Nuthin' finah than to be in Carolina...

You would have cried, too.

Thanks to the Youngs for inviting all the members of TEAM FALISHA to her graduation...and special thanks to Mr. Young for packing tissues for Gladys and me! (Oh, and thanks to Andrea for bringing the AWESOME camera and mad photo skills.)

Congratulations, Falisha! Your hard work has paid off...and good luck in grad school.

P.S. Team Falisha, meet you again in 2 years when she receives her master's degree hood!

Actual conversations.

Overheard recently at my house...

Him: "I think you're the biggest girl I've ever dated."

Her: "That's fantastic news. Can't tell you how excited I am to hear that."

Him: "No, not FAT! I don't mean FAT! Just BIG! You're just BIG-BONED. Your legs are like twice the size of mine."

Her: "You're not making it better."

...and...

Him: "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something. You know that last Nantucket Cranberry Pie you made?"

Her: "Umm...yeah?"

Him: "Those pecans weren't from my tree, were they?"

Her (after a pause): "Oh. Umm...no, they weren't. Those were from Larry & Belva's trees in the Hill Country. How could you possibly KNOW that?"

Him: "I know my own pecans."

Her: "That's CRAZY! Are you some kind of connoisseur? Some kind of PECAN-oisseur? Pecanoisseur!!! Bwah-haaa-haa!!" (spluttering and laughter and snorting)

Him: (silence)

And here are TWO early Christmas gift for History nerds like me: Enjoy the comedy stylings at Historic LOLs, a site with old-timey photos captioned for your entertainment, at:

http://history.icanhascheezburger.com

and the first cinematic Alice in Wonderland:

 

Open your home...and your heart.

P.S. My birthday yesterday was fun-filled and fabulous--except for when May Bee sprayed the veterinarian like a skunk with her anal glands (!)...and then two hours later, when I was at the doctor myself, wishing humans had the same option.

P.P.S. The vet laughed out loud when he brought May Bee back to the little exam room after her shots and I gasped, "What is that horrible smell? Is it...umm...FEAR?" He explained that sometimes dogs who are afraid will express their anal glands. (I had no idea. None. When Karen called last night to wish me a happy birthday, I asked if she ever heard of dogs doing that, and she proposed that only dogs whose hearts are black and evil could pull off such a diabolical stunt.)

Oh, wait...don't let those two revolting postscripts keep you from adopting a pet.

May Bee makes my day, every  single day! (What's a little fanny spray among friends, anyway?) People with pets live longer, happier lives...so share your home with a companion asap! Make a holiday wish come true for a homeless dog or cat...ADOPT!

First ornament on the tree...

The last person on Earth to know.

Bethany and Falisha failed to tell me about Har Mar, Superstar. (I rely on my girls to keep me informed about important trends and items of popular interest.) You really dropped the ball on this one, my dears!

Favorite line: "How long is this song? Girl, this can not be healthy!"

Sunday morning...

...while her mama typed up this week's puzzle segment (Weekend Edition Sunday always features a puzzler with Will Shortz), May Bee snoozed away in the sunshine. It was a three-cups-of-coffee, linger-in-your-flannel-pajamas sort of morning--complete with beautiful music, courtesy of Sunday Baroque. 

Oh, and that's one more reason to visit my church, HOPE Church of Christ...we meet at FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON. Just sayin'.

A week ago today...

...Philip took me to the Compton Family Thanksgiving. We had so much fun! (Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome.)

And two days before that, on Thanksgiving Day, Philip and I actually cooked together! Two of our favorite recipes of the day below.

"Everything Stuffing" 
(adapted from Taste of Home's recipe at

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/-Everything--Stuffing/Print )

You might want to use Bette Votral's original recipe at the link above. I used the low-sodium broth, omitted the shitake mushrooms, and left out the added sage since I used sage sausage. (I also added a little hot sausage to spice the recipe up a little!)

The great thing about this recipe, besides being yummy, is that you make it in the crock pot...which leaves your oven free to bake other things. Pretty handy, huh?

1 lb. sage sausage
1/2 lb. hot sausage
4 cups seasoned stuffing cubes
1 1/2 cups crushed corn bread stuffing
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans (some chopped, some quartered for aesthetic appeal)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. pepper


2 C. sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer
pink; drain. Place in a large bowl. Stir in the stuffing cubes, corn
bread stuffing, pecans, parsley, salt and pepper.

In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion, apple and celery in
butter until tender. Stir into stuffing mixture. Add enough broth to
reach desired moistness. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and
cook on low for 3 hours, stirring once. Yield: 9 servings.

Nantucket Cranberry Pie 

See the Pioneer Woman demonstrate every step at:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/nantucket-cranberry-pie/ 

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful.

Ours sure was!

Fun and games CANCELLED.

Well, the fun and games I predicted on Monday did NOT happen. Not only did my cold get worse and worse during the day (HONK! sniffle, sniffle! COUGH! sniffle! HONK!), but the morning started with an unpleasant jolt.

"Oh, no! Someone dropped their Blistex as they left the library!"

"GAH! Wait!! That's NOT Blistex! Ugh...I have to go boil myself now!!!"