Merry Christmas!

Yes, there is just one shopping day until Christmas and that day is today. I will be at the mall working which should prove interesting. If you are a shopper be nice to all of the sales people. They've been standing up since November 15th. 

Card made by talented sister Martha Marlette

Card made by talented sister, Martha Marlette

Card made by talented friend Laura P.

Merry Christmas to all of my readers. I'll try to find some fun pics to share.

Jackie Evancho

Try to listen to Jackie Evancho singing O Holy Night and Silent Night before Christmas. She is simply wonderful. I could listen to her singing these songs over and over and over. Just lovely.


Some more Christmas photos for you to enjoy. It will be too late to show you in just a couple of days.

Thomas Keller does it again

Thomas Keller has developed a gluten-free "flour" called C4C meaning cup for cup. I made sugar cookies yesterday and it was simply wonderful to work with it. Sometimes when you roll out a piece of dough a few times it can get crumbly, like Playdoh. This dough was smooth and silky and less sticky so it was easier to roll out. All-in-all. a huge success. This product is available at Williams Sonoma. I love, love, love it.

Take your time at the red light

I know I will sound like Polly Perfect but here goes. 

We all have a lot to do this week. Little stickies with important information like shoe size, etc. scribbled in haste. Grocery items listed on the back of a Christmas card you had planned to send and by the way how on earth will you manage to send cards at all????

This is the time to use your time stopped at a red light wisely: find your lipstick, put it in your makeup bag, get all of your change into your wallet instead of slipping and sliding at the bottom of your pocketbook. I sometimes take all of the little stickies and post them on a larger piece of paper, like an envelope, so I don't have to rewrite my list. You'll be amazed how much you can organize while waiting for a green light. 

Do not try to do anything while driving. You are only asking for trouble. Keep your phone in the backseat so you won't be tempted to text or call anyone.

I have a feeling this reminder if only for those of us with ADHD. That's okay, everyone can probably profit from this advice.

As for those Christmas cards, try Paperless Post. You can do it while you listen to the news. Or watch Ellen. Also good to use Ellen as background for wrapping presents. I have become a fan of Christmas bags. So much easier to tackle the present wrapping this way and you can use and reuse the bags for many Christmases to come.

Don't forget to stop and enjoy the Christmas lights and wreaths around town. Everything is looking so pretty.


Following are some pictures of trees I have worked on for "Trees of Hope", a benefit for Ronald McDonald House in New Haven. I hope you love these photos because they are some favorites of mine.

I can't believe it but it's Christmas week!

I am off to Williams Sonoma today and tomorrow for the Christmas crunch. It should prove interesting. I will be like a limp dish rag at the end of both days so I don't think I'll be out partying tonight. But, we'll see, maybe I can rally. 

I will drop of my Operation Santa things on Monday which will be fun. I have made a little present for the classroom: Christmas erasers, some books, construction paper, etc. I have also included a Martha Stewart pack of glitter in about 30 shimmering shades.(something that was in my crafts basket, unopened) The teacher can do one of two things: 1.) hide it, or 2.) let the kids make shiny, sparkly treasures. I would love to be a fly on the wall for this project, that is, if she does it.

I finished my major Christmas project yesterday so I am all set for the big day.   Here is how my week is shaping up. Monday is for delivering packages to P.S. 55, Tuesday is for baking Christmas cookies, Wednesday and Thursday I am working, Friday I am getting a shot of something in my bum knee. Hopefully it is either caulk or WD-40. I work an early shift on Christmas Eve (7:30-2:00)

At Williams Sonoma we have a new product called C4C from Thomas Keller. It is gluten-free flour. I am going to try it with the Christmas cookies. We'll see how it goes. I have regular flour on hand in case it's a bust.

More Christmas pictures

Reindeer at McArdles' in Greenwich

Chanel last year. So clever!

 Burberry last year. Very snowy.

It's been a while since my last post. So busy doing not much of anything. I am going to show you some fun pictures of Christmas windows because that's one of my absolutely favorite things: admiring other people's decorations. And sometimes adopting those themes as my own.

I last posted when we were all getting ready for Thanksgiving. My dinner was a big success and we had great family and funny conversation so it was perfect. I brined  my turkey for the first time and I must say it made the turkey nice and moist. I had been worried it would make it taste salty but it didn't. Williams Sonoma carries the brine and you should put it on your shopping list for Thanksgiving next year. I had made sugar cookies for dessert because it had been my experience that not many people wanted dessert after such a big dinner. However, one of my guests brought a cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries and we polished off the WHOLE thing. It was delish!

