November 17, 2023
I offered to host this month's dinner with teacher friends by cooking an Italian dinner of lasagna, meatballs, salad, and home made bread. In a misguided attempt to include a seasonal selection, I baked a pumpkin cake using The Pioneer Woman's recipe. Big mistake - it was bland, dry, and only redeemed by the cream cheese frosting. Lesson learned - buy a fancy dessert next time.
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| Just buying myself flowers again! |
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| Vegetable lasagna infused with goat cheese on the left; pesto infused on the right. |
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| Grandma Stella's meatballs. |
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| The wine. |
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A truly underwhelming pumpkin cake. I should have bought cannoli from the grocery store.
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November 23, 2023
So, at the last minute, I accepted my sister's invitation to Thanksgiving which I turned into a 4 day stay with mom. It turned out to be a good decision as I gained reassurance that mom is doing well on her own (w/ assistance) and everyone is pitching in.
I wanted to go to the Parade of Lights in town but only my sister agreed. It was so cold, but we put on our warmest and stayed for the full 1.5 hours. I hadn't been to the parade in 15 years, and it was fun but I can wait another 15 to see it again.
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| The city Christmas tree was lit to kick off the Crystal City Christmas. |
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| Viewing the parade from Center Square with my sister. |
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| Father Christmas showed up in a horse drawn wagon. |
November 28, 2023
I have been reveling in my warm and cosy home since Sunday as the winter weather has really arrived. There was snow on the ground this morning and the temperatures are barely going above freezing in the day. I hung up the Christmas lights on the house yesterday and took a walk today in my warmest hat and jacket.
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| A very cold walk around the lake. |
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| The small ponds have frozen over. |
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| Snow in the woods with red berries. |
Now seems to be the season to get house projects done. To start them off, I reorganized the basement work shop so that I could tackle a few of the inside projects that I need to complete. There will be much minimizing unused objects in the next few months.
I'll finish with this quote I ran across yesterday as it really resonated as true for me:
"I don’t care what anyone says,
living alone as a woman is one of the most
perfectly luxurious experiences of my life."
- Heather O'Neill
I would gobble up that lasagna and would love to try both. Which one was your favorite? To be honest, I've had several Pioneer Woman recipes at various houses and not been impressed with any of them. Glad you got to spend time with family; the dinner looks wonderful. I think you're brave to go to a parade. I avoid them, especially in inclement weather. It's been cold here too but no snow at least.
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