Author: Lara

Who knew A Christmas Carol had so much to do with Thanksgiving? A happy accident. You can see where my mind has been lately, can’t you? ‘Tis the season for us theatre folk.

“You see, there is generosity aplenty in the natural world. One need look no further than a simple farmer’s harvest or in the young child’s heart to learn how to be thankful.” – Ghost of Christmas Present

“It is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt and Abundance rejoices.” – First Subscription Gentleman

“Business! Mankind should have been my business. The common welfare should have been my business. Charity, Mercy, and Benevolence should all have been my business!” – Marley’s Ghost

“He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service a pleasure or a burden. The happiness he gives…is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.” – Ebenezer Scrooge remembering Mr. Fezziwig

We all have the power within us to be thankful for what we already have, big and small – and often it is the simplest of pleasures that bring us the most joy. We all have the power within us to share what we have with those who have not, especially when we have so much to share. We all have the power within us to take care of others like it is our job, because it is. And we all have the power within us to bring happiness to others or to add to their burden. The choice is ours.

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I have seriously fantastic taste in winter pajamas.

Consider your Monday-Friday sleepwear officially covered.

You’re welcome.

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Well, you need something appropriate to tiptoe around the house in on Christmas Eve while you wait for Santa in your living room blanket fort, now don’t you?

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I feel strongly that a woodsy red flannel blanket, mug of hot cocoa, a blaze roaring in the fireplace, and a lodge in the snowy mountains would complete this ensemble. Does this remind anyone else of Topanga Lawrence from Boy Meets World? Also, you can’t pass up trendy reindeer. So, just give in to the adorable yet slightly impractical short-sleeved reindeer pajamas.

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Yes, those are indeed black velour footed pajamas (also available in red and plum). I know. Black velour footed pajamas. I’ll let that sink in for a moment.

You can rest easy now and thank me later. Life = complete.

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Thermal is terrific! To be fair, on the off chance that you don’t wear a knit beanie and waist-wrapped sweater to bed (what nonsense! I know I do.), I still think this cozy thermal union suit would be just dandy on its own. But thanks for the style tip, J. Crew!

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These Christmasy two-piece long johns totally come in adult sizes. I’m particularly drawn to the green stripes. They’re pretty nifty, and green is my favorite color. Better yet, they’re unisex! Now the man in your life can be Christmas-handsome too, and you’ll match! You probably had no idea I was so stylish.

(On that note, yes it actually does have something funny to do with these very same exact pajamas, please read this. Hilarious. Snarky. True. Match made in heaven.)

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Just kidding. Please don’t wear this. Or pose like this. Ever.

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You can also count these out (and the humans too). There is a line, and this is it.

I bet you think my five picks above are looking better and better, right?

Sweet dreams!

P.S. In all seriousness, those Xmas Eve hooded pajamas and the long johns need to be mine ASAP.

Thanksgiving is the BEST.

Easily in my top 3 of the “Best Holidays” category.

With that in mind, and after much time and consideration, our Thanksgiving menu is at last complete!

This year we’ll be having…

• Roasted turkey with giblet gravy and caramelized onions
• Glazed ham with maple-dijon cream sauce
• Roasted leg of lamb with fresh mint jus
• Grilled salmon with a traditional herb crust
• Sweet potato gnocchi tossed in a wheel of parmigiano
• Butternut squash ravioli with sweet fennel cream sauce
• Rigatoni and homemade turkey & arugula meatballs
• Baked acorn squash with brown sugar, cinnamon, and oranges
• Candied yams
• Italian green bean and mushroom casserole
• Rustic mashed potatoes with roasted garlic
• Sweet sausage and fennel stuffing
• Baked brie with almonds
• Stuffed sausage mushrooms
• Clams
• Crab cakes
• Fried oysters
• Corn fritters
• Mixed vegetable frittura
• Sicilian style fried calamari
• Shrimp and crab claws
• Aged and imported cheeses with smoked salmon, marinated artichokes, mussels, clams, and roasted peppers
• Tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella caprese
• Deviled eggs and relish tray
• Romaine salad with fennel and orange
• Croissants with herb-infused butter
• Chocolate fountain with assorted dippers including fresh fruit
• Flambé with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries
• Pie: Pumpkin, pecan, apple, berry, cherry, and lemon meringue
• Canollis
• Champagne

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…clearly, we’re dining out this year.

–

I love planning fantastic dishes – traditional with a twist. A few family recipes passed down through the years and a few of my own adventurous creation. I love a good home-cooked meal made from scratch and with love. I love having my home filled to the brim with family, friends, food, wine, music, games, gratitude, and laughter. I love the sweet and spicy scent of a busy kitchen. I love decorating the table beautifully for the ultimate feast of thanksgiving. And I love celebrating Thanksgiving at home – where ever that may be.

But this year it’s just me and Ted. And though when we are together, we are always home, we don’t have a permanent place to call our “home” just yet. We may feel like squatters, but at least we’re together!

And so we’ll sleep in, cozily huddled beneath the blankets while the crisp winter wind nips at the windowpanes, instead of waking up at 5 a.m. to prep a turkey. And we’ll go to church, and share our blessings, and give thanks for all that we have and hold dear, and then we’ll go out to eat. Clearly, Ted found a stellar place; that delicious menu isn’t a sacrifice in the least! And we’ll eat and drink to our hearts delight. Champagne for everyone!