I have been taking part in Operation Santa. An enterprising young lady in Stamford, CT collects notes from needy children addressed to Santa's Helper. They are all from one public school. Each participant gets a letter from the child asking for something for Christmas. In addition to buying them a present it is asked that you buy a coat and boots for the child. Well, my little girl is wishing for a dollhouse. I found a great one on the website One Step Ahead. I bought it on sale before Thanksgiving and put it together in a couple of days. The instructions said assembly would take an hour but we know how that goes!  I found great little presents to stuff into the dollhouse! What fun this has been. I recommend this as a way to contribute to others at Christmas and you'll feel so excited knowing this child will have a great surprise on Christmas Day.

I've been working more at Williams Sonoma which can be a grueling experience this time of year. All I want to say to the long line of customers is how can you wait until NOW to shop? We've been open all year, Christmas comes at the same time each year and so you really do have plenty of time to get organized. Anyway I certainly do not say that to our customers. I just try to help them find some great presents.

I am so looking forward to Christmas. We'll spend it with family which is the best thing in the world.

Christmas crackers are so silly and so fun.

These guys look like they're about to jump in for a swim!

City sidewalks

I don't have much to say today except to remind you that this is the week to get your tablecloths or place mats and napkins ready for Thanksgiving. It is also the week that you can wash your glasses. They'll stay sparkly until Turkey Day if you do them now and put them in a cupboard.

You can also get some Christmas shopping done early next week while everyone is trying to whip up a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving. The stores are usually pretty empty, except for Williams Sonoma. I am taking the simple approach to Thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, rice, mashed potatoes, peas, sugar cookies. Sounds good to me.

Speaking of WS, the cutest family came in yesterday to do shopping for teachers and some friends. Two adorable girls and their mom picked out some nice teacher type things and I, of course, being smitten with their cuteness, wrapped everything in cellophane and ribbon for them and gave them individual shopping bags for each present so they wouldn't get mushed together. We were having a bit of a lull so I was able to spend the time doing this with them and it was really fun. They were so cute I can't even describe it. It's really fun at WS when the boys come in to shop for their moms. They always buy an apron and pot holders (and I mean, always) - they are pretty cute too. Somehow you want to make it a special experience because they've made the effort to pick out something they know their moms will love.

Crispy cool

We have had such mild weather this fall that today was an unwelcome surprise. I let the weather get to me and pretty much wasted the day. I am terribly disappointed with myself. Gee wiz, grab a sweater, put on some socks and get out there. By now you can see that I use this blog to keep myself on track. If you care to follow then so much the better.

I am in between work assignments and never do well when things are in flux. So I got a call for three days of work next week which I will gladly do. I've got a few balls in the air and hope I'll settle somewhere.

I hate to tell you but I've got Christmas under control. I know, I know you'll hate me for that but once Thanksgiving week comes I will be crazy busy so it's good that I am organized. 

The best place for me to wrap presents is on my ironing board. You can wrap standing up or if you are as clever as I am you can lower it and sit on the bed while wrapping. That's really my only tip other than buying wrapping paper the day after Christmas discounted at 50% and I have tags to last the rest of my life.

I have been aching for a project so I may get back to needlepointing or maybe knitting. I really am Holly Hobby at heart.

Look at these ducks enjoying the fall weather. I love the hair style on the white ones.

A very pretty living wall - or that's what Martha Stewart calls it.

Tra-La-La

Well, this is something to remember for next year. The day after Halloween is the beginning of the Christmas season. But it does seem a bit early to be hearing Christmas carols.

I, for one, try to get organized in my head early on (not as easy as it sounds) so that I don't have to freak out December 20th. I have a lot of favorite things that would make great presents so I'll be telling you about them as the days go by. Not that I think I am as cool as Oprah - it's just that you should benefit from my great finds.

My new discovery is Ahava Hand Cream and Body Lotion. It comes from Dead Sea Laboratories in Israel. You know how usually, after you put lotion on your hands you kind of have to wipe them off because they are too sticky? Well, this cream gets totally absorbed into your skin. Rye Beach Pharmacy has it - it's great.

My Citiz Espresso Maker from Nespresso is one of the best things I have ever bought. It is like having a butler. Not that I would know. It literally makes your coffee in a minute and you can froth your milk if you buy the frother. You buy the pods on line from Nespresso and each pod is 50-65 cents. This is sold at Williams Sonoma and is worth every penny. You can knock out a few espressos for your dinner party guests in no time.

Today is cold. Well, maybe it isn't cold but I put on a skirt to go to the city and am freezing now that I am home. I think I'll pull up the quilt and read my book: Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed. It's good.

I found Rules of Civility to be not so good. Beautifully written but not enough going on with the story.

I am busy trying to start on a new phase of my working life which affects my whole life which is completely exhausting. Whenever I enter a "growth period" it's as though everything in my life shifts a bit. We have to be open to new things or else we'll have no friends and nothing to do.

