It’s that time of year again! Diets begone! Bring on the holiday celebration, complete with foods we would not dare consider eating during the other 11 months of the year!
Today’s challenge is a relatively easy one – make a list of the awesome holiday foods I want to serve this Christmas. If you have a special favorite, please let me know what it is and include a recipe or a link to one online. The best thing about holiday traditions is adding new ones every year!
Christmas Eve (Seven Fishes):
1. Shrimp Cocktail
2. Stuffed Clams
3. Octopus Salad
4. Oysters on the Half Shell
5. Scalloped Oysters
6. Baked Stuffed Lobster
7. Crabmeat Stuffing (for Lobster)
We are usually so busy eating our seafood dinner on Christmas Eve that we don’t bother eating any side dishes. However, I usually make some rice and salad just to keep things in balance.
For dessert, we eat one of our chocolate-covered apples, which I ordered this past weekend from Sweet Creations in Branford. We also have Godiva and Guylian candies.
Christmas Day:
1. Turducken Roll (stuffed)
2. Pheasant (purchased at the Otis Poultry Farm on our way back from the Berkshires)
3. Creamed Onions
4. Broccoli Casserole
5. Sweet Potato Pie
6. Mashed Potatoes
7. Salad (that we did not eat the night before)
For dessert, I’m putting in a special request for a pistachio cake from Santa Mike.
The day after Christmas, we’ll be traveling to Long Island to visit Joe’s mom. I’m sure plenty of leftovers will come along with us, plus the second of the two chocolate-covered apples.
And on December 27 … I will probably fast. Happy holidays, everyone!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Day 36: Reflect Your Passion
OK, I’ll admit this sounds very New Age-y and has probably elicited more than a few eye rolls. But bear with me a moment. I can explain.
When we first moved to our home 13 years ago this December, I immediately set up my home office in its current location on the second floor. At the time, just having two windows was a vast improvement over the dark basement I’d worked in for the better part of a decade. Over the years in our new home, we repainted, wallpapered, improved, enhanced and tweaked just about every room in the house … except the one where I spend the most time – the office.
So this year when my son asked if there were any projects he could work on to earn some spending money over Thanksgiving break, I quickly suggested revamping the office. I spent a couple of days taking down pictures, clearing off shelves, cleaning out files, removing the items I’d slipped under the glass top of my desk. To my dismay, I discovered a calendar from 1998, a phone and answering machine circa 1987, and photos of my children in preschool (they are now 23 and 20).
Now the job is finished. The walls are painted a peaceful sea green (guaranteed to give me bliss, according to the Feng Shui book I consulted). There are no more slips of paper or old photos under glass. I have a new digital cordless phone that came with a 73-page instruction manual. And I’ve only filled one shelf of the five-shelf unit.
What to do next?
It would be easy to just put everything back. Too easy. And it would be just as easy to keep everything stark. And cavernous. I kinda like the way my voice echoes when I holler at the latest computer malfunction.
But instead I’ve been thinking about how this room should really reflect who I am. Today. Not in 1987. Not in 1998. Not when my kids were in preschool. Who am I today? And therein lies the challenge: to Reflect My Passion.
----------------------------------------
Last night my hubby brought me a bamboo plant in a silver vase, decorated with ornaments for Christmas. Supposedly, even I can’t kill it. And, according to the little blurb attached to the plant, “Lucky Bamboo … is used to enhance Feng Shui – the flow of ‘Chi’ or positive energy in any environment.” Perfect! This morning I watered it and placed it in the right-hand corner of my desk. Positive energy. That’s something I can get passionate about.
I also ordered a tea-light candle holder with one of my favorite sayings by Gandhi engraved in it: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It, too, is silver, which my Feng Shui source assures me, when combined with white, will generate a calm atmosphere. Calm. Now that’s something I’d like to reflect.
