4 days 'til Christmas

boy does the time fly when you're busy fa la la la la-ing. this weekend quickly passed and it's back to work. though, i'd like to lobby for a work week like this EVERY week. just one full day (today) and then we go out for a staff lunch tomorrow at 12:30! and that's all she wrote until the new year.

since we plan to hit the road as quickly as we can tomorrow afternoon, i have a ton of packing to do this evening. i'm happy to report that my shopping/wrapping/Christmas preparations are complete. whooppeee. i get more and more excited as each hour passes! soooo very soon we'll be on the road, with the music blaring to drown out the barking dog (we tried the meds over the weekend, and let's just say spikey has the tolerance of a sailor on shore leave) with our car jam packed full of gifts and pee pads. honestly, the list of things to bring for that creature is twice as long as my list of "must haves". he's 6 pounds! but his junk will fill half of the car quite probably.

while i've got your attention, i do have to brag a little. i mentioned that i did all the wrapping this weekend. and the packages turned out beautifully. i'll have to post some pictures. even years ago when i was all "bah humbug" about Christmas, i loved to wrap gifts. now since i've dipped into the Christmas crack, it seems my wrapping becomes more elaborate each year. this year, i made my own wrapping paper! seriously, i did. inspired by one of my favorite co-workers (and definitely one of the most creative people i know) i painted white snowflakes on brown paper and tied them with raffia bows. i'm stoked about how pretty they turned out. in fact, when the martha stewart Christmas special came on fine living this weekend, i didn't even feel "less than" for one second. i couldn't help wondering if i could teach her a thing or two.

7 days 'til Christmas

I've become a blog addict. There is no need for intervention. Not one person (except perhaps the donors who pay my salary) is being harmed by the hour or so I spend throughout the day with my new voyeuristic obsession. It's never ending, I just keep finding more and more to pore over. Repeatedly I’m impressed and a little jealous of the amazing sites out there. When I grow up, I want to be a professional blogger. Wouldn't that be so much fun?? Anyway, more on that another day... The reason I bring it up is that I found the most fun post that I am absolutely stealing. (...love maegan has become one of daily indulgences!)

Dear Santa,

Times are tough economically (I’m sure you get nightly news at the north pole). I really don't feel it's kosher to ask my loved ones to fulfill the following list. But, when it comes to asking you, I really have no qualms. Only you could pull some of these requests out of that magical bag

this beautiful mirabelle dress by mayle



an iphone



gabby satchel by fossil



A New MacBook



High-Wasted Joe's Jeans



These Amazing Louboutin Mary Jane's



1 carat princess cut diamond studs



2009 VW Bug Convertible

A (pet friendly) Condo in Downtown Chicago

Thanks for considering. I promise not to be too disappointed if you can't bring them all. But seriously, with the market the way it is, you should be able to get that condo for a steal. Don't worry, we'll cover moving expenses.

Looking forward to your surprises on Christmas morning,
Molly

thankful thursday/episode 2

since we moved down here we've made it a point to stay out of st. louis for Christmas. we've found it is easier to travel over thanksgiving since it's a built-in weekend...for brian it's super difficult to get vacation days around the holidays. but that's not the only reason we've stayed in chattanooga for Christmas. see, we're both children of divorced parents which means 4 different houses to visit biological parents alone. when you add step parents, extended and surrogate families to the mix you're looking at a non-stop day of travel. honestly, it's like a million stops. faced with the craziness, we've always opted for sticking around here and seeing movies all day. definitely a low stress alternative.

but this year we decided to go to st. louis instead. over the past couple of days we've been trying to figure out the game plan for Christmas day. we've juggled and rearranged and attempted to accommodate (our immediate family) 20+ people's schedules. it's been a stressful endeavor. the negotiations have led to hurt feelings and disappointments.

are you asking where the "thankful" part comes in? because it's more than just the fact that we got it all figured out without any bloodshed. i mean it's thankful thursday i need something bigger than that! we are so fortunate to have a ton of people excited to see us. i'm thankful for our great big, dysfunctional, crazy, loving family. yah, they're spread out all over the city which makes for lots of driving and a SUPER long day. sure they all have expectations that they place on us. but there is so much love to go around. it's worth every moment of stress. we are truly blessed to have such an amazing family.

so today, i am thankful.

