Well, my blood pressure is up, I broke out the vodka on a Monday night, and I’ve eaten my weight in cookies, fudge and other goodies over the past week. Christmas is almost here.

I’m trying to focus on the fun holiday things to come, not all the work I have to do before they get here and the little time I have in which to get them done. No, I will not focus on toilets that need to be scrubbed, sheets that need to be changed, sleeping bags that need to be rolled up (don’t ask), dips that need to be chilled, fudge that needs to set, ziti that needs to be baked or drives in crappy winter weather that need to be made.

Hee.

Instead, let’s discuss the merriment that has occurred over the past week or so!

• Our office had a holiday foodfest last week that was a lot of fun. Everyone brought a sweet or savory dish to pass around while we gathered at the conference room table. I love the people I work with and I think it’s safe to say everyone enjoyed themselves. In fact, my boss suggested we organize a similar gathering once a month. I’m on it!
• Brian and I had a double date Friday with a friend and her husband. We had dinner at Duke’s Alehouse where they were doing a Friday night fish fry (I love living so close to Wisconsin!). The boys got something different, but my friend and I both got the fish which was served in big ass coffee cans and came with a most delicious side of hush puppies. So fun! While there I tried a very strong beer (10.5 percent alcohol by volume) after I drank a vodka cocktail … lots of fun. After Duke’s we headed to a bar across the street for more drunken debauchery where we ran into a Paul Shaffer look-alike who may or may not have had a sniffing problem, if you know what I mean.
• Saturday I stayed in bed until noon watching Veronica Mars on DVD. When Brian and I finally rallied, we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Algonquin named Gourmet House that served wonderful food. I had been dying for egg rolls and man, did they hit the spot.
• After Gourmet House we saw a local production of The Nutcracker Ballet. The company I work for does some sponsorship for the theater where the performance was held so Brian and I scored some free tickets. Although I don’t believe anything will ever compare to seeing the New York City Ballet perform The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, our local group did a fine job. I especially loved the little kids because, well, who doesn’t enjoy watching little kids dance? It’s sweet and hilarious all at the same time.
• When The Nutcracker was over, we drove around to look at Christmas lights! It’s one of my most favorite things to do and we saw quite a few of them. I do wish, though, that someone could come up with a detailed map every year of exactly where to go to see the best lights. But I guess part of the fun is stumbling upon something unexpected and beautiful.
• We got the tree decorated! All that’s missing is the star at the top since Brian is performing very complicated surgery on it to get it functioning properly again. Here’s a picture:

• We’ve been watching It’s a Wonderful Life. Funny story, I always thought I hated that movie and now I can’t wait to see what happens. In my mind I had seen the beginning and the end, and Jimmy Stewart bugged the crap out of me, but it turns out I’m getting older and my mind is starting to fail me. Maybe we can FINALLY finish the movie tonight — third time’s a charm!
• Speaking of the television, we had a Survivor marathon last night. Brian erased one of the episodes by accident, but thankfully the last four episodes are still available to us. This is one time when I really miss TiVo — our DVR doesn’t give us the option to recover erased programs which is irksome, to say the least. I oughtta write a letter. Anyway, we haven’t seen the ending yet and don’t know who won, SO PLEASE DON’T TELL ME, but I just love me some Russell Hantz. That guy is totally nuts and therefore extremely entertaining. Also? I would totally be friends with Shambo in real life. Yeah, I said it.

How are you keeping your days merry and bright???

Christmas morning was a very big deal in my house when I was growing up — certainly for me and my brother, but also for my mom. There was always a mountain of presents, so many that you couldn’t get remotely near the tree without stepping on boxes and tripping over yourself. Stockings overflowed to the point they had to sit in chairs instead of hanging on the mantel. Paper flew as Jim (my brother) and I rabidly unwrapped our presents. And always, always — no matter the year — there was my mother, positively beaming as she watched us.

She loves receiving gifts, too. My mom is the one who taught me, by example, how to snoop for gifts and, more importantly, how to tell what’s inside a package just by squeezing and gently shaking it. The day after she opens her gifts, the Christmas cycle starts all over again when she heads out to the sales to pick up discounted wrapping paper and any other good deals she might run across.

