Best of 2011.

2011 has been a wonderful year for me personally and for my blog. I am not, however, one for setting resolutions or even, really, goals. Maybe this is my own fear of failure, but I find at this point in life I am much less focused and more inclined to simply explore life as it comes at me. 

That said, I am a girl who likes to look back. 

So today I thought I'd share the Best of 2011 on Eat. Live. Laugh. and sometimes shop!  

Top 5 posts of 2011 in terms of traffic numbers:  

1.   50 most beautiful English words.  I am still baffled by the fact that this post received over 40,000 page views since being published in late July {as per Google Analytics}. Absolutely baffled. I just sat down and went through the dictionary. I didn't even really add any of my own thoughts. Maybe that is the key to my success:  keep my thoughts to myself.  Hmmm. 

2.  Big shoes to fill.  Maybe it is the admission that I treat my children differently that struck accord with readers, but this too made quite a journey around the internet.

3.  Amy's Top 5:  Beauty Products. I find it humorous that anyone cared at all. But someone did. And that someone shared it with a few thousand friends. 

4.  A new decade. A new year. A new me. Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy post. It was personal. And heart-felt. And it feels good for people to read and comment on something I actually took time to write and share. I also appreciate all 40,000 who like my random list of words, but truly, this is the writing that comes from and feeds my soul. 

5.  Dear Apple.  One of my few attempts at humor. Not as funny as I remember it, but Apple does indeed rule our world still. And the madness continues -- we've added Apple TV in the mix. And now wonder how we ever lived without it.  

The internet is a random place, my friends. And this list proves it! 

Top 5 posts of 2011 in terms of, well, in my humble opinion. 

1.  They arise and call her busy. Because we all struggle with being torn in a million different directions and question whether we prioritize properly. 

2.  Well, I never . . . .  Like I said, I like looking back. This was just good clean fun.

3.  A new decade. A new year. A new me.  Because it felt good.  To write it and share it. 

4.  Motherless day.  This is a bit of a cheat because I truly wrote it in 2010, but it was published openly for the first time in 2011 so it makes the list. 

5.  I was a #SeniorHottie.  Not an obvious choice, I realize. And truly, I am hesitant to draw more attention to the horror. But, it was really fun to write totally tongue-in-cheek. And a good dose of humility does a body good.  

Thank you again for taking the time to read all {or some of} this nonsense! 

For whatever reason, I look back at my 2011 posts and see I've shared more snippets and small thoughts, and not as much of myself or my writing. I suppose that is part of the natural progression -- that I have less and less to share over time -- and I need to simply relax and continue to explore life as comes at me!

So here's to 2012 and whatever comes my way!  

And here's to wishing you and yours all the best!!

xoxo

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas!

And a New Year full of life's richest blessings. 

I also want to thank you for joining me here this year.

Thank you for taking the time to read whatever it is I feel the need to share.  

Thank you for encouraging me with your visits and kind words. 

I realize my words have been fewer and further between lately.  

We'll see what the new year brings in that regard. 

For now, I commend my post from this time last year for your reading: 

Blessed Mother. 

I Caught Santa.

I absolutely love this. The lies are mounting and I currently have only a slight hold left on the Santa myth. This, however, is the icing on a beautiful Christmas cake -- a photo of Santa leaving a gift in our very own house. No, I'm not hiring a crazy man to pose in the middle of the night, I discovered iCaughtSanta.com …

Absolutely brilliant!

In three easy steps anyone can upload a photo taken inside their home, add Santa Claus…



… and then print it or share it on Facebook or Twitter!

The kids are going to flip!



If you create one yourself share it on my Facebook fan page.  You'll find mine there on Christmas day.

To make this even sweeter, I have a 50% off code just for you! Enter: SANTA50 and get your entire order half price! There’s nothing “naughty” about that deal.

Enjoy!

Christmas Traditions.

I look forward to the day each December when 

my duo and I decorate a gingerbread house together. 

We make hot chocolate. 

Regardless of whether or not it is 80 degrees outside. 

We eat copious amounts of candy. 

Whether or not we've had a proper lunch. 

We make a huge mess in the kitchen. 

No whether or not about that. 

But we have a wonderful time and I love reflecting back at the series of photos that result. 

Here is our 2011 creation. 