I’m also pretty passionate about the healing power of humor in my life. So, to add a little levity, I returned most of my frog collection to one of the empty bookshelves. I took many of the small plastic, paper and ceramic frogs and arranged them in a fishbowl-like glass container to keep dusting to a minimum.
Tomorrow I’ll be putting up my watercolor of Mt. Chocorua – our favorite mountain to hike in New Hampshire – as well as my autographed poster from Jekyll & Hyde. I am passionate about my memories of the past as well as my plans for the future.
I still have plenty of clutter to clear out of my closet, one more box of stuff to sort through that may or may not find its way back, and a stack of Christmas gifts in a corner that need to be wrapped and put under the tree – but so far I’m pretty happy with my new environment. I finally feel like I’m taking care of myself in the place where I spend the most time … and that’s pretty awesome!
When we first moved to our home 13 years ago this December, I immediately set up my home office in its current location on the second floor. At the time, just having two windows was a vast improvement over the dark basement I’d worked in for the better part of a decade. Over the years in our new home, we repainted, wallpapered, improved, enhanced and tweaked just about every room in the house … except the one where I spend the most time – the office.
So this year when my son asked if there were any projects he could work on to earn some spending money over Thanksgiving break, I quickly suggested revamping the office. I spent a couple of days taking down pictures, clearing off shelves, cleaning out files, removing the items I’d slipped under the glass top of my desk. To my dismay, I discovered a calendar from 1998, a phone and answering machine circa 1987, and photos of my children in preschool (they are now 23 and 20).
Now the job is finished. The walls are painted a peaceful sea green (guaranteed to give me bliss, according to the Feng Shui book I consulted). There are no more slips of paper or old photos under glass. I have a new digital cordless phone that came with a 73-page instruction manual. And I’ve only filled one shelf of the five-shelf unit.
What to do next?
It would be easy to just put everything back. Too easy. And it would be just as easy to keep everything stark. And cavernous. I kinda like the way my voice echoes when I holler at the latest computer malfunction.
But instead I’ve been thinking about how this room should really reflect who I am. Today. Not in 1987. Not in 1998. Not when my kids were in preschool. Who am I today? And therein lies the challenge: to Reflect My Passion.
----------------------------------------
Last night my hubby brought me a bamboo plant in a silver vase, decorated with ornaments for Christmas. Supposedly, even I can’t kill it. And, according to the little blurb attached to the plant, “Lucky Bamboo … is used to enhance Feng Shui – the flow of ‘Chi’ or positive energy in any environment.” Perfect! This morning I watered it and placed it in the right-hand corner of my desk. Positive energy. That’s something I can get passionate about.
I also ordered a tea-light candle holder with one of my favorite sayings by Gandhi engraved in it: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It, too, is silver, which my Feng Shui source assures me, when combined with white, will generate a calm atmosphere. Calm. Now that’s something I’d like to reflect.
I’m also pretty passionate about the healing power of humor in my life. So, to add a little levity, I returned most of my frog collection to one of the empty bookshelves. I took many of the small plastic, paper and ceramic frogs and arranged them in a fishbowl-like glass container to keep dusting to a minimum.
Tomorrow I’ll be putting up my watercolor of Mt. Chocorua – our favorite mountain to hike in New Hampshire – as well as my autographed poster from Jekyll & Hyde. I am passionate about my memories of the past as well as my plans for the future.
I still have plenty of clutter to clear out of my closet, one more box of stuff to sort through that may or may not find its way back, and a stack of Christmas gifts in a corner that need to be wrapped and put under the tree – but so far I’m pretty happy with my new environment. I finally feel like I’m taking care of myself in the place where I spend the most time … and that’s pretty awesome!
Day 36: Reflect Your Passion
OK, I’ll admit this sounds very New Age-y and has probably elicited more than a few eye rolls. But bear with me a moment. I can explain.
When we first moved to our home 13 years ago this December, I immediately set up my home office in its current location on the second floor. At the time, just having two windows was a vast improvement over the dark basement I’d worked in for the better part of a decade. Over the years in our new home, we repainted, wallpapered, improved, enhanced and tweaked just about every room in the house … except the one where I spend the most time – the office.
