'Twas the night before Christmas

I enjoyed my break a LOT! I didn't even try to blog, obviously, other than to post the daily photos to keep up the post-a-day streak. The week before Christmas is a slow time for blogging and blog-reading anyway, and I needed the time away from it.

Especially after Newtown. I'd already said enough. I wanted to write about the NRA's statement, but what is there to say? It could have been an Onion news story. It has been reported that the BBC prefaced its broadcast of the statement with the disclaimer that it was not a joke.

One thing that I still can't figure out – and we may never have an answer – is why, why, WHY did that young man go to that school? That question haunts me.

At any rate … the kindergarten journals were well-received, and my son was very pleased with the Scrabble coasters. He took them to work with him Friday morning, which is where I'd hoped he would take them. (They're not exactly something that would fit with the décor of their home.) We had a nice, relaxing weekend with very little on the agenda, but we did manage to get out and about.

Four-fifths of a bushel of navel
oranges (less a few I gave to my
son) = future marmalade!

We toured the neighborhood to view Christmas lights, went to the Raleigh Farmer's Market for oranges and fresh-from-the-treetop mistletoe, made a little trip to Fuquay-Varina, ate lunch out twice, went to mass Saturday night and had a very fancy and delicious home-cooked breakfast before I left yesterday morning. My daughter-in-law and I took two long walks, Friday and Saturday mornings, and I even walked a mile when I got home yesterday afternoon.

So far today it's raining, raining, raining, so I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up that streak, but I should have a little time for the elliptical.

Today I will clean and buy groceries and cook. We're going to an open house before church this evening and my mother-in-law will be joining us for dinner tomorrow. Very low-key and simple – I feel like I've already had Christmas over the weekend.

I wish you all a lovely holiday.

Orange you glad we won?

We sure are! Let's goooooo, Mountaineeeeeers!

I completely forgot to talk about getting ready for last night's football game yesterday. Because I was so busy talking about kitchen scales, apparently.

Thanks for your great ideas for other gadgets. I've never used a microplane. I have a box grater which works well for grating most cheeses, and I have a hand-turned Zyliss cheese grater for hard cheeses. So I guess I've never thought I needed a microplane. But maybe I do? Heh.

I also love my slow cooker, which I try to use at least once a week. And my immersion blender will be put to good use making a green smoothie for breakfast in just a few minutes. Great suggestions!

West Virginia got to play Clemson in the Orange Bowl last night and it ended up being a record-breaking blowout, the first really lopsided game of the bowl season. My husband has been dealing with some real stressors concerning a couple family members lately, and it was sooooo fun to see him laughing and happy for a few hours.

As I've mentioned previously, I'm an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kinda gal, and one of the advantages of that is that I don't go to bed hungry. Usually dinner wasn't that long ago when I'm tucking myself in. But when I stay up to watch a game, as I did last night, I do start feeling the urge to eat – whether it's mental or physical hunger is up for debate – about 9:30.

Remembering the saying that 'if you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not really hungry' and considering what we were watching, I peeled and sectioned AN ORANGE for my halftime snack! I'm so clever.

I'm sticking with most of my plan. One guess as to what I missed doing yesterday. And will miss again Friday. Because I'm not dragging my hand weights with me on a little trip I'm taking. Strength training and I just don't get along. Yet. I'm eternally optimistic that someday, somehow, something will click and we'll fall in love. It's not him, it's me.

I'm headed out to visit my daughter and her children, to celebrate one's birthday and watch the other one perform. I've committed to NaBloPoMo again for January, and hope I don't have any trouble keeping up with it while I'm gone.

There's always a little quiet time when you're an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kinda gal.