Over the years I’ve been spoiled with many a great gift from my mom. There was a doctor’s kit (I broke our 8-track trying to take its temperature with the thermometer from that kit) and a Barbie car, beautiful dolls and a handmade quilt, a signet ring and gold bracelets, and much, much more.

Of all the Christmas gifts I’ve ever received, from my mom or anyone else, I remember this one most fondly:

It’s a pretty simple trinket box. The lid reads “You Are My Daughter.” The bottom of the inside reads “I Am So Lucky.” I half smile, half want to cry every time I look at the words.

My mother and I are as different as we are the same. Because of that, our relationship over the course of my lifetime has been up and down. We love each other fiercely and have had lots of laughs and tender moments. We’ve also had our fair share of arguments and misunderstandings. I think my mom could have given me every material possession known to man, but they would mean nothing compared to the sentiments written on that trinket box.

Even though you’re not reading this, I love you, Mom. May you have the merriest of all Christmases this year.

Today’s post is in response to {W}rite-of-Passage Challenge No. 3. {W}rite-of-Passage is a group of writers seeking a challenge, getting critiqued and finding community. Interested in joining? Find out more information here.

What’s your favorite holiday movie? And speaking of movies, what’s the next item I should put in my Netflix queue?

I saw a giant inflatable rat on the way to work this morning and it kind of made my day. Also making my day? Christmas cookies and fudge at the office, plus rumors of teriyaki beef and Asian chicken salad at lunch (in addition to the bowl of sweet potato and chipotle soup I brought). Yum.

My cheeks are all hot and rosy like I’ve been drinking, but I haven’t. I better not be getting sick.

I love this Facebook status update from my friend Jef: “If you don’t know, as of today, Facebook will automatically start plunging the Earth into the Sun. To change this option, go to Settings –> Planetary Settings –> Trajectory then UN-CLICK the box that says ‘Apocalypse.’ Facebook kept this one quiet.”

The Facebook group “I Have Also Slept with Tiger Woods” makes me giggle. So far it has more than 172,000 members.

Any blogs I should be reading? A few new (to me) ones I have been enjoying lately are All Things Alishan, Be Gay About It, ilaxSTUDIO and Sarah and the Goon Squad.

What’s the best way to light a fire under someone’s unmotivated ass?

I think this is a perfect post about eating during the holiday season. Actually, it’s a perfect post about how to eat during any season.

While I fully expected the outcome of this season’s Top Chef, I’m still disappointed my fan favorite didn’t win. Padma, Tom and the gang, could you have selected a winner who isn’t quite so douchey?

Red-nippled reindeer! Get your red-nippled reindeer here!

Our tree is finally half-decorated. I think it should be good to go by February. Approximately.

We’re going to dinner here tomorrow night with a friend and her husband. I think the restaurant’s Web site URL speaks volumes about the coolness of the place.

One last question. How do you decide between doing what you think you should do and doing what your parents want you to do, especially when it comes to your family at Christmastime? Is it OK to give in to make someone happy even though it makes you unhappy? Or should you stick to your guns and do what you think is best, regardless of the fallout it may cause?

Let’s say we exchanged Christmas gifts in my house. We don’t, but just for my amusement, let’s say we do. Here’s what I’d like to find under the tree (or in my stocking) this year:

An ice cream maker, like this one from Cuisinart:A deep fryer for making falafel and doughnuts and all sorts of tasty treats!

A mandoline for easily slicing all manner of fruits and veggies, like this Swissmar Borner V-Slicer Plus Mandoline:

Fun T-shirts from the mental_floss store. Check out these logos!

A new (to me) car. I’m partial to Hondas and Toyotas, but all I really want is (1) something made in the past 10 years, (2) something with a functional radio and (3) something with good tires that’s relatively safe for winter driving.

A trip for two to the Great Barrier Reef.

iTunes gift cards!

A framed picture from our wedding to hang above the fireplace. I’m thinking this one:

A bed frame, maybe something like the HOPEN bed frame from IKEA.

Cute and cozy flannel sheets! These ones are from Target.

Copper pots. These ones from Falk Culinair look pretty sick.

Anything from my Amazon Wish List!

What are you wishing for this year?

Yesterday, someone mentioned that it had been 72 hours since Brian had been home and yet, there I was, writing about Charlie Brown’s penis.

