So I Made the Sassy Water

UUUUHHH, not so much. I peeled, sliced, and grated to prepare my water so it would be ready for me to take to school. When I got up and saw it, it did NOT look pretty. The grated ginger pieces were floating all around and the water was a bit cloudy. I knew I couldn't drink it with those floaters in it, so I strained the water through a fine sieve. That helped, although the water was still a touch cloudy. I went ahead and poured it in my water bottle and thought I would give it a try. I keep a large insulated mug on my desk and drink water all day anyway, so I figured it wouldn't be too tough to get it down. I tasted it and it just wasn't that good. I thought it needed more mint and lemon, less cucumber and maybe slicing the ginger would keep those floaters out of it. As the ice started to melt in my cup, the water tasted better. I did finish it today, and have another batch in the fridge for tomorrow. I did make the changes so I hope it's better. If not, it'll be back to regular water for me. Oh well, I am sassy enough as it is.

This is How We Roll

This is funny, huh? This past July my sweet friend Kerry invited me and Hallie to stay a night at the beautiful Chateau on the Lake in Branson. She and my other dear friend Deb were going to be there because they had to go pick up their girls from camp. Hallie and I packed up and got on the road as soon as we got the call. It was a pleasant surprise and one of the reasons I love being off in the summer. One minute you're in the dressing room at Academy and the next, you are hitting the road to Branson. Crazy huh? Well, that's just how we roll over here. So as Hallie and I are packing up, Deb and Kerry spent the day shopping. In one of the stores they found this shirt and decided it would be just the welcome present for me. What does that say about me? Hmmm...I won't dwell on that. Then they got really crazy and decided they should get one too. Well, pictures don't lie. Upon my arrival they presented me with the shirt and then...TAAA DAAA, they broke theirs out too. We put those babies on and had the girls take our pics. I bet they were so proud of their moms huh? So here we were, sporting our Party Girl shirts, what else could we really do? We took a walk around the hotel looking for the party. We got some looks since we are 3 middle aged "ladies" wearing twinkie Party Girl shirts. Well, sorry to say, we just had to make our own party. Turns out the Chateau on the Lake wasn't really that hoppin'. Luckily, any time I am with these girls we do make our own party. The rest of the evening was spent eating Pringles in bed with our girls. Now THAT'S a party! Pringles...in bed...COME ON. I would never allow that kind of behavior at home.

Cause I'm Nosy

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Take the poll and leave me a comment to tell me about the resolutions you made OR tell me you think resolutions are silly and set you up for failure...YADA, YADA, YADA. I just really want to know where you all stand on this one.

Sassy Water

Have you heard of this? It's part of Prevention Magazine's new Flat Belly Diet. I am not really into following an actual "diet", but this water sounds tasty to me. Just might be the thing to help me detox from all that bubbly! What do you all think, anyone tried it?

Sassy Water

2 liters water (about 8 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 medium cucumber. peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium lemon thinly sliced
12 small spearmint leaves
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight.

Happy New Year!

So, what did you do last night? We had a delicious dinner and an evening of fun and games at the Farve's. The Mahan's were in town and and we had a great time catching up with them as well. Deb and Tony are always such awesome hosts. They love to cook and dinner at their house is always a treat. We had a Mediterranean feast! One of our favorites is when they do cabbage rolls and stuffed grape leaves with all the traditional sides. Deb makes the best hummus, for a white girl anyway, that I have ever had. So anyway, last night did not disappoint. They made Kafta. Have you heard of it? It's a Mediterranean meatloaf! Now, I loves me some meatloaf and this one was no exception. They served it with some tasty Greek greenbeans and hummus with pita bread. There was also this yummy cucumber sauce, sort of like what you would put on a Gyro. One of the best things about having meatloaf for dinner, is that you get to have meatloaf sandwiches the next day. I couldn't stop thinking about how you could use some of this meatloaf, put it in a pita bread with some of that cucumber sauce and VOILA', you've got yourself a Mediterranean Meatloaf Sammy! I think Deb actually hid the leftovers from me at that point. So after dinner we began our evening of imbibing. Because I am a princess, I like to sip on champagne ALL NIGHT. I mean, really, why wait until midnight. That is really such a waste. You get one glass and then off to bed...heck no, not me! From Thanksgiving to New Years Night I cannot tell you how many bottles of the bubbly I go through. Luckily, I am a princess with cheap taste, if it's got bubbles in it, I'm good. I think I have 2 bottles left and just talking about it makes me think I better get started on those today. After tonight, I really have to start being better about what I am putting in my body. In the last year I have gotten healthier about my eating and have made working out a priority. However, in the last 2 weeks, I think I forgot how to do those things. Why does it take so long to start new habits, but it's so darn easy to go back to the old ones? Well, I'm off, that champagne really is calling my name, I bet even you can hear it. Does that mean I have a problem?

