Are We Really Moving?

The answer is yes, we really are. Vince was let go at work (again) back in December. That's five jobs in four years. I don't know what kind of company lets someone go two weeks before Christmas, but at least he doesn't have to work there anymore. He got a little bit of a severance, and has filed for unemployment. The job he left, Chemical Diversity, to go work at Structural Genomix said they'd always have a position for him. But they just laid off six of their chemists last week. This is one of the reasons Vince wants to get out of San Diego, and possibly stop working as a chemist. The pharmaceutical companies are just so unreliable, and there is no thought to the employee's welfare at all. So we're taking advantage of the fact that he is no longer spending a minimum of 60 hours a week in a lab somewhere, and he's busting his butt to get this house ready to put on the market. There is a lot to do. I also stopped catering for Titan regularly. I told them if they have a working lunch on occasion and need some meals to let me know, but it's too much bringing them lunch twice a week, taking care of three kids, and trying to get stuff done around here. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

We have a lead on some property in Helena. It's not exactly what we want, but it may be enough to get us up there. We'll be making another trip up there probably around the end of March to scope things out. My cousins husband, Chris, has offered Vince a job. Chris is a land surveyor. Something Vince knows nothing about, but he's a quick study, a hard worker and is looking for a change so you never know how things might work out.

It's all very scary, sad yet exciting at the same time. We really believe getting out of Southern California is what's best for our family. It's too loud, too crowded, too much traffic and too much crime. I know I'm glad I didn't grow up here, and really I just want the same for my kids.

A Lazy Day

Today is Presiden't Day, so Sophia gets the day off from school. Unfortunately she's not feeling very well. She's been complaining of a sore throat for the past couple of days. She doesn't have the hacking cough both Harrison and Annamaria had, so far anyway. So she gets to spend her day in bed and on the couch vegging out. Annamaria is feeling much better. Back to her old smiley, kicky self.

We finally hired a dry wall guy to come in and cover our ugly, ugly 70's paneling in our den. Not only is it on our walls, but it's also on the ceiling. What were people thinking when they made that decorating decision? He's coming in on Friday to start work, so we have four days to get all the stuff in the den boxed up and moved out so he can get to work. I've been assigned the computer desk area, and let me tell you, it's not pretty. I'm wondering how much junk I'll be able to get rid of. I think once I get into it, it won't actually be that bad, but getting started is the hard part. And I need boxes. I can not box things up without boxes.

I did actually get some work done on the house this weekend. I got the carpets cleaned in both Annamaria's room and in the den. We're thinking about replacing the carpet in the den before we put it on the market, but I think just cleaning it really helped. It may not need to be replaced afterall. It would be nice not to have to spend that money.

So no more procrating, and off to work I go.

Happy Belated Birthday!

Wednesday, Febuary 15th was Vince's 39th birthday. Getting close to 40, too close. He's handled it very well. So our tradition is to stay in on Valentine's Day, and go out on his birthday. I hate going out on Valentine's Day. I used to wait tables, and I just remember how extra tables were packing into the dining room, and even the bar area. Being treated like cattle is not how I want to spend my Valentine's Day. So we stayed home, and I made us a four-course dinner. We started out with a classic Shrimp Cocktail. Then a Mache Salad with Seared Scallops and a Spicy Pecan Praline. Our dinner was Crab Cakes with a Chili Mayo, sauteed corn and fresh tomatoes. For dessert I tried my hand at Chocolate Souffle Cakes from Roy's served with French Vanilla Ice Cream and fresh raspberries. For my first attempt, they turned out pretty good. I just need to get my cooking time right. Vince bought me the rings that they're cooked in for Christmas, so having the proper equipment is helpful. So the big dilemma was where to go for Vince's birthday. He likes to be suprised. Oh, the pressure. So I chose the Four Seasons for cocktails. We have a special place in our hearts for that place since we had our wedding reception there. And really, who couldn't love the Four Seasons anyway? Then on to Pamplemousse for dinner. Pamplemousse used to be our special occasion place, but we hadn't been there in over four years. Too many other restaurants to try. I ordered my old favorite, the mixed grill of game. They do have the best truffled mashed potatoes ever. Unfortunately I was woken up at about 2am with a stomach ache, that quickly turned into a rush to the bathroom so my dinner could come back up. Let me tell you, it was much more enjoyable going down than it was coming back up. Since then I've been pretty much useless with nausea. I've been home, no catering for the past two days, and I've gotten nothing done on this house. And I think the part that bothers me most is paying that much money for a dinner that didn't even make it completely through my digestive process. I feel cheated.

