarah 5. Buttercup 6. Cindy 7. SciFiChick 8. Starrlight 9. Lindsey 10. Lori

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Christmas Funnies

Christmas Carols for the Disturbed

1. Schizophrenia – Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. Multiple Personality Disorder – We Three Kings Disoriented Are
3. Dementia – I Think I’ll be Home for Christmas
4. Narcissistic – Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
5. Manic – Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Busses and Trucks and Trees and…
6. Paranoid – Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me 
7. Borderline Personality Disorder – Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire 
8. Personality Disorder – You Better Watch Out, I’m Gonna Cry, I’m Gonna Pout, Maybe I’ll Tell You Why 
9. Attention Deficit Disorder – Silent night, Holy ooh look at the froggy – can I have a chocolate, why is
France so far away? 
10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells …

And, special, just for my honey bunny Nick…

11. General Anxiety Disorder – The Twelve Days of Christmas!?!? 12 days! How am I supposed to get all these things in 12 days! I’ll never get it all done. And who wants a pear tree anway? Can you get them at the store? A partridge? WTH? Would they settle for a Partridge Family DVD? Where do you even find French Hens? How can you tell the difference between French Hens and regular hens? Do the French ones surrender their eggs??? Gahhh!

Just wait…one day it’ll happen…

On Schedule?

Countdown to Christmas: Six Days Remaining. Dun da da…

So far, we’re looking good gift-wise. Nick & Zed’s hats are done, and except for the bind-off and thumb-work, I’m d-o-n-e with my mom’s gloves. Just the three bags remain to be put together, and with the fabulous new finishing stitch – mattress stitch – that I’ve learned, the bags and hats are near-perfect. Only I, with my critical eye, can see my mistakes.

Now, house-wise, we are far from ready. But, The Ex will have the kids from Wednesday night to Sunday night, and both Nick and I are off Friday, so I’m confident we can hide clean out all the debris. I am convinced we have TOO MUCH STUFF. Nick says it’s not enough storage. I’m looking to get rid of stuff though. I think Goodwill is going to be getting a good haul before the holiday.

And, I’ve decided what I’m cooking for Christmas dinner. Our recent tradition, started somewhere in the last decade, has been for a brunch (see item 10). This year I’m making everyone show up later, and we’re doing a dinner. On the menu:

Beef Bourguignon with Roasted Mushrooms and Pearl Onions
Potatoes with Parsley
Baked Mushroom Rice
Creamed Spinach
Fig Holiday Roll
Pumpkin Pie
Wine, lots and lots of wine.

The spinach will be made minus the meat elements so that my mom can eat it, and any of the sides that require chicken broth will have vegetable broth substituted. I’m looking forward to this dinner! It sounds delicious to me.

What are you doing for Christmas (or other holiday) dinner?

Six Eclectic Things About InterstellarLass & The Cookie Finalist

I’ve been tagged by Buttercup and Bean to reveal six eclectic/weird/unusual things about myself. Oh where to start!

1. I have a ‘thing’ about hangers and the way clothes hang in the closet. With the garment front facing you, the hanger hook should be open to the left side. It really bugs me when clothes are hung backwards. Clothes on the right side of the closet face the back of the closet, while clothes on the left side face the front of the closet.

2. I love to have my feet and toes played with. I will beg Nick to rub my feet and put his fingers between my toes to stretch them out. I also like to have my toes pulled. Too weird? Sorry. Forget I said that.

3. I have an obsession with counting. Almost OCD-ish. If I have to count things, I will count them at least three times before I’m convinced I correctly counted. This sometimes makes for slow knitting.

4. I don’t like for my food to touch on my plate. Meat! Stay away from vegetable! And if there are sauces running together? Fuggedabouttit. And I eat things one at a time. And I have a really hard time with leftovers too.

5. I remember completely useless pieces of trivia. What was the name of the book Bilbo Baggins wrote? There and Back Again. What year was the catalytic converter first required on cars? 1975. Yeah, but ask me to remember the name of a person I met five minutes ago or what I had for lunch, and I have no clue.

6. I can stand the sight of blood, I can watch surgeries on TV all night long, and I can even eat while watching. But put a needle or a scalpel in front of me and cut the skin, and I freak out. I really think I could have been a doctor if I could have always had someone else to do the sharp instrument part of it for me.

There you have it! The six strangest, eclectic things about me. If you feel the inclination, consider yourself tagged! I love learning about people’s little idiosyncrasies.

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On Saturday, I went to my friends’ Annual Cookie Exchange. Mmmm. We had Chocolate Turtle Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Snowballs, Yin-Yangs (white and chocolate cookies), and traditional decorated Sugar Cookies. My contribution to the event were Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Laura at Vitamin Sea gave the link on her site to a slew of butter cookie recipes and these were perfection.

I’d never heard of Meyer Lemons before, but they are evidently ‘specialty’ lemons. Their juice is darker, they are jucier lemons, and the juice is sweeter, not quite as tart as a regular lemon. I ended up finding them at Central Market. I looove Central Market. It is food heaven. Just walking in the place makes you want to cook. I think these are only in Texas right now, but all the rest of you don’t know what you’re missing. They’re at the same level as Whole Foods, but my personal opinion is that CM is better.

