Our Belated Christmas

Our Christmas may have occurred late and a bit out of order, but we are doing all we can to keep it as we know it.  This morning we decided it was Christmas.  Generally this is where I’d wake up to my parents busy cooking morning brunch but instead we all packing into the car and headed off to breakfast at Benedict’s La Strata.  It’s a cute little restaurant open for breakfast and lunch in downtown with an overwhelmingly delicious sounding menu.

After we all debated our choices for longer than someone probably should, we all ended up with an extremely delicious looking (and tasting breakfast).  I ended up with a soy latte (made with Intelligentsia coffee!) and pumpkin pancakes.  It was a fail that I didn’t take a picture of my breakfast or this cute little restaurant.  I’m pretty sure this will become a new breakfast spot when I come to town.

Shortly after we came home, we dug into our stockings and Christmas presents to each other.  We are all extremely happy with our gifts and my dad was downstairs immediately setting up his new computer.  Sadly, I have not yet been able to talk him into getting an Apple computer.  (Oh but I will!) ;)

After a quick lunch, my sister and I ran off for a little shopping.  We had a few things we needed to get, some gift cards to use, and with a certain birthday on the horizon, some additional shopping that needed to get done.

A delicious dinner, trip to the gym and post-workout snack under my belt, my sister and I are gearing up to watch A White Christmas.  We will have family over tomorrow morning and afternoon for more Christmas celebrations.  It is my hope to fit in a workout before it all starts and end the evening by catching up with a friend I haven’t seen in a few years.

So far, so good. 

Not Home for the Holidays - Part 2

Well the afternoon may not have turned out exactly as I thought it may, but I’m not complaining.  Overall, I think I can call it a good Christmas.

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Obviously, if I was able to be home with my family and partaking in our usual Christmas traditions, it’d be that much better but I made the most of what I could.  My roommate and her boyfriend showed up a little after noon and while I was mildly annoyed, they ended up providing a bit of entertainment as well as allowed me to interact with people face-to-face (non FaceTime and video Skype that is).

While talking to my family this afternoon I did laundry and went for a walk around the neighborhood.  The weather today was in the 70s and sunny and with the gym closed, it was the perfect way to get in a bit of exercise.  (While a run would be nice, I’m not sure my body is quite ready for high impact activity - my incisions are still kind of sore.)  Shortly after getting home I started making my lasagna dinner.  I sautéed the veggies, built the lasagna and while I let it sit, I went out for another walk.  It was getting a bit chilly but was not bad at all.

Coming from the midwest and living in parts of the country where there are seasons, I have a hard time feeling like it’s the holidays in LA because it doesn’t get cold and it doesn’t snow.  While there was no white Christmas in my hometown this year, I’m hoping that’s because Jack Frost is waiting for me to come home and let there be a white Christmas on the day my family chooses to celebrate.  That sounds like the perfect present.

Anyway, I returned home from my walk, put the lasagna in the oven, prepared my salad and the garlic bread and when everything was ready, sat down to a delicious dinner.  I made a super simple vegan lasagna (lactose intolerance means lasagna has to be vegan), a simple from-a-bag salad, toasted up bread with garlic butter, and a 1/2 glass of red wine.  It was easy, super delicious, and brought a little bit of Christmas to LA for me today.

I had this plan where I was going to bake a bunch of cookies or my family’s Swedish Coffee Bread (instead I requested that for while I’m home), read a lot of Harry Potter and watched a bunch of movies.  Well I didn’t bake a single thing, watched a super cheesy ABC Family Christmas movie (and made a failed attempt at watching Chocolat) and will only be sitting down to read HP when I hit “publish.”  There’s a part of me that’s debating 20 minutes of yoga and another part of me that thinks I’ll fall asleep any minute, despite how early it is.

We can’t all be with our families for Christmas and that’s upsetting.  Sometimes accepting offers to celebrate with other’s families just doesn’t fit.  And while spending it alone may not be the most ideal situation, it’s all about what you make of it.  And this year, I feel pretty good about what I made of it.

Wednesday I get to head home for my belated Christmas with my family.  If I’m lucky, next year I’ll get to spend Christmas with my family on Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

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Not Home for the Holidays - Part 1

Merry Christmas Everyone!

There’s nothing easy about not being home for Christmas, especially when you come from a family who makes it last an entire week.  But this year (to my family’s dismay), I made the sacrifice and told my coworker she could go home and that I would stay here.  It hasn’t been easy and quite honestly, makes today feel like any other day, but I get to go home in a few days and Christmas will happen then.  It’s good to hear my family is saving some of my favorites for then: Apple Crisp, Spicy Flowerettes, A White Christmas, and more cookie baking!

