Category Archives: Holiday

Waiting for approval

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It’s funny how I’m holding back from making plans because I’m waiting for my supervisor to approve my vacation request.

How many times have you let someone else hold you back from doing something with your life that you actually want to do?

I bet we do that at least once a day.

Kinda sad.

We should stop doing that.

Christmas

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I had a really great Christmas. Everyone was way too generous in their gift giving. When questioned about this they simply would say “it’s just that kind of year” or “I love you!” and who am I to turn away the generosity of others because of their love for me?

Before Christmas I had actually not been in any sort of spirit for it, barely getting presents for anyone at all. I made out my Christmas cards while very sick, with no address book so I had to look up everyone I could remember and missed a lot of people, and I’m lucky I got out the 20 I did.

My favorite gifts were intangible — seeing friends I haven’t seen in a long time, getting to spend time with family members I love, seeing the happy smiles on faces of people who enjoyed what they receive, getting to try something new and simultaneously fearing and loving it (we drove on the 35 degree incline of the Bristol Motor Speedway, which hosts two NASCAR races a year, and I was so terrified my eyes were moist, but I would of course love to do that again).

I feel like I’ve lost my knack for writing tight blog posts, so just keep bearing with me.

My stepdad gave me the NASCAR track gift AND a Tempurpedic pillow when I told him that the pillow I was sleeping on in the camper made my neck better. He also showed up to a movie he knew would have a lot of things in it he wouldn’t care for, just so we could all be together. My mom gave me the gift of promising to come here in February to help me clean and organize the apartment. If you hadn’t noticed, Dawg and I never showed you a video of our home after we moved in. That’s because it’s a disastrous mess in here, mainly because of all the stuff I lugged here from Vermont. It all needs to go, or be organized so that it fits neatly here, and my mom is riding the Megabus to come all the way here to do that.

And Dawg’s mom told me she wants me to call her Mom. Because I’m a keeper. :)

My brother’s family sent us gifts from Vermont all the way to Tennessee so we could open them with my mom and stepdad. They were too generous, and I told them so, but they’re happy about it and I now have a fridge filled with peanut butter cups of varying shapes, and a neoprene cover for this MacBook Pro I’m typing into right now.

Dawg gave me items that tugged at my heartstrings because they were from him to me, and they are sentimental to us. And I loved watching him open his gift from Georgie because she truly got him one of the best gifts of all time — 4 pairs of pajama bottoms in a huge box, one pair flannel, one pair fleece, one pair cotton with Santa hat skull, and one pair polar bear. :)

I am a flawed person, and yet these people still love me. Such a great gift. The best, in fact.

Hoppy New Year!

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Happy almost half way between New Year and Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the rabbit! Rabbits are cute.

Speaking of hares, I am quite possibly getting my hairs cut Thursday at a place I found on Yelp. They give massages at the end, some I’m going to have to tell this nice complete stranger that it’s ok for him or her to touch my hair but please pretty pretty please do not touch my shoulders. If they do a good job on my hair I’ll share the secret so you know where to get a good haircut and legal massage when you’re visiting Manhattan. :)

ok, bye.

Boxing Day deserves a pie.

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This was the best pie on the PLANET, people, and Dawg and I made it from SCRATCH!

For any extra filling or crust dough you notice you have, set it aside to make mini pies or apple pie empanadas another time. Today you’re making the most delicious cinnamon apple empanada crust pie.

Filling:
6 Macintosh apples, peeled and sliced
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1.5 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoon butter

Place butter and water into pan, heat on low. Add rest of ingredients, stirring to coat apples. Continue heating on low for 6 minutes, stirring often. Let rest.

Crust:
4.5 cups flour
1.5 cups milk
3 tablespoon sugar
1 cup melted butter

Add all ingredients in bowl, mix on medium until combined and a firm dough consistency. Cut dough in half, roll out half of dough with rolling pin. Line bottom of pie tin with rolled dough, covering sides of pie tin with dough. Place apple mixture in pie crust, filling to brim of the tin. Roll out the other half of dough, place on top of pie. Pinch edges to make the pie look like a pie! Slit top of pie to vent, preferably in the shape of a smiley face. Place cookie tin under pie tin to catch the bubble-overs.

Bake pie at 425 for 15 minutes then 350 for 30 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Yes, our Christmas was absolutely fantastically amazing. We spent it in sweatpants on our couch then later in sweatpants on Dawg‘s mom’s couch. We had Christmas Crunch, hot cocoa, pigs in a blanket, and filet mignon. Zomg. Hope your day was spectacular too.

And for all my Boxing Day celebrators: HAPPY BOXING DAY! Make this pie. :)