Anyway, back to the cookies. I only ended up making two modifications to the recipe. I bought three of the Meyer lemons. Out of the three lemons, I ended up with more than enough juice, but nowhere near the 3 tablespoons of zest called for. I don’t have a ‘real’ zester, so I use a fine grater. I ended up with about 1-1.5 tablespoons of zest, but once the cookies were done, I think it was plenty. I wouldn’t buy more lemons (@ $3.99 per pound!) just to get more zest, because the juice would go to waste, unless you could find some other way to use it. Also, I used white nonpareils to decorate the cookies rather than the silver dragees. Another specialty product, I was too cheap to spend $16.99 for a 3 oz bottle of dragees. The French can keep their non-edible cookie decorations! I would also caution you to be very careful with the icing if you make it. I added a bit too much juice, and my icing was a little bit too runny. Next time I will err on the side of being too thick rather than too runny. These cookies are SOOO yummy! I hope you’ll try them.

What are the chances…

Nick asked last night as he stared at his Sunbutter*.

Nick: What are the chances one of the kids used my Sunbutter after they made a peanut butter sandwich?
Me: Hopefully they know better. I don’t think they’ve been using it though.

Nick proceeds to make his sandwich. He eats it.

Nick: Uh oh.
Me: *sigh* The Benadryl strips are in my purse. And then take two more regular Benadryl.
Nick: I’ve got to get it out of my system too. *goes to bathroom*
Me: Are we going to have a major problem?
Nick: I don’t know yet.

We ended up not having a major problem, but if the kids think they’ll still get presents for Christmas after trying to knock off their step dad, well, they’re sadly mistaken**.

*Nick is allergic to nuts.
** I know it was just an accident, but it could have been a very bad accident and we had a talk this morning. The children will no longer be allowed to use the Sunbutter, and it will be kept far away from their reach.

Thursday Thirteen, ed. xvi

Lass’ 13 Favorite Christmas Ornaments Don’t forget to check out my first real Christmas tree and then vote for me at Island Life. 1.  Nick’s Superman ornament. 2.  Elle’s new ornament. Nick’s nickname for her is Monkey. 3.  One of my imported ornaments. This one is hand-beaded and from Africa.   4.  Elle’s First Christmas! 1998. 🙂 5.  Zed’s First Christmas! 1995! 6.  One of my many dolphin ornaments. This one is hand-carved wood. 7.  My new ornament from Nick. I sure wish I had a martini right now! 8.  I hand-painted this ornament the year Zed was born. 9.  My lovely blown-glass angel. I love the colors in her skirt. 10.  This is a two-for-one. The puppy was a gift from my great-grandmother when Zed was born, and the train is one of a set of hand-made wood ornaments from a German Christmas market.   11.  This is our new Swarofski crystal ornament. It’s from Nick’s sister to celebrate our first married Christmas. 12.  Nick bought this for me last year to commemorate our first date at Starbucks. 13.  Merry Christmas Y’all! From our home in Texas to you! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

2006 Christmas Tree Decorating Contest

I was browsing around the Bloggy Gossip site, run by the infamous Leanne and MommaK, and I found a Christmas Tree decorating contest hosted by Local Girl at Island Life. What fun! Go here to vote for me and look at the other entrants too!

After 18 years of fake Christmas trees, ghetto stars, and too many hand-me-downs, I’ve started My Own Real Tree. Below is a photo of M.O.R.T., a lovely Frasier Fir, trimmed from top to bottom. My Thursday Thirteen will feature my favorite ornaments.

Since Elle and Zed were old enough, the tradition has been for me to assemble the tree*, shape, and add lights. Then, I unwrap all the ornaments, doling out special ornaments to each child. Some were hand-painted by me when Zed was born (poor Elle…I got lazy and never finished hers…), some were gifts, some hand-me-downs from family, and some were made by the kids. Each one has a story. The kids know them too. I love M.O.R.T. It’s slightly misshapen, and leans (due to being moved from the front room to it’s current, featured position in the living room) a bit in the stand. A couple of branches are too long and gangly. But it smells wonderful. The needles are so soft, and leave a slight piney scent on your fingers after you touch them. And it’s My Own Real Tree.

There are many other fantastic trees featured in this contest. Some are quite beautiful. But My Own Real Tree has a special place in my heart, and hopefully in yours as well. 

*One fake tree had a long pole, and then individual branches that had to be inserted into holes in the pole. Different levels of branches were color coded. The tree was so old, the painted color codes were rubbing off, and the top section was an umbrella-like piece. Sadly there was a huge gap between the top piece and the body of the tree, which was difficult to disguise. The year I got sick of that one, I went and bought a tree from Michaels. It came in three sections, and the limbs folded down like a reverse umbrella. My hands would get so dry from shaping the limbs and branches, and no matter what, it just looked too ‘perfect’.