That's Santa in his sleigh on top of the roof, not a crucifix.
 Just in case you weren't sure. 

You can compare it to a previous creations featured here. 

Strangely, what's changed most over the years is not the quality of the 

house construction, but the two darlings in charge of said construction. 

I hope you are enjoying your holiday traditions with family and friends. 

I'm linking up today at #iPPP. 

Christmas Wish List.

I really do not want anything for Christmas.

No, really.

I have all I need and more.

But, if there were a few thousands {or more likely, tens of thousands} laying around, this would be my ultimate Christmas morning fantasy.

1.  J Crew long sleeve sweater, 2. J.Crew skinny leg jeans, 3. Prada logo bag, 4. Lanvin ballet shoes, 5. Devon Leigh 24k earrings, 6. Amrita singh owl necklace, 7. Rimowa Salsa Air 26" Multiwheel Trolley Suitcase.

Jetting off the day after Christmas to spend a week {including my birthday and New Year's} in Paris - j'adore that idea!!

Une fille peut rêver {a girl can dream}.


The Hubs, of course, has his own list and I'm pretty sure this tops it.




So, I suppose we are both dreamers.

Quite happy and content in reality, but dreamers nonetheless!


I hope you all have a very dreamy Christmas!!

25 Questions: Holiday Style

When I ran across Anna's Holiday Survey today, I thought: this is exactly what I need. Not only is a list of 25 questions an easy way for me to force myself to sit down and write. But, I've focused all week on my stinkin' cold and am ready for a little holiday cheer. 

I need a little holiday cheer. 

I'm going to create a little holiday cheer around here despite the 13,001 kleenex balls I've littered about the house over the last 5 days.

So here we go. Join in if you'd like. There is no linky or requirements. You do not have to forward this to 20 friends and even if you do, nothing particularly special will occur fifteen minutes later. Except, of course, the holiday cheer you'll create when you're smiling ear to ear reading responses and considering your own!

25 Questions: Holiday Style

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?  Eggnog laced with bourbon and topped with freshly grated nutmeg. {yes, I grate it fresh for every glass.}

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?  Santa leaves unwrapped presents next to your stocking.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?  White inside and out.  Except this year we've wrapped a tree in LED colored lights.  It looks a bit like Dr. Seuss stopped by our otherwise traditional home. 

4. Do you hang mistletoe?  We don't have much mistletoes in these parts, but we did when I was young. 

5. When do you hang your decorations up?  The first weekend in December, generally speaking. 

this picture doesn't have a point, but isn't he cute in his Christmas finest?!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?  Tenderloin from Perini Ranch Steakhouse.  It is our Christmas Eve dinner tradition. 

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Snow! I spent my first ten years of life in Iowa so nearly every Christmas was a white Christmas.  I adore Texas, but miss my white Christmases. 

8. What is on your Christmas wish list?  Absolutely nothing.  I have everything I need. 

9. Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve?  Just Christmas pajamas {see tree #2 pic below}!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?  We have two -- one in my formal living room that is decorated with multi-colored large glass ornaments and one in our family room that is decorated with all the ornaments my kids have made and those we've collected over the years. 

tree #1 - 2010

tree # 2 - 2010
{wearing just opened Christmas PJs on Christmas Eve}

11. Snow? Love it or dread it?  Love it.  Of course, we rarely ever see it.  The kids still wish they were old enough to truly enjoy and remember this Christmas morning!

Our white Christmas ~ 2005

12. Real tree or fake tree?  Tree # 1 - fake.  Tree # 2 - real! 

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?  A 12" black and white TV I received circa 1979.  Please don't tell my kids this as I've promised no matter how many times they ask Santa he will never bring them a TV for their rooms. 

14. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?  The birth of Jesus. 

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?  Fudge, no nuts. 

16. What is your favorite tradition?  Christmas Eve service at church. I love that everyone gets dressed up and comes out {even those you don't generally see at church}.  I also love seeing all the moms with older kids sitting in the pews with their entire family together. Those moms, who kids now live away, but who have gathered together, seem to sit just a little taller and radiate the most beautiful glow {yes, Linda, I mean you}. I'm also a sucker for Silent Night sung my candle light. I cry every time. Every. Time. 

