Good Ol' Christmas Memories...

One of my absolute FAVORITE Christmas memories as a child, is of my Auntie. Every year as we got close to Christmas, she would always sing this one specific song. It was her favorite. It's about a guy sitting on a street corner selling paper and ribbons, and people passing by him and not paying him much attention. She used to cry during a certain spot of the song... and to this day, I hear the song and I cry in the same spot because I can still see her in my mind. She had such a tender heart.

My Auntie was someone that reminded me of a combination of Lucille Ball and Judy Garland. She was a hard worker, grew up as poor as a church mouse, had fiery red hair and loved to dance around the house all by herself while she cooked and cleaned. Every year, she would pull out her same-old, sad-looking Christmas tree, wrap it in tinsel and cover it in neon colored bulbs. She had these tin foil ornaments that would get smashed from year to year, and some retro satin ornaments too. Every year, I would cut all the little strings off of those satin ornaments where they had gotten snagged and fluff all the sad little tin foil ornaments back to life before we decorated the tree. She also had this vintage set of Santa and Mrs. Clause that stood about 1 foot tall and she'd put them on the floor at the front of the tree to guard all the presents. She didn't have central heat and air, instead she had an old gas heater. The lighter was finicky and you had to practically stand on one foot, while rubbing your belly AND patting your head in order to get it to light just right. Otherwise you ran the risk of catching the house on fire.

Those were the days when we didn't have to be entertained 24/7. So as soon as the sun went down, we would turn all the lights off, light up the tree, fire up the ol' heater and just sit in silence... in the dark... staring at the lights. As a child, I bet I memorized every color and ornament on that tree. Blues, reds, greens and yellows.. and then an entire hybrid of colors from lights shining through lights from the backside of the tree. It was SO beautiful. Auntie's tree was always the prettiest. She had such a simple, country, retro style. She did the best she could with what she had, and it never failed to be perfection.

I try to recreate those memories every year. These days, however, I choose all white lights, and rather than tinsel, I use decorative mesh, and rather than shiny satin ornaments, we do sparkly ones. We've also upgraded to central heat and air instead of a temperamental old gas heater. The memories aren't quite the same, but I think the important thing is that we replicate the process. For some reason it always makes me feel closer to her. It was our favorite time of year. Maybe this weekend, I'll take a moment to curl up on the couch, turn off all the lights, crank up the heat and just stare into the tree. It's in those moments, when our brains are left to themselves... sitting in silence, without distraction... that we can truly connect to something higher than us. Maybe it's the Spirit of Christmas, maybe it's the Spirit of God... but the fact is that time slows down... and in those moments - we find a tiny portion of true peace.

Merry Christmas!

The Pregnancy Test

So Friday evening after dinner, I started feeling REALLY light headed and nauseated. I attribute it to WAY much sugar intake for the day. I did really good all week and drank solely water, and Friday.... we'll just say a leaped off the wagon and didn't look back.

Saturday morning, I wake up nauseated again and still light headed. It couldn't possibly be because we woke up and headed straight for the nearest donut place to ingest MORE sugar. So after much speculation from friends on facebook about the possibility of me being pregnant (which I'm not...for the record)... my husband wakes up this morning and downloads a silly pregnancy test app on his iphone. (He must have been dreaming about it last night.)

Here are MY results:

Negative

Here are my HUSBANDS results:

uhh.... honey?!

So needless to say, I've been joking with him all morning about it. He's probably regretting downloading the silly app since I've made so much fun out of it. HAHA! Guess that means no heavy lifting for the next 9 months! I should also probably stock up on all his favorite snacks in preparation for the late night cravings. LOL. ok... ok... I'll stop.   **I'm gonna go rub his belly and talk to the baby now.

Thanksgiving in Branson

So we've decided to visit Branson for Thanksgiving this year!! YAY!