So this year when my son asked if there were any projects he could work on to earn some spending money over Thanksgiving break, I quickly suggested revamping the office. I spent a couple of days taking down pictures, clearing off shelves, cleaning out files, removing the items I’d slipped under the glass top of my desk. To my dismay, I discovered a calendar from 1998, a phone and answering machine circa 1987, and photos of my children in preschool (they are now 23 and 20).
Now the job is finished. The walls are painted a peaceful sea green (guaranteed to give me bliss, according to the Feng Shui book I consulted). There are no more slips of paper or old photos under glass. I have a new digital cordless phone that came with a 73-page instruction manual. And I’ve only filled one shelf of the five-shelf unit.
What to do next?
It would be easy to just put everything back. Too easy. And it would be just as easy to keep everything stark. And cavernous. I kinda like the way my voice echoes when I holler at the latest computer malfunction.
But instead I’ve been thinking about how this room should really reflect who I am. Today. Not in 1987. Not in 1998. Not when my kids were in preschool. Who am I today? And therein lies the challenge: to Reflect My Passion.
----------------------------------------
Last night my hubby brought me a bamboo plant in a silver vase, decorated with ornaments for Christmas. Supposedly, even I can’t kill it. And, according to the little blurb attached to the plant, “Lucky Bamboo … is used to enhance Feng Shui – the flow of ‘Chi’ or positive energy in any environment.” Perfect! This morning I watered it and placed it in the right-hand corner of my desk. Positive energy. That’s something I can get passionate about.
I also ordered a tea-light candle holder with one of my favorite sayings by Gandhi engraved in it: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It, too, is silver, which my Feng Shui source assures me, when combined with white, will generate a calm atmosphere. Calm. Now that’s something I’d like to reflect.
I’m also pretty passionate about the healing power of humor in my life. So, to add a little levity, I returned most of my frog collection to one of the empty bookshelves. I took many of the small plastic, paper and ceramic frogs and arranged them in a fishbowl-like glass container to keep dusting to a minimum.
Tomorrow I’ll be putting up my watercolor of Mt. Chocorua – our favorite mountain to hike in New Hampshire – as well as my autographed poster from Jekyll & Hyde. I am passionate about my memories of the past as well as my plans for the future.
I still have plenty of clutter to clear out of my closet, one more box of stuff to sort through that may or may not find its way back, and a stack of Christmas gifts in a corner that need to be wrapped and put under the tree – but so far I’m pretty happy with my new environment. I finally feel like I’m taking care of myself in the place where I spend the most time … and that’s pretty awesome!
When we first moved to our home 13 years ago this December, I immediately set up my home office in its current location on the second floor. At the time, just having two windows was a vast improvement over the dark basement I’d worked in for the better part of a decade. Over the years in our new home, we repainted, wallpapered, improved, enhanced and tweaked just about every room in the house … except the one where I spend the most time – the office.
So this year when my son asked if there were any projects he could work on to earn some spending money over Thanksgiving break, I quickly suggested revamping the office. I spent a couple of days taking down pictures, clearing off shelves, cleaning out files, removing the items I’d slipped under the glass top of my desk. To my dismay, I discovered a calendar from 1998, a phone and answering machine circa 1987, and photos of my children in preschool (they are now 23 and 20).
Now the job is finished. The walls are painted a peaceful sea green (guaranteed to give me bliss, according to the Feng Shui book I consulted). There are no more slips of paper or old photos under glass. I have a new digital cordless phone that came with a 73-page instruction manual. And I’ve only filled one shelf of the five-shelf unit.
What to do next?
It would be easy to just put everything back. Too easy. And it would be just as easy to keep everything stark. And cavernous. I kinda like the way my voice echoes when I holler at the latest computer malfunction.