In other news, Annamaria is feeling a little better. She still has a runny nose, but at least it's clear now. And her coughing is much less congested. She should be back to her old self in a couple more days.

Baby's First Valentines Day

Unfortunately Annamaria is sick. It started off with a cough on Friday. We assumed she just caught the wheezy cough from Harrison since he's been sick the past week. But her's has progressed to a gunky nose too. And she sounds so congested, that it just worried me. We've been putting her to sleep in the car seat again so she can breathe. So after my lunch delivery, I took her to see the doctor on call. He said she needed a little help. He prescribed antibiotics and a light steroid to keep her lungs under control. Something to watch, since I have asthma I'm paranoid my kids will have it too. I did buy her a little outfit for Valentine's Day, but she's sleeping now so I'll have to get a picture later. I did get to find out what she's weighing in at these days. 14 pounds 3 ounces. That's fully clothed. Unbeliveable. She's nine months old and barely 14 pounds. She's a tiny. The doctor called her petite.

Because I'm A Dumb Ass

I was making Oatmeal cookies this morning for my lunch client today, and I mixed the dough and thought to myself that it seemed kind of sticky. But I haven't made these cookies in a bit, so I thought I just forgot their consistency. So I let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes like the recipe says, then scoop the dough out onto my baking sheets and pop them in the oven. As I turn around I see a bowl of flour, all measured and waiting, sitting on the counter top that was suposed to be added to the dough. No wonder the dough was sticky. So I quickly open the oven, snatch my baking trays back out of the oven, and grab the little balls of stickiness and toss them back into the mixing bowl. Add the flour and mix. I was then able to resume my baking routine. What a dumb ass!

The other night, I was just lying my head on my pillow to go to sleep, and suddenly it hits me and I sit bolt upright in bed. I forgot all about my cake decorating class, scheduled for January 8th. Completely forgot. And what really bites my heiny, was that I had to reschedule this class twice! The first time was because I was having a baby. The second time was because we decided to go to Montana at the last minute for the 4th of July. And this class is always full. Hence my having to wait until January to get into the class again. And I really need some help in the cake decorating arena. That's $59 tossed down the toilet. What a dumb ass!

Sometimes I really wonder how I function at all.

Superbowl Sunday

O-kay, so this is not my typical Superbowl Sunday experience. I have been known to take advantage of low attendance at Disneyland during the Superbowl. Or even a chance to go to Old Town for margaritas and rolled tacos with minimal crowds. And if anyone asks me if I know the latest score, my reply is usually that I don't even know who's playing. Suffice it to say, I usually don't watch sports. Not football, not baseball, not basketball. And in general, I get very bugged by people who's lives revolve around the different sport seasons. Or let "their" team losing a game ruin their day. It is just a game afterall. There are much more important things in life. I did go through a Nascar phase about ten years ago, but really, that was just a good excuse to sit around, drink beer and wait for a car crash to happen. And I've been to a few Ice Hockey games back in my late teens. But that was back when I lived in the DC area and got to go see the Capitals play. But other than that, I really don't go in for sports. Unless you can count figure skating or gymnastics when the olympics are going on. But for some reason this year is different. I've been looking forward to it. Once I decided last week to actually sit down and watch it, I've had a strange sense of anticipation. We came home from Mass this morning, and I made a pot of chili, a big bowl of homemade salsa, guacamole and onion dip. I've got a fresh bag of tortilla chips, kettle cooked jalapeno chips, and a bag of Ruffles potato chips. I think I'm all set. The thing is is that I know the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing, because our friend from Pennslyvania is all excited that "his" team made it to the Superbowl. But I don't know who the other team is. Which makes me question my anticipation for this year's game. Is it all about the game itself, or is it all about food?

Happy 9 Months Old Annamaria!

I cannot believe my little pooge of a girl is already nine months old. She doesn't yet say "ma", or "da", but she does say "ba ba ba". She doesn't wave good-bye or blow kisses, which she's suposedly suposed to be doing by now. She still doesn't crawl with her tummy off the ground, unless she makes it into the kitchen, then tries to get her tummy off the cold stone floor. She is still toothless too. So was Sophia until she year one year. Annamaria sits up if you place her that way, and will stay for a bit, until she looses her balance then tumbles over. But she can pull herself up to a kind of hunched standing position. I know each child is different and shouldn't be compared, but I think Sophia pretty much followed the timelines given in the baby development guides, and Harrison crawled and walked and grew teeth like a champ. He was a bit slow to talk, and we're still working on potty training though. Annamaria is still pretty little, it's been a while since her last check-up, but I'd guess she's not over 14 pounds. Maybe 15. She eats like she knows what she's doing, and I've never seen her turn down anything that's been offered. I'm wondering if she'll just catch up some day, and before I know it will be doing it all. Funny, you'd think by the third child I'd have this all figured out by now.

