Winter Break

Winter Break.

Those two words are so welcoming for me. I need a break from work, chores, errands, and adult responsible stuff in general. I also choose to take a small break from blogging until January. It is time to pause and recharge my batteries, my mind, and my soul.

I’m fortunate to work for a university that shuts down the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Winter Break is easily one of the best perks of my job. The boys have been on break since last Friday. I will officially be on vacation at 12 noon today. And my Sweetie is taking the time off also.

After the excitement of Christmas and all the family visits, I plan to relax for a week. My activities hopefully will include lots of reading and finishing a couple of quilts. Maybe there will be a date night or two with my Sweetie. Hopefully, the four of us won’t get on each other’s nerves (too much) over the course of ten days.

So this is farewell for 2010 (unless something extraordinary happens before January). I’ll be back in the New Year.

Merry Christmas!

The Annual Kevin Bacon Holiday Nature Hike

This past weekend my fellow blogger (and redhead) over at Mixed Reflections hosted a holiday nature hike through Robinson Preserve in lieu of the typical party.

Our hostess was angry at the weather and afraid that no one would show up. The day was grey, windy, and the temps around 55°. The rain spritzed off and on during the 3.8 mile hike. But that didn’t stop us. About 16 women and a few spouses showed up.

We made an eclectic group of women from across the community. Our hostess was the only person who knew everyone in the group. As we walked along, we formed and re-formed little groups and chatted. We discovered common interests and acquaintances. The one universal question was, “How do you know Susie?” One clever woman dubbed our hostess “Kevin Bacon” because the branching, spider web of relationships could all be traced back to Susie.

The rain started up again as I got in my car to head over to Atlanta Bread Company for lunch with the group. As I peeled off some of my layers, ran my fingers through my damp hair, and turned on the wipers, I thought to myself that I really enjoy nature hikes in the light rain. But I don’t think I should plan a move to the Pacific Northwest anytime in the near future.

Holiday Randomness

• Today is the Winter Solstice and the full moon. Last night there was a lunar eclipse. Those are some extremely mystical occurrences. I suppose pretty much anything could happen today.
  
  
• A co-worker gave me a Winter Solstice card this year instead of her usual religious card. It's a very pretty card. I wonder if someone said something to her and she went to the opposite extreme.
  
  
• I'm not sending out Christmas cards this year (again). Please consider my blog my Christmas card to you. Beside that, I haven't fully recovered from the "address book incident of 2008" yet.
  
  
• I really dread receiving the annual holiday newsletters in Christmas cards. Ugh. My sister needs to rethink some of her descriptions. When she reported on her dog being eaten by a gator she said that she (my sister) was really "tore up" by the accident. Then when she described the new dog's enthusiasm for shotgun hunting she said that he has a "blast."
  
  
• I went to Target last night to get a few stocking stuffers. I refuse to go back there until after Christmas. What a zoo!
  
  
• My brother and his family are coming into town this week. This will be the first time in 20 years that my brother, sister, parents and I are all together on Christmas Day. Only now we have spouses and children in the mix too. My mom couldn't be happier!
  
  
• I love to gift wrap. I actually have fun doing it. My father always gives me my mother's gifts to wrap because I enjoy it so much.
  
  
• When I was in high school my sister's boyfriend taught me how to wrap packages. I've never seen a man gift wrap so beautifully as Calvin. For 25 years every time I wrap a gift, I think of him. Now that's a legacy and he wasn't even my boyfriend!
  
  
• I sorta consider gift bags to be cheating. But I will use them when I'm tired or pressed for time. Plus I love the reusable aspect of them. There is one Christmas gift bag with a Currier & Ives print on it that has been going around the family for the at least past eight years.
  
  
• I thought I was all finished with my gift wrapping until I realized that I haven't finished knitting my aunt's scarf! I better hurry up!
  

The Gingerbread Incident 2010

This year in order to make the Christmas season seem less overwhelming, I decided to simplify. One of the areas I did this was holiday activities. I wanted to cut back on the amount of "things" that we did. But I want to make sure that we didn't skip something that one of us really wanted to do.

