Drinking from MY mug!

Inanimate objects and our attachment to them, are we all just a little crazy! So I was thinking about this attachment to inanimate objects one morning as I was sipping tea through this adorable blue mug that Tim's Aunt made us! And I begin to think about our attachment to things and where does that even come from are we really all that crazy. I mean do you have anything like that?

For me it's this perfect mug I drink out of in the morning it's the right size shape and holds the right amount of liquid and it doesn't feel hot on the handle, and every morning I reach for that same mug even though I have a variety of mugs to choose from. My tea just isn't the same in the morning unless I'm drinking it from my favorite mug.

I feel the same way about certain clothing items I mean there are certain dresses that I have carried around with me in all my moves because I have this strange emotional attachment to them. One of those is the dress I wore to my highschool graduation, I mean it definitely does not fit nor probably ever will again it is way out of style, but for some reason I just can't part with it.

Do you have any attachments like that to items in your house or am I alone in this craziness?

Oh February

This is really a great month I mean come on we get a few monday's off this month we get to celebrate Superbowl Sunday while pigging out on terrible snacks and beer and watching a long long sporting event. We get to celebrate love with Valentines day and every four years we get an extra day to this already shorter month! Plus this February we get to enjoy the Chinese New Year as well as Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras or Carnival whichever you want to call it! And then of course there is the Oscars/Academy Awards and the Grammy's! I mean February itself is pretty great so to all of you out there Happy February!

Friendships Which Make Time Stand Still!

Friendships are a unique part of life, friendships make life so much richer! I've been so blessed in my life to have such a wealth of different types of people who have come in and out of my life, but the ones that have really stood out to me in my life are the ones who although years may pass when I get together with them it feels like no time has passed! I've moved around to many places since I left Hemet and I have met so many unique people I have had the best of friends who have come and gone in my life. I realize now looking back that if a time machine could ever exist I wish it would keep time still when I am with friends. I met up with a friend for breakfast who I hadn't seen in a few years and it honestly felt like no time had passed, sure our lives had changed and we were in very different places than we were a couple years ago but our interaction was the same and I think that is a rare and unique gift to have that in your friendships. I feel so blessed to be able to have friends like that. 

Since I have moved back to San Diego I have felt a bit sad about the fact that I am starting over, many of the friends I had here before have moved out of San Diego or have moved on with their friendships to build new bonds and groups of friends. I felt a bit weary of finding myself saying goodbye once again to some great friends made in San Francisco and returning to starting that process once again. I began to wonder what life would have been like if I never left San Diego! However after meeting with my friend yesterday I realized that starting fresh is not a terrible place to be, there are some people who I don't get to see as much as I used to but there are some friends who no matter how much life changes they will always be genuine and true and love you no matter how much time passes. I think that is what makes friendships so special they are the one thing in life that makes time feel as if it has stood still. 

It really puts into perspective the shortness of life and the promise of eternity! So if you have a friend that you miss or haven't talked to in a while go out and call them or make a date to see them I'm sure it will fill you with joy!

Christmas Traditions

Let's talk Christmas Traditions!!! I feel like Christmas is the most versatile holiday, there are so many different ways in which people celebrate some draw from their cultural traditions, some from their faith some come up with creative traditions all their own, but have you ever noticed that for christmas we all do something unique! Sure you have the typical family get together present opening but lets talk traditions today! What are your favorite christmas traditions?

One tradition in our family happened last weekend. We were just home last weekend spending time with my parents and grandma and we got together for our families traditional tamale making. Now growing up this was my least favorite tradition, my cousins and I would always try so hard to make plans the day we had to make tamales we tried every way possible to get out of making tamales, but somehow nana and my mom managed to force us into helping (and just to be clear we are talking about a full day of tamale making hands arms deep in masa as we make somewhere around 300 tamales yes 300).

As I got older and moved out of the house I found myself looking forward to going home and making tamales. My cousin Cora who lives on the other side of the country misses those tamale making days as well (come on Cora you know you do). I think it's something about being in a room with family laughing and gossiping about life and all the things going on with everyone. So I think that tradition has found it's way into my heart and will remain with me throughout the years. Even my white boy husband has become accustomed to the tradition of making tamales for Christmas.

Other family traditions include christmas cookie making which I have always taken vary serious from the time I was around 5 or 6.

Opening one christmas present the night before christmas (usually some christmas PJ's)

And of course my all time favorite traditions, my mom's Christmas parties. My mom has the most wonderful christmas parties she decorates the house like a christmas dreamland cottage! Every year she has her daycare families (who I may add are really just an extension of our own personal family, if you were ever in her daycare you know what I mean) come over for tamales and to enjoy christmas music as well as a big surprise from Santa who brings all the kiddos one early christmas present. Then of course our family christmas party where we love to just get together and spend time playing games and singing carols.