But instead I’ve been thinking about how this room should really reflect who I am. Today. Not in 1987. Not in 1998. Not when my kids were in preschool. Who am I today? And therein lies the challenge: to Reflect My Passion.
----------------------------------------
Last night my hubby brought me a bamboo plant in a silver vase, decorated with ornaments for Christmas. Supposedly, even I can’t kill it. And, according to the little blurb attached to the plant, “Lucky Bamboo … is used to enhance Feng Shui – the flow of ‘Chi’ or positive energy in any environment.” Perfect! This morning I watered it and placed it in the right-hand corner of my desk. Positive energy. That’s something I can get passionate about.
I also ordered a tea-light candle holder with one of my favorite sayings by Gandhi engraved in it: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It, too, is silver, which my Feng Shui source assures me, when combined with white, will generate a calm atmosphere. Calm. Now that’s something I’d like to reflect.
I’m also pretty passionate about the healing power of humor in my life. So, to add a little levity, I returned most of my frog collection to one of the empty bookshelves. I took many of the small plastic, paper and ceramic frogs and arranged them in a fishbowl-like glass container to keep dusting to a minimum.
Tomorrow I’ll be putting up my watercolor of Mt. Chocorua – our favorite mountain to hike in New Hampshire – as well as my autographed poster from Jekyll & Hyde. I am passionate about my memories of the past as well as my plans for the future.
I still have plenty of clutter to clear out of my closet, one more box of stuff to sort through that may or may not find its way back, and a stack of Christmas gifts in a corner that need to be wrapped and put under the tree – but so far I’m pretty happy with my new environment. I finally feel like I’m taking care of myself in the place where I spend the most time … and that’s pretty awesome!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Day 35: Say Thank You
On Thanksgiving morning, I was lucky enough to be the recipient of words of gratitude for a kindness I never even realized I gave. It was a humbling experience. And it reminded me again of how important our actions can be – especially the ones we don’t think about.
So I decided that in the spirit of Thanksgiving, my awesome challenge would be to write letters of thanks to a couple of people who I never formally thanked … for things they were likely not aware that they did. Or that they never realized had such an impact on my life.
I sent out two letters: one to a friend who guided me through a particularly rough patch in my personal life, and the second to another friend who helped me navigate a rough patch in the life of someone I love.
The response I received from the second letter was one of complete astonishment. Like my experience earlier in the day, my friend had no idea that what she had shared with me had had such a positive effect. I could practically see her smile through her email, and the next morning I was lucky enough to see her in person and got to share a heartfelt hug.
Both instances – my thanking and my being thanked – took only moments, but their impact continued for days. How easy it is to say thank you … and how seldom it is done! We are taught to thank God on Thanksgiving, and that of course is good. But I believe it is just as important to thank the people who reflect God’s love in our lives.
Just because Thanksgiving is over, giving thanks doesn’t have to be. I challenge you to take five minutes. Make a phone call. Send an email. Thank somebody. Someday you may just thank me for it.
So I decided that in the spirit of Thanksgiving, my awesome challenge would be to write letters of thanks to a couple of people who I never formally thanked … for things they were likely not aware that they did. Or that they never realized had such an impact on my life.
I sent out two letters: one to a friend who guided me through a particularly rough patch in my personal life, and the second to another friend who helped me navigate a rough patch in the life of someone I love.
The response I received from the second letter was one of complete astonishment. Like my experience earlier in the day, my friend had no idea that what she had shared with me had had such a positive effect. I could practically see her smile through her email, and the next morning I was lucky enough to see her in person and got to share a heartfelt hug.
Both instances – my thanking and my being thanked – took only moments, but their impact continued for days. How easy it is to say thank you … and how seldom it is done! We are taught to thank God on Thanksgiving, and that of course is good. But I believe it is just as important to thank the people who reflect God’s love in our lives.