I asked the boys to list a few of their favorite activities that we usually do in the days leading up to Christmas. They both instantly answered, Build a gingerbread house. My heart was filled with nostalgia and pride for my boys wanting to do such a wholesome project. Mr. A wants to major in Engineering and G-Man shows an interest in architecture. I imagined the gingerbread house to be the link to their childhood for years to come.

In fact, I pictured a scene just like this in my mind...

That's Miss K in the photo above. Mr. A was able to solve his two girl problem by asking Miss K out.

As I've done in years past, I purchase a gingerbread house kit for the kids. When I found out that Miss K was coming over I bought a package of four gingerbread men. Unfortunately, two of the men were broken. But it was enough to spark the imagination of three teenagers.

Now I debated with myself whether or not to share the following photos with you. But I was finally able to justify it this way... If you have ever seen the movie Steel Magnolias and you thought the armadillo Groom's cake made out of red velvet was funny, then you will find this funny (and hopefully won't judge me as a parent).

The gingerbread man was the victim of a freak skydiving accident.

Angry Eyes Gingy

DJ Gingy G

Life with Boys: Geniuses

This is Molly.



Molly is a princess.

Every morning on my way to work I drop Molly off at my parents’ house and the boys pick her up on their way home from school. It’s a long story. Let’s just say it’s a win-win situation. My parents reap all the benefits of having a pet in their lives and Molly gets to spend the days with people she loves.

The other morning our routine was on schedule. As I packed up my bag, I asked G-Man to put Molly in the car. Out the door they went. I walked out the door to see Mr. A get in his car, start the engine and back out the driveway. I waved good-bye to my boys and I got in my car. I buckled my seat belt and turned the key.

I paused and thought, That’s strange, no one’s sniffing my ear. I turned and looked in the backseat. No Molly. Was she still in the house? I picked up my cell and called G-Man.

Me: Where’s Molly?

G-Man: Uh, she’s in the car with us.

Mr. A: (in the background) Oh no.

G-Man: We’re turning around.

I met the kids halfway and we transferred Molly from their car to mine. We all got a huge laugh out of it. Mr. A thought it would have been really funny when they got to school and realized there was a Great Dane in the backseat. What makes this story even funnier is that not only did G-Man put Molly in the wrong car, Mr. A tossed his gym bag in the back and even said “hi” to her.

Yep, geniuses my foot.

A Wonderful Gift

Today I met a dear friend for lunch at a little French café downtown.

We first met four years ago when we became co-workers. As we got to know each other, we became friends. Work has taken us in different directions and we’re no longer co-workers but we’re still friends. We get together from time to time to share our lives, smiles, worries, stresses, and laughter. I always enjoy myself and feel good after our meetings.

This afternoon we met to share some Christmas cheer and exchange little gifts. My friend often travels to London and Berlin so I knitted her a thick, wooly scarf to keep her warm. I was stunned when I peered in the gift bag she gave to me. I blinked back tears as I pulled out a stationery set and a beautiful pen.

The stationery is cream and has light, powdery blue and gilt gold trim. If you look closely, there are butterflies. The butterfly is my favorite icon/symbol. The pen is actually wooden and was formed on a lathe. It writes beautifully too.

I was so moved by this gift because just this past week I realized that I won’t have any “modern” communication with Mr. A for the first five weeks that he’s at the Naval Academy. No cell phones, no texting, no emails, no blogging. Communication will be through good old-fashioned snail mail. I never knew my addiction to stationery would come in so handy one day. When I mentioned this to my friend she simply said, “I know. That’s why I chose this. I’m sorry I forgot the stamps.” That made me want to cry even more. How could she know these things?

My friend has a big and loving heart. She is an extremely thoughtful person. Her kindness makes me want to be a better friend and a better person. Her friendship lets me know that I’m blessed.

600 Thanks

This is my 600th post on Pines Lake Redhead. I started this blogging gig two and a half years ago when I decided to use this medium as a way to chronicle my spinal fusion surgery and recovery. I have since removed the posts containing personal medical information. So technically, I’ve written more than 600 posts but we’ll keep the official count where it is.

When I first titled my blog, I must have known in the back of my mind that I would continue blogging past my recovery. Good thing I selected the name “Pines Lake Redhead” instead of something like, “My XLIF Experience” so my blog could grow and evolve with me.