9 days 'til Christmas

on the 9th day 'til of Christmas my true love gave to me... 9 ladies dancing.

but i only have eyes for one lady and one guy dancing around Christmas. the nutcracker preformed by gelsey kirkland and mikhail baryshnikov is one of my favorite holiday traditions. some might even call me a nutcracker snob. not just any nutcracker will do. after all, once you've seen their rendition of the holiday favorite it's hard to enjoy any other.

10 days 'til Christmas

before we first got our puppy, brian and i agreed on a few particulars. first, we would never dress him in clothes. though i think dogs in clothes are hysterical, my husband finds it ridiculous. it was a battle i was willing to concede. second, we agreed to never spend money on any kind of "doggie prozac". we couldn't justify spending $$ to calm down a dog who was just not well trained. our mantra was "he's a dog". we naively believed that dogs on mood altering medication were clearly not trained well. we looked down our noses knowing that we would never have a dog that NEEDED any kind of medication.

we were like a couple of soon-to-be parents who believe they have all the answers. we were certain we had it all figured out. and just like those soon-to-be parents who change their tune once they bring home their bundle of joy, we now realize it's a whole different ball game than we anticipated. suddenly, we are questioning the particulars we were so adamant about just a year and a half ago. to put it plainly, we've caved.

last weekend while in the pet-stock-up store, brian looked at me and asked if i wanted to get something for spike to wear for Christmas. shocked and waiting for him to change his mind, i quickly picked out the cutest red and white elfin collar for the little guy to wear for pictures. we brought it home and have discovered a new character trait we didn't know existed. spike is a total fashionista. he loves his collar. so much so that he seeks it out, helps us put it on and trots around the house like he owns the place. i'm not kidding, when we grab the collar, he lays down first to show submission, then sits up tall and pushes his head through the elastic. this morning he even let me have an impromptu photo session where he showed the collar off from all angles.

i'm thinking maybe we've been mistreating him by not allowing him to express himself through fashion!!!

now, as far as the medication goes... we are facing the REALITY of puppy who has anxiety (especially in the car) that makes him lose control of his bowels and bark for hours on end with no relief in site. he's coming with us on a 7 hour car trip next week. long story short, he's getting dosed. after all, nothing says "happy holidays" like a quiet puppy!

11 days 'til Christmas

do you ever read this blog and think, "um, she needs medication"? if you haven't before, you might today.

remember yesterday (just 24 short hours ago) when i was all... "fa la la la la, i'm so excited for Christmas"? well, that quickly morphed into, "fa la la la la, i have so much crap to do." maybe it was the whole countdown thing that i started last night. i ended up being sleepless in bed making lists of all the projects that i only have a few days left to do.

those projects included but were not limited to:
1. finishing the family birthday calendar and mailing it to my father
2. shopping for all the remaining gifts (which includes figuring out what to get my difficult-to-shop-for hubby)
3. writing and mailing Christmas cards (why do i this??)
4. wrapping all the presents (i'm making my own wrapping paper this year so this won't be a simple task)
5. cleaning my house
6. doing approximately 25 loads of laundry
7. planning the menu for our open house in STL
8. organizing the time line for Christmas day (reese witherspoon & vince vaughn have got nothing on us!)
...all while working full time, attending holiday parties and surviving an absentee husband...

laying there, i started to panic. quick as a wink all the joy and excitement were being sucked right out of me. i was on the verge of going full on "bah humbug". (told you - i should be medicated).

but guess what?? the Christmas spirit was stronger than my panic attack. it was a genuine Christmas miracle! God bless us, everyone. i'm happy to report that i kicked butt today. rather than letting all the pressure paralyze me, i just started crossing things off the list. and 24 hours later, i'm back on the jolly holiday express train. from here on out i'm just singing, "fa la la la la, it'll all get done."

