A Gray Day (in a pink sort of way)

Today was one of those days weather forecasters love.  Lots to talk about in their department.  Lots of drama.  Today had it all.  Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, high winds and flash floods- all in the form of advisories, watches or warnings.  In my little corner of the city it didn't amount to much, just a dreary, rainy day.  The kind that makes you wish you were sipping a warm drink by a toasty fire in your flannel pajamas.  I almost bought into the drama.  "Don't go anywhere between 10 and 2 unless you have to."   Hmmm...does lunch with a friend fall into the HAVE TO category?  Well, truth be told sometimes it does, with certain friends, especially when you miss them very much.  Besides, a doctor's appointment does fall into that category every time so that got me out the door.

If you find yourself facing a gray day, what better way to arm yourself than with a spiffy pink raincoat.  If I was asked to name ten things I own that make my heart sing, this would make the list.  I often have a hard time naming my favorite color but this coat reminds me just how much I love pink.  It has a classic cut that will never go out of style.  It has a really cool pattern on the lining.  It is well-constructed and will last forever.  All those things said I still haven't mentioned my two favorite reasons for loving this coat.  The first one is that I got it on a fabulous sale at the Talbot's outlet.  The other is that I bought it  in Virginia with my mom when she came to visit us there, when we were evacuated from Katrina.  My mom loves a good bargain and she loves Talbot's so the Talbot's outlet is pretty close to heaven for her.  I don't remember anything else either of us purchased that day but I remember enjoying ourselves.  I also remember the yummy burgers we had at Five Guys after.  That was back in the days before Five Guys was a chain and it was a big treat to eat there.

Now, if you are sporting a pink raincoat on a not too warm, not too chilly day a lightweight pink scarf with just a touch of sheen to it really fits the bill.  Add a chunky silver bracelet with black and silver balls that swing and clink just enough to add a little drama and you are ready for anything.  That's how I felt walking out the door this morning.  I think that is how Clinton and Stacey on What Not to Wear want women to feel every time they walk out the door.  Even my hair frizzing from the weather couldn't dampen (pardon the unintended pun) my spirits.  Honestly, I think I could get by on an entire wardrobe of black, white and pink with silver thrown in for a little sparkle.  Well, at least I felt that way today.  Tomorrow I'll tell you about the plum gown I bought for a ball I am attending and how I can't live without the color purple.

When I arrived at our meeting place, the first thing my friend said was how much she loved my raincoat and that I looked so put together.  SIGH.  She's the kind of friend to whom I could immediately respond- I know!  That's just how I feel.

Put together.
And pretty in pink.
On a very gray day.

Dina

Christmas Reflections

Today is the feast of the Epiphany, the day the three kings found the baby Jesus.  It is one of my favorite feasts.  The Church is still filled with the Christmas flowers.  In New Orleans, we serve king cake.  I make a point of keeping my Christmas decorations, especially the tree up until this day.  It is the twelfth day of Christmas.  Guess that means I will finally get my twelve drummers drumming.  Yippee!  This is a photo of the three kings in a nativity set that my mom made for me when I was a little girl.  Eleven years old to be exact.  It is one of my favorite Christmas decorations.  Each piece hand-painted so lovingly.

It is a dreary morning which is just fine with me.  I love to light the Christmas tree on gray mornings.  As a matter of fact our tree was lit all day yesterday it was so gray and chilly.  Just my kind of January day.  Now, sadly, it is time to take the tree down.  I don't exactly look forward to the job itself, but even more, I always mourn the absence of that majestic tree lighting up the corner of our living room so beautifully.

As much as I like this feast it is also a sad day.  It means the Christmas season is officially over.  It means all the glitter and sparkle of the season is relegated to the attic where it sits quietly for the majority of the year.  Today is an even better time to reflect than January 1st when the holidays are still in full swing.

Looking back it was a wonderful Christmas as usual.  Christmas Eve we had a nice party with my mom's family.  It is a tradition that all the aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins' children and now even cousins' children's children (!) get together.  It is always noisy...and crazy...and fun.

It was a wonderful Christmas even though our car broke down.  At 9 pm.  On Christmas Eve.  About 35 miles from our house.  But that's another story.

It was a wonderful Christmas because we shared it with a lifelong family friend, the priest who presided at our marriage.

It was a wonderful Christmas because we told the kids we are going to Disney during Mardi Gras.

It was a wonderful Christmas because we spent Christmas Day at my mom's house with my sister and her family.  Sitting down to the meal my mom (with lots of help from my dad) prepares makes anyone feel like royalty.  It is also the one time each year, I eat my ABSOLUTE favorite dish of - believe it or not- cranberry relish.  You have not LIVED until you have eaten my mother's homemade cranberry relish.

It was a wonderful Christmas because we continued our tradition of shopping and lunch the day after with 3 generations of girls- mom, 2 daughters and 6 granddaughters.

It was a wonderful Christmas because we spent the time between Christmas and New Years' with Mark's family.  As always, it was a time of talking, laughing and hanging out with lots of movies sprinkled in between.

It was a wonderful Christmas because we went to see Les Miserables.  One of my favorite books, made into one of my favorite musicals was made into a fabulous movie that left me speechless.  Well, only figuratively speaking.  I talked incessantly about it with anyone who cared to listen.  There is just so much to think about in this amazing work by Victor Hugo.

It was a wonderful Christmas because, no matter what problems are going on- in the world, or even in one's own house (stressful schedules, broken down cars, laying a grandmother to her eternal rest), we are still celebrating the birth of Jesus.