On the occasion of my 600th blog post, now is as good a time as any to pause and reflect a little bit. This has been a very bumpy year for me. For the past twelve months I’ve battled depression. Really bad depression that came with all sorts of labels: clinical depression, major depressive disorder, and treatment resistant depression. No matter what it’s called, it sucks. My back surgery was the worst thing I’ve even been through in my entire life. A year of depression is second. Oh, and let’s not forget the 10 weeks of Epstein-Barr virus this summer. Yea, that was fun.

But things are looking way up. I’m so pleased with how this year is rounding out. I really, truly feel better. I’m definitely on the mend. My family loves me. I’m grateful every day when I look at my husband’s sweet face. Our sons have grown into wonderful, young men. Mr. A achieved his multi-year goal with his appointment to the Naval Academy. G-Man has almost reached his goal of being taller than me. This Christmas season I’ve decorated the way I wished, I made cookies & fudge, and I haven’t had a meltdown. To top it all off, I have the best haircut ever.

Then there’s YOU. All of you. Family, friends near and far, friends old and new, friends in real life, and bloggy buddies. You’ve stuck with me through ups and downs. You lifted me up when I needed it. You listened (read) when I needed to share. You gave me glimpses into your lives when I felt trapped inside my own. There has been laughter and tears… but mostly laughter. For all these things I am truly grateful. For you I am truly grateful. I give you my 600 Thanks.

Oh Fudge

Fudge is one of my favorite treats any time of year. I’ve always thought that making fudge required some sort of special magic and have held fudge-makers in high esteem. My fear of double-boilers and lumpy, gritty fudge has kept me from ever attempting a batch.

Then I saw Joey’s recipe for Fool-Proof Fudge. There’s only five simple ingredients and no double-boiler required. This recipe is amazing! I made it in a snap and it came out perfect.

I brought the fudge to work because we really don’t need any more sweets at our house. Okay, that’s not entirely true. The truth is that I want the fudge to disappear because I want to make another batch.

I want to experiment with flavors a little bit. If I leave out the nuts and replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract, I wonder if the end result will be anything like a Frango mint. My MIL buys boxes of the mints every year but unfortunately they are chocked full of trans fat and I throw them out when no one is looking. Hopefully, my experiment will make a slightly healthier substitute for the Frango mints.

Anyone who has eaten my cooking knows that I can’t leave a recipe alone. I always have to tweak it. Or as my guys call it… “Erica-ize” it. Well, you know that instructions are just someone else’s opinion, right? Normally, I wouldn’t mess with a baking recipe because I know that baking is really chemistry and changing one item could throw the whole thing off. But since I’m simply exchanging the extract flavor, then the chemistry should still work, right? Let’s hope that Joey’s Fool-Proof Fudge is also Erica-Proof.

No Meltdowns... Just Cookies

It’s Christmastime. I’ve mentioned before that for personal reasons the Christmas season can be a challenge for me emotionally. Usually by the middle of December, I would have had a couple of meltdowns by now. My Sweetie and the boys would be tiptoeing around me. The dog would be giving me a wide berth. My mother would be calling to check if I'm okay. And I would either be curled up in a small ball or going through life as a zombie.

However, this year I seem to be doing much better. No meltdowns. I haven’t retreated within myself and I’m enjoying the holiday activities. Just for the heck of it I decided to bake Christmas cookies this year. I honestly can't remember the last time I made cookies or even Christmas cookies.

While in the checkout line at Publix (the time before last), I spied this year’s issue of Martha Stewart’s Holiday Cookies. I bought the issue six years ago and got some really good recipes so I decided to take a chance with the most recent edition. These magazines are packed with over 100 recipes each and the photography is absolutely gorgeous! Seriously, it's worth the price of the magazine just to look at the photos. My eldest son calls it Cookie Porn. (Here’s a coupon for this year’s issue.)

But be advised, as with most Martha Stewart recipes, you will find mistakes in oven temps, measurements, and yields. I discovered this little quirk when I used to subscribe to the magazine 15 or so years ago. The editors must get too Type-A over the excessive directions that they forget to double check the figures.