Christmas Eve 2010

17. What tops your tree?  Tree 1:  Ginormous red silk bow.  Tree 2: A star with an angel perched atop.

18. Do you prefer giving or receiving?  Nothing beats giving. 

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?  Oh Holy Night.  

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum?  Yum, if stirring a steaming hot cup of hot chocolate.  Otherwise, no thank you and please pass the fudge. 

21. Favorite Christmas movie?  It's a Wonderful Life. That's my proper, mother approved, answer. But, truth be told, the only Christmas movie I've watched so far this year is Christmas Vacation.  

22. What do you leave for Santa?  Homemade cookies and milk {in a chilled bucket, of course). Also cheese for Santa Mouse {cute book from my youth} and food for the reindeer. 

Goodies for Santa et al. 2010

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?  It's pretty much a complete free-for-all until the kids have finished their gifts. We may develop a more organized method as they grow older, but right now I just sit down and bask in their utter joy! 

24. Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?  Online!  I don't think I've made a a trip to the mall yet this year and have sworn off Target for the rest of the year!

25. Christmas letter or Christmas card?  Card. My mom scarred me forever with her horrendous letters {RIP, mom, but they were really bad.}

All my best to you and yours, 

xoxoxo

Dear 16-year-old me.

This is when the power of the internet is at its most impressive -- when a good message goes viral. 

Oh, all the wisdom we could share with our 16-year-old selves. 

If only we'd listen. 

Boozy Chocolate Bourbon Cake.

Last month while visiting Napa we ate a few amazing meals. Absolute mind-blowing food. The kind of food that makes you want to leave your husband and children and study at The Cordon Blue or The Culinary Institute of America. Or maybe I just want an excuse to live in Paris or NYC. Besides, I'd stink at cooking school. I'm not really that competitive {anymore}. And I don't actually create amazing dishes - I just copy them. Furthermore, I cannot imagine getting too highbrow frothing essences of this or that. Nor could I ever pretend to live for pâté or truffles {certainly glad I talked myself off that ledge}.

Besides, I'm not a food snob {unless we are talking chain restaurant type food at which point I'll quickly turn my nose up in the air}.

I just like good food.

Honest to goodness good food.

So this is where you'd assume I share a recipe from our Napa trip. That, however, would be so predictable. And I was semi-tipsy every time we ate so I certainly wasn't sharp enough to actually converse with a chef. Suffice to say, I ate famously but came home with no recipes to share.

I did, however, stop in Tyler Florence's kitchen store next to Rotisserie & Wine. I'd really like to gush further about the amazing {amazing!} food at Rotisserie & Wine, but fear I've gone too far astray already.

And thus, to my point: I purchased a fancy bundt pan and a bundt cake cookbook while in Napa.

I could have led with that, I realize, but isn't this serendipitous way more interesting? {hypothetical question}

Honest to goodness good food. Let's stick with that.

For a holiday dessert sure to impress, this boozy chocolate cake is an absolute winner!

Boozy Chocolate Bourbon Cake 
via Cake Simple by Christie Matheson

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp, plus more for greasing the pan
1/4 cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pan
6 ounces unsweetened  chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup bourbon, plus more for serving
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Drunken Bourbon Sauce, recipe follows (optional, though, truly it takes it to the next level)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush Bundt pan thoroughly with melted butter and dust it with cocoa powder.

Melt the chocolate in double boiler and let cool to room temperature. {Learn from my mistake and do not lick the bowl or spoon - this is unsweetened chocolate}.

Put cocoa powder in medium bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until the cocoa powder has completely dissolved. Stir in the bourbon and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium bowl until thoroughly combined.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla and the cooled chocolate mixture.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three increments, alternating with the cocoa-bourbon mixture in two increments, beginning and ending with the flour and beating until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top, and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean {exactly 1 hour worked well for me mostly because I was running late to get kids from school}. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes, then invert on cooling rack. Serve warm with Drunken Bourbon Sauce {below} or, if time is tight, just sprinkle the warm cake with a little bourbon and dust with confectioner's sugar.

Drunken Bourbon Sauce

3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup bourbon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar and salt and stir for about 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon and vanilla.  Serve immediately.