NY Botanical Garden Orchid Exhibit last year. Pretty.

Planning ahead

Now is the time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. That is, unless you are house bound with no electricity due to the horrendous storm over the weekend. I just heard on the news that Millbrook, NY got 21 inches of snow. That's a lot of snow! If you are in this category my heart goes out to you and I hope you know someone with a chain saw to take care of all of those fallen branches.

So, if you're one of the lucky folks who has not been set back by the storm you can begin a bit of planning ahead for Turkey Day. Check out the linens you are planning to use. Now is the time to work on those pesky stains and make sure all is ready for the big day, be it place mats and napkins or a tablecloth. Paper cocktail napkins will do unless the Queen is coming to your house, which I doubt very much.

Make sure all of the silver is polished and put it away in flannel bags so it won't tarnish.

Get in a supply of candles. You might want to take Christmas into account when doing this so that you'll have plenty to last through New Year's. I know it's frightening to even mention New Year's but the more you consolidate your errands, the better.

Buy your stuffing bread mix, your cranberry relish (Williams Sonoma has a great cranberry-orange relish which is delish), brining mix and brining bags, rice and potatoes, chicken stock, Kitchen Bouquet or another demi-glace that will add color and flavor to your gravy. All of this is non-perishable and easier to collect over the course of a few weeks as opposed to, say, Wednesday of Thanksgiving week.

Buy club soda, tonic, mineral water, some soda (for the die-hards among your guests). You'll need cranberry juice and orange juice as well.  All of this stuff is heavy so bring L.L. Bean bags to the market to carry these things home or have them delivered.

Mulled cider is a good offering. Williams Sonoma sells the mulling spices in a neat little cheesecloth bag and the cider in a concentrate so all you do is add water.

If you insist on making your own pie you can make your own crust or lay in a supply of Oronoke Orchards frozen pie crust. Already in the pan, ready to bake and with no preservatives. Check it out. Ina Garten has a great recipe for Apple Crostata which is very tasty.

Wait until the week of Thanksgiving to wash all of the glassware you'll be using. If you wash it now it will only look cloudy in a few weeks. Put the music on really loud and sing along while you take care of this task.

Get out Julia Childs and study how to carve a turkey - she has the right approach. I am sure you can find something on the internet to help you figure out carving.

As I said I believe it's good to spread out these tasks over a few weeks' time. If, however, you work for a meanie and won't be free until Wednesday night do not fret. You can go to market on Thursday morning and find everything you need and no people shopping. I've done it on more than one occasion and it really does work out. Remind yourself that the meal is not the most important part of the day. It's the getting together of family that makes the memories.

Re-reading this does make me sound like Betty Crocker but planning does help the process!

What a wild day Mother Nature sent us yesterday! The trees still have their leaves so the weight of the snow was snapping limbs left and right. A lot of roads were closed due to fallen trees and branches. I went out with a rake and shook the snow off of my precious Home Depot tree so that I would not lose any branches. 


The Home Depot tree has a bit of history: it was bought for $30 and hauled home with most of it hanging out of my sunroof. I treasure it as it gives my terrace much needed shade and adds height to the garden. I wish I could take credit for the idea but the brilliant Mary Liz Campbell came up with that one.

Elton John's Crocodile Rock is on the radio now, so I am feeling a bit more chipper about having to go to work. I saw Elton at Madison Square Garden last spring and would give anything to go see him again sometime. 

I am anxiously waiting for two movies to be released: The Descendants with George Clooney and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Rooney Mara. I have been told Clooney's movie has a good message. I am fairly obsessed with Stieg Larrson's trilogy. I loved the books and I loved the Swedish movies. It will be interesting to see the American version.

I have finally found something to read: Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed. It has opened with a murder having been committed so it's right up my alley.

Today looks as though it will be lovely and all of that icky snow will melt. I'll be at work demonstrating pie-making.

Still hanging on to summer!

Photography

Well, well, well. I thought I was taking great pictures before starting my online class with New York Institute of Photography. No, no, no, I was making lots of mistakes. So I am busily trying to learn the tricks of the trade. I have to admit I fell asleep while listening to the tape of the teacher. I am hoping I'll do better today. 

Learning how to take better pictures is a bit like taking a tennis lesson with the pro and he gives you a new forehand stroke that will make you almost as good as Chrissy Evert. However you take that first forehand in your weekly doubles game and it goes way out. So, if you're like me (highly unlikely), you immediately revert to the forehand you've been using for years and, while not pretty, it usually goes in. Well, so far photography is like that for me. I was doing fine on my own. Then I find out about all these f-stops and shutter speed and I take an awful picture. I changed the setting to automatic and got my shot lickety-split so I could list my item on eBay. Hopefully I'll learn more today during my online class or at least I'll learn to be more patient (highly unlikely) with my camera.