A Milestone Missed

Today Annamaria pushed herself into a standing position using her bouncy seat and I was unable to capture any photographic evidence of this amazing feat. "Why?", you may ask. Because for some strange reason our digital camera is not cooperating. Upon closer inspection Vince found that the memory disk had been scratched and is pretty much useless now. It kind of looks like maybe, oh I don't know, maybe Harrison put it in his mouth and scratched it with one of his canine teeth. How he came to finding it, pulling it out of the camera or the computer adaptor and sticking it in his mouth, then putting it back, I'll never know. Maybe he's getting a bad rap and he's completely innocent, but that really would fit in with his behavior these past couple days. He's been in trouble for one thing or another for what seems like forever, and it's really trying my patience. I'm hoping it's only a phase. I thought he pulled off the "terrible two's" with uncommon style, but it looks like the "terrible three's" will be something to remember.

Taking Care of Business

My husband is being very responsible right now, and is meeting with a Life Insurance guy from the Knights of Columbus. One of the reasons he joined the Knights was because they have unsurpased life insurance. So after four years of being a Knight, he's taking the plunge and buying into it. Home owner's insurance is required by our mortgage company, and car insurance is required by law, but it's hard to voluntarily pay for something that you don't get anything physical for. And that hopefully you won't see the benefits of for a very long time. But I guess that's part of growing up and becoming an adult.

Our kitchen is coming along nicely. We had granite countertops put in last week. Santa Cecilia is the name of the granite we chose. Funny, Cecilia is one of the names I was considering for Annamaria. Before she was Annamaria that is. So my upper cabinets are done. My lower drawers are in, just need to be faced. And I have about four more lower cabinets that need to be put in. Vince is constantly working, but I don't see much progress, until "boom", he comes in with everything finished and just puts it all in. I have to keep that in mind when I start getting impatient. Now we need a drywall guy to finish off the walls in the kitchen. And the paneling and ugly, ugly paneled ceiling in the den needs to be covered over and finished off too. I keep trying to think of things I can do around the house to help out, but I'm very limited it what I can do on my own. I need to touch up the paint in Sophia's room. I never finished off around the ceiling real neatly. We were going to put up crown moulding in there, then changed our minds. And Harrison tore down part of the wall paper border when he was still in the nursery, so that needs to be repaired too. Our "To Do" list seems insurmountable. Do you ever get your house to where you consider it "done"?

Check These Out

Cool videos.

Oh my gosh. I haven't laughed this hard in I don't know how long. My sides hurt.
Check out this video

And this one isn't funny, but it's pretty cool

I promise a more personal post soon.

I Used to Scuba, But Now I Scooba

UPS finally delivered my robotic floor cleaner last night. It was Christmas all over again. I was so excited. So after charging its battery overnight, it is now ready for use. So cute, like a big, blue hockey puck. I immediately became attached to it. As I blog away, my kitchen floor is being swept, scrubbed, and dried. It is a thing of beauty.

Unfortunately Harrison was so mezmerized by it, that he failed to tell us he needed to use the potty, and pooped in his pull-up. If there was only some automated robotic thingy like the Roomba or Scooba that changed diapers. The Pooba. Now that would be worth having.

2006 So Far

I still need to get a 2006 calendar. I keep finding myself looking up, trying to figure out what the date is, then realize I'm looking at December 2005. Pretty fustrating. So from what I can figure today is January 9th. Where has the time gone?

Let's see . . . we followed our little New Year's Eve celebration tradition again this year. I made way too much food, enough for about 10 people. Of course it was just me and Vince and the kids, but I can never help myself. Since we had Sophia, we've just stayed home, and I've made Asian food galore. This year I made beef satays with mango dipping sauce, vietnamese spring rolls with a garlic/lime dipping sauce, fresh spring rolls with a spicy peanut dipping sauce, pork & peanut wontons served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Then I bought sushi and some potstickers to round out the meal. I must have been recovering from Vegas still because I only drank caffeine-free Coke all night. Woo hoo, you go girl!

