Snow

Dangit!

Look at Dallas, then look at New York.

What are the odds?

Merry Christmas

We have been having a big time around here, celebrating Christmas (the first of three) and trying to get ready for our trip. Our Dallas Christmas was really nice. It was fun to watch the Peanut rip off the paper and try to eat it, showing no interest in what was actually inside the paper. I received so many nice gifts from Kev that I can't name them all here, but there is going to be lots of arts and crafts in the New Year if I can find the time. He also got me (us) a new digital camera...a really nice one with lots of cool features. So after the holidays, I will probably be updating the Peanut Gallery a lot more often as I experiment with photography. I can't wait to play with all my new toys.
Our second Christmas will be in New York. We're leaving tomorrow, and I am a little freaked out because we are supposed to be having thunderstorms in the morning. I am a terrible flyer on a clear day, so I fear a panic attack is unavoidable. I was also disappointed to find out it is not very cold in New York, much less snowing, so my sledding plans will probably not happen. All that being said, we are going to have lots of fun in New York with family and dogs and babies. Once the plane lands at LaGuardia, I will be fine.
Christmas number three will happen when we get back, probably on or around New Year's Day, with my family in Garland. I am looking forward to the great Christmas breakfast my mom always makes, and who knows, maybe it will snow in Texas!
Probably won't blog until after the holidays. I hope all of you have a safe and happy Christmas!

Where's Waldo

Christmas Song

http://www.thecompassgroup.biz/merryxmas.swf

turn up the volume and click the link, then dance around in your cubicle like there's no tomorrow.

Thanks, KSB.

Ho Ho Ho Hum

Yesterday we took the Peanut to see the Garland mall Santa. She was very suspicious. She kept looking up at him, and then at me, and then at him, and then at me. It was pretty funny. Santa was very indifferent, and gave her one very un-hearty token ho ho ho. At least his beard was real. This picture was taken right before Daphne let out a little warning whimper. We got her away before the crying started. She didn't even get to tell him what she wants for Christmas.

Fall Down Fallout

Now my back is starting to hurt, and for a while this morning, I couldn't remember how old I am.

Here's One for Brad's Log...

So, my mom says I never listen to her, and I guess today she was proven right. See, she's always giving me great advice like, "Don't fall down," and I'll be danged if I didn't do just that first thing this morning. Back in the days before the Peanut, I used to use the "front" bathroom at our house. Oh, how large and luxurious it is! Alas, it is located right next to the baby's room, so in order not to wake her up, I moved into the bathroom in our bedroom. Now, I'm not really complaining. It's a small sacrifice, and I'm sure it's no picnic for Kev to have to share a bathroom with me. (At least my hair has stopped falling out in big clumps!) But the problem is, his shower is about the size of a phone booth, and it is darn near impossible to shave your legs in there. You have to contort yourself into all kinds of crazy positions and stand on one foot, and that is exactly what I was doing when SPLAT! I fell right down onto the shower floor. I think I emerged uninjured except for my pride. The worst thing that happened was that I got soap all in my mouth and eyes. Anyway, I guess I better start listening to my mom.

Babalu

Bongos are OK, but what we really need is...

More Cowbell

Hippo on my Head

Fa La La La La

So, every time I drive my dad's car, I am treated to the all-Christmas-songs-all-the-time radio station, which I don't mind so much in small doses. I like the classic Christmas songs, but I can't listen to the generic pop-star versions of classics, like Beyonce doing White Christmas or Carrie Underwood doing I'll be Home for Christmas, or Celine Dion doing, well, anything. But what's even worse is the generic pop-star doing a generic NEW Christmas song. Those songs are so lame and boring. For example, I keep hearing a Bryan Adams one about every day being Christmas, and it is just awful. And don't even get me started on the Kelly Clarkson one.

I'd like to put the challenge out there for someone to write a new Christmas song that is actually good, and not full of cliches and general sappiness. I am not sure it can be done.

Here are my top three Christmas songs in no particular order:

Oh, Holy Night sung by Kev's dad on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Time is Here (Vince Guaraldi/Peanuts)
and
The Chipmunk Song of course.

What are your favorites? (shameless attempt for comments, I know...please forgive me. I am stuck without a car for a few days, and Kev has banned me from checking the mail, and the Peanut isn't the greatest conversationalist, so this is just about all I've got).

Half Birthday

Today the Peanut is six months old. Hard to believe. Happy Birthday, Daphne Claire!

Arctic Blast

Yesterday, it was 80 degrees. Today, it snowed. The channel 5 team of meteorologists said we were having an "Arctic Blast." And, indeed we did. Kev came home early from work to avoid the effect of the arctic blast on the highway, so we decided to put up the Christmas tree. But first, we bundled up the Peanut and took her outside to see her first snow. I don't think she quite understood what we were so excited about. But someday, she'll see. I'm hoping there will be real snow in New York next month so we can take her sledding and build a snow man. Anyway, it was a fun day and Daphne liked the Christmas tree putting up process. By the way, in the outside picture, you can see Javier mowing someone's lawn. In the snow.