In my defense, Mondays are {W}rite-of-Passage days! And the more honest reason? I’d been avoiding writing about Brian’s homecoming until I had time to process it. It’s not fully processed yet, but here’s what I got.

It’s weird. For both of us.

For Brian’s part, I think coming home has been like walking into an alternate reality. He’s been living on a bus with a bunch of dudes (and two chicks) for three months. He’s been around the country twice, doing shows in dozen of venues, sleeping little, getting sick a lot, partying regularly and showering whenever he gets a chance — which, judging by the way he smelled when he arrived home, was not terribly often. Now he’s back in Crystal Lake where we’ve settled into winter weather and the slow season for his employer. He’s happy to be home, but already bored after being on the road for so long with plenty to do at almost all times.

For my part, it’s strange getting used to living with someone again, even someone I’ve lived with for years and years. I am so introverted by nature that it was probably easier for me — as opposed to more social people — to get used to being on my own. There was always an underlying fear that something would go wrong at the house and I’d have no one to help me, but another part of me always knew I’d figure it out. In 12 weeks I quickly grew accustomed to setting my own schedule at the house, knowing the things I cleaned would stay clean unless I dirtied them, only having to do one load of laundry a week, cooking enough on Sunday to last for the whole week and watching whatever I damn well pleased on TV whenever I wanted. Now I feel conflicted because I adore Brian and I want him to be home always, but I am also selfish and independent and disinterested in dealing with another change when I feel like I just got used to him being gone for so long.  

I have to admit, it’s a little hard to write this post. I feel like there is some expectation — from me, from Brian, from people who know one or both of us — that now that he is home, we are going to live happily ever after. And what I’m writing doesn’t sound that happy. But if there is one thing I have learned over the years, from my own marriage and from dozens of other couples, it is that relationships are cyclical. You have ups and you have downs. Sometimes you’re somewhere in the middle. That’s where I think we are now, loving each other intensely while trying to adjust to “new” surroundings at the same time. It’s a work in progress and I’m OK with that, even if it’s not perfect.

Many, many moons ago, my mother took my older brother and I shopping for new lunchboxes to start the school year. I was probably 4 or 5 — not old enough to read yet, but old enough to recognize my favorite characters on the drugstore lunchboxes.

I escaped from my mother at some point during the shopping trip. I found an aisle that featured Peanuts lunchboxes and became overwhelmingly excited at the prospect of bringing to school a bright red lunchbox with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Woodstock plastered all over it. So excited, in fact, that I ran through the store yelling, “Penis! Penis! Penis!,” my little kid version of the word “Peanuts.”

My mom may or may not have turned 42 shades of crimson when she realized it was her little darling screaming out parts of the male anatomy in CVS.

Sadly, elementary school lunches after that day weren’t nearly as interesting. Whether it was my Peanuts lunchbox with the thermos, my considerably smaller Hello Kitty lunchbox that came sans thermos or any of the other ultra cool lunchboxes I lugged around, the crux of my lunch was always the same — a bologna and cheese sandwich with mayo on white bread, cut on a diagonal. As I got older, my mom used to pack nacho cheese Doritos as one of my sides. I would put a layer of Doritos on the top of my bologna, smush the entire sandwich to get the Doritos to break into pieces, pick the crusts off the top part of the bread (which I still do today) and inhale away.

I stopped eating bologna sometime in junior high. I rarely eat white bread or nacho cheese Doritos anymore (although the spicy ones don’t taste half bad). Unless mayo is included in a dip I’m eating, I won’t touch the stuff with a 10-foot pole. The smell alone … well, I won’t tell you what the smell does to me.

I’ve heard you can have too much of a good thing. I’m not sure those bologna sandwiches were ever good, but I definitely had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many of them.

This is my first shot at a {W}rite-of-Passage challenge. Write-of-Passage is composed of a group of bloggers who are taking the challenge to write well. Interested in joining? Find out more information here.

The countdown is almost complete. Brian will be home tomorrow. It feels surreal, to say the very least.

Living without my husband for three months has done things to me, no doubt about that. Among other things, it’s given me time to reflect on our relationship in a way that’s virtually impossible when you cohabitate every day. There is no doubt in my mind that I love him with every fiber of my being, that we are good together, that we have worked really fucking hard for what we have and all that work has been completely and utterly worth it.