“And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans--and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused--and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.”
― Sigrid Undset

Now on to Carnival Season.  Thank you, New Orleans!
Dina

Frosting

Saw these words yesterday and loved them:

Life needs frosting.

Sad to add that it was spotted at a Cinnabon store.  Kinda takes the shine right off and makes your hips suddenly feel wider.  Well, I am forgetting the Cinnabon part and just thinking about all the emotional frosting life has to offer.  I got a nice heaping portion last night.

Mark is away so Elise is sleeping with me.  Something we both look forward to.  The snuggling part, not the Mark being away part.  In the middle of the night I thought I heard her say hi but I wasn't sure so I asked her.  She replied, I just said hi because I am snuggling here with you.

Yep.  Life needs frosting.

Dina

Mistake

Well, I guess that website was not happy with me borrowing a photo or two of Grace Kelly from them.  It is a photo of her in a film more than 50 years ago.  Didn't think it was really their property.  But, I guess once it is posted on their blog, it's theirs.  I, on the other hand am not so blog savvy.  Here is another attempt at showing you the elegant, beautiful Grace Kelly and her amazing bracelet.

 Hope it worked this time!
Dina

Rear View

Friday night I chaperoned a movie night for some middle schoolers.  We watched Alfred's Hitchcock's Rear Window.  I had seen it years ago and was interested in seeing it again.  Here are my observations.

~It is sad that kids today have no attention span.  If a plot is not moving a hundred miles an hour, they lose interest.

~In the midst of our chaotic lives, it is difficult to pay attention to details.

~It feels as though we live disposable lives today.  Buy it cheap at Target, use it for a season and toss it.  Paper, plastic, synthetic crap.  None of it ages well.  Wood, linen, silk, leather.  These have staying power.

~Dressing well is worth the trouble.  Here are some fine examples.

Check out the gorgeous bracelet.  All the moms were drooling over it. Ah, the grace, the elegance!

~Men often don't know a good thing when they have it.

~Last but not least, if you are going to murder someone, for goodness sake, pull the blinds!

Dina

Good Thought

The other night I was snuggling with Elise in bed when I heard her whisper,  

"Thanks, brain." 

What did you say?   

"Oh I was just thanking my brain because it sent me a good thought," she said as she tapped the side of her head.

That's nice.

"Yes, it was a really good one.  One that I can think about all night."

Really?  What was it?

"Mama, I can't tell you until the morning."

How delicious!  To be thankful for a really good thought.  To be cozy and secure that you will ponder it all night.  Even more fabulous to hug and love this girl with all my heart.  To watch her develop, listen to her giggle and hear the amazing ideas and thoughts she utters.
There is a magnet on my fridge I bought because I think it captures Elise perfectly:

You are so much sunshine 

to the square inch.

Sitting here, being thankful for my little power-packed ball of sunshine and thought it just may be a start to writing again...finally.

Happy Sunday,

Dina

Lesson Learned

Here I am, blogging at 12:45 am because I can't sleep.  The problem is I was pinning things on Pinterest way too late.  This happened when I first started pinning.  I should have learned my lesson.  But nooooo...  Pinning is like drinking caffeine.  Don't do it late at night.  I am trying to sleep while images of chalkboard paint and modge podge crafts dance in my head.  All the quiet and darkness get crowded out by recipes and decorating ideas.  Then I start talking to YOU in my head, writing a virtual blog post.  Finally, I decided the best thing to do would be to write it out.  Let the images slide out of my head onto the computer screen.  Maybe that would help.

Today for lunch I tried a recipe from Pinterest that was easy and yummy.  Not an over-the-top, knock-your-socks-off kind of dish but a good staple for weeknight dinners.  Here's the recipe:

4-6 raw chicken breasts

new potatoes

green beans (Broccoli is good, too). 

Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes are soft.

Yummy results!

Since I will be teaching again this fall, I am trying to get organized with menu planning.  I am thinking this will help:

Who wouldn't get excited about planning ANYTHING on cool chalkboard peel and stick paper?  Then of course, you need these:

 So now my mind is racing as to where to set up this magnificent chalkboard.  Of course, the moment of putting chalkboard marker to chalkboard will be a huge stress- wishing I could write in a fabulous font.  Which led me to thinking about being a fifth grade girl.  Do you know what the best thing about being a fifth grade girl is?  Time.  Time to play with your handwriting.  I remember reinventing my handwriting over days and weeks.  It felt like I was reinventing myself every time I practiced a new slant or style.  I would get lost in the swirls and curves of the letters.  What a fun indulgence!  I remember thinking a teacher or a friend's writing was cool and I would choose elements of their style to copy.  In seventh grade, I practiced writing a capital H just like my teacher and I still write it that way today.  I often think of Miss Hingle when I do. 

Okay, back to meal planning.  I was thinking I would come up with 30 meals and write each on a post-it note.  I would cover my paper calendar this month with the post-it note recipe titles then as the days pass, I could just transfer them to the next month.  That way my meals are planned as I go along.  The point of the post-it notes is not only to use them again for a few months but also to rearrange when the schedule doesn't work with the meal I planned.  That gives me flexibility within the week.  I definitely plan to write PIZZA on one post-it note and maybe SANDWICH NIGHT or RAID THE FRIDGE on another.  Then I could write the weeks menu on my fancy chalkboard.  I'll give you a report when the system is up and running.

Well, now that it is 2 am, I hope I dumped enough out of my brain onto this blog so that I can finally sleep.

Zzzzzzz...
Dina