to do...

the golden globe nominations came out last week. which for me is nothing more than a big old "to do" list for the next 6-8 weeks.

at the risk of sounding like a broken record i'm really frustrated with the lack of award nominated films that get screen time in chattanooga. seriously, fireproof is still in the theatres down here but rachel getting married never got a day of screen time. what the crap?

anyway, i'm ashamed to admit that i am frighteningly further behind than i have been in years. the academolly awards are dangerously close to being cancelled. i mean, there are maybe 3 films on the nominee list that i've seen. needless to say i have my work cut out for me over the coming weeks. but it's nothing a trip to the video store and a day or 2 in atlanta won't remedy.

i'll keep you posted.

12 days 'til Christmas

our house is decorated!

we braved the crowds and shopped for presents all day yesterday.

it looks like we may even get out of town on the 23rd! that means 7 whole days of celebration in st. louis.

as Christmas gets closer and closer i can't help but get incredibly excited. sure, there's no snow down here and it was nearly 50 degrees today, but as far as i'm concerned "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

i think the 12 days of Christmas technically start on the 25th, but i'm making a little change. we're starting early around here. it's time to let the festivities begin!

thankful thursday/episode 1

i'm working on being in the proper Christmas spirit. some minutes are easier than others. i've had a rough couple of weeks, but last night was a good night. and lo and behold, despite waking up to dog barf during a WAY too early potty break for spikey, this morning was good also. in an attempt to spread some of this joy i'm experiencing before it fades too far into the distance, i've decided to start a new recurring post.

hear ye, hear ye... i officially declare thursdays to be THANKFUL THURSDAYS at a foreign land. if it kills me (don't laugh ~ i bet some days it will) i will be thankful for something. i will in turn use this blog as a tool to be vocal about said gratitude. no thing is too insignificant to warrant attention. no blessing is too great to give it a shout out. so hold on to your hats, here comes a batch of weekly, random posts chock full of appreciation.

i just figure there are a plethora of wonderful things big and small that i have going on in my life and i spend countless hours focusing on the few things that suck (if you don't believe me just ask my long suffering husband!). and that just doesn't seem right. here's my attempt to change gears and reorient my focus. i'm wondering if thankful thursdays might just be the catalyst needed. wouldn't it be great if the switch flipped forcing the things that suck to take the back seat they deserve?

episode 1: "i'm thankful for... a husband who keeps his word"

not so long ago i got fed up with brian for looking over my shoulder while i was stalking on facebook. (i'm not off to such a good start, huh? the first sentence of my explanation of gratitude includes me being "fed up"... oh well, baby steps.) when i politely and in no way snarkily suggested that he "get his own facebook page if he was so interested in what was going on", he declined. however, one of my most annoying endearing qualities is my persistence. days passed and finally, fed up with my suggestions, brian responded, "fine, if you can get 50 people to say i need a facebook page, i'll make one." long story short... i did so he did.

believe me, that kind of follow through is not lost on me. in the end, that is a VERY petty example of an incredibly respectable character trait. he is true to his word. which is HUGE. in my experience, men (heck, people) like that are the exception to the rule. what a gift from God to have a husband that i can take at his word.

so today, i am thankful.

good lord willing and the creek don't rise

i've come up with a new catch phrase.
well, actually, i didn't come up with it. and it isn't really all that new. in fact, it's probably pretty old.

anyway, last night we went to the carrie underwood concert. (lest you judge, live music/touring acts are few and far between in chattanooga and i am actually a fan. so stop laughing.) a wonderful friend used his connections to score some inexpensive seats to the concert and we had a super fun night out with friends. but i digress... the opening act was a band called little big town. until last night i hadn't ever heard of them. what i enjoyed most about their set was a song entitled "good lord willing". why did you enjoy that particular song the most, you ask? well, the refrain of the song has inspired my new catch phrase.

