Tag Archives: holiday

As we get ready to leave this afternoon to spend the Christmas Holiday with my parents in Yonkers, NY, I sit here remembering last Christmas. We were sill in the St. Petersburg house and it was one of the very few years since the kids were born that we’d spent the Holiday’s at home. It was nice being home for the holiday’s, our kitties rummaging through all the ripped up paper and ribbon, Santa coming to our house, being able to decorate and enjoy it the whole season through.

This year, we are now in a new home in Bradenton, a beautiful new home in the country. We’ve decorated and so far the kitties haven’t taken to the tree, not even Harry, the new baby. We’ve booked the pet sitter and are flying into NY tonight, tomorrow we’ll be walking around NYC, high 50′s and sunny, should be very comfortable. Chance of snow this year is slim, rain is forecast instead, so now it’s all up to the temperatures. We get to visit my sister’s new house on top of a hill in New Jersey. She says they have deer in the yard almost daily:-). She’s in a serious relationship with a wonderful man from Norway, so a big Norwegian feast is to be had on Christmas Eve. Really looking forward to this! Love experiencing new cultures. Mema & Pop Pop get to spend time with the kiddo’s, and we get to see nana. There will be antipasti, a trip to Arthur Avenue for an Italian Dinner, Eggplant Parmigiana for Christmas dinner, Michael will make is yummy brie and prosciutto French toast, Christmas movies and….

For now, some images from Christmas 2010.

Well it’s been almost a month since I posted. Lot’s happening with still getting settled, Thanksgiving, a family cruise (early X-mas gift) and now getting ready for heading to NY for Christmas. Wow. It certainly doesn’t feel like the holidays here in Florida, it’s still in the upper 70′s, low 80′s most days and humid. UGH. NY’s 40′s will be welcome for the week we’ll be there and then I’ll be happy to get back to our very moderate temperatures, ha!

I’ve been playing the Sounds of the Season non-stop, we’ve been watching holiday movies, most gifts are ready. My son is 10 this year and his list is short and pricey. An I-pod touch and this AR Drone flyer thingy at Brookstone. It’s $300! I think a lesson is coming for him this year, we got him a $50 gift certificate instead of the whole thing. He can use X-mas money and other savings for the rest. Will he be upset, yes. Hopefully it won’t ruin everyone’s day.

We’ll see.

Times Up!

This has been my Sunday 5 minute Stream of Consciousness.

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Continuing our journey in Ireland, we spent a day driving through a portion of Connemara in West Ireland. I had been told it was possibly the most beautiful countryside in all of Ireland, and since I can’t compare it to any other Irish countryside, I whole-heartedly agree! We did half the loop, starting in Galway City, heading west towards and through the Eastern Boundary of Connemara, Maam Cross. Our first official stop, aside from the many ‘pull aside the road to photograph sheep’, was the little town of Roundstone. This is still the favorite town we visited on our trip. It was almost a ghost town this time of year, not many businesses opened yet for the Spring. We stopped into O’Dowds, on the pubs in town. It was cold, so I had an Irish Coffee, so cliche’, and we ordered chowder, which we had as often as possible, it was both necessary with the temperatures, and better than most in the States.

We chose to take the R340 south, then a coastal country road West to R341 south to Roundstone, this allowed us to witness so many adorable yet breathtaking coastal towns and lots of sheep!

1st Part of Drive

The lovely creatures on the way to Roundstone:-).

Next stop Kylemore Abbey.  We left Roundstone going north, then East through Clifden.  Oh, I wished we had had more time to explore Clifden, it was breathtaking coming up on the town.  Much larger than Roundstone, we only had time to drive through to make time for Kylemore Abbey and getting back to Galway City for dinner.

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Kylemore Abbey, the stunning structure rose up out of the ground, almost glowing.  It was overcast by the time we arrived and it began to rain before we walked over to the Abbey. Really, it was just magical in this weather, with the steam coming off the lake and the grayish sky.  Personally I was drawn to the Gothic Church on the property, being a fan of this style of Architecture.  If we’d had more time we would have also toured the Victorian Gardens as well.

On the way back to Galway City, we stopped briefly in Leenane, home of the only Fjord in Ireland. Amazing how the mountains drop down into the river like that.  I can only imagine what seeing them in places like Norway must be like.

The fjord in Leenane, Connemara.

We could have easily spent a week just exploring Connemara, beautiful countryside and quaint coastal villages, and have I mentioned the mountains.  I was really ignorant arriving in Ireland, I had no idea they had mountains the size we saw.  Snow-capped and beautiful!  All a part of the Connemara landscape, and I haven’t mentioned yet the warmth of the people.  We found that the Irish are born raconteurs, they love to tell a story.  If you ask an Irishman a question, ask knowing you may learn some history.  A very open, helpful people they are.  So much so that prior to our trip we had read to get lost, ask for directions, it’s a great way to meet and learn about the locals.

Cliffs of Mohar, The Burrens and Dublin still to come….