I had a week and a half off from catering. A very nice break. Started cooking again on January 3rd. Ended up with four jobs last week, and I have three jobs this week. Nothing like starting out with a bang. And I must really be getting good at this catering thing, because I had dinner for 30 last Saturday, and I didn't start prepping until after noon that day. Then once I got started, I was done by 2:30 pm, and didn't have to be at the job site until 5pm. Plus I had the kids all by myself too. That's my kind of gig. They should all go so smoothly.

Since Vince's Christmas break, someone must have lit a fire under his ass, because he's really making progress on the kitchen. I have cabinet doors on all my upper cabinets, and drawers on my lower cabinets. We may even be picking out counter tops soon. I'm very excited, you just don't know what it's been like living with a construction zone kitchen for as long as I have. Especially with as much cooking as I do.

Now look at my girl go. She's not "properly" crawling yet, her tummy doesn't leave the ground, but boy does she get around. I can leave her in the den, and moments later she's joining me in the kitchen. Scoot, scoot, scoot. Now she's getting under the coffee table. Of course she usually lands on her face while getting "down", but she doesn't seem to mind. She's dealing with a gunky nose lately. Has been since New Year's. Now I have a gunky nose too. Poor baby has been sleeping in her car seat, in her crib for about a week now, just to keep her upright so she's able to breathe and sleep through the night.

January 6th was my Grandma's 83rd birthday. Happy Birthday Granny M. Vince stayed home with the kids, so I could go out with my Mom and Grandma to celebrate. We headed up to Valley View casino for a little gambling fun, but most of all for their buffet. It really is good, rivals any Vegas buffet for the price in my foodie opinion. Now those of you who have a 2006 calendar can see that the 6th falls on a Friday. Therefore, the casino was mobbed. We ended up turning around and going somewhere else. It was a bit dissapointing, but we'll be back. During the week I'm sure.

I need to get going, I have lunch for twenty tomorrow, and some laundry to get to. But first a picture of Harrison modeling his new Spiderman PJ's. And for some reason he loves his swimming goggles, wears them all the time. I think he's just a weird kid. Enjoy.

The Gifts Just Keep On Giving

My Christmas gift from my mom was a trip to Vegas. Vince stayed home with the kids, and my mom took me away for a couple of nights of rest and relaxation. Now the last time I was in Vegas I was pregnant with Annamaria, so my goal was to drink in abundance and do a little gambling. My goal was achieved. We arrived in Vegas Wednesday afternoon, and started with a light sushi lunch. Did a little gambling, then went to the oyster bar for dinner. Did a little more gambling, had ice cream sundaes for dessert. Then did a little more gambling. Once I thought I lost enough money, I headed up to the room. Did a little reading, then went to sleep. The next morning we got to sleep in. Hit the buffet for breakfast, then did a little more gambling. Now you may be thinking I have a gambling problem at this point, but really I didn't loose more than $60. Which is still more than I wanted to loose. Actually I wanted to win, but I never do. We had appointments at the spa at noon, so we headed to the spa and relaxed in the jacuzzi for a bit. Then headed to our massage appointments. Eighty minutes of muscle relaxing heaven. Thank you mom! After the spa my mom took me shopping, and we spent way too long in the Chico's store. As a belated birthday gift, she bought me a couple outfits. So that evening I got to wear one of my new outfits to Gallagher's in the New York New York to dinner. We dined on prime meat to our heart's content, and ate the best onion rings ever, while drinking Ketel One martinis. It's been a while for me, they were going down pretty easily. After our dinner we headed to The Big Apple Bar, and watched a great band until almost two in the morning, and sipped apple martinis. We "shared" about seven of them. Like I said, my goal was to drink in abundance, and I met my goal. The next morning we were both feeling a little green around the gills, so we just packed up, decided to skip breakfast, and head home. The problem was neither of us could remember where the car was parked. So after rolling our suitcases around one parking lot, and then another, we finally came across the car. All in all, it was a great escape. After getting over feeling guilty for leaving my husband home with three small children, I truly enjoyed myself. Looking forward to the next time.