Just because Thanksgiving is over, giving thanks doesn’t have to be. I challenge you to take five minutes. Make a phone call. Send an email. Thank somebody. Someday you may just thank me for it.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Day 34: Reach Out and Touch Someone
This challenge is similar to “A Friend in Need” from Day 16, but with so many people hurting this holiday season, when I saw this suggestion from a friend on Facebook, I felt it was appropriate to revisit it. And perhaps that’s what makes it so much more difficult to figure out what is appropriate to do.
From “Stuff-a-Bus” food drives to Small Business Saturday, it seems this week kicked off a flurry of holiday giving opportunities. I always struggle with who to give to, what to give, how to give it. In the end, I usually end up writing a check, buying a turkey, giving a gift card. But it all leaves me feeling inadequate.
One year we tried in vain to “adopt” a family in need. But no one would tell us of any. I understand the pride thing; no one likes to admit they’re hurting. And it’s not like the local newspaper publishes a list of the Bottom 100 Family Incomes in Milford so we can choose a recipient for our generosity. Even when I was a member of a social services group at church, we were hard-pressed to know where to deliver our gift baskets. For all we knew, the person hurting the most could have been sitting in the seat next to us.
And that’s the point. We just don’t know.
So when I’m feeling uncomfortable about selecting “one” recipient or “one” cause to devote all my energy to, chances are it’s because it should be everyone. And the giving itself shouldn’t be limited to a financial or even a food donation.
I recently read a meditation about “spontaneous giving” – that little thrill that we experience when we give a gift without premeditation. It usually doesn’t involve a big check or lots of gift wrap. More often, it means stepping up to the plate when you see a need. Lending a hand – or an ear – when someone needs help. Sometimes all we can give is support, encouragement, a smile, a nod … and sometimes that is enough.
There are so many people hurting this year … I’m sure I won’t have to reach out very far at all. Just farther than myself.
From “Stuff-a-Bus” food drives to Small Business Saturday, it seems this week kicked off a flurry of holiday giving opportunities. I always struggle with who to give to, what to give, how to give it. In the end, I usually end up writing a check, buying a turkey, giving a gift card. But it all leaves me feeling inadequate.
One year we tried in vain to “adopt” a family in need. But no one would tell us of any. I understand the pride thing; no one likes to admit they’re hurting. And it’s not like the local newspaper publishes a list of the Bottom 100 Family Incomes in Milford so we can choose a recipient for our generosity. Even when I was a member of a social services group at church, we were hard-pressed to know where to deliver our gift baskets. For all we knew, the person hurting the most could have been sitting in the seat next to us.
And that’s the point. We just don’t know.
So when I’m feeling uncomfortable about selecting “one” recipient or “one” cause to devote all my energy to, chances are it’s because it should be everyone. And the giving itself shouldn’t be limited to a financial or even a food donation.
I recently read a meditation about “spontaneous giving” – that little thrill that we experience when we give a gift without premeditation. It usually doesn’t involve a big check or lots of gift wrap. More often, it means stepping up to the plate when you see a need. Lending a hand – or an ear – when someone needs help. Sometimes all we can give is support, encouragement, a smile, a nod … and sometimes that is enough.
There are so many people hurting this year … I’m sure I won’t have to reach out very far at all. Just farther than myself.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Day 33: Pamper Yourself
A few years ago, after being beaten over the head with the idea that “you can’t love anyone else unless you love yourself,” I looked into the concept of “extreme self-care.” I think it appealed to me merely because it had the word “extreme” in it. And of course more must be better, right?
In reality, the sad truth was that I always put myself last. Except when I was putting myself first. I was either playing the martyr by not taking care of myself at all, or I was saying “FU!” to the world and focusing only on me.
Over time, I’ve gotten much better at balancing my needs with those of the people around me. Maybe that’s a function of my kids growing up or maybe it’s a function of ME growing up. But whatever the reason, I’ve vastly improved.
So I liked this challenge, and it came on a perfect day since I’d already scheduled a massage for late afternoon.