But despite it feeling like another day around here, I’m doing my best to still make it special and enjoy myself.  I started my day by making a delicious Christmas breakfast: gingerbread pancakes, an orange, and lots of coffee with warm eggnog.  There’s plans for a walk, laundry, and beginning to pack for my trip home this afternoon.

Yesterday, I found myself debating two kinds of pancakes for today: gingerbread or chocolate peppermint.  It was a tough decision but I ended up deciding to go with gingerbread and it was a good decision - so delicious and so easy!

Gingerbread Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat pancake mix (I used Kodiak cakes)

1 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

I mixed them all together and let the batter sit for 5-10 minutes and then cooked them on the stove to perfection.  This made 4 pancakes about 6” each.  

I had a short stack for breakfast and the second short stack is awaiting lunch time.  I would highly recommend making these.  They couldn’t be easier or more delicious.

A Retail Christmas

The thing that really stinks about working retail is that holidays are almost non-existent, especially around Christmas time as it is our busiest time of the year.  Sometimes we’re able to have a few days off, other times, it’s just not in the stars.  Unfortunately, this year for me, it just couldn’t happen.  I get to go home a few days after Christmas which is great, so don’t get me wrong, but obviously not getting to be with your family ON Christmas and partaking in the usual Christmas traditions is a bit sad.

I worked 6:30a-3:30p today and filled my belly with tons of sweets and unhealthy foods.  (I could definitely go for a good workout right about now.)  One of my managers took me out to breakfast which was unexpected but delicious and amazingly appreciated.  We went to Jinky’s Cafe for crunchy french toast.  I know how weird this sounds, but I can’t recommend it enough, especially cinnamon and topped with blueberries.  Several cookies and a trip to the grocery store after work and here I sit watching Something’s Gotta Give and trying to keep myself awake.

I have my Christmas Day planned out, at least in terms of the food.  That’s where my foodie nature comes out.  Well that and I have to at least try to uphold some Christmas traditions even though I’m doing Christmas on my own.  Lots of food, Harry Potter 6, movies and Skype / FaceTime chats with good friends and family.  I guess that’s the next best thing, right?

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Merry Christmas Eve!  I hope Santa leaves you all that you hoped for and more.

My Top 5 Christmas Movies

I’m not the kid who grew up watching A Christmas Story or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Christmas Vacation and if I did I don’t remember it.  And I only saw A Christmas Story because my aunt and uncle use to have it playing at their house on Christmas when we used to celebrate it there (but I was in my teens what that happened.)

Now before you all get worried that I missed out on some major Christmas movie watching, fear not!  In fact, I don’t really think I missed out because my childhood was filled with some of the BEST Christmas movies ever, if I do say so myself!  And because of that, I would like to share my top 5 Christmas movies of my childhood (and thus has continued into my adult life):

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1. A White Christmas

This movie is a tradition in my family.  So much so that it doesn’t actually feel like Christmas until I’ve watched the movie.  I thought I owned it but it wasn’t with my other DVDs when I looked last week so I’m going to have to look a bit harder because Christmas is only a few days away and I need a bit more of that Christmas feeling.  And if I still can’t find it, my mom and sister better be ready to watch it when I land in IL next week.  Let’s be honest, they should be ready to watch it anyway because it’s my ABSOLUTE favorite!

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2. A Charlie Brown Christmas

I know I talked about this a bit the other day because the music in this “movie” makes me happy.  Can you even call it a movie? Or should we be calling it a short?  Either way, it’s cute and makes me happy. :)

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3. The Santa Clause

This is a “DVD only” on Netflix which makes me angry.  What makes me angrier is that The Santa Clause 2 is available to stream and then The Santa Clause 3 is back to only being available on DVD.  Needless to say, I had to suck it up and fill my need for The Santa Clause so far this season with The Santa Clause 2 until I’m able to watch/send back the movie that I have.

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4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Did you know there’s currently a shortage of this movie on Netflix?  You’d think they’d just fix this issue by making it available to stream but noooooo, I had to add it to my queue and probably won’t actually have it sent to me until March.  Netflix #fail.

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5. A Muppet Christmas Carol

Don’t hate! This is the version that I remember seeing the most and thus brings on some major nostalgia.  I like it, so there! 

This list isn’t the only Christmas movies I watch or like, but are definitely some of my favorites and make happy.  While I stuck at home recovering last week, I watched a lot of crappy Christmas movies on Netflix and Hulu.  Some were bearable, others not and others were just playing because I was bored and hoping to fall asleep.