This time has also reminded me how independent I really am. I’ve been doing next to everything (mowing the lawn excluded) on my own for the past 12 weeks. Issues have come up and I’ve resolved them by myself. I feel proud and strong. The next time I question my ability to do something, I will do my best to remember this time in my life.

My next challenge will be getting my head back in the game of being a couple, of sharing my physical life with Brian every day. As happy as we will be to see one another — VERY happy — I know there will be a little adjustment period. I’ll have to get used to underwear on the bathroom floor and snoring again. He’ll have to get used to my anal-retentiveness and my chattiness again.

This is one challenge I’m looking forward to.

This week feels exceptionally long, thanks to many inches of snow, plenty of ice, bimbo drivers and exceptionally low temperatures. It is 2 degrees (not including the wind chill) as I write this.

Monday went off without a hitch, but I woke up to falling snow on Tuesday morning. I decided to work from home since none of the roads had been plowed and the snow was supposed to last through late morning/early afternoon on Wednesday. I also decided on Tuesday that I really dislike working from home. Sure, it’s great to be able to watch reruns of That ’70s Show on my lunch break, but I miss interacting with people at the office. I’m also able to stay much more focused on the task at hand if I’m in the office. When I work from home … well, it feels like I’m at home. I’m distracted by all the other things I could be doing in addition to work — throwing in a load of laundry, cleaning the breadmaker, snuggling under my flannel sheets and comforter.

So, when I woke up Wednesday and it was STILL snowing, I decided to go to work even though I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of driving. I shoveled the driveway for about the 84th time, cleaned off my car, took some pics of the snow (below) and somehow managed to make it to the office before anyone else even though I was running about 40 minutes late.

It snowed on and off all day Wednesday so I left the office while it was still light out. When I got home, I shoveled for the 85th time, did a little more work and finally cleaned that breadmaker. At some point I went to check on things outside. I opened my front door and there was a pretty kitty cat sitting out there. I texted Brian to let him know — he adores cats even more than I do, but we don’t have one since I’m allergic. Our conversation went a little something like this:

Me: There’s a pretty kitty at our door!

B: Let it in.

Me: Really?

B: If you want a cat.

Me: It won’t leave!

B: It loves you.

Me: I know! And I love it! But I’m sure it belongs to someone.

B: He wants a new home.

Me: Gee, does Brian want a cat? Hmmm. I took pics of it!

Here’s the kitty. Admittedly, I opened the door to see if it would come in. I felt bad that it was out there all alone in the freezing cold! A tiny part of me was happy when it didn’t come in because I don’t know if I would have let it out again. Hopefully the kitty made it back home to its rightful owner.

Today the stooooooopid snow has finally stopped and the sun is out. Tonight is our company Christmas party at Deeter’s in Woodstock, where I, per usual, will have the champignon schnitzel with spaetzle. I’m really looking forward to it! Fingers crossed that icy roads and drifting snow will be kept to a minimum.

Something else I’m looking forward to?

This guy coming home in TWO DAYS!

How’s your week going?

Every year I hear people complain about the Christmas season starting too early. I have tried to understand their irritation. I have tried to sympathize with how they’re feeling. But I know I will never truly understand where they’re coming from because I am one of those people who adores Christmastime. I don’t really enjoy Christmas Day — in fact, I find it rather depressing — but I love everything leading up to it. Of all the things that bring me joy this time of year, here are the ones I love most:

Christmas Movies. I watch a lot of movies around Christmas, some old favorites and some I get sucked into on ABC Family and the like. The ones I watch nearly every year include …

Yogi's First Christmas

Home Alone

Elf

The Muppet Christmas Carol

A Christmas Story

Love Actually

and

Christmas Vacation

Christmas TV. I do believe I enjoy Christmas television programming even more than seasonal movies. I have a fondness for the cartoons, especially A Charlie Brown Christmas (which I rented and watched, along with Christmas Vacation, BEFORE Thanksgiving this year) …

A Charlie Brown Christmas

… but my heart really belongs to reruns of old sitcoms (think Home Improvement, That ’70s Show, Roseanne and Who’s the Boss?) and the occasional serial (like Beverly Hills, 90210). As of this writing, my favorite Christmas TV episode — well, it’s actually two episodes — is It’s a Bundyful Life, Married… with Children’s spin on It’s a Wonderful Life that features the kickass Sam Kinison.