In a couple of days this will be an amazing color of red.

A little bit rainy

You'll hate me when I tell you I like rainy days in the spring and fall. In the spring I absolutely adore the look of a lone dogwood in the woods, the first thing to bloom in the season. The rain makes the tree bark look darker and the blooms more white. On a day such as this in the fall the leaves look so pretty when they are wet. I think it adds another dimension to the color.

Right now I am gearing up for a day at WS. I'll bet you a thousand dollars I will be instructed to make pumpkin bread yet one more time. 

And I will do my photography course work first thing tomorrow. I am already so confused. I may have to pop into Rye Camera to ask where are the f-stops on my camera????? So far I have learned that the lower the f-stop number the more light comes into the picture and the depth of field is greater. Oh boy, I'm not even sure I've got that right. I may have to have a tutor.

I love this carpet of fallen leaves .

It's a lovely day

I am off my high horse about living a healthy life so, dear reader, read on. I succumbed to almost every temptation put in my path after my post last week ... so now I am keeping a mental checklist of things done well on any given day.

Today has been a good day. I had a hair event and the weather is beautiful so things are looking up.

I am trying to get through lesson 2 of my photography course. I have to read each paragraph at least two times to even understand what they're telling me. I hope this isn't going to be too difficult without a live instructor.

This is the prettiest array of pumpkins I have come across. In NYC!

Lazy Sunday

I am off to work this morning, instructing students how to use yet another appliance from the store.


I don't have much to say today except try to enjoy the mild weather. This photo reminds me of end-of-summer days, like the ones we've been having. The crickets are still outside chirping at night, but not for much longer.

I took my first on-line lesson in photography yesterday. This shot has a lot of faults now that I have been educated a bit. Oh well, I still love it.

You are what you eat

The beautiful array of vegetables is my way of beginning to tell you my thoughts today. You are what you eat. All of the reminders we hear on the news and read in our magazines preach this same message. Here are some things I have learned along the way:

Dairy, especially high fat dairy, can wreak havoc with your complexion. I had read (yes, in Vogue) that the models all avoid dairy if they have a shoot coming up because of the breakouts that can come from the high fat content.

Fruit is good for you. Learn to like it. Do not pay attention to the fact that it has a lot of sugar in it. It's still good for you and I swear an apple is better for you than a chocolate chip cookie even though they may have the same number of calories. My theory is that fruit kind of plumps up your face - not in a bad way but in a good way.

Vegetables are good for you. If you don't like them, try to. Rather than cooked carrots, have raw carrot sticks. Keep them in the fridge - you can even buy them precut. I have no problem paying the extra money for precut carrots because generally I won't spend the time cutting them up just for me. Leafy greens are really good for you - a lot of iron. Always have lettuce and tomato on whatever sandwich you are having. You'll find you like the crunch of the lettuce and the yum of the tomatoes.  Bananas are good for you - potassium. Have one every day. 

Stop groaning because I am not finished. Everything you put in your body becomes your body. This includes cigarette smoke and alcohol.  If you smoke you squint every time you blow out the smoke, not good for your complexion. Not to mention your lungs. Just try to give it up - you want to be around to meet your grandchildren. I have two friends who quit smoking by hypnosis - it works.

Alcohol kills brain cells. So, decide how many brain cells you would like to kill every day. Moderation in consumption would make sense here. Say goodbye to soda of any kind. Huge quantities of water will make your skin feel so soft you won't believe it. 

I will say that I start every day intending to follow each of these suggestions. I consider it a good day if I have adhered to any of my intentions. I can also tell you that I have been trying to lose some lbs. for it seems like forever. (I never said I was perfect, far from it.) Maybe today can be the beginning of that process.

These are the cold, hard facts of life. Look around at your 50-60-year old friends. Now is when we reap the rewards of a life well-lived in moderation.

Fall in New York

I am beginning to think one of my signatures is pictures taken at an angle. Love them this way.

Excuse me, my ride is here!

Love that this store actually planted fall stuff. Stores tend to go from summer to Christmas.

Good Sunday music not even sure who these folks are. One is Donna Summer, maybe we're on to Annie Lenox now. 

I am off to work to make barley soup and a couscous recipe. If you are lucky and have the day off, get out and enjoy it. Rake your leaves, prune your roses back, clean out the grill, plant grass seed in the empty spots. 


Oh goodness, Nora Jones is sending me off to work with her sultry voice. She's amazing.

These guys should enjoy themselves while they still have time. We know what holiday is almost upon us.