Note about the sheep: And in case you are wondering about the different colors sprayed on the sheep . . . this is a branding technique. When it come times to round up the sheep, their ownership can be sorted out by their colors. I dubbed them sherbet sheep:-)!

I posted my Perfectly Flawed List last July, so I thought it was time to revisit it, see how the check marks are stacking up. NOT WELL. However, I will be checking off several things here in the next couple of months. If you’re reading this, I’m in Wine Country right now with three of my best-est girl friends. On our itinerary, Sonoma, Coppola, the Coast, San Fransisco. I’m sure I’m having a wonderful time right now, taking crazy amounts of pictures to share with you soon!

In March, PFman, PFkids and I are flying to Ireland for a week. PFman does a live broadcast over St. Patties Day every year and I wasn’t letting him go alone for the third year in a row. NO Way. We are booked at the Kilcullen House in Galway our first four nights. Plan on seeing the Cliffs of Mohar, Aran Islands, Connemara and then heading to Dublin for the Big Day. Oh yes, Guinness Storehouse here we come. Oh poo, this is going to set the diet back again, lol.

The List!

Over the holidays I wanted to present a nice spread to nosh on and also save on time.  I was in need of an Olive Tapenade, so I sifted through my recipe resources and realized I didn’t want to work that hard or have to buy so many individual ingredients.  I was going to trash the idea all together when Britt & I spotted this jar of marinated Olives at the grocery store.

So, easy peasy:-). Take the jar, strain out the liquid (reserve the liquid). Pull out the pepperoncinis, then use a food chopper or food processor to finely chop everything else. Done. I added back in a tiny bit of the reserved liquid and a tiny bit of EVOO as well then served with crostini, crackers and other antipasto items.

Viola!

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Merry Christmas!  This is a cherished ornament that has been passed down in my family!

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This is our Kahlua Cake.  It’s a Trifle and is sooo easy and delicious!!

Make two boxes chocolate pudding, one box chocolate cake.  Bake and cool cake, cut into squares, this is the first layer.  Sprinkle some Kahlua over cake pieces.  Mix Kahlua, to your liking, into pudding and spoon over cake.  Repeat layers, top with large container Cool Whip and sprinkles….  HELLO~!!  YUM & HAPPINESS!!:-).

Do you have foodies in your life, or maybe the at home gourmet? Do you struggle with how to gift them? Here are some ideas!

1. Travel to Tokyo 2. Butters of the World 3. Salt Cellar 4. Salted

*Travel to Tokyo,  or gift all the essentials one needs to bring Tokyo, Japan, Thailand and many more to your table with Destination Dinners.

*Butters of the World, HELLO:).  Happy Dance.  This assortment includes butters from England, Denmark, France and Belgium. Found on-line at Cooking.com.

*Salt!  I love my salt cellar purchased years ago, but this one from White Forest Pottery, is simple and beautiful!  *Note:  Locally, did you know that the St. Petersburg Clay Company has a large selection of items for sale by all of the artists!  If you haven’t been, it’s a must see!!

*Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral and with Recipes!! Written by Mark Bitterman. His love of salt began after eating a sublime steak at a relais on a trip to France.

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Local gifts for the foodie:-)

*Check out the heat at Intensity Academy! An all-natural specialty sauce company based here in Tampa Bay! Go get sauced!

*How about specialty oil and vinegar?? Have you experienced Kalamazoo? They carry the freshest and finest 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Specialty Oils from award-winning producers around the world. Located at 449 Central Ave. Downtown St. Pete!

*You also can’t go wrong with unique gourmet and specialty items at the Saturday Morning Market! Everything from Jams to Spices, cheese and pasta can be found, so think out of the mall and go enjoy this beautiful weather and shop!

More gift ideas coming soon!

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How many of you crazy brave souls embraced the chaos of Black Friday to begin, or complete, your holiday shopping? I’m so not one of those people. I love the energy of excited crowds at concerts, festivals and other happy functions, but standing in a line for an hour for a discount is not for me. I’ve been picking little gifts up here and there for a few months now, but now it’s time to boogie. I’m not a huge fan of malls, I will go to them occasionally, but prefer the smaller, local boutiques and unique gift shops and specialty stores. Then there are also great on-line sites with really original gift ideas and I don’t even have to leave my seat.  I’ve been on the hunt, so here are a few of my faves for the kids stockings!

For my kids stockings:-)!! Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty.   For big and little kids alike, it can be used as a squeeze toy, stress ball, therapy putty, etc.  It comes in glow in the dark, electric, metallic, magnetic, crystal, and many colors including special colors for the holiday!

You can find this on-line at Daily Grommet (along with so many other cool and unique items), or locally at Learning Express!

Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty

I just love these Treat-filled Winter Wonderland Treasure Globes! Found at Williams-Sonoma!

Treasure Globes

I love gifting ornaments every year. They serve as memories to reflect upon as our family trims the tree at Christmas. I found these beautiful 12 days of Christmas ornaments in the St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital gift giving guide this year. Here, take a look at these hand-blown ornaments designed and inspired by the patients artwork.

12 days Ornaments

I have so many other cool finds to share, so stay tuned:-)!