---------------------------------------
For anyone who has never had a massage, you are missing a wonderful experience! I am pretty convinced that a lot of the aches and pains we suffer can be alleviated by simply getting a full-body deep-muscle massage once a month. Imagine how many pills we wouldn’t have to take, how many outdoor activities we wouldn’t have to miss, and how many sleepless nights we wouldn’t have if we just gave ourselves this one hour a month!
The first massage I ever had was in response to a literal pain in the ass. I had decided to demonstrate to my then grammar school-aged children how flexible I was despite my “advanced” age of 42 by showing them how I could put my foot behind my head. (Yes, I was sober when I did this.) The result was predictable. After several days of limping and having to lift my leg with my hands in order to get into my car, I decided to visit a massage therapist I knew from the gym.
She worked for a full session on the muscles in my butt, which were knotted and twisted in frightening ways. When she was done, she said I would be sore for a day or two but that the pain should be gone. And indeed, that was the case. I was hooked! (I also swore off placing my limbs in places God never intended them to be.)
Over the years since then, I’ve had a variety of massage therapists, some who worked out of a room in their apartment, others at high-end spas. Because I have a sedentary job, I get a good amount of lower back pain. That is also the spot where my stress tends to settle. For a long time, I’d wait until the pain, that great motivator, got bad enough to call and make a massage appointment. But over the past year, at the suggestion of a friend, I’ve made a commitment to monthly massages. This way, I can be proactive and hopefully shortstop the worst of the pain.
As always, my massage was fabulous and relaxing. Because my massage therapist and I are also friends, we spent most of the session catching up and chatting. Sometimes I choose to be quiet and use the hour for meditation, but today conversation was just what I needed, and I left feeling renewed, energized … and quite satisfyingly pampered.
In reality, the sad truth was that I always put myself last. Except when I was putting myself first. I was either playing the martyr by not taking care of myself at all, or I was saying “FU!” to the world and focusing only on me.
Over time, I’ve gotten much better at balancing my needs with those of the people around me. Maybe that’s a function of my kids growing up or maybe it’s a function of ME growing up. But whatever the reason, I’ve vastly improved.
So I liked this challenge, and it came on a perfect day since I’d already scheduled a massage for late afternoon.
---------------------------------------
For anyone who has never had a massage, you are missing a wonderful experience! I am pretty convinced that a lot of the aches and pains we suffer can be alleviated by simply getting a full-body deep-muscle massage once a month. Imagine how many pills we wouldn’t have to take, how many outdoor activities we wouldn’t have to miss, and how many sleepless nights we wouldn’t have if we just gave ourselves this one hour a month!
The first massage I ever had was in response to a literal pain in the ass. I had decided to demonstrate to my then grammar school-aged children how flexible I was despite my “advanced” age of 42 by showing them how I could put my foot behind my head. (Yes, I was sober when I did this.) The result was predictable. After several days of limping and having to lift my leg with my hands in order to get into my car, I decided to visit a massage therapist I knew from the gym.
She worked for a full session on the muscles in my butt, which were knotted and twisted in frightening ways. When she was done, she said I would be sore for a day or two but that the pain should be gone. And indeed, that was the case. I was hooked! (I also swore off placing my limbs in places God never intended them to be.)
Over the years since then, I’ve had a variety of massage therapists, some who worked out of a room in their apartment, others at high-end spas. Because I have a sedentary job, I get a good amount of lower back pain. That is also the spot where my stress tends to settle. For a long time, I’d wait until the pain, that great motivator, got bad enough to call and make a massage appointment. But over the past year, at the suggestion of a friend, I’ve made a commitment to monthly massages. This way, I can be proactive and hopefully shortstop the worst of the pain.
As always, my massage was fabulous and relaxing. Because my massage therapist and I are also friends, we spent most of the session catching up and chatting. Sometimes I choose to be quiet and use the hour for meditation, but today conversation was just what I needed, and I left feeling renewed, energized … and quite satisfyingly pampered.
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