What are your favorite Christmas or Holiday movies?

Foodie for a Day / Christmas Cookies

We all know the holidays as a time when cookies and other delicious sweets start appearing more in our diets.  For me, getting to bake cookies is one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season.

Growing up, my mom, sister, grandma and great aunt, used to all get together and spend the entire day baking a boat load of cookies.  We all had our favorites that we’d want to make and it wasn’t uncommon for each person to be working on a different kind of cookie all at one time.  We’d plan it out accordingly so that we didn’t have two cookies going at the same time that needed different temperatures.  We were like a well oiled machine.

As we got older, it became harder for all of us to get together and make a whole day out of it, but my mom, sister and I still try to at least bake a couple different kinds when we’re all together - or whoever is together.

Because it was such a tradition growing up, it’s never been the same to bake alone.  And turns out this year, it just lead to a bit of a disaster.  I tried making a few cookies that just didn’t turn out as well as I wanted and thus, I deemed them not good enough to give as gifts or share with anyone other than people who happen to stop (or live in) this apartment.  

Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

My favorite Christmas cookies are Peanut Butter Blossoms and Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies (an Alton Brown/Food Network recipe).  The pinwheel cookies are new as of the last few years, but growing up Peanut Butter Blossoms were a family staple and one my sister and I would often argue over baking.  We learned we had to split the task and make sure we both got to put equal Hershey kisses on the cookies when they came out of the oven.  (There’s just something about that “shhh” the cookie makes when you stick in the chocolate kiss).

Anyway, I’m hoping that when I get home, my sister and mom will have saved a bit of baking for me to join in.

What are your favorite Christmas cookies?

Music Monday // A Charlie Brown Christmas

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Christmas is SUNDAY!  Can you believe it?  Ever since moving to LA over 2 years ago, I have a hard time feeling like it’s Christmas when it doesn’t get all cold and snow.  The snowflake shaped lights and Christmas decorations all around just don’t have the same affect when the weather is still in the 60s.

But despite that, I still do my best each year to make it feel like Christmas and get in the festive spirit.  I have been listening to the non-stop Christmas music station in my car, watching random Christmas movies on Netflix and Hulu, and lighting up my Christmas tree anytime I’m going to be in the living room.  I think it’s working, at least kind of.

Last night as I was sitting around my living room (resting and relaxing from surgery) hanging out with Amy, I had the A Charlie Brown Christmas music playing in the background.  It’s honestly one of my favorite Christmas albums; plus it allows me to sit back and relax.

I still need to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas so I think I should add that to the agenda for this afternoon.

I mean seriously, how does this not make you happy?

Go watch A Charlie Brown Christmas or listen to the album.  You’ll be happy.  I can almost guarantee it!

A Christmas Survey

Can you believe that it’s already December 17th?  Christmas is right around the corner!  While I’ll be in LA for Christmas, I do get to go home to my family in IL shortly thereafter and I couldn’t be more excited about that.  Celebrating Christmas a few days late is no big deal to me since we’ll all still get the opportunity to be together.

Anyway, I’ve been seeing a few blogs post this Christmas survey the last few days and it was fun enough that I wanted to join in! 

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? BOTH!  I’ll take a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows after a walk through the snow and a cup of coffee with a little warmed soy-nog in the morning. 

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them!  And he uses the same paper every year... ;)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored lights!  While I love the look of white lights, I’m used to colored lights as that was always my Dad’s preference so it’s now what I’m used to.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope, don’t think I ever have.

5. When do you hang your decorations up? Anywhere from the day after Thanksgiving to a week or two before Christmas.  Usually it just depends on my schedule.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Either the lasagna my dad makes for Christmas dinner (this is new as of the last few years) or the spicy flowerettes my mom makes every Christmas morning.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I’m not sure I can pick just one but probably any of the Christmas’s when my cousins would come up from Missouri and we’d perform as our music group, The Copy Cats.

8. What is on your Christmas Wishlist? A couple CDs, books and then the practical stuff like clothes, shoes and gift cards for groceries.  I’m simple.

9. Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve? Growing up we would always get to open 1 gift from under the tree on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Colorful lights, red star garland and a variety of ornaments I’ve received over the years.  My tree is tiny so it can’t hold up too many ornaments.

11. Snow? Love it or dread it? LOVE IT!  I miss having season changes in LA and growing up in IL, cold and snow are a part of what makes the holiday season for me.  So I am definitely hoping I will get a taste of snow when I go home this year.