imagine this scenario...
it's the end of the day. we're locking up the center for the night.
coworker: see you in the morning?
molly: good lord willing and the creek don't rise.

or this scenario...
out in the hustle and bustle of christmas shopping; i run into a friend.
friend: will i see you at the christmas party next week?
molly: good lord willing and the creek don't rise.

inspired by that folksy little minx sarah palin, i've decided to mix things up vocabularily. i mean, look how much press she got by saying stupid silly things. perhaps this phrase is just the push i need to rise to super stardom. regardless, i'm thinking this might really help me blend in better to my surroundings. i'm disappointed at my apparent inability to develop a southern twang. 2 years and i still sound like a midwesterner. it's time to take matters into my own hands... or mouth.

after all, sometimes "hopefully" or "that's the plan" just doesn't cut it. there are just some questions that simply deserve an answer chock full of down home charm. and now, thanks to little big town, i know exactly how to respond in those particular circumstances.

The River City

Then I'm walking in Memphis

Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

Walking in Memphis

But do I really feel the way I feel...

Walking In Memphis Lyrics by Marc Cohn are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels, Walking In Memphis Lyrics by Marc Cohn are provided for entertainment purposes only

greens anyone???

today i picked up our first box from the csa co-op (crabtree farms) we recently bought into. we're new to this whole community supported agriculture thing. but i am a huge fan already.

this all started because we've had difficulty finding quality produce since we moved into our new place. we've been forced to choose between the less than stellar options at the bi-lo (pronounced baaa-low) or the over priced gems at greenlife (chatt's organic grocery monopoly). imagine how excited we were to find a compromise!

the way it works (sorry if i'm boring those of you ahead of me in the whole organic, local farming thing) is this. we pay a flat fee for the season and then get to pick up a food box each week. the box is full of yummy, locally & organically grown, seasonal fruit, veggies and herbs. and it isn't only a good idea in theory. after picking up the box this afternoon, i know its gonna be good in practice too.

this week our box was filled with: head lettuce, pea shoots, kohlrabi, greens, arugula, carrots & thyme

we made the yummiest salads tonight complete with homemade croutons. yes, i said i made croutons by hand. i have to say the salad was completely delicious. unfortunately there were no carrots on my salad... it looked so good after i peeled it, i couldn't wait and scarfed it on the spot bugs bunny style.

i'm already having fun figuring out what to do with greens, kohlrabi and pea shoots. what an opportunity to broaden our culinary perspective!

this is a totally win, win, win deal. we support a local non-profit - win. we buy local which is good for the environment - win. we get yummy veg - win. only unfortunate part is that we found out about this at the end of the growing season. so, after this month we're left food box-less until the spring growing season.

black friday

chattanooga made another attempt to woo me this weekend. (just patronize me, okay).

the friday after thanksgiving, chattanooga holds their grand illumination. the christmas season is officially ushered in with the lighting of several buildings and the placement of some snow flakes on the street lamps. now, in days past i might have spent this post making fun of the event. i'd point out how less than grand the illumination actually was. i would have complained about the single strands of lights that they try to pass off as festive decorations... wait, this is bordering on complaining. and that is NOT what i wanted this post to be. sorry, old habits die hard.

so, you wanna see the cutest thing?

the picture may not be too clear... so here's the explanation. during the grand illumination, there is a boat parade! along the tennessee river, right in the middle of downtown, boat owners dress up their boats in christmas lights and ride up and down the water front. at the risk of sounding really patronizing, it was adorable. it is such a novel idea. totally fun.

the whole evening was memorable. there was a singing santa, a live nativity scene complete with a petting zoo, and a firework display that absolutely rivaled those lit on fourth of july. it's become clear to me during the days since, that the festivities while enjoyable, aren't what made it so much fun. what truly made the evening special was sharing it with family. (insert awwwww, here). seriously though, i'm not trying to be sappy or load this post with sentimental syrup. i've had a real breakthrough.

i miss my family ~ more than i realized.