It's all about the food...

I don't know about you all, but my stomach is having a heck of a time trying to get back into its original shape. Or at least the shape that it has been the last few months. Why is it that the holidays/colder seasons always make you feel fat? It's like the age-old question: which came first - the bulky sweater or the gut beneath it? Either you wore the sweater and didn't realize how quickly your belly was expanding, or you got the belly, so had to wear a bulky sweater to hide everything. Ugh. At least it was all worth it. And with the countdown to Christmas underway, I'm sure the next little bit will be worth it, too.

Yesterday I made my First Turkey - capital 'F', capital 'T' for freakin' tasty! Yee-haw! I know it is a bit late in the game for this year, but in case you didn't know and want to start thinking about next year's turkey, there's one trick to making a juicy bird: brine it. 3lbs salt (yes, that is pounds, but it does get rinsed off), 3 gallons water, a ton of herbs, 1 turkey and 4-8 hours is all it takes. You can find recipes and tips for bringing just about anywhere. We started brining a few years ago (turkeys in general, that is; the turkey we ate last night had not been brining for the past few years. Although, with that much salt, who's to say it wouldn't have lasted.) and have found it the best way to get the most moist and flavorful bird.

The rest of the menu was also quite good, I must say. I do love being a Betty (Crocker). There were yams with brown sugar and pecans, the traditional green bean casserole, homemade rolls, and Dad and my famous cornbread and sausage stuffing. That's one family secret I can't share. Well, ok, maybe if you beg. After the meal we let our stomachs unwind and our lazy sides take over for a bit with a game of Flux, a card game by the Mensa folks. Made even more of a challenge in that our minds didn't really want to concentrate, but just take a nap.

Then it was time for dessert.

First: Peanut's favorite - pecan pie. I made it from scratch and for whatever reason, it took a ridiculously long time to cook. Like three hours. And I started it at midnight the night before Thanksgiving. Poor Peanut had to stay up to take it out of the oven because I just absolutely conked at 1:30. Still well worth it. The other dessert was my favorite - Toffee Apple Cheesecake. I'm still drooling. Even made toffee bits to sprinkle on top and white chocolate acorns to adorn. It was a day to be thankful of good food!

Now I'm just hoping that next week I'll be thankful for the people who show up for the sale.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

In my last post I mentioned that we are having a big sale here soon; "we" being me and some of my girls. It has definitely been at the forefront of most of my activities lately, spending as much time as I can sewing, cutting, designing, ordering supplies and plotting out who will be laying out their wares where. And of course, as is always at the back of my mind: determining pricing. I really, really hate determining pricing. Detest it, in fact. The part of me that focuses on "this is how I make my living" butts heads with "who am I to say that my creations warrent that much?" I swear, sometimes I have a boxing match going on between my ears that litterally pushes my head from one side to the other with each jab and uppercut. I keep waiting for the bell to ring, sounding the end of round one.

Apparently, the boxing match goes on 24-hours a day. I woke up this morning and was informed by the Hubby that I woke him up in the middle of the night arguing prices in my sleep. So do I now add my slumbering hours to the work week? Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to RUMBLE!

Wonderful-ness

We had a GREAT visit with the fam. Man, that little boy has grown! And, apparently, grown quite attached to my husband, whose leg he crawled up whenever he could. We threw a small surprise party for him (yes, more for the benefit of the parents than for the little one) at a restaurant on the waterfront, complete with gifts and a candle in a brownie. Also got to do some good shopping damage with my sister (okay, all I bought was a shirt, but she will be looking snazzy back home). It was much too short of a visit, but great to have them all here nonetheless.

Tomorrow the Nut and I are having a real date! We haven't been out for quite a while, so are treating ourselves to an entire day full of wonderful-ness, starting with organic hot cocoa and coffee in the morning, on to a bit of shopping, and topping off the day with a movie. Should be absolutely splendid!

I've been steadily plowing away on prepping for the arts and crafts sale that will be held here in a few short weeks. Already have a growing pile of bags, purses, some jewelry, items for baby and paper goods; more of all to come! I'll post pics after the event. The big excitement is that I'll finally be able to haul out my four tubs of Christmas decorations! What can I say, it's my favorite time of year. I was so excited when I heard carols in a store the other day!

Twenty-four hours and counting!

My sister, brother-in-law and sweet nephew will be here in approximately 24 hours!!!! I can hardly wait! They haven't been down to visit us since we moved here because of events going on (something about giving birth...), but now they are going to be here for three days! Think I've used enough exclamation points?!

Needless to say, it will be very hard to concentrate today. I put together my to-do list on Sunday, like I do each week, and have actually been doing a good job checking things off. We've got a big sale coming up here in a few weeks, so the postcards are ready. I've also been continuing to try and figure out what the deal is with my website, so work plugs along on that.

I am still accepting a few more projects for Christmas delivery, if anyone is in need of party invitations, custom Christmas gifts, etc. Contact me if you are interested: info@bluebeancreations.com .

Have a great weekend all!