The Boss Man and Me at 12:00, his first glass of champagne

A New Years hug from my favorite girl in the world...

...my favorite boy was in Edmond with his Nana and PaPa.

Out With The Old...In With The New!

It's hard to believe that 2008 is over. I am looking forward to 2009, each year my life just gets richer and happier. I am so fortunate to have wonderful friends, an amazing family, healthy kids, and a husband who truly is my knight in shining armor! I don't count my blessings often enough...I think I just made my New Year's Resolution. I want to be truly present and aware of how blessed we are. I want to make sure that when 2009 comes to a close that I have more happy memories than bad and that I nurtured the relationships that I have with those most important to me.

So, Goodbye 2008. Thank you for the great memories and even the bad ones, those are the ones that teach you who you are.

Talkin' Turkey

We are lucky to be invited to my sister's in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. This is a new tradition that was started about 3 years ago. Charlotte is a gracious host, makes delicious food, and her home is so beautiful. She sets an amazing table and I always feel like I have stepped into a Southern Living magazine when we are there. The only bad thing is, that we never have left overs at our house. Last year I decided that I would just start making a turkey for us so that we could have it for dinner one night and then enjoy leftover turkey sandwiches for the rest of the week. This year I thought why not make the full Thanksgiving dinner. So I bought a turkey and all the fixings for our favorite trimmings. Many of you know that I read Pioneer Woman daily. I used her recipe for dressing, and Gwynneth Paltrow's recipe for sweet potatoes...yes I said Gwynneth Paltrow. Who knew Gwynnie was so domestic? You can sign up for her blog newsletter at http://www.goop.com/ Meanwhile, here is the recipe for the potatoes, I'm sure she won't mind me sharing.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup, Orange and Spices

* 3 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled* 1 1/4 cup real Vermont maple syrup* 1/4 cup vegetable oil* 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves* 1 large orange* 3 star anises
Preheat the oven to 375º F.
Cut each sweet potato in half horizontally and then cut each half into 1/3 planks (about four slices per half depending on the size of the sweet potato). Lay the sweet potatoes in a single layer in one large or two medium baking dishes (two 13 x 9 dishes will do the job).
Mix the maple syrup, vegetable oil, cinnamon and cloves together in a small bowl. Peel off four large strips of zest from the orange. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl with the maple syrup mixture. Pour this mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes, nestle in the strips of zest and the star anise. Bake for 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft and saturated.

The only change I made was that I sliced the potatoes into rounds. The reason for this is that some of my happiest memories are of being at my Mam-ma's house. Thanksgiving at her house was no exception. I still miss those days but am so thankful for the memories that I have of her. Her friend Audrey always joined our family for dinner and she always brought sweet potatoes. They were sliced into rounds with the most delicious, sticky, syrupy stuff all over them and marshmallows roasted perfectly over the top. I haven't tasted any better since then, and I sure have tried! I am sure every time I have tried that Audrey and Mam-ma are watching and saying to each other "Oh Lord, look at that, poor thing doesn't know what she's doing!" and they would be right. But these potatoes were pretty darn good, just not "Audrey" good. I also didn't use the star anises, I don't know what those are so I felt free to leave them out.

I hope you and your families have a great Turkey Day. I hope each of you have the fond memories of Thanksgivings past that I do and that one day, your children will look back and feel the same way!