Today is the last day of November and I didn't make a pie. Dangit. So I decided to count my Thanksgiving pumpkin bread pudding with butterscotch anglaise sauce as the November pie-of-the-month. Two people sent me pie recipes, and I fully intend to make them both.

I can't believe tomorrow is December.

Curses!

Nothing shoots the wheels off a baby's nap like jackhammers and giant drills 40 yards from her crib. Damn McMansions.

Penguin Renewal!

Just in time to put me in the holiday spirit, I was notified today that Kev renewed my adoption of Tula the Penguin. Some of you may remember that my cool brother-in-law, Pat, gave me this penguin for Christmas last year. Here she is, sitting on her two eggs. When they hatch, I will receive more photos from the great Dr. Mike Bingham, protector of penguins.

I highly recommend giving someone you like a penguin for Christmas. You get a certificate and everything. And you get to name your penguin. And you can even go visit if you have several thousand spare dollars.

Special hello to Blair, who was just asking about Tula, and to Mary in Indiana...thanks for reading my blog!

Learning to Crawl

The Peanut can get on her hands and knees, but hasn't figured out how to make forward progress. So she usually gives up and takes a thumb break, or just rolls to whatever toy she needs to eat next.

Monday Shout Out

Hostess with the Mostest

How many different ways can you combine Hostess snack cakes (TM) with pudding and tubs of cool whip? Well, if you aren't sure, and you are salivating at the very thought, you can find out by going to http://twinkies.com/ and browsing through their recipes. You will find things like Ding Dong Mousse, Ho-Ho Pudding, and Twinkie-misu! Who knew there were so many things you could make filled with delightful preservatives and delicious trans-fats. It is a good thing I didn't have access to these recipes in the 1970's, or I'd have been a 200 pound fourth-grader. Oh, how I loved Hostess snack cakes! I even had special ways of eating each snack cake. With Ding Dongs, I would eat the chocolate coating around the side first, then the top, then the bottom. Then I'd eat the cake part, getting as close to the cream filling as possible before finishing it off. With Hoho's, I'd eat the coating off the ends first, then the rest of the coating, and when I got down to the cake part, I'd unroll the thing and eat the cream first, then the cake. I never cared for Twinkies. For a couple of years, there was the added bonus of Hostess baseball cards on the bottom of the box. I collected them, and played with them a lot, arranging them into teams and stuff. Bake McBride had such a heroic afro! The poor Peanut will probably never get to experience the joy of eating Hostess snack cakes, in this health-consious world we now live in. She'll never get the chance to sit two feet from the TV on a Saturday morning, staring at the greatness of Fat Albert, bowl of Fruity Pebbles on her knee. She'll not get to shout, "Leggo my Eggo!" Kinda sad. Maybe someday, though, I'll let her make me some Ding Dong Mousse for Mother's Day, and I'll let her have a taste. And while we're at it, I'll put in my Fat Albert DVD. Hey hey hey!

Death by Pumpkin

I just got back from pumpkin class. It was fun. Here is what we made: pumpkin pecan pie with bourbon sauce, pumpkin bread pudding with butterscotch sauce, pumpkin seed brittle, pumpkin cheesecake, and white chocolate pumpkin souffle. Whew. At the end we tasted it all and now I am all sick and loopy on sugar. But man, oh, man, was it good. The bread pudding was best, and I tihnk I am going to make it for Thanksgiving. Our teacher was really nice...a grad of the CIA which is in Hyde Park where Kev's family lives. The class was nice and small, only 7 people total. One lady was a real know-it-all, and kept bossing us around and giving us food chemistry fun facts. Another girl kept licking her fingers which was grossing me and my mom out. Everyone else was nice. I would like to take another class. Maybe a curry class. She is doing a whole class on macaroni and cheese soon, but Kev hates macaroni and cheese. Crazy.

Kev and Daphne aren't here, which is very weird. I have the whole house to myself. If I wasn't so wound up on pumpkin desserts, I would take a nap.

Anyway, I encourage you all to make stuff with pumpkin. It is tasty, and full of Vitamin A!

Land of Gar

Blogging from Garland today, so was able to put some recent pictures on the Peanut Gallery if anyone is interested (link at right). Tomorrow is the pumpkin cooking class. Should be fun. I had to go to my office for a while this morning. It was really weird to be there. Nothing has changed. The smokey lady was outside smoking, and Sanjay from the office next door was sitting in his cube on the phone. Like a trip back in time. It freaked me out a little bit. Then I went to Old Navy for a minute. They don't really have any "mom" clothes there. So I went to the bookstore and paid way too much for mediocre coffee and looked around. That was fun and made up for Old Navy. I feel tired today. I think I might be getting sick. Blah.