Every year at Thanksgiving, my moms family gets together to have a big feast. This year, I'm going to break their hearts by skipping town. I just want ONE more mini-vacation before the year ends! After all of this school and work.. I deserve a little down time, right??

I've never been to Branson! We're staying at a resort with our own little kitchen and a fireplace and very large bathtub. I know you're like, 'What does that have to do with anything??' WELL..my goal is to take hot relaxing baths every night and sit in front of the fireplace as much as humanely possible (since we dont have one at home).

As much as I'd enjoy eating out on Thanksgiving and having someone else cook for me... it's THANKSGIVING! I want my homemade corn casserole, and cheesy potatoes and cornbread dressing... and DEVILED EGGS! I can't LIVE without my deviled eggs! Life without deviled eggs, just isn't worth living. So we might just make our own mini-Thanksgiving dinner in our condo. I'm thinking about just buying a couple turkey breasts instead of doing the whole turkey. Maybe also make a mini- pumpkin and sweet potato pie. YUM. *Note to self: Look for mini pie pans online.*

That makes for a really simple, perfect, personal Thanksgiving meal with my brand new hubby. *sighs*  ...sounds like perfection!

SO: What to do in Branson? I hear that there is a train that I'm suppose to ride, and we may wander into Silver Dollar City for their Old Time Christmas Festival and scope out all the lights. I am a Christmas light addict. I LOVE seeing Christmas lights.

Overall, I think it's going to be a fantastic mini-vacay away from home. I'm SO VERY EXCITED!

Thanksgiving is such a fun time of year because the weather is starting to get really cool, winter is on the way and all the wonderful food is making it's yearly debut. Thanksgiving is one my absolute favorite holidays. When I was little, my Auntie had a song that she'd sing to me around this time of year. I think of it EVERY year right before the holidays. It must be an oldie, because I've never heard anyone else sing it:

Thanksgiving day is comin',
..and Mr. Turkey said,
"Very careful I must be or I shall lose my head."
The pumpkin heard the turkey,
"I'm frightened too, oh my!...
they'll mix me up with sugar and spice and I'll be pumpkin pie!"

Haha. That's my stroll through memory lane for the day... thanks for coming along.  So, have you ever been to Branson? Got any tips for sights we should see while we're there??

ALSO: Let me know if you've made plans for Thanksgiving this year! What are your favorite Thanksgiving meals? I'd love to hear from you!

Fall has officially FELL.

Hey Ya'll! (spoken in my BEST Paula Deen voice)

You know how they say "Spring has sprung"? Well Fall has fell here in East Texas. It's 80 degrees out! (That's cold for Texans!) It's the first day of October and my birthday is 3 days away! In the spirit of Fall, I decided to make my FIRST sweet potato pie of the season! I found a fantabulous recipe online for a crust-less sweet potato pie with only 80 calories per slice! Yup, you read that right! It's the easiest recipe and SO fantastically delicious! It is slap-yo-mama good!

I baked me up a couple sweet potatoes last night and just threw them in the fridge since I didn't have time to make the pie right away. I LOVE LOVE LOVE fresh sweet potatoes. I wouldn't use a canned sweet potato if my life depended on it! I did, however add a few substitutions to the recipe. I didn't have nutmeg, so I substituted pumpkin pie spice. Surely it has nutmeg in it... right? I also added a little ginger. Hey, what can I say... I was feeling spunky. So blend it all together, and pour into a greased pie pan... and VOILA.. crust-less sweet potato pie!

Crust-less Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups sweet potato (baked and removed from skin)
3 large eggs
1 cup Splenda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk (2% used in nutritional information)

Preheat oven to 350*.

Beat sweet potatoes in mixer until smooth and stringiness is broken down well. Turn mixer onto low and add eggs and milk, then Splenda, and finish with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Spray a pie pan, cheesecake pan, or tart pan well with cooking spray and pour filling in. Cook in oven for 30 to 40 minutes - check often around 30 minutes and remove when center is still just a little bit jiggly (it will carry over and firm up). Let cool for an hour before attempting to slice.

