Happy Merry
It's been a long two months, but right now we're relaxing and gearing up for a low-key holiday celebration with my in-laws. We'll be eating lasagna and spending time together, in a modified version of our normal crazy huge Christmas celebration. There will be gifts, delicious food, and--most importantly--a house full of love. May you have joy and love to surround you whether you're also celebrating Christmas, or just enjoying a beautiful post-Solstice Saturday.
2009: The Nutshell Edition
Just a few things of note that went on this year:
January After three and a half weeks of cleaning, painting and packing we moved from our crappy apartment across town to a sweet duplex with a washer/dryer in the garage and both a front and back yard.
February We settled in to the new home, and found great joy in having a dining room table.
March We adopted a second cat, a big black former-tom cat that we named Ollie, since then he's made it clear his name is really Bob.
April Celebrated my husband's 30th birthday, and our good friends Matt and T welcomed baby Arthur to the world. Saw Joel McHale do stand-up in Portland and finally visited the Japanese garden there.
May Planted my first "on my own" garden with the knowledge learned from family gardens growing up. Learned quickly how much faster things grow in this warmer climate.
June Celebrated my 28th birthday, started to harvest delicious foods from the garden.
July Made it through the wicked heat wave, thanks, in large part, to a window a/c unit that we installed in 105º heat.
August Won a blue ribbon for my Desdemona shawl at the Lane County Fair.
September Got a diagnosis for my husband's sleep apnea. Attended the beautiful wedding of Jodie and Anthony and watched their cat while they were on a mini-honeymoon. Our second great-nephew arrived in the world. Came down with crud and spent the latter 2/3 suffering from a raging case of bronchitis.
October Got a CPAP for my husband and as such, got my husband back. Took a trip home to the east coast where I spent not enough time with my New England family. Headed south to Massachusetts and then west to Rhinebeck where I was able to finally put real faces and voices to many wonderful women I know online. Was graciously hosted by Lisa, whose presence in my life is a daily source of joy. Returned home, came down with Rhinebeck crud. Drove south with my husband to San Francisco to see Kevin Smith and spend the weekend visiting with our friend Bonnie.
November Mourned the passing of a friend and of a family member but remain thankful for the memories we have of them.
December Full of joy. Celebrated Christmas in our home with my husband's mother and stepfather. Did mass amounts of knitting, baking, wrapping, and cleaning.
Not all of 2009 was joyous for us, but we are lucky in that the good generally has outweighed the bad. We have big plans for 2010 to be even happier, full of projects and friends and family and love. I wish the same for everyone else out there. Let a new decade begin!
Merry Happy Crazy Awesome Joyful Holiday
Wishing you all the joy and love possible as we slog through these dark, cold days. Whatever you celebrate--or not--I hope you are surrounded by people you love with an abundance of the kindness inherent in the best of the human spirit.
Giving Thanks
There are so many things I have to be thankful for this year. Here's the short list.
- my husband
- our family
- good friends
- my husband's job
- our home
- two happy spoiled cats
- a fair amount of yarn and fiber in my office
- being part of a community that shared freely its knowledge
So cheers, and happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates and Happy Thursday to those who don't.
Baked Cranberry Sauce
Marnie posted a link on twitter to this recipe on the Food Network this morning and even though we're not celebrating Thanksgiving until Friday this year, I went ahead and immediately made some changes and tossed my berries in the oven. Just over an hour from start to finish, this sauce can be made quite a bit in advance (the recipe says it keeps a few weeks in the fridge) and takes almost no active time. The result is a rich sauce, tangy and sweet, with just a hint of spice. Perfect for any dinner, and you can easily adapt the flavors to suit your meal. You could try changing out the juice and almond extract for tequila and cayenne pepper, with lime zest in place of the orange for a spicy kick on your turkey.
Baked Cranberry Sauce (adapted from the Food Network)
1 12 ounce bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
between 1 and 1 1/8 cups sugar, depending on how sweet you like it.
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract.