Christmas Ideas

I read an article in the WSJ about how Santa (and his mall helpers) are hearing wish lists of socks, clothes and "a job for my dad." I related the story to my children. Alex understood. The point completely escaped Cole..."I don't even want socks, Mom. I just want an XBox."

Anyway, if your want to give a cool gift and contribute to a cause, I have a few recommendations:

**Rubi J (surprise!)- making contributions to organizations like First Book for each sale from the READ collection and offering Animal Tales t-shirts to increase awareness of endangered species.

**Beads for Life - chic and rustic jewelry made by Ugandan women trying to make a living. Check it out at

**Last but not least, if you're completely out of ideas, save a hamster. They're low maintenance, cuddly (when not exposing their choppers) and (best of all) PORTABLE!

My Molly

Gifts are accumulating under the tree.
Doug and I are reacquainting. It's nice to feel like a family again.
Purchased a dog sweater and noticed a certain spring in Molly's step today. Isn't she lovely?

What a Strange (and Long) Trip It's Been!

Despite this never-ending cold and the impending storm, we have much reason to celebrate in the Kramer household this evening:

Harvest officially began on September 25th.
Harvest officially ended on December 7th.

I'm done carrying my unreasonable resentment from my MIA hubby. It's time to be happy and thankful for the twinkling of the Christmas lights, the picturesque dusting of snow and the fact that I can go back to being the parent that can't say no.

To all you farm wives still having to keep your supportive faces up for a few more weeks...God Bless You.
Here's a picture of the concert Doug had to miss...and I'm complaining about what?

Law of Least Effort

According to Deepak, Wednesday is all about the "Law of Least Effort." This spiritual mantra means that often a better result will come when less effort is applied. I have some difficulty with this one since I was raised to believe hard work is the key to success. And for the most part, the hard work formula has worked for me. So, I've really tried to figure out when this spiritual law works. Well, most recently the shades began opening...

Every year, as I pull my Christmas decoration out of storage, I vow to make my house an inspiration of decor. Then I start working on some decorating task. Three hours later, I've usually created some abominable eye-sore. So lately, I've pulled back. And just throwing a few things together without much though seems to work better for me. So, this year I decided to let the kids decorate the tree. They're still working on it, as they feel like it. But I have to admit, so far it's my favorite tree.

I hate to admit it, but perhaps my kids will outsmart me with this particular spiritual law....however, note that it took me two days to blog on this theme. (I really wanted to pull out the laptop on Wednesday night to impart my knowledge to my mass of 8 followers. But I told myself NO! I'm tired and today is about the Law of Least Effort...)

Thanksgiving Post Mortem

Black Friday doesn't feel so black to me. It feels, well, kind of bright blue and lovely. (Just look outside.) And for anyone who cares how my first stab at hosting Thanksgiving went...

*Roasted brined turkey on Wednesday night. The bird came out beautifully in my new electric roaster. (You were right Ma!)
*The elegant carving I had intended turned into a mutilation, really. I lost my knife and fork somewhere underneath globs of poultry fat and skin. Just glad this step took place on Wednesday night.
*Alex's pumpkin pie was perfect.
*Mother-in-law fretted that I hadn't made enough mashed potatoes. She was right. LUCKILY, my Schwann's man had convinced me to purchased some frozen garlic mashed potato thingys some time back...they were actually better than the real soupy thing I concocted.
*Sister-in-laws and mother-in-law each brought at least two dishes. How'd they know we'd need it all? Very thankful for their wisdom. By the second meal of the day, my mother-in-law sweetly mentioned that she had another pan of brownies in the car...just in case. Bless her heart. We needed 'em.
*Dressing wasn't a crowd pleaser. I'm thinking I'm the only one liked the dish that took way too much time. Scared to ask my hubby for his opinion on that one.
*I didn't have near enough buns. Hard to believe I stumbled on this one. I can eat a whole package of buns myself.
*Went through four bottles of wine. I believe a good time was had by all.

And today? Today I have an attitude of gratitude...as an only child who married into a big family with tolerant and helpful hearts.

Amen.

Operation Turkey

I just finished making my brine and turkey is resting comfortably in the "stew." There's really something to say about unwrapping your first turkey. I couldn't help but stare and think to myself, "Here it is - in its virgin form. Now, don't screw it up."

A few weeks ago Amy and I walked through Williams Sonoma - where I purchased my turkey baster and picked up a "free" Thanksgiving holiday guide. I had never even heard of the word "brine" before that day. Now, I'm feeling quite knowledgeable about the process. (I also googled the process to death during those many-a-times when I found myself waiting next to a corn bin to move my hubby to another field.) I'm hoping to get into a good conversation on Thursday about brining. It makes me sound so, so...domestic! I must admit, it's kind of exciting.

Anyway, note positive, eager attitude as the countdown to serving the Kramer family begins...Tomorrow night the roasting commences, along with the pumpkin pie bake. I'l keep you posted.

Oh -- for those of you who'd like to know my "Brine" recipe:

Simmer the following for 15 minutes until all dissolved:

2 quarts of vegetable stock
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C salt
1 TBS sage
1 TBS rosemary
1 TBS thyme

Add two quarts of cold water. Pour into turkey bag (with the turkey in it). Let sit in fridge over night.

Before roasting, you're supposed to rinse all brine...that's all I know for now!

Genius?

If you've ever had a conversation with my 8-year old son, chances are you didn't follow the entire discussion. I've listened as a third party to many of his visits, and usually I find myself interrupting to interpret his discourse. Honestly, I don't always follow him as well...one such occasion occurred today as he and Doug were trying to communicate. But I couldn't even help today. Finally, I'm thinking that perhaps it's a generational thing so I asked Cole, "Do your friends always understand what you're talking about?"

Without hesitation he replied, "No.Usually they don't."

Okay then. So either I have a little genius on my hand (i.e., he's so intelligent, no one can understand him), or I....don't. Nonetheless, he's an interesting little creature. I was going through his papers later today and discovered this and was quite impressed.

I asked him if it was Chicago. He said, "No, it's New York City. See the Empire State Building?"

I nodded and agreed it was very good. Then I asked what was the assignment about.

"We had to draw a theme so people don't smoke. See my no smoking sign there?"

Of course. Say no to smoking. Otherwise, you might miss sight-seeing in New York. How could I not follow that line of reasoning?