You know the old saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say it."

Well, I'm going to stick with that on this blog.

I've been wicked busy, had a super Thanksgiving, and have a lot of wonderful things on the horizon.

In the meantime, you can find more stuff here (Sidenote: Those waffles really are crazy great.)

p.s. That second Christmas tree that happenend to find it's way in the house isn't mine. It's a friends, who stopped by the house shortly after leaving holiday-decorating rehab. I'm just holding it for her here until after Christmas. I'm just saying...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

There are so many things I've got to be thankful for.

The short list:

Family
Friends
Home
Health
Unconditional love

I've got pies to bake (Sidenote: This is the Year of the Pie. I'll be making jazzed-up pumpkin, pecan, apple, and fancy sweet-potato pie. There's also a bird, stuffing, broccoli casserole, giblet gravy, and - of course - the cranberry chutney .)

Appreciate the small things because they're what matters most in the long run. See you after the holiday, "internet void". :-)

It's now officially that time of year for me. The time where you'll more than likely find me firmly planted in the kitchen. I'm either gagging on Tarn-X fumes, burning myself with the iron while pressing linens, or chopping off massive chunks of my fingers when cutting up bread for stuffing. (Sidenote: I've sliced open my left pointer finger two years in a row. The first time I had to go to the Emergency Room at the hospital. God, I love the holidays!!)

Sure, it might not sound like fun to some of you, but you'll just have to trust me when I say this is truly where I shine. I get to crank up the Christmas tunes. (Sidenote #2: Thanks to the Largehearted Boy my music collection is HUGE!) I get to drag out the decorations, and this year I get to map out where everything will go in the new house. I think my favorite things are the lights, and how magical the house is when the only illumination are hundreds of tiny bulbs on the Christmas trees, mantles, etc.

I may be beating everyone down with posts at the long-ignored food blog, and picture thing. Just get used to it.

In the meantime, you'll find me in the kitchen, or the grocery store, or up to my eyeballs in ornaments and strings of lights, smiling, and incredibly happy.

human

There are these rare times when an overwhelming sense of "good-God-I-love-this-person-so-much-it's-scary" floods my heart, and ends up leaking out of my eyes. It hits me like a thunderbolt, and it's usually at an inopportune moment or place. I'll do my best to suck it back inside before my vulnerability leaves me feeling weak and ridiculous.

These are the times I'll whisper "I love you" just to release some of the pressure.

Decorum is overrated.

I'm not good at meme's, but I'll give the "five things" one a go. (Yes, I'm tweaking it a little, Andrew.)

Five yummy things
Good Tex-Mex.
Calamari.
Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream.
Fresh summer peaches.
A glass of really good wine.

Five songs I know by heart
"Alison", Elvis Costello
"Summer Wind", Frank Sinatra
"Sweet Caroline", Neil Diamond
"Got To Give It Up", Marvin Gaye
"Crazy Love" Van Morrison

(Sidenote: These are just five off of the top of my head, and not necessarily my favorite songs. I know so many more than this, obviously.)

Five things I would do with a lot of money
Buy a vacation home in the mountains.
Pay a decorator to come in and re-do the blinds/curtains/wallpaper/light fixtures.
Buy perfect gifts for everyone I love.
Make donations to my favorite charities.
Have someone wrap all of the trees in the front yard with Christmas lights, and pay the electric bill later.

(Sidenote: I realize these are fairly boring choices.)

Five places I would to escape to
The country.
Paris.
The mountains near Taos.
My bedroom.
Canada.

Five things I would never wear
My glasses in public (they're currently a little broken. I'm a geek.)
My heart on my sleeve (any more).
A black bra with a white shirt.
A real green dress.
"Regular" (bikini) underwear with tight-ish pants.

Five favorite TV shows
Currently:
Arrested Development.
The Simpsons.
Extras.
Gilmore Girls.
Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Favorites of all time:
The Simpsons.
Arrested Development.
Ed.
Thirty-Something.
The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Five things I enjoy doing
Cooking.
Reading.
Laughing.
Spending time with family and friends.
Watching sports and/or movies.

Favorite toys
(First of all, I think I've remainded fairly dignified up until now. Seriously. I'll attempt to continue to keep things clean, but we all know what I'd list in this category if I wasn't being dignified. A-hem)
My laptop.
My cell phone.
My digital camera.
My pool chair, which is currently deflated for winter.
My dvd player.

I'm tweaking this list a little more to add ~
Five things I'd buy for myself just because I want these things
This new c.d. (I love the selections here.)
These jeans. (I'm a big fan of The Gap's Long and Lean Jeans, and an even bigger fan of this price.)
These boots. (I still love my authentic vintage Tony Lama's.)
A Diet Coke with (real) Lime from Sonic. These are far superior to the canned Diet Coke's with Lime, which have a weird chemical taste.
A massage.

Anyway...

I hope everyone out there is doing swell. I'm getting back into a fitness routine, and getting giddy about the holidays. I'm also getting my hair done today, just in the nick of time.