labor of love.

We enjoy many great meals throughout the year at my mom’s house; John and my mom are great cooks.  However, no meal stands a chance against Christmas Eve dinner. We spend 364 days of the year looking forward to Christmas Eve dinner and it never disappoints. It’s a production. A damn good production.  Although we all pitch-in that day, it’s really my mom’s labor of love. She learned from her mother – and someday hopefully my daughters will do the same. It’s elegant, yet relaxed. Gourmet and soothing. Thick with tradition.

I say this every year, but this year was the best yet.

did you know?

Did you know that women’s zippers are usually on the left side of their clothes and men’s zippers are usually on the right? I just found this out. I went through our closets to prove the theory wrong…and for the most part it’s actually right! How could I go my entire life without knowing this?

I did a little research and discovered that this originated in the medieval times when women were dressed by handmaidens. Apparently zippers being on the left side made it easier. It’s weird I’ve never noticed it before. Just thought I’d share.

snow, snow and more snow

Don’t get me wrong, I like to lounge around in my PJs as much as the next girl – but this is getting ridiculous. Admittedly, I am a creature of convenience and all this snow is SERIOUSLY cramping my style.

It would be different if we lived in Colorado and we had snow tires, snow plows and appropriate winter boots. Instead, we have cars playing bumper cars on the highways and buses flying through guard rails. We just aren’t equipped for this. We only have 80 plows and de-icing trucks that are expected to cover the area between Everett and Tacoma, which equates to one snow plow for every 55 lane miles (Minneapolis has 240, one plow for every 20 lane miles; and Denver has 115 for every 33 lane miles).

I’m ready to have my car and freedom back. I have a feeling I won’t be getting my wish anytime soon…

china.

Here are a few photos from Derek’s trip to China; I thought some of you might be interested. Doesn’t he take great photos?!? For more pics, click here.

breaking up?

Dear Blog,

I’m sorry for being so lame and absent. I’ve been busy and have been neglecting you. To be honest, I’ve been questioning our relationship a lot lately. Maybe we should break up. It’s not you, it’s me. You don’t satisfy me the way you used to; it feels empty. I committed to this relationship for a year and we are quickly approaching our one year anniversary. I want to make it work. I really do. We’ve had some good times – but I’m not sure about our future.  Maybe we just need to refocus? I’m confused.

KB

a few gift ideas

This time of year, I thought everyone might need a few gift ideas for the people on their list. Here are a couple good ones. Happy Holidays!

• Derek gave me a digital frame for my birthday. I absolutely love it. It’s in my office and I have received tons of compliments on it already.
• I think a great gift idea for anyone is personalized stationary. Great for a man or a woman!
• My coworker is making her girlfriends homemade infused vodka and I think it’s a great idea! Want a citrus flavored vodka? Add lemons or limes! Want a fruity vodka? Just add fresh cranberries! Want a spicy vodka for Bloody Marys? Add peppers and jalapenos! Or do all three for a sassy trifecta!
• I think board games make great gifts! Everyone likes to have a good collection and it’s something you don’t usually think to buy yourself. Some of my personal favorites: scrabble, cranium, party playoff (I’ve only played it once), true colors, cribbage.
• Magazine Subscriptions – This is one of my staple gifts. I can’t tell you how many magazine subscriptions I’ve given away in my life. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!
• Make a fun, personalized gift basket (shout out to Kristina on this idea). You can make tons of different Gift Baskets ranging in price. Here are a couple of suggestions:
  • Games gift basket filled with cards, dice, poker chips, board games, etc.
  • Book gift basket filled with your favorite books
  • Cooking gift basket filled with utensils, spices, cookbooks, recipes, etc. Get creative and use a big mixing bowl or a strainer for the container.
  • Wine and Cheese gift basket filled with different wines, cheese, cheese knifes, cutting boards, cheese slicer, etc.
  • Date night basket filled with a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine, movie tickets, restaurant gift card, condoms (just kidding – gotcha)!
• Reusable shopping bags – they make some pretty cute ones now and it’s great for the environment. Double the fun!

can of worms.

Generally speaking, I’m a go-getter. I don’t ignore problems; I address and remedy situations efficiently and quickly. I’m not a procrastinator. It’s just who I am and it holds true for pretty much everything in my life (can you sense the “but” coming here?) except when it comes to dentistry. I hate going to the dentist. And no, hate is not a strong word in this case. Many of you will recall that I have deep rooted dental issues and quite possibly the worst teeth EVER.

Until last year, I hadn’t gone to the dentist in over five years. It was one of my new year’s resolutions/goals to go. And let me tell you, I’ve opened up one nasty can of worms. Tomorrow morning I go back to the dentist for my 5^th appointment of the year to get “prepped” for a crown. Honestly, I’m sitting here stewing about it and aching to cancel the appointment (which I’ve already done once). Why did I ever go in the first place? I wish I would have ignored the problem for another five years. Ignorance is bliss (and as it turns out…money in your pocket too).

giving a little thanks.

This thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for. I’m in a really good place right now – everything just feels right.

I’m thankful for my healthy body and good fortune. I’m thankful to have a stable job that I love and where I’m learning something new every day. I’m thankful for my family whom I actually ENJOY spending time with. I realize everyone isn’t this lucky. I’m thankful to be living with Derek. Now when I want to give him a kiss, I just travel to the living room or the kitchen…rather than across the state (or up the west coast). I can’t tell you what a relief that has been! I’m thankful for books you just can’t put down. I’m thankful for good food, good friends and to be living in a great city. I’m thankful to have made it another year – now I’m a quarter century of excellence +plus 2.