If you don't already have a bundt cake pan, I highly suggest you travel to Napa, eat at Rotisserie & Wine, visit a handful of amazing wineries, then shop at Tyler Florence's quaint little kitchen store where you can choose from a variety of darling bundt cake pans {truly, the only way to buy a bundt pan}. I also highly recommend purchasing the book, Cake Simple, which is filled with a plethora of bundt recipes to keep you baking honest to goodness good food for some time to come!

Naughty.

For those of you who have been following along for some time, you may remember that we adopted a rescue dog last January. He was only six weeks old at the time and was found lying in the street. He was precious and quickly ensconced himself in the midst of our hearts and home.

It was only after we were all completely smitten that he began to show his true colors.

First it was a tassel on a pillow. Or two. 

Little things.

An accident here or there. But he's so little. And cute.

One day, however, he pulled out the big guns and destroyed my antique needlepoint settee. While I was in the next room! I tried not to cry. It's furniture, not brain cancer. But it was my nicest piece {so I allowed myself to cry just a little}.

I was at my wits end and threatened to get rid of the little guy.

But the family is quite attached.

And they all promise he'll be better.

He's just a puppy.

So here I am nearly a year later.

The destructive episodes are fewer and further between.

But we are clearly not out of the woods yet.

I was out all day yesterday and returned to this little scene {I added the sign for dramatic effect, but the chewed bed and cord are all his handiwork}.

Little Miss Thang later mentioned her concern that he does not have a stocking {the other two dogs, of course, do}.

I noted he did not need a stocking because he is clearly on the Naughty list.

Little Miss Thang, however, suggested Santa could not bear to put this "morsel of cute love" on the Naughty list.

Why, I asked?

Because he lived on the streets and has had a hard life. He's allowed a little naughty.

What do you think?  Do we give the little guy a break due to is unfortunate start?

And really, just how much naughty is too much naughty?

I'm linking up today at #iPPP. 

A day in the life.

6:15 am - Alarm sounds.  Hubs takes dogs outside and makes coffee.  I roll over and hit snooze. 

6:30 am - Boy Genius enters room and says "mommy, it's time to get up." As if I'm a deadbeat mom who neglects to see her kids off to school {though some mornings I desperately want to be just such mom}. 

6:40 am - I finally roll out of bed, throw on some workout gear and head downstairs to pack lunches. 

7:00 am - Hubs and I begin telling kids "we have to leave in just a few minutes." "Just a few minutes." "Just a few minutes." Kids inhale their nutri-grain waffles, strawberries and sausage.

7:14 am - Off to the bus stop without a minute to spare {literally}.

7:21 am - Kids board school bus and I breathe a sigh of relief - the morning rush is behind me. 

7:30 am - Back home. Make breakfast for myself. Check emails and calendar. Make mental plan for the day {I'm not a list girl though often consider it}.  

7:50 am - Leave for pilates.

9:15 am - Return home sweaty and exhausted. Did I really already eat breakfast? Consider showering straight away but check emails and Internet just in case. Consider blogging but cannot form coherent thoughts.

10:30 am - Realize I've now been staring at my computer for over an hour and have accomplished nothing other than to realize I should not subscribe to twenty invitation-only shopping sites. Promise to look at just one more thing. Make five impulsive Christmas purchases. 

11:00 am - Contractor # 1 arrives. Tells me my entry floors feel spongy. His countenance says this is not a good thing. 

11:30 am - Finally jump in shower, dress, and make bed. 

12:00 am - Consider lunch. Nothing in frig. Begin mental gymnastics to determine how I can squeeze a good lunch into my day. 

12:15 pm - Run by school to coordinate optional field trip to homeless shelter this weekend. 

12:50 pm - Head to eye appointment I have put off until the last possible day. Must get new contacts before my eyes wither before my very own . . . eyes.  Sneak in a quick lunch on my way. 

2:15 pm - I see the world clearly now . . . . 

2:30 pm - Hardwood floor guy arrives and agrees entry floor is indeed quite spongy. Likens my spongy wood floors to cancer - once it's this bad it's not getting any better. Thanks for that. Both my parents died of cancer and now you'll predicting my floor is next?!  Suggests I call foundation repair specialist. 

3:00 pm - Call hubs and inform him we are putting 90 year old home on the market because cancer is killing it too {I'm very emotional around the C word}. He says he cannot understand me through all my blubbering. Didn't you hear me I scream: "the house has cancer." Her reminds me the market is depressed, we love our house, and we should just treat the cancer. So reasonable, the guy.

