Thanksgiving Wth Smooth Stones

It was one of those magical holidays that seemed all Northern Lights and double rainbows.....

Butterfly came home for Thanksgiving break with Boyfriend, and I was thrilled to have all my babies sleep under one roof again. There’s something truly restful in rest when I can lie down for the night, knowing that my family is safe and accounted for. Until you have that experience in motherhood, you really don’t understand. I had a good few days of laughter and yummy food with the family, and heartfelt talks with my daughter.

On Thanksgiving morning, I stuck the buttered-up turkey into the oven, and we went to my parents for a lovely brunch. We arrived home three hours later, and the turkey was done to perfection; perfectly cooked and golden brown. I’ve only made about five Thanksgiving turkeys in my life, because most years we eat elsewhere. But when I make a turkey, it’s usually an education in patience. The turkey never seems to cook as quickly as it’s supposed to, and the popper is a tease who just suggests, by popping out, that the turkey may be done. Or it could be lying, and the turkey is still dripping a pink fluid and harboring botulism. It can be confusing and frustrating, but this year was the exception. The turkey was moist and tender and scrumptious as soon as we arrived home and were ready for it. It was beyond easy. Every dish seemed delectable this year, and Little Squirt, who was my kitchen helper, took all the credit.

When looking for some candlesticks the day before, I had found a bag of smooth stones in my cabinet. I placed three by each place setting, and, during dinner, asked each family member to think about times over the past year that they were grateful for. Amazingly, there was no rolling of the eyes from my teens. The tallest to the smallest participated with earnest. Each was thoughtful and contemplative as they shared stories of gratitude, and tossed their stones into the basket at the centerpiece. At the end of the dinner, the basket was full to the brim with smooth stones; visual remembrances of God’s love and provision for our family. And I saw deeper into the hearts of each of my children.

Our close friends came for dessert, later, and we sat in front of the fireplace and stuffed ourselves with various pies and cheesecake. It was the perfect end to the evening.

I’ve had some miserable holidays over my lifetime. We’ve been bombarded, on some Thanksgivings, with illnesses, annoyances or dysfunctions. But not this year. This year was pretty Norman Rockwell. It was magic.

Fun In The Frigid #3 & 4

I said I’d post about every Fun In The Frigid Date Nite, I’m combining #s 3&4, not because I’m woefully lazy but because life got woefully crazy. I had a paper to write, a 3-day retreat to attend, and Thanksgiving dinner to plan......I won’t bore you with the details.

Date Nite #3 occurred on one of those evenings when Super Hubs and I felt every one of our 29 (ahem) years of age. We had both been sitting comfortably in our easy chairs, debating if we should go out or not. It was a cold evening, and we feeling tired and achy and old, and wondering if there was maybe a Senior Center somewhere nearby where we could play a little bingo and gum some rice pudding. But then I thought of my parents, who are 68 and 70, and who still travel the world and ride camels and cross country ski and go para-sailing in Hawaii. Super Hubs and I are considerably younger, yet here we sat wondering if we should just stay home and knit afghans from our rockers. Pathetic. So, with new resolve, we primped and drove to Houlihan’s.

Houlihan’s is my favorirte “fall-back” restaurant for those evenings when my brain is tired and I can’t think of anywhere new and exciting to try. I enjoy the urban-feel atmosphere, and the food is a bit fun and edgy. I had my mandatory Date Nite Drink and a couple of my favorite small plates; the stuffed jumbo ‘shrooms and the white bean and artichoke hummus. Super Hubs had his usual something-made-with-beef.

I’m glad we got off our lazy buttskis and went out. It was a peaceful evening of shooting-the-breeze. I always have some kind of drama that I need to process, and Super Hubs is always a great listener. It’s a lesson in Mutuality: I’m his favorite Drama Queen, and he’s my favorite Therapist. Dysfunctional? Perhaps. But it works for us.

Date Nite #4 was last night. We shared our time with one of our favorite couples, Dave and Lauree. We’ve been friends for over a dozen years with this beautiful couple. Lauree is the sister I never had, and I know Doug thinks highly of Dave. The men are friends independently of Lauree and I, which can be rare with couple friends. Often times it’s the women creating the friendships, and the men just tag along for the ride. We ate yummily and gab-fested, and went home filled, both body and soul.

So there you are. Two dates in a nut shell.

Fun In The Frigid #2

I really hate it when LIFE interferes with my blogging time. Busy busy, so busy. But here goes with my recap of our Fun In The Frigid #2, four days tardy.

As much as I love date nights in which Super Hubs and I can catch up and enjoy each other, my extroverted heart loves to share our date nights with other people. We were invited to have dinner at the home of our dear friends, Peggy and Butch. Our other equally dear friends, Bonnie and Joe, were also invited.

Peggy, Bonnie and I were all part of a church drama team together for five years, so our friendships go way back. We have shared stage time, stage fright, learning and (mortifyingly) losing lines of scripts together. Peggy can make me laugh always. She is the friend I am most likely to get arrested with. I’ve never actually been arrested, but if I did, my guess is that Peggy would be with me at the time and a willing accomplice. (I hope, if she reads this, that she takes that as the high compliment it was intended.) And I think Bonnie might be there with the getaway car. Just a thought. But I truly believe she's that kind of friend.

The men went to spend time in the living room doing whatever it is men do at a dinner party, while the three of us women drank wine and caught up in the kitchen. I’ve had so many wonderful time with these women over the years, but we’ve not seen nearly enough of each other recently. It was sooo good to reconnect.

We ate tummy-yummy pineapple curry chicken, rice and carrots, and topped it all off with chocolate and mango sorbet. Then we relaxed with my favorite drink of all time; Chocovine. I discovered this heavenly combo of chocolate and cabernet on my trip to Florida last year. (Honestly. Why couldn't I have been the first genius to bottle this decadent concoction?? Duh!)

Ahh.....date nights with friends and Chocovine. My favorite things. And the Frigid wasn’t so frigid. The Frigid was actually a bit balmy. Perfection.

Fun In The Frigid #1

The Season of Cold has begun in the Midwest. This chilly, gloomy time of year has the potential to turn the gleeful into glum. But Super Hubs and I won’t let that happen! We are here for you, faithful reader, to keep your spirits up with our weekly date night recaps: Fun in the Frigid. We will encourage, inspire, or annoy you with our antics as we search locally for interesting eateries. We’ll enthrall you with our tales of middle-aged madcapped mania, as we seek to amuse ourselves on frosty weekends.

I’ll give you a bit of a preview of our harum-scarum antics, just to wet your whistle. This past Saturday night was our first ever Fun in the Frigid date. Having a taste for something classic, we headed to Morietti’s, where we dined on margherita pizza and washed it down with a yummy Cabernet. Feeling sleepy after the wine, we arrived back home by 8:30p. By 8:40p, I was dressed in my jammies and watching recorded episodes of CSINY, while Super Hubs dozed on the couch.

I know, I know. Craaa-zzzzy! That, my friends, is how we roll. Stay tuned for more excitement from week to week. We will get through this wintry season together! Until then.........