Anyway, with 101 cookie recipes in one book it’s difficult to decide which one to make first. I truly bought the magazine for the classic Scottish shortbread recipe. I love having a piece of shortbread with my tea. So I picked shortbread, candied ginger cookies, and coconut cookies. Since I hadn’t baked Christmas cookies in YEARS, I thought it was best to stick with simple drop cookies rather than go for the fancy stuff (like the gingerbread snowflake pictured above).

I mixed, chopped, sifted, measured, and spooned for hours on Sunday afternoon. When finished I had a glob of cookie dough stuck to my shirt, powdered sugar on the floor, and a floured handprint on my backside. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

The results? I over baked the shortbread a little bit for my tastes and it has a real nutty flavor that G-Man seems to like. All the guys told me that they like the candied ginger cookies and the coconut cookies have disappeared. Honestly? Even though I had a blast baking, I was a little underwhelmed by the cookies. They taste good. But if I’m going to spend the calories on a treat, I want that treat to WOW me. Know what I mean?

Also, these cookies would be good any time of the year. But none of them screamed Christmas or winter for that matter. I guess that's why most of us stick with our old stand-bys year after year.

I think I’ll bring some cookies into work to share with my co-workers and try a few new recipes next weekend. At least now I know that I remember how to bake and that I won’t die if I do something festive. It’s all good stuff.

Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie that you (or someone who loves you) make(s) year after year?

Photo: MarthaStewart.com

Friendship Vampire

Yesterday at Publix I ran into the Friendship Vampire. I unknowingly got into the check-out line behind her.

Shit.

I was trapped. I wonder if she saw the look of disappointment/panic run across my face when she called my name rather loudly. We haven’t seen each other in almost a year and only emailed once during the year. She proceeded to tell me everything going on in her life while she checked out, I checked out, and as we walked to our cars in the parking lot.

She told me that her mother will marry an old college boyfriend in Georgia on New Year’s Eve. She told me about her car accident (yes, I was relieved that it wasn’t serious), the resulting herniated disc in her neck, and all about the treatment of said disc with physical therapy and muscles relaxers. I heard about her son’s sinus issues. I also heard how her mom and future step-father were putting up her Christmas tree.

I’m sure there was more but I was distracted by the unnatural whiteness of her teeth. I stood there staring at her teeth as her lips moved wondering if they glowed in the dark.

I finally snapped back to reality when she said that she feels so much better now that she’s finally putting herself first rather than worrying about other people.

WTF?

I shook my head and went home to make Christmas cookies.

Now It's Official

For those of you who didn’t hear the whooping and hollering coming from the west coast of Florida last Friday, Mr. A received two phone calls congratulating him on his appointment to the US Naval Academy. Since then he also received congratulation letters from each of Florida’s US Senators. But in my son’s mind it still wasn’t official yet and he didn’t want his celebration dinner until he received actual paperwork from the Academy.

Yesterday Mr. A’s appointment certificate arrived in the mail.

I love my sailors!

Mr. A was very pleased and honored that his letter was dated December 7th.

It’s now official. It’s also now very concrete and tangible. Induction Day (the day he reports to the Academy) is June 30, 2011. That’s only a little over six months away. Yikes! Not only will my son leave for college but he will also become an active duty member of the military. At the end of I-Day, there is a ceremony that swears all the Midshipmen into the Navy. That’s the tear-jerker!

As reality settles in, we’re adjusting as needed. Mr. A has worked toward this goal for many years. The other day he asked what should he do with himself (besides go to school) until June 30th? I told him to go out and have fun being a teenager and be glad that all of his college apps are finished! He has friends that took SATs last Saturday. Most of his friends are still writing essays and filling out applications. He’s finished.

A few tears have escaped and rolled down my cheeks in the past week. I am so proud of my son. This little boy I raised is now a man. That’s so hard to comprehend. Where did the time go? I will miss my son terribly. It will be painful at first to let go. But I know that I need to let go so each of us can continue to grow.

Mr. A still hasn’t decided on what he wants to do for his celebration dinner. But there’s a good chance that there will be a whole lot of sushi involved.

In the meantime, the Army-Navy football game is tomorrow. It’s an PLRH Family tradition to watch it. This game is the most awesome football rivalry EVER! If you want to see a high-spirited game, watch this game. Besides, it’s the ONLY college football game being played on Saturday.

