Fleur de Lisa

Courtesy of my dear Janet.

1. The world is vast and mysterious and very amazing.

2. “Do you want more milk?” was the last thing I said.

3. I wonder what 2009 will hold for me?

4. I still don’t know just what is at the end of all things.

5. There’s something to be said for a good hard workout.

6. Right here is where I want to be.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going for a drink, tomorrow my plans include finally taking down my Christmas tree and Sunday, I want to see Benjamin Button!

“Four be the things I am wiser to know:
Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.
Four be the things I’d been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.
Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content, and sufficient champagne.
Three be the things I shall have till I die:
Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.”

-Dorothy Parker

Turning that corner into 2009 is an exciting feeling to me.  I wonder what the new year will hold. Every year is filled with ups and downs and 2008 was no exception.  I’m thankful for all of the good and I hope and pray that the not-so-good will begin to dissapate.  I’m not a resolution person but I do like to take this time to look back and reflect. Continue Reading »

I’m not in the mood to answer my own Manic Monday questions.  But if you want to play along, you can find the questions here.

So instead, I’m showing you my new winter coat.  I found it on sale for something like 800% off at J Crew.

I’m sure it will take all of about 15 minutes until I brush up against a dirty car and have to take it to the cleaners.  But it’s really soft and warm and pretty.  And most of all, it fits.

Now what I really need is a cool scarf to go with it.  A punch of color.  I considered knitting one because I have some yarn in a lovely shade of red.  Then I remember that I can’t knit. So I’ve been perusing Etsy.  That is addictive!  I’ve found a few that I like.  Some a deep red, others a rich chocolate brown.  But I can’t decide.  Or maybe another color?

Suggestions?

Christmas was low-key and low-stress– just the way I like it.  However, there was too much ham involved.  My parents had to run out to pick up some of the elderly family members that can’t drive anymore and guess what I was left in charge of?  Yep, you guessed it.  Baking the ham.  Gah!  I have some serious ham issues going on.  The scent of that roasting ham wafting out of the oven when I opened to door to baste it was almost more than I could take.  Leaving me in charge of baking the ham is like…like..I don’t know.  But it’s wrong, I tell you.  Wrong.

Later that evening at my brother’s house he and my sister-in-law had a huge spread of food on the buffet.  There were ham balls and bacon-wrapped shrimp.  Why would anyone think of making a meatball with ham?  And better yet, why are there so many pork products involved in my family’s celebration of the Christ Child?

After all of that, my younger sister and I decided to break open the wine.  Mom and Dad weren’t home then and we couldn’t find their wine opener.  Or any wine glasses.  Are we really certain that my sister and I are their offspring?  Crisis averted, we found glasses that would suffice and something to open the bottle  (Note to self- not only bring wine next time, bring glasses and good corkscrew.)  We drank the bottle while watching crappy Christmas-night television.  At least Mom and Dad weren’t back yet, so we had control over the remote.  If one of them has it, it usually means one of three things: FoxNews Channel (God help me), Jeopardy or The Weather Channel.  Now I’m all for checking in on the weather, but they watch it like it’s a program.  For hours on end.  The day after Christmas they were watching some show on The Weather Channel (didn’t know they had shows) that was about Mt. Rainier erupting and killing everyone in the area.  They really enjoyed that one. It’s only by the Grace of God that I’m still alive today.

Anyhow, my sister and I enjoyed making smart-assed comments about whatever show we were watching but we really loved the bad commercials.  We were picking out next year’s Christmas gifts via the commercials.  Clearly I will be getting the Snuggie. It’s the blanket with sleeves! Because blankets are too hard. I often feel challenged by the concept of a blanket because I’m just a dumb blonde.

For the rest of the time I was there, I said that I couldn’t get up because I didn’t have a Snuggie and my hands were trapped inside the blanket I had over me. Of course, that did mean that I couldn’t hold the remote control which lead to more marathon viewing of The Weather Channel.

Next year I could get the entire family Snuggies.  Then we’d be all dressed and ready for the Cult of Ham.

God Jul, originally uploaded by Fleur De Lisa.

I’m off to the land of no internet, a.k.a. my parents’ house. This is one of the decorations that my parents put out every year

So whatever you’re doing tomorrow, enjoy. I’m sure my family will be serving ham. Me, I’ll be making the cupcakes.

Merry Christmas to you all!

If you were at a friend’s house for a holiday dinner and you found a dead cockroach in your salad, what would you do? I’d find a discrete way to tell my host right away so no one else would get cockroach salad either.  And I’d stop eating.  Forever.

If you could put anyone you know on Prozac, who would you choose? I’m not a doctor (but I play one on TV) — remember that old commercial?) so I can’t put anyone on medication.  Nor am I a huge fan of anti-depressants.  But I think the person I have in mind is already on something of the sort and it’s not helping.

How do you feel about public displays of affection? As long as it’s not obscene I’m good with it.  I’m mostly out of practice with it after living for a decade plus in a very, very conservative town.  Sigh. Whatever.  So not going to go there.  But when I’m in the right place (i.e. a place where I’m not risking life and limb) with the right person, I’ve been known to engage in a bit of PDA myself.  Sigh again.  Tell me again why I ask these questions?