And when we’re finished, we’ll go back to the apartment and change into our pajamas, and roost, and relax, and nap, and watch football, and hang out with my wonderful roommate and her husband, if they’re around. We’ll turn on the music, and sip wine, and dig into a slice of freshly baked pie (that I will be making this year), and play a board game, and cuddle up in blankets, and maybe even build a fort in the living room, and laugh, and simply be together – thankful.

And we have so, so much to be thankful for.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

So, I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but love a chunk of time that looks like this: 4-day work week, 4-day Texas vacation, 4-day work week, relaxing weekend with no obligations, 3-day work week including rehearsal visitations and decorating the theatre for the holidays, and a 4-day Thanksgiving break with Ted.

That, my friends, is excellence at its finest.

I’ve already shared with you the food and family coma that was my trip to the Lone Star state, and my 4-day work week was mellow yet fulfilling after the previous week’s rush of student matinee performances and discovery workshops. My no-obligations Saturday of relaxation and getting stuff done around the place time included the glorious feeling of sleeping in and waking up without the chime of an annoying alarm, checking out some local fish shops to find our new fav for supplies, plants, RO water, and eats for the crays (I may or may not have found a few I’d like to add to the brood!), bumming a few parks and cute little small-town shops in this mild winter weather, mall browsing, cooing over a herd of cows at a dairy farm, reading a great book I can’t put down, and checking out this city’s food truck & ice cream scene. I’d call that a successful Saturday. Re-reading that last statement, this image comes to mind:

The no friends things totally isn’t true, but I think I’m starting to sound old and gray at 26. Granted, my Saturday is not what I would have pegged as the “ultimate day of fun” – not in the least. I’ve got plenty of rad ideas for that! But it was relaxing and enjoyable. I wonder if my 16-year-old self would have been mortified by my concept of a successful Saturday? Anyhow, onto the goods:

How was your Saturday?

I die.

If you’re anything like me and deeply appreciate the obscene tomfoolery that is magazines like SkyMall, Williams-Sonoma, and Anthropologie that charge approximately $178 for a stylish yet utterly stupid and/or impractical object, like a digital talking jewel-encrusted soap dish, that you could not fathom ever needing yet alone paying a tidy portion of your paycheck for, (and if you don’t mind a bit of profanity in exchange for a hearty laugh) then this quick read will make your day. This dude’s humor had me in stitches. Because, really, 25+ smackaroos for a twine acorn holder? What the hell IS that anyway? And pray tell why on earth anyone actually needs that crap? Do you really need to be buying a motorized alien butler, waistband stretcher, Siamese “slanket”, bug vacuum, or toilet roll iPod docking station 10,000 feet above the ground? Astonishing.

Clearly, I’m a lady. And being such, I can respect the desire for a sweet pair of eye-catching earrings or a fancy foodie cooking appliance as much as the next lady. After all, I’m only human. I’m not saying you won’t see a jar of dreamy Door County honey mustard, a doughnut baking pan, gourmet loose tea, mason jar wine glasses, moccasins, girly earrings, footed velour pajamas, a rustic wooden bathtub tray, or a waffle maker in the shape of Texas on my Pinterest wish list. Are these items fantastic? Yes. Are these items totally useless? Also, yes. But are these items ungodly, catastrophically, immorally, and unreasonably expensive? Comparatively, no. And will I ever actually cough up the cash to own them, of my own accord? Probably not, because thinking “heh, that’s weird” and actually buying it are two different ball games. But, honestly, how can an intelligent being with even a lick of common sense not enjoy browsing such magazines and simply marveling at the stupidity of what asinine objects we Americans will plop down our hard-earned money for? Put stupidity to the tune of sarcasm and I’m hooked! There’s a pretty handful of great articles out there, detailing the ludicrous items from the likes of the magazines listed above for your purchasing and wallet-emptying pleasuring – wittily penned, of course. Sometimes I Google search for them when I need a good laugh. I suggest you do the same if you ever find yourself in need of a quick midday pick-me-up. Like magic and without fail.

What are some of your guilty searching and/or reading pleasures?

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Somebody NEEDS to go to Turkey Bowl for me this year. Seriously. I am truly bummed that I will not be in town next week to partake in this. I can think of nothing more rewarding than flinging a frozen turkey at a bunch of bowling pins on the outdoor ice rink in Fountain Square. Nothing.

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While we’re at it, you can also go to Balluminaria for me this weekend on Mirror Lake in Eden Park. Another Cincy event I had been desperately looking forward to attending for the entire past year but, alas, no dice.

SOMEBODY PLEASE GO AND ENJOY THE WORLD FOR ME.

And bring me back some of these from the Taste of Belgium!

Welcome to my winter.

Also, I did a workshop at a high school today, and let me just say that my high school did not look like this:

Nor did it have any of these swimming around the hallways:

What a rip off, Boerne.

Officially jipped out of a great aquatic education.

In other news…

Texas (and, uh, Blue Bell Ice Cream) = TOMORROW

I kind of cannot contain my excitement.

Really.

For the record, i’ll be sitting pretty at about 78 degrees in the Lone Star State this weekend, instead of hobbling outside in fleece-lined tights, gloves, and a parka when it’s a cool 23 degrees here.

Temporary life upgrade? I think so.

Happy Thursday friends!

What are you looking forward to this weekend?