Tangerines

My diet was super healthy both times I was pregnant. I didn’t obsess over what I put in my mouth. I simply listened to what my body wanted. Gosh, I so wish I could tune into my body like that again.

During my pregnancies my sweet tooth went on vacation. I didn’t have a single piece of chocolate. I gave up the sweet-elixir-of-life known as Coca-Cola. And I had ice cream on only one occasion.

While I didn’t have any truly bizarre cravings, I did have tastes for certain things. When this happened I knew it was my body telling me that it needed something. I went through phases of eating only fresh fruits and vegetables. Any cooked veggies turned me off. I knew when I wanted a roast beef sandwich EVERY DAY for lunch that my body must need iron. When I craved eggs and cheese I needed protein. Then there was that week when all I wanted were canned peaches and sweet potatoes for snacks. My body was screaming for Vitamin A.

There was an instance when I was pregnant with Mr. A. We were stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and living off-post in Fayetteville. It was August and I was seven months huge. I woke up one morning with an intense desire for tangerines. Just thinking about them pulled my cheeks into a sour puss and made my mouth water. Off I went in search of tangerines.

Well, you may or may not know that tangerines are a winter fruit. Nowhere to be found in North Carolina in August. I knew this. I stopped and asked myself what could my body need? Vitamin C? Citric acid? Folic acid? I tried a glass of orange juice trying to fool my body into thinking that it was satisfied.

No luck. I specifically wanted tangerines. So I went on a quest through the commissary and every civilian grocery store in town. I even looked for tangerine-flavored candies. I know tangerine is one of the flavors in the Life Savers Tropical Fruit roll but I couldn’t even find that.

Then walking through a Winn-Dixie I stopped in front of a cooler. I spied the Breyer’s Peach ice cream and thought, Why not? I took it home, ate two scoops of the peach ice cream and was cured of my tangerine craving. I don’t know what peaches and tangerines have in common but it worked! I threw away the rest of the carton of ice cream after Mr. A was born.

Now we live in sunny Florida and I have access to tangerines as soon as they are in season. A Florida native told me that it’s tradition to put a tangerine in kids’ Christmas stockings. So I’ve done it for the past 13 years. One year I almost didn’t do it because I didn’t think the kids ate them. When I said that I wasn’t going to bother I almost had a peasant uprising on my hands. Now the kids make sure I buy them every year.

I love these little, orange fruits that are a pain in the ass to peel and are full of seeds. But the end result is so worth it. Every time I eat one I think of Mr. A and my tangerine quest. Good stuff.

Hurl That Haggis!

The PLRH Family attended a Scottish Festival last Saturday night. As we strolled along checking out the vendor booths, this sign caught my eye and sent me into a fit of laughter.

I asked my Sweetie if he thought they meant pitching or puking? Before he could answer we overheard a man in a kilt declare, "Well, if they want me to hurl my haggis, I'll need some more beer!"

That sent me into another fit of giggles.

Life with Boys: Texting

It’s no secret that I love my boys to the end of the universe and back. I’d also like to think that I have a very good relationship and communicate well with each of them. Every day after school like clockwork both G-Man and Mr. A text me to say hi, find out how my workday is going, to tell me something about school, or to ask what’s for dinner. The text message medium is great because of the open floor plan of my office. No one is disturbed by or can overhear my conversations.

Below are two different text threads that took place yesterday.


Note: We don’t spell and punctuate this well when we text. I made corrections so it’s easier to read.


G-Man: How’s work?

Me: Quiet and very productive. How was school?

G-Man: We watched Romeo & Juliet in English.

Me: Which version?

G-Man: Romeo looked like Zac Efron.

Me: (Hmm. Could he be mixing up Zac Efron and Leonardo DiCaprio?) Was there modern music?

G-Man: No, it was old and some of the scenes were really corny.

Me: (Aaaah. That one.) Yep. That’s Shakespeare in the 60s.

G-Man: No, it was in color. What’s for dinner?

Me: Hey! They made color movies in 1968.

G-Man: OK. What’s for dinner?


****

Mr. A: What do I do if two girls like me?

Me: I don’t know. I’ve never had two girls like me.