A Very Merry Christmas

We changed our schedule a bit this Christmas. We planned on attending the Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve, but the kids were in such a hyperactive state, Vince and I decided to skip it and attend Mass on Christmas morning instead. Something I've never done. Christmas morning was always about gifts and food. But Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, it only seemed to make sense to go Christmas morning. Besides, the Vigil Masses are packed, and there is no nursery, so the kids (meaning Harrison), would be impossible to control during the entire service. So Sunday morning we got the kids up, dressing in their Christmas finest and went to mass. And I must say, it was very pleasant. It wasn't crowded at all, and it was just he right way to start the special day. We got home, had a quick breakfast of lox and bagels (yummy!), changed back into our pajamas, and resumed with our Christmas festivities. Our tree was loaded with gifts. Really, it was quite disgusting. There are actually more presents behind the tree that you can't see in this photo.

Sophia wanted to just rip through the gifts, we had to slow her down. Harrison would play a bit with whatever he opened, then move on. I remember when Sophia used to be like that. Annamaria slept through most of the activity, woke up to eat and scooch around, open gift with some help, then went back to sleep.

Later in the day, my mom and grandma came over. Then later my great uncle Joe and his friend Ruth joined us. My big suprise for my grandma and uncle Joe was Torrone. I can proudly say I made it myself. And it only took two batches to get it right. Now for those of you who don't know what Torrone is, think Italian divinity. It is a honey nougat with almonds and pistachios. And my uncle Joe said it tasted just like he remembered from way back when. I could have popped. Really, what do you get people who have everything? And if they don't they have more money than God to buy it for themselves? The older I get, the more people I have in my life that fit into this category.

I made an herb-roasted prime rib, parisian potatoes and baby asparagus for dinner. My mom prepared sfinga ( I know I'm not spelling that right) for dessert. Again, think Italian beignets. Harrison couldn't get enough.

I think Sophia's favorite gift was a Leapster L-Max, which Harrison would like to have too. Here is a picture of Sophia playing with her Leapster while Harrison watches. Funny how they're either getting along famously, or at each other's throats. Actually it's not really funny, it's more annoying than anything.

I was very spoiled this year. Among other things I got a new Cuisinart Food Processor. Now, I already have one, my mom bought it for me over 15 years ago. But just a little bit ago I broke part of the lid. I've been using it anyway, I just thought I'd get a replacement lid, but Vince bought me a new large capacity one. It's a thing of beauty. And major suprise was a Scooba. What's a Scooba you say? That's what I said anyway. O-kay, you know the Roomba? The little robotic floor vaccuum? I either wanted one of those or a Dyson, but in his research, Vince came across the Scooba. It's made my the same people who make the Roomba, but it is a hard floor cleaner. And I HATE cleaning the kitchen and wood floors, so this seemed more "gift like" to him, and I have to agree. The only bummer is that it's not here yet. It's being shipped by the producers. But in it's place I got a little Chinese take-out with a fortune cookie in it, and the fortune said, "A cleaner floor is the path to a clearer mind. Stop mopping. Scooba is coming." What the heck? He had to explain, but once he did, wow! How clever. But it doesn't stop there. A couple years ago, when asked what I wanted for Christmas I replied diamond earrings. So on Christmas morning, I open a jewelry box and find a diamond cross. It was beautiful, but not what I asked for. Now being the brat that I am, and not being one who likes suprises, I looked at my expectant husband and said, "but I wanted earrings". Now the good news is that he's still married to me. He was so proud of himself, he picked it out himself, and it really is the most beautiful cross I've ever seen, but it wasn't what I was expecting, and I popped his bubble. The bad news is that he told me he'd never buy me another piece of jewelry again. I think I deserved that. So last year, I received another jewelry box, but upon opening it, I found it to be empty. After thinking he was just cruel, Vince then told me that we would go down to our jewelers and I could pick out a pair of earrings myself. Well, that never happened. So this year I wasn't expecting anything jewelry related. Really, after the way I behaved about the cross, that I now wear all the time, I couldn't blame him. So I was very suprised to receive a jewelry box, and in them were a pair of diamond earrings. Just as colorless and perfect as could be. Did I mention that I'm spoiled?

Hope everyone out there had a wonderful Christmas too.

Happy Birthday Sophie-Wophie-Poo-Poo-Girl!

Today my first born turned 7 years old. Where did the time go? Unfortunately I had to cater lunch today, so I don't think she had the dream day she was hoping for. We did make it to the park for a little bit, and the Grandmas came over for dinner and cake. Sophia wanted a dolphin cake with blue frosting. I bombed the cake by trying a new recipe. Followed the recipe to a tee, Sophia even assisted. It was the dryest, hardest and toughest cake I've ever made. Sophia didn't care. She was more interested in the gummy dolphins I used to decorate her cake. O-kay, so they're really gummy sharks, but I didn't know where to get gummy dolphins. And being 7 years old, Sophia has adequate imagination to pass the sharks off as dolphins. All I can say is, thank God my cake decorating class is less than a month away. From the look of things, I really can use it.

