A spot of weather

Okay, when we moved to NC a few years ago, our plan was in part to escape nasty winter weather. On Friday we got the most miserly amount of it. In total, I think it came out to about 3" or so. Anyhow, it is really fun here (esp. since Mr. bought me new tires). Everything closes & the kiddies all sled in the muddy mush that passes for snow. Here I am after braving the storm to get the mail!

Shades of Christmas' past

Ernie adores the beautiful throw Marcy & Terry gave us. I love it too, but not like Erns who cries when he's not snuggled in with it.

Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town

This sounds like an interesting read. Here's a review from Lisa Scottoline.

Apple cake

Cooks Illustrated has a recipe (from September) for apple upside-down cake. We like the usual pineapple, but some of our friends aren't so nuts about pineapple anything. So, Mr. suggested I make this one for SS. I cheated a little as we only had 2 apples & added a little applesauce to the caramel to give it a bit more apple punch & some extra liquid.
Folks seemed to like it and it is really simple (I didn't even mess around with greasing pans - just went straight for the silicone ones). I dare not copy it here, as we have no wish to suffer the wrath of Chris Kimball! But, if you should happen across the recipe, it's a good one.

Latest projects

I've been knitting some - trying to get some fun stuff together for friends/family. Here's one finished off - the cables came out pretty good considering how uneven the yarn was. Sorry you have to look up my nose - guessing this is not catalogue worthy:)

Sistinas

Man, I used to really like this song. Guess that was a while ago. Perhaps it's just the video that's ruining it? I think they must have actually let Glenn direct or something...

"Okay, Barbie, you admire my hairy man-boobs in the broken mirror"
"I'd rather look at myself."
"No, I'm the director and if you want to be in this, then you have to admire my hairy man-boobs!"
"Oh fine, but can I at least walk around aimlessly in these old curtains for a while?"
"Yeah (flex, flex), now Sheila..."

Oooh-la-la

I totally made out tonight at the Christmas party! Thanks to Sean I'm going to go burn my new patchouli candle and spend some quality time with Curt's new gift (oh, I think you know). Ew, ick, ick, ick - has anyone written 'Sisterhood of the Travelling Dildo' yet?
Actually, first I am going to wash my hands in bleach. Then, think I will burn the candle a bit, snuggle with Ernman, finish off the mystery I'm working on & try to think of a good place to hide the 'gift' until my Uncle leaves - maybe after we'll put it as a tree-topper in place of the flying frog.

*By the way, thank you to Jenny for not scratching my eyes out when I stole it out from under you (so to speak). One day, when he's done with it, we'll make sure Olivia inherits it!

Crazy Heart

Okay, this movie comes out on the 16th & I am getting excited for it. Either it's going to be excellent (in the vein of 'Tender Mercies') or just boring & painful. I don't see how they can screw it up with Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal & Robert Duvall. Even T-Bone Burnett (music producer for films like 'Walk the Line,' 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' & the Krauss/Plant album 'Raising Sand') is involved with this.

Reading what a few people who have already seen it have to say indicates that Bridges is amazing & everyone else is just okay. The film overall seems to get a good review, but not enough things blow up to get people really revved. Poor Curt, he's doomed to have to watch this one in the theater with me!

The holidays have arrived

Look what Aunt Patty sent us....as soon as it's cold enough for 'roasting on an open fire'.....yuuuummmmmm....

Drama alert!

Wow, I didn't intend to really stir the pot here, but apparently I've ruffled a few feathers.

In the last post, my intention was not to 'attack,' be 'politically correct' or to 'green-up' on Christmas.*

Christmas is overblown and semi-ridiculous, but it is great in a lot of ways too. It is awesome almost any time people actually set aside time and consideration for others (in the non-violent sense).

Being a person of little 'faith' or religion or whatever you want to call me (damned heathen), it always feels a little strange to get too into it. Probably this is the reason why my favourite parts of the holiday revolve around the arborcide, the cards/letters & the eating.

The wonderful Mr. finds ways to be kind and gives amazing gifts to me at random times. This constant kindness seems a better life than having it doled out only on set days. Of course, I am completely spoiled rotten. So, perhaps if he was not so thoughtful, it would be a social prod to make him so for at least one day out of the year.

*foot note: Some of the responses I've been getting sound like people have been listening to 'news' (read as opinion/entertainment parading as news) a little too much. Please, double-consider making sure this is what you actually think & don't just regurgitate something you heard Bill O'Reilly, Jon Stewart or Barney the Dinosaur say.

Please forget us

Dear Friends and Family,

This Christmas we are hoping that you will please forget us. Please, just for the holiday?

We have a serious accumulation of lovely items that we would love to get to one day. There are many books on the shelves that we have yet to read. There are socks and t-shirts overflowing from the bureaus. There are more throw pillows than Curt can hide!

Instead of purchasing us more useful, interesting and beautiful things, your gift can be a nicely timed bit of nothing.

If you should find this too great a challenge, think of something you can send us that is not freshly minted from somewhere else. You could use your inner-MacGyver to create a nose-hair barrette made from bendy straws, rubber bands and glitter. Curt could certainly use a compilation cd of your cat mewling in repeat for 45 minutes straight!

There is nothing that we can afford to give you that you actually want (new cars, mortgage paid off, kids college tuition, etc). So, if you insist on sending us stuff, be prepared to get crap in return. I mean it! Midian, Ernie & Clovis may be old, but they're still productive in some ways. 

Thank you dearies! We love you and the holiday cards will be out soon,

Serena

Eaten

Sacco & Vanzetti were delicious. I am already thinking up names for next year's turkey(s).
Here I am working on green bean casserole & Mr. made pumpkin ice cream...

Red Road

I can't decide if I liked this film or not. It kept my attention, but was a little ott as Mum would say. Here's the trailer (although I'm not sure that it really explains what the movie is about). Have you seen this one - what did you think?

Today's lesson

The dogs like stale fortune cookies found lurking behind the microwave. Here's their fortune - seems more like a statement or a suggestion, but still a pretty good one...

Walking in the rain

What a glorious day!

State of Play

Yuck! We were rather dissappointed by this doddering Hollywood rendition of the quick-pulsed BBC miniseries. Russell Crowe was okay with his accent that he mastered for 'The Insider' (gravel = American). I could have done without that ac-tool Affleck & McAdams made me want to just give in and fall asleep.

What the hell were they thinking?

Better yet, what the hell was I thinking? Perhaps we were expecting too much. Compressing all that into a ? hour movie would just be a dumb idea anyway.

To be fair, I really thought Jason Bateman was good - yes folks, I actually wrote that. We were left wishing that we'd seen more of Bateman, the beautiful Robin Wright Penn & Jeff Daniels (who did slimy surprisingly well - he should do more of that).

So, I can only suggest that you avoid this and invest your time in the miniseries instead.

A fresh start

So, if you've found me, congratulations! I managed to really make a mess of it all. Anyhow, there is still the archive (sans photos) at Orange Blossom
Here's where I'll be posting moving forward though.