Makes 8 equally-sized slices of pie.

Let me just say this.....Thank goodness that my husband is out of town this week so that I have the whole thing to myself! Truth be told, he wouldn't enjoy it anyway. His favorite pie is punkin'.

BTW: I sprinkled the top of my pie with cinnamon. I am a cinnamon Fah-reak! Love me some cinnamon. Love the flavor, love the smell, love putting it on everything. I also topped it with a spoonful of Lite Cool Whip (20 calories)... and there you have it.... Fall.... on a plate... for only 100 calories. Oh how I LOVE fall!

P.S. Spark Recipes also has a recipe for crust-less Pumpkin Pie. We'll be trying that this weekend when my hunny gets home. 

Homemade Granola...Heaven on Earth

I LOVE making things from scratch!! There is something so incredibly empowering in making something with your own hands and having it taste BETTER than something you'd buy at the store. I also take great pleasure in knowing exactly what's in my food.. and knowing that's it's healthy and void of chemicals and preservatives. Although, I have to admit... more times than not ~ I resort to fast food and quick fixes due to my schedule. My long term goal, however, is to make more things from scratch and one day (probably years from now), I would love to go organic. So for now, I squeeze in the homemade things when I can and continue to build my recipe collection.

So tonight, I tried my hand at GRANOLA. I found the absolute BEST granola recipe from a blog called A Beautiful Mess. WOW! I plan on using it in my yogurt every morning this week. It's sweet, and SO simple!

I used extra virgin olive oil, homemade vanilla extract, homemade maple syrup, almonds, cranberries and coconut! It's FANTASTIC! You just mix the dry ingredients (oats as a base + whatever nuts or dried fruits you like), then add olive oil or vegetable oil + honey or maple syrup. Add a few spices and bake, stirring every so often to keep it from sticking. HEAVEN ON EARTH.

Homemade Granola

2 cups of oats (old fashioned kind)
1 1/2 cups nuts/seeds of your choice
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl combine the oats and nuts/seeds. Pour in oil and honey (or maple syrup) and stir to combine. Add in seasonings and vanilla and mix well. Spread out on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 15 to make sure all pieces bake evenly. Add in dried fruit during the last 10 minutes of baking. If using coconut, add in during the last 5-6 minutes of baking so that they dont burn.

Store your granola in an air tight container or zip lock back for up to two weeks! Although I can guarantee that mine wont make it through ONE week.

Goin' To The Fair

One of my FAVORITE yearly traditions.. is to visit the East Texas State Fair! They always come to town a couple weeks before my birthday. In years past, my brother and I would wander around, grab us some food and go laugh at all the carnies. SERIOUSLY! There are women who look like men, men who have no teeth, and half of them... you just can't understand what they're saying when they're trying to shout for you to come over. It never ceases to amaze me all the different styles of people who show up to these things.

So last year, I met my husband and invited him to come with me to the fair. He's lived in Texas for 10 years and had NEVER been to the fair! Can you believe it? Never! Well, we get there and I always head straight for the food. There is absolutely NO way for you to visit and leave the fair without getting a foot-long corn dog and a lemonade. (BTW: back in the day... they were called corny dogs.)

Come to find out, my husband had never had a corny dog! What rock have you been living under man?? So needless to say, he is now a corny dog addict. I may have to put him in therapy for it. This year, as soon as we crossed through the gates, that's the first place he headed! Once our corny dogs were in hand, we headed straight for the expo buildings. Every year, there are all sorts of crafts, photos, artwork, and collections that have placed and won ribbons. Some of them are pretty good! It's pretty fun walking through and seeing all the entries. The last expo building is usually FAV. Every year, they have booths set up showing you how to conserve water and compost your leftover scraps, but this year there was also a cow milking machine. This thing not only taught you how to milk a cow but there was even a little contraption for you to put your finger in and see what it felt like to be milked! Whaaa? Yup, that's right. Get your finger milked! Step right up!  There is NO telling how many fingers have been put in that thing. YUCK. I think I'll pass.