Over the years we have also incorporated new traditions as we added Tim to our family. His family has such beautiful Christmas traditions, they go to church on Christmas Eve then open christmas presents on Christmas Eve! (Tim's first christmas with us he was so excited to open Christmas presents on Christmas morning he woke all of us up at 5am Christmas morning to get Christmas started! haha it was like he was 27 going on 5 years old)

What are some of your  family traditions??? Do you do christmas presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morn? What is your families favorite Christmas past time? Are there any special family dishes that you make each year?

Tim and I added a new christmas tradition that we want to include every year, packaging an operation christmas child box (I used to do that all the time growing up and we did it again this year and it was so fun definitely an ongoing tradition for us) Are there any charitable traditions you have? What a wonderful time to spread love a peace to those in need!!!

The Story of the Candy Cane

Happy December!!! Another random Christmas fact for all of you! Have you ever wondered why Candy Canes are a part of this wonderful Christmas Season!!

The story of this popular Christmas candy goes back all the way to 1670 in Cologne Germany. The Cathedral choirmaster needed a remedy for the noise caused by children during his long-winded church sermons during the traditional Christmas Eve service. The choirmaster asked the local candy maker for some sweet sticks to give to the children. In order to justify the practice of giving candy to children during worship services, he asked the candy maker to add a curve to the top of each stick, which would help children remember the shepherds who paid visit to infant Jesus. In addition he used the white color of the converted sticks to teach children about the Christian belief in the sinless life of Jesus. From Germany, the candy cane spread to other parts of Europe where they were handed out during plays reenacting the Nativity.

 The first historical reference to the candy cane being in America goes back to 1847, when a German immigrant called August Imgard decorated the Christmas tree in his Wooster, Ohio home with candy canes. 

About fifty years later the first red-and-white striped candy canes appeared. Around the same time, candy-makers added peppermint and wintergreen flavors to their candy canes and those flavors then became the traditional favorites.

The candy cane is also depicted as a symbol for Christianity the white of the candy cane represents the purity of Jesus and his virgin birth. The bold red stripe represents God’s love. The three fine stripes are said by some to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From its plain early beginnings to its familiar shape and color of today, the candy cane is a symbol of Christmas and a reminder of the meaning of the holiday. 

Merry Christmas go out and eat yourself some candy canes!!! 

For a new holiday tradition before packing away your stocking after christmas is over store one candy cane at the bottom, next time christmas comes around and you begin to decorate your house you will find a surprise to enjoy while decorating!!! 

Sources
http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/candy_canes.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_cane
http://www.noelnoelnoel.com/trad/candycane.html

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!!!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year and I decided this christmas I'm finally going to enjoy every little detail of the Christmas Season!! To start I'm going to be blogging recipes, traditions, movies, and of course what I love random facts about christmas!! Oh yes I love Christmas!
SO tradition/random fact #1 begins today!

Have you ever wondered why we decorate the house with Poinsettias, oh you have, me too.... well turns out the reason is more than just the bright festive color.

The Legend of the Poinsettia

 "A charming story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.

"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly.
Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.
As she approached the altar, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.
Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.
From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season. The plant was brought from Mexico to America in 1836 by Dr. Joel Poinsett, the first American minister to Mexico.  It was introduced to him by Mexicans who called it the "Flower of the Holy Night."  The plant was cultivated in the 1890s by Albert Ecke in California. The city of Ventura, California, is called the "Poinsettia City."  Today, the Poinsettia plant is considered a Christmas symbol and brought into homes in early December. Their beauty remains throughout the holiday season."  

What a cute little story did you know that was the reason we use poinsettia's today?....me either!

The Thanksgiving Rookie

Alright this post is for all you seasoned chefs, ok or for all you who have done thanksgiving countless times, I need your advice this year. I'm making the thanksgiving feast this year for the first time (Tim volunteered me!! surprise surprise), but i'll be honest I'm kind of excited about it, because I love to cook and well because I love good food! I know you're probably reading this and thinking sure you are now, just wait! You are probably right! So I am writing this post to get your advice and tips on making this day a success. My parents and Tim's parents are joining us along with grandma sister, brother in law and his girlfriend, so it will be a full house. Now the main thing on my mind right now is questions about the food:
1. Do you recommend brining the Turkey?
2. I've always wanted to have the Turkey presented on the table. Growing up we always carved it in the kitchen and brought it out on a platter. Do you have any tips on carving it at the table or should I just swap that idea?
3. What dishes do you recommend making ahead of time like the day before?
4. Do you have any tips for keeping everything hot?
5. When should I begin to cook the 15lb Turkey do I really need to wake up at 5am for that?
Any advice you can give me will be so appreciated I would love to hear your tips and tricks!!!

Oh and for some fun thanksgiving trivia check out this old post!!