Hood Golden EggNog. Sadly, I cannot get this brand of eggnog in the Midwest, but I go to town on a carton when I make it back to Connecticut for the holidays. Normally I would consider writing a letter to Hood, asking them to distribute out here, but it’s probably better for my heart and my waistline if I don’t.

Christmas Music. I’m a big fan of Bing Crosby (Did he really beat his kids? Someone mentioned that to me just recently …), Perry Como, Johnny Mathis and the like. One of my very favorite songs is Jim Nabors’ Go Tell It on the Mountain. My favorite CD is Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s Once upon a Christmas. I have a really hard time with a lot of newer stuff — like the Destiny’s Child Christmas garbage they were playing at the library last week — but I’m not fully opposed to it. For instance, Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel’s version of Baby, It’s Cold Outside totally rules.

White Christmas

Lights. My husband is not a big fan of Christmas (perhaps the understatement of 2009), but he humors my yearly request to be chauffeured around to look at Christmas lights. I just can’t get enough of all the good, the bad and the ugly. Now that we live in the ‘burbs it’s even better because, though I normally despise the McMansion neighborhoods that contain nary a full-grown tree, they often feature the best holiday light displays.

If you celebrate Christmas or another holiday around this time of year, what’s your favorite part?

Thanks to everyone who commented and provided input on my Friday post. In the end, I filed a police report and we’re going to get the damage fixed. Filing the report was no fun — I got slightly reprimanded for not reporting the incident right away and, let’s be honest, I’m afraid of cops in general — but the thing that tweaked me out most was the thought of retribution on the part of the guy who hit my car. Is it just me, or is it a bit jarring to know that the person you filed a report against knows exactly where you live, your phone number, your date of birth, your license plate number AND your license number?

Anyway, Friday’s post also garnered a few inquiries about whether or not the risotto recipe I posted would lend itself to a veg-friendly version. I certainly think you could substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. However, I’m not sure about substituting fake sausage for real sausage, mostly because I’ve never worked with the stuff and I’m not sure if there’s a hot Italian version out there that would work properly (and taste right) with the recipe.

On a positive note, I made a recipe this weekend that is completely veg-friendly once you swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth. It’s from the new issue of Everyday Food and isn’t available on their Web site yet, or else I would link to it.

Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced 
4 medium sweet potatoes (2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 to 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
sour cream, for serving 
toasted flour tortilla wedges, for serving (optional)

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beginning to brown around the edges, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sweet potatoes, chile, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Let soup cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return pureed soup to pot over low heat and season with salt and pepper. Top soup with sour cream and serve with tortilla wedges, if desired.

Kate’s Notes

Like the risotto recipe, this recipe also has a small error — it calls for 2 tablespoons of oil, but the instructions indicate you only have to use 1 tablespoon.

I used a standard yellow onion instead of a white onion. I also added extra adobo sauce to the soup to make it spicier – a little when I threw in the chile and a little to taste once the soup was done.

I didn’t use sour cream or tortilla wedges.

I used an immersion blender as opposed to a real blender. If you blend a lot of foods and don’t already own one, I strongly suggest buying an immersion blender if your budget allows. It makes cleanup SO much easier.

****

Aside from cooking and spending time at the cop shop, my weekend was filled with fun, friends and productivity! On Saturday I went with Erica and two of her friends to the Renegade Craft Fair at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse. There were tons of vendors and so much cool stuff, like restaurant ware from Folded Pigs (WANT). I didn’t buy anything, but I got business cards for all the crafters I especially liked so I could look them up online. After the craft fair, we stopped to check out the cool handmade bath and beauty products at Mojo Spa (where one of the owners mistook us for California girls … you know, because all California girls own bigass North Face winter coats) before having dinner at Penny’s Noodle Shop (served to us by a hairy, mustachioed guy who definitely should not make a lifelong career as a waiter for several reasons).

Yesterday I rolled out of bed at about 10:30 a.m., ordered Christmas gifts for my niece and nephew, listened to holiday tunes while I assembled a new office chair I bought, vacuumed, made the sweet potato and chipotle soup and did laundry.  I felt very accomplished.

How was your weekend?