Happiness is....

This weekend has been a superb holiday weekend, and it is only Saturday.

I must admit that I was nervous all week about Thanksgiving and how we were going to pull it off. None of those present at our Thanksgiving party had ever cooked a turkey, and I was wary of how everything could be timed and cooked just right in our tiny kitchen.

But come Wednesday night, Tessa and I started the preparations....she made an apple pie, I made a pumpkin pie and wrote out a schedule for the next day.

And it went very well! I wouldn't say flawlessly, but nearly so....



The turkey came out moist and Heath watched a youtube video on how to carve a turkey (which he did perfectly).

We all said what we were thankful for, and although the majority of the table rolled their eyes at this tradition, we had to do it, because its Thanksgiving! (Its what the Pilgrims and the Indians did at the very first Thanksgiving, after all)!

(not pictured: Mike and Chris)

Yesterday was nice and relaxing after a busy Thursday. Julie, Chris and I met up with Lauren for a bit last night, which is always a pleasure. Although for some reason there was a lot of talk about engagements and pregnancies (poor Chris! He handled it well).

And today I am in my British movie watching mood..... which happens often.

All this to say.....I am very happy and content right now. Its a good way to live.



PS: Today, Chris bought a car! This adds exponentially to my happiness.

The weather, and more firsts

I don't mind the weather, I've got scarves and hats and sweaters. I've got long johns under slacks for blustery days.

Mondays and Wednesdays are the two days during the week that Julie and I are up at the same time. Normally it is delightful, or at the least uneventful, but this morning she was in a very petulant mood.

She looked up the weather and started whining about the cold. I went in my room and turned on the song "Blacking out the Friction"; to give us some perspective. A few seconds later I hear her yell, "But I DO mind the weather!" and she stomped over to my room and gave me her famous its-morning-and-I'm-grumpy-and-you-are-annoying-me look. But then we both put on our long johns and tried to bundle up to bear it (30, feels like 20).

On to another subject... last night, I had a first. I bought a whole chicken and then proceeded to cut it into pieces all.by.my.self! Now, to truly understand what a momentous occasion this is, you would have to know my general attitude towards chicken. I am a boneless skinless kind of girl. In the past, I have always hated having to dig around the bones to find meat to eat. I like my chicken to be placed in front of me.... a perfectly cooked, easy to cut, user friendly meal.

But last night, I got over it.

I cut that lil' chicken into pieces and cooked it up, bones and all. All for this recipe I wanted to try called Chicken Cacciatore. It was very delicious, almost like a chicken stew. It has tomatoes, onions, garlic, and white wine. I added some mushrooms and green peppers and served it over rice. It was simple and homey, I enjoyed it.

(and it opened my eyes to a new way to be).