Success!

Thanksgiving went off without a hitch! Today I am basking in the glow of a clean house and full fridge as well as the amazing Duck victory last night. Life is good...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you have a lovely holiday! We're at the in-law's on Thursday and hosting at our house on Saturday. I'll be doing the bird using the Real Simple recipe that has never failed me. The crescent roll dough is in the fridge (homemade--I'm a snob), the pickle assortment has been purchased, and the napkins are in the washer right now. We're just about ready!

Just a few of the things I am grateful for:

• The Mister, who has been my rock during a very difficult year.
• My family.
• The roof over our heads--after years of moving it's so nice to know that I don't have to stockpile copy paper boxes! Although, I am finding it's a hard habit to kick...

Danish Dinner

Tonight we're having the In-Laws over for a "traditional" Danish dinner. My people are five generations removed from the Old Country so I'm not sure how traditional it really is, but our family has been making aebleskivers and frikadeller for as long as I can remember. Aebleskivers seem to very trendy now that Williams-Sonoma has them featured in their catalogue. In my opinion, if you're not making them in an old cast iron pan that used to belong to your mother, they're not real aebleskivers. Pumpkin filling? Pecans? No! Just butter and raspberry jam with a side of applesauce.

Image via ssplam

Holiday Madness

Thanksgiving is just around the corner...I have tomorrow off so I will be spending some time grading papers and the remainder of the day prepping to have two celebrations in three days. Fortunately I am only hosting one of them.

Less than four weeks until our trip! The list making madness has started. I started packing about a month ago when it was time to take the summer clothes out of the closet. The Australian dollar is tanking (sorry, Australians!) so our penguin-seeking jaunt actually got a little cheaper. More than anything I'm looking forward to quality time with the Mister, our family, and gazing at the ocean for long, thoughtless stretches of time.

Image via Suburbanbloke

Histories and Mysteries

That's all I've been reading lately, it seems.

• America: The Last Great Hope (volume 2) by William J. Bennett
• Another Man's Moccasins, Craig Johnson
• Unveiled, by Deborah Kanafani
• Redemption, by Lee Jackson

I'd give them all a B+. Bennett's work is always well-researched, whether you agree with his politics or not is another issue. The Johnson mystery was a strange mix of Asian, American, and Native American cultures but he made it work. Kanafani's story gave deeper insight into Mid-East politics (which I badly need), and Redemption was a scary trip into the future. It emphasized post-9/11 politics and civil liberties.

Math Hasn't Gotten Any Easier

My math phobia is well-documented. My high school algebra teacher told my mother in a parent-teacher conference that I was "mathematically fragile". He was being generous.

Looks like I'll be re-taking the GRE in the spring as my quantitative score wasn't quite high enough. I'm disappointed but not at all surprised.

I hate math. Somehow I think the test could sense my hostility and decided to punish me for it.

Photo by Akash K.

Tasty Treat

The Mister bought one of these chocolate bars for me for Valentine's Day a couple of years ago. They've since become a staple of our diet and it doesn't feel like a special occasion unless we have one to celebrate with. They're made just up the road from us in Boulder so I like to think we're doing our part to support the local economy when I eat one. If you have a Whole Foods or King Soopers near your house, run out and buy one right away. You will thank me. They are excellent snacking when you are bogged down in a book.

Great Pumpkin

Who's the cutest Halloween baby? Why, Nephew is, of course! Love, love, love this picture.