Thanksgiving at The Greenbrier

Our cottage is adorable - with no hallways wasting space it is small and perfect. Three en suite bedrooms, a living room with fireplace, a dining room and an eat-in kitchen (vintage '50s). Wish you could see it.




Here's K's bedroom (in pink):



And ours (in yellow):



K and I took a carriage ride while J and Z did some practice driving off-road.

Wild and Wonderful

We are at The Greenbrier celebrating Thanksgiving - check out our last visit.

Most Played

1. You Know I'm No Good (A. Winehouse)
2. Rehab (ditto)
3. Bitch (Meredith Brooks)

Now what does that say?

#25. is Ella's "With A Song In My Heart".

That's a little more positive.

A Misty Moisty Morning

I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn't like it.

-Samuel Goldwyn

Missed It!

Oh dear, I missed Corduroy Appreciation Day on 1111 - the Date Which Most Closely Resembles Corduroy. One must wear at least two kinds of corduroy to commemorate the day. And the mascot is a whale, of course. I am not kidding about this.

A Little Early

Today we made a "Thanksgiving Dinner Cake" -yes, it's a little early but we won't be making Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving. Plus, I got a turkey cheap (.38/lb. at Wegman's) so it was too good to pass up.

Here's how I made my cake:

In a springform pan I layered mashed potatoes, then stuffing, then turkey (cut into bite sized slices with a little gravy), then mashed sweet potatoes. Bake covered for 50 minutes at 325 (all the cake ingredients were chilled leftovers). Uncover, top with marshmallows and broil for a minute or two (watch it, those marshmallows will burn quickly!). Spread homemade cranberry sauce (yum!) in center. Serve with hot gravy on the side.

It's a really pretty way to serve those turkey leftovers.

Do You Know Pocky?

Today is Pocky Day! Yes, those cute Japanese stick cookies from the Glico Company have a day of their own: 11/11. Get it? Like four Pocky sticks in a row.











Seems like the holiday was copied from the Korean "Pepero (a cookie like the Pocky) Day". It's similar to our Valentine's Day.




So try a Pocky today- they come in lots of flavors.
















Here's a customer review from Walmart (yes, Walmart!):

"Glico Pocky is THE BEST. From the first bite it tastes like magic in snack form. The chocolate isn't too sweet and just melts in your mouth, all while being complimented by the biscuit stick.
Pocky=Amazing"

Too Horrible For Words

For sale at TheCheeky.com:

Designed for anyone who has far too much money and loose change, this is the piggy bank of all piggy banks. Its a real piglet that has been taxidermied and inserted with what all piglets probably dream of as babies, a coin storage unit and a cork plug.
Make your plush overpriced apartment complete with this little guy.

The piglet bank will take up to 12 months to produce from the time of order. We expect half the money up front and half when the piglet had been completed. Just so you know that we don’t actually kill the Piglets, they die of natural causes and these are the ones that we use.

Price $4000
(not including postage and packing))

Almost as disgusting as midget wrestling. BTW, that should be dwarf wrestling.

The Sweetest Cottage...

...I have ever seen.

from Remodelista

Actually, it turns out this is a boathouse. I guess it is a tad small to be a cottage but can you imagine it somewhere in the woods in Sweden, or in North Dakota?

PS

Don't get too smug about by previous post. Most of you don't "make" anything either.

My Examined Life

Living with construction workers as I have for the past six months makes me feel pretty worthless. Here they are each day "making something" tangible with wood and nails. Cementing and sanding. And all I do is take up space on this planet. Everything I make disappears - down a throat or down a disposer.

Am I Jealous?

J sent me this picture he took from his hotel room in Nairobi. Do I envy his view? Instead of the orange and yellow leaves I love so much at this time of year, in November in Nairobi the jacarandas drop their purple petals all over the ground like lavender snow. So, yeah, I guess I am envious.

Three years ago I took this photo on Key Boulevard in Arlington. Sadly, I can't find this tree this year. And I know where it once was.

Cheer Up, It's Raining

Hope this puts a little smile on your face:

Women over 50! 
 
In case you missed it on 60 Minutes, this is what Andy Rooney thinks about women over 50.   
 
60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS):  “As I grow in age, I value women over 50 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:
 
A woman over 50 will never wake you in the middle of the night & ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think.

...blah, blah, blah...

Women over 50 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.
 
Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.
 
Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 50.

For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’ Here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!”
 
 Andy Rooney is a really smart guy!
 

Post-election Blues: What Me Worry?

The morning after is a day of mourning.

A Favorite Dinner Revised

OK, how do I make creamed spinach on a nondairy diet. With coconut milk!

"Coconut milk is considered very healthy in Ayurveda, and in modern times has been found to have hyperlipidemic balancing qualities as well and antimicrobial properties in the gastrointestinal tract and topically. It is also used for healing mouth ulcers. In a study with rats, two coconut based preparations (a crude warm water extract of coconut milk and a coconut water dispersion) were studied for their protective effects on drug-induced gastric ulceration. Both substances offered protection against ulceration, with coconut milk producting a 54% reduction vs. 39% for coconut water."

I added garlic to the coconut milk, brought it to the boil and added a bag of baby spinach. Served alongside my baked sweet potato, topped now with EVOO, and all I can say is "Yum!"