Another Note: Mr. A and I did seriously discuss this situation later at home. Of course, he didn’t like any of my suggestions.

The Ponytail Came Off

Being a redhead, my most distinctive feature is my hair. Duh. My red hair is often attributed as my “best” feature by many people.

However, my Sweetie will argue and say my best feature is my smile. (sigh) No wonder why I fell in love with the man.

When I originally heard of Locks of Love six years ago, I knew right away that I wanted to donate my hair. The first time I did it was a shock for me and everyone I knew. No one was used to me with short hair. And I wasn’t used to feeling the wind on my neck.

This past weekend I donated my hair for the third time. It takes me about three years (with regular trims) to grow my hair the minimum 10 inches. My hairdresser, David, winces in pain every time I tell him that the ponytail is coming off. I have to tell him in advance so he can mentally prepare.

This most recent time he tried to talk me out of it.

David: I know it’s all altruistic of you and all… but… well… it’s just that you have such great hair.

Me: Yes, thank you. But that’s exactly why I’m donating it.

David: But it’s your hair!

Me: David. It’s only hair. It will grow back.

David: Yes, I know. But…

Me: My hair grows. I’m giving it to a child who can’t grow hair.

David: Okay.

The Photos

Before



After

Kinda has a slimming effect on the face, doesn't it?

the Back

Well, for not being happy about cutting my hair off, David certainly was pleased with the end result. I am too! I believe this is the best short hair cut that I’ve had so far.

To answer the two most popular questions…

1. Styling is very easy. I simply blow my hair dry with a round brush.

2. I donate my hair in the wintertime so it grows enough that I can pull it up by summer and get it off my face. As for feeling the wind on my neck, that’s why I have scarves!

Every Reason to Smile

See this kid...

He has every reason to smile.

He received not one but two phone calls this afternoon. Calls from the offices of a US Senator and our Congressman. Calls to let him know that he has received an appointment to the US Naval Academy!!!!!

We (parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, friends, etc...) are all so very, very proud of Mr. A! He is over the moon and very proud of himself too. As well as he should be, since he's worked so hard to achieve his goal.

The news hasn't totally sunk in yet for any of us. And there's still a whole lot of celebrating yet to do. Let's just sum it up and say that we're ecstatic.

To my son, I love you!

Bummer Week

This week has kinda been a bummer.

Things started going downhill Sunday afternoon when Mr. A hugged me and told me that I felt hot. I was running a fever. On Monday morning I was still running a fever and stayed home from work. The day was productively spent alternating between sleeping and feeling sorry for myself. As a result, NaBloPoMo ended with a whimper instead of a huge flourish.

My body has decided this week to remind me that it thinks I’m getting old. After knitting eight scarves during the month of November my old piano injury flared up and now anything I do with my right hand/wrist is painful. So I switched to hand sewing (left-handed) the binding on a few quilts. Of course, now I need to use cheater reading glasses to see to thread the needle.

The work week has also been a bit overwhelming. There are three holiday events that we’ve been preparing. A couple of times I’ve actually thought that there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything accomplished.

Plus the added work has put several of my co-workers in rather non-festive moods. An office tradition over the years has been to “Elf” someone. It’s similar to a Secret Santa gift. If a small token gift appears on your desk, the next day you have to do the same to someone else without getting caught. It’s usually something fun from the dollar store, an ornament, or some candy. I received a wooden Santa ornament and gave a box of Tazo Chai tea. Well, many people in the office have put up signs on their cubicles/office doors that say “No Elf Zone” with a picture of an elf with a slash across him. Talk about being humbugs!

Then the coup de grâce…

A male co-worker asked me, “When are you due?”

I was confused.

To clarify his meaning he should have said, “I’m an idiot and assume you are pregnant. When is the baby due?”

Once I understood his meaning I replied, “I’m not pregnant. I simply fat.”

Yea, what a great week.

And The Winner Is...

Michael

He commented EVERY day during November. Remarkable!

Michael and I have been friends since the 2nd grade. I learned how to spell "principal" because of him. Michael loves all things peanut butter. And finally two and a half years after I started my blog, he commented only when I promised a prize.

Congratualtions Michael! Your scarf will be in the mail as soon as I can remember to buy a mailing envelope.