So anyway, we round the corner and the next set of booths are all about the birds and the bees. No really! The have an incubation container with chicken eggs, and also the East Texas Bee Keepers Association with a transparent bee-hive filled with live bees!  I usually pass on the bee station but I LOVE looking at the little baby chicks. This year, one of them hatched seconds before we got there! He was taking in his first few breaths while I was snappin' pictures like a feign. SO PRECIOUS! There is NUTHIN' like seeing a newborn baby figure out the world. 

So this years fair = SUCCESS! Got to eat my corny dog and get me some fresh squeezed lemonade, taste tested Richard's cotton candy, wandered through all the exhibits, watched a pig race, threw some rings at some bottles, watched a baby chick hatch, and walked away.. one happy lady. Can't wait for next year!

Home Is Where The Heart Is...

Not many people can say that they were raised by a 60 year old. Rumor has it that before I was born, my Auntie and my Grandfather debated over whose birthday I would fall on. Hers was October 3rd. His was October 5th. I was born on October 4th. I've always joked that I was born to be the peacekeeper in the family, so naturally I split the difference. Lula Mae Granberry was my great-grandmothers' sister, hence: my great-great Aunt. I called her Auntie. She was not able to have any children of her own so, instead, she helped raise my grandmother, my mother and then me. She was 67 when I was born, and there was an instant connection the moment she saw me. I became hers.

My childhood at her home consisted of warm homemade cherry pies, picking fresh vegetables from her garden, watching her cook in the kitchen, fried eggs, biscuits and Owens hot sausage for breakfast, coffee and pecan shortbread cookies for snack, tuna sandwiches and soap operas for lunch and the humming sound of the a/c unit in her kitchen window during the heat of summer. She hung her laundry on the line out front, and her washer and dryer were in a makeshift room connected to the garage, which was separate from the house. My entertainment as a child was asking her to tell me stories of her past. I would sit for hours asking her to tell me stories that I had already heard a thousand times. I couldn't get enough of them. She would smoke her cigarettes, drink her coffee and always laugh in the same spot of the story. As she got older, things impacted her more deeply and she would tear up recalling those old memories. I loved going through her things. I would memorize her dishes and pick out the ones that I wanted to inherit one day. I also spent hours looking at her old pictures or organizing her costume jewelry. She even caught me on occasion playing with her makeup. She loved pink nail polish and she had this lipstick that was green, but when it touched your lips it turned pink. I was fascinated with it.

As I got older, I would force her to slow down when she cooked so that I could notate every ingredient and step in the recipe. She made practically everything from scratch. She began losing her eyesight by the time I was in my late teens. She had to feel the ingredients for the right amounts, and she ran her hands over the dishes after washing them to make sure there wasn't any food residue that she missed. All dishes were washed by hand. I began helping her put on makeup when she needed to go out. I made sure to draw her eyebrows just right and paint her nails that perfect shade of pink. When she finally stopped dying her hair, it faded from a fiery red head... to a beautiful dark auburn sprinkled with grey.

She passed away in 2004. There aren't many days that go by that I'm not reminded of her. Some days it's simply a dish that I use, that was hers. Some days it's a meal that I cook. Changing the sheets and folding the laundry also remind me of her. She had her own way of doing everything and it was mesmerizing to watch her work her magic. Everything was done to perfection.

That simple, country life is something that you rarely find anymore. Life is such a whirlwind of appointments and to-do lists. People are so rushed all the time that they miss out on enjoying the simplest of things in life. A cool breeze. The smell of coffee brewing. The sound of rain. The feel of home. Something in my spirit is connected to that simplicity. You can call it old fashioned. You can call it vintage. But I've made it my life's goal to fill my world with things that take me back to that wonderful serenity.

This is my journey home....