The Nutcracker

My guilty pleasure: listening to the Nutcracker Suite in its entirety. I love it and will listen to it any time of year but at least now, I can play it without the use of earphones and funny looks from people in June.

Ahoy

My husband I have booked another cruise. It will be our sixth and it's all we can talk about. It's not tomorrow, but it might as well be seeing how excited we are. Just tonight, I made a vow to increase my shrimp intake at dinner each night. We are addicted to cruising because it is the easiest vacation to take. You pay the price for your trip, show up to the boat and let yourself be entertained, stuffed and catered to for the duration all while visiting beautiful and culturally interesting places. I know cruising isn't for everyone and if someone has tried it and it wasn't for them, I won't try to change their mind. But cruising is definitely for us.

Will you take me back

I have missed my little blog. I fell into the trap of so many new bloggers in that I didn't post regularly, whether I felt I had a good post or not. I procrastinated about my posts for days into weeks into a year. Yikes! I feel like I'm trying to reconnect with a neglected but good friend. I think we can kiss and make up.

Thanksgiving was another small but wonderful affair for my family. I cooked my tail off for two days and had:

turkey breast
collards
corn bread DRESSING (not inside the bird = not stuffing)
yams
field peas
mac & cheese
broccoli rice casserole
sweet carrots
cranberry sauce (again I know it's a condiment-see post from last year, but I love it as a side dish)
pumpkin praline pie

This was the most food we have had at one time and it was all so very good. There was a moment of domestic bliss and satisfaction I felt. I was in the kitchen looking into the dining room at my family fix their dinner, myself still feeling the satisfaction a new bride feels when she gets to use her wedding china and she has all the pieces and they are being used dammit (I digress), the sun was shining and things just felt *right*. I don't know how to describe it but it was truly a picture perfect moment.