In my defense, I let Sophia pick the decorative frosting from the tube to write with, and she insisted on the kind that is impossible to write with. It may not be too pretty, but everything else is from scratch. Except of course for the gummy sharks.

So to celebrate her birthday properly, I'm taking her to Disneyland tomorrow. Just the two of us. A grand Girls Day Out. Shhhhh, don't tell her, it's a suprise.

The Case of the Missing Advent Calendar Chocolates

In celebration of the season, both Sophia and Harrison were bought Advent calendars to count down the days until Christmas. They even got to pick which design they wanted. Sophia picked out a snowman motif, while Harrison chose the Santa at the Christmas Tree design. Each and everyday, they both get to open the one door on their calendar that corresponds to whatever day it is, and get a surprise by what shape the chocolate is, then they get to enjoy the treat. Yesterday, I walked into the den to find Harrison sitting on the floor with Sophia's Advent calendar. At first glance, the calendar was fine, just on the floor. Upon closer inspection, I found that the doors had been opened and the chocolates removed. The doors were then pushed back closed. "What did you do?", I asked. "Did you eat your sister's chocolates. Did you open all the doors on her calendar?". "No", he replied. "Then where are the chocolates?", I asked. He replied by pointing to his stomach. Apparently the chocolates mysteriously vanished from Sophia's calendar, and reappeared in Harrison's stomach. Spooky.

How Did This Happen Again?

Here is what my week looks like . . .

• Monday - Catering
• Tuesday - Catering
• Wednesday - Bible Study
• Thursday - Catering
• Friday - Catering
• Saturday - Catering

I swear, I don't know how this happened. The only thing I can think is that when a client would ask if I was free on a certain day, I would look at the specific day they were asking about, and not look at the rest of the week. Therefore I never got a clear view of the big picture, the grand scheme of things, the whole enchilada. And no, no one ordered enchiladas. Although I still don't know what I'm making for Thursday's lunch order, so you never know.

Holiday Eating Tips

My friend e-mailed this to me last year, and being the foodie that I am, I thought it was brilliant. Enjoy.

Christmas Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have the nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have the two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread the tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

The Toothless Wonder

The toothfairy strikes again! I forgot this picture was in my camera in all my catering drama. Sophia lost another tooth last week. That makes six total, four currently missing. One of Sophia's classmate's mom gave me the phone number for the Toothfairy, so for all you out there with toothless kids, here it is . . . 619/275-7195.

So it occured to me that if she gets sassy and needs a little discipline, a great punishment would be corn on the cob for dinner. I'm so mean.

Seems Like It's Been A While

It seems like a while since I've posted, but only a few days have passed. What does that mean? My days are so busy, my life is just flying by? I hope not.

This week has been pretty good. O-kay, it's only Wednesday, but it seems like the end of the week to me. Maybe it's because tomorrow is my last catering job for the week, so technically today is Thursday for me. Or maybe my sense of time has just completely flown out the window. I took it pretty easy on Monday, didn't start shopping for Tuesday's lunch job until about 1:30. That gave me most of the day to catch up on paper work and such. Catered lunch for 15 on Tuesday. Today I had a luncheon for 19 at a client's home. She is the nicest woman, volunteers with the Assistance League and has this end-of-the-year luncheon for her trainees every year. So this is the second year I've catered this lunch for her. It's not "drop-off" catering though. I have to get all dressed up in my black and white catering attire and be presentable, while serving these well-to-do ladies who volunteer their time for the less fortunate. How good of them. Her driveway was loaded with Mercedes and Lexus'. And her home was designed and built and Frank Lloyed Wright's son. It's not at all pretentious though, but it is fabulous. I love her kitchen! I wish my cell phone was a camera phone, because I could shoot some photos of that place let me tell ya.

I just dribbled egg nog spiked with bourbon into my key board. Oops. The fact that I waited until a quarter to 5:00pm to make myself this sticky concoction says something. Because it was sounding good to me at about 9am. Yes, that is saying something, and I'm afraid it's not good.

I have to go prepare dinner and start prepping for tomorrow's lunch. But it's all downhill from here. Happy hump day!