3:15 pm - Realize kids have been released from school and I'm the parent who must gather them from the bus stop - house cancer notwithstanding. 

3:45 pm - And then begins the flurry of backpacks strewn across the house, lunch boxes thrown haphazardly into the kitchen, pencils sharpened, notebooks open, and the games begin - homework.

4:40 pm - I remind kids we have to finish the spelling homework so we can get to {tennis / gymnastics / golf / piano / violin} the activity du jour on time. 

4:45 pm - Tires squeal back out of the driveway and off to said activity. 

6:30 pm - Tires squeal back into the driveway and I remember that I neglected to get to the grocery shopping today {because there was lots of time for that, right?}. Remember frozen {albeit homemade} meatballs and pat myself on the back for making double batches of meatballs and sauce to save for such a time as this.

7:00 pm - Dinner. Ahh. I'd love the paint the picture of a quiet gathering at our old farm table. That's the image in my head. Reality, however, looks more like this: both kids talking at the same time and one with her mouth full of food. Hubs chastises said child to please, for the 5000th time, keep your mouth closed with chewing. Exactly twenty seconds later she begins to tell her next story with her mouth full of food. Hubs sighs and reminds her for the 5001th time. Boy Genius {mouth properly closed} cannot get a word in edgewise because (1) he doesn't want to talk with his mouth full and (2) he doesn't want to interrupt. As a result, after the first 5 minutes of dinner we hear little from him.

7:30 pm - Dishes piled in kitchen. Kids rushed upstairs for showers. 

8:00 pm - Dishes complete. Hubs reads to kids and I return to my desk which is at this point in the day completed covered with mail, school notes, permission slips, and contractor bids. Work my way through the piles until I can locate my mouse and keyboard. Read a few blogs. Wonder what in the world I'm doing with my own. 

8:35 pm - Tuck in my darling duo and bid them sweet dreams. 

9:00 pm - Hope and pray I have a Grey's Anatomy / Parenthood / Modern Family recorded so I can properly unwind on the couch. Realize 'tis not the case. Refuse to watch anything else on TV. Begin reading my book club selection {only 6 days left}. Doze off somewhere in the first fifty pages.

4:00 am - wake up to sounds of dogs walking around on {spongy, cancer-ridden} hardwood floors. Traipse downstairs to let them outside. Wait at door wondering why in the world I'm up at 4:00 am. 

Sit and wonder where the days, weeks, months are going. 

How can it be December. 

Of 2011? 

Write this blog post as if narrating my day will make it all make sense.  

It doesn't. 

Every day is different. 

But all are full.  

Wrap my head around the idea that I have 30 more things on my {mental} list for today {really must get to the grocery store too - make that 31}. 

Thank God for another day no matter how it's filled. 

What about you? What does your day look like today? Please someone tell me you are headed to the spa, or to get a mani / pedi! I won't be jealous, promise. Just wistful. 

Curried Coconut Soup

photo credit

It has been too long - much too long - since I posted a soup recipe. Soups are truly one of my favorite dinner options. And this one now tops the list.  

It will never compare with my chicken noodle soup which is a favorite of the hubs, but this recipe takes only 30 minutes, not 3 hours. And I absolutely adore Southern Living's idea of serving it along side a whole wheat tortilla, layered with hummus, snow peas, grated carrots, cucumber slices and ginger dressing.  Yum!

Enjoy!

Curried Coconut Soup
via Southern Living

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds peeled, medium-size raw shrimp (2 1/30 count)
1 extra-large vegetable bouillon cube
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh baby portobello mushrooms
1 (13.66-oz.) can coconut milk
3 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Preparation

1. Devein shrimp, if desired.
2. Stir together bouillon cube, ginger, and 3 cups water in a 3-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, and cook, stirring often, 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and next 4 ingredients, and cook 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir in basil and next 2 ingredients just before serving. Season with salt to taste.
The Sandwich: Toss together 1 cup chopped fresh snow peas, 2 grated carrots, 1 cup sliced English cucumber, and 1/4 cup bottled refrigerated ginger dressing. Spread 1/4 cup refrigerated hummus onto 4 large whole wheat wraps. Divide vegetable mixture among wraps, and roll up.