12. Real tree or fake tree? I’ve always had fake trees.  I tried to buy a tiny real one one year and touching it made it fall apart.  It may have just been the wrong kind of tree but it made me realize that I’m AOK with my tiny little fake one.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I’m always just grateful for any gift I receive.  Even the simplest gifts bring me joy as it really is the thought that counts.

14. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you? My family makes Christmas last days.  My mom’s entire side of the family gets together on Christmas Eve; Christmas morning is my family, grandma, Uncle Kenny and Uncle Don for brunch; Christmas dinner is usually my dad’s side of the family; a few days later it’s my mom’s side but this time it’s just her siblings and their kids.

15. What is your favorite Holiday dessert? The array of Christmas cookies - peanut butter blossoms, red and green M&M cookies, peppermint pinwheel cookies, and even more!

16. What is your favorite tradition? Growing up my Grandma, mom, great aunt, sister and I would all get together one day and just bake a bunch of cookies for all of the holiday parties.  These days it usually just consists of my mom, sister and I if we can find the time but it’s still a favorite.  That and watching White Christmas with my mom and sister every year.

17. What tops your tree? We’ve had an angel on our tree every year.  Since living on my own, I have a star that lights up on the top of mine.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving!  I love thinking of something that I think each person will love.  It’s harder this year as I’m working on a tight budget, but I’m still thinking of ways to personalize a gift for each person without breaking the bank.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum? They’re good but I’d rather crush them up and bake them into cookies or stir one into my hot cocoa.

21. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas! Hands down!

22. What do you leave for Santa? We would leave a few cookies we had baked on the same Christmas plate, a glass of milk and a few carrots for the reindeer.

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition? We would wake up, my Grandma, Uncle Kenny and Uncle Don would come over for Christmas brunch and then my sister and I would open up our stockings.

24. Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall? Depends.  I usually go to the mall (or Target!) but this year I’ve done most of my shopping online.

25. Christmas letter or Christmas card? Christmas card.  I also love to receive them, so feel free to send them my way! :)

I’m off to watch a ridiculous Christmas movie and most likely fall asleep watching it.  Happy Saturday everyone! 

Music Monday // Last Christmas

I’ve been talking about how much I love the new Florence + the Machine album, Ceremonials, so it should come at no surprise that I was excited to find a Florence + the Machine version of “Last Christmas.”  I actually just happened to stumble upon it but I’m so happy I did.  I really do love me some Florence + the Machine.

And while I was at it, I also stumbled upon a version of “Last Christmas” by Jimmy Eat World just for good measure.

Despite the fact that this song is kind of sad if you think about it, I kind of love it.  :)

Music Monday - Holiday Edition

I remember when he walked into the store last holiday season.  I was standing in the accessory section and there were two men looking at cases together.  I looked around at them and said “can I help you guys find anything?”  They looked to me and told me what they were looking for.  I pointed them in the right direction and then I saw their faces.  I only recognized one of them but I didn’t think it could be.  His credit card proved it was.

I remember hearing one of his songs at a school dance in high school and becoming obsessed with it.  I then would just sit in my bedroom and listen to his CDs on repeat and just relax.  He’s got one of the most soothing voices I’ve ever heard.  

While this isn’t new music I’m introducing you to, I’m always on the search for more holiday music to help put me in the spirit.  Go listen to Brian McKnight’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas album on Spotify or buy it from iTunes.  Go now.  Seriously, what are you waiting for?  Go!

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I’m a happy girl. 

Surfboard Yoga

Happy November!

We’re now officially past Thanksgiving Halloween (good catch Mom!) and time is going to fly through the holiday season; I hope we’re all ready!  I’m still trying to determine my holiday plans but I know I’ll be spending Christmas Day in LA and will probably try to pull together some sort of gathering so no one is left alone.

I haven’t been very good about going to yoga lately.  I’m not okay with this but my schedule has just been so crazy lately that I can’t keep up.  I keep telling myself maybe it’s time to do another 30 Day Yoga Challenge to get myself back into that world and re-ground myself a bit but there’s a certain bit of unknown in the next month that may make it so I wouldn’t be able to complete that challenge.  Therefore, I’m a bit apprehensive to start another challenge.  For now, I’m trying to convince myself to make my way to the studio a few times a week.  I mean, I do pay for it!

When I was walking into the women’s locker room at the gym the other day, I spotted this:

Have you ever heard of surfboard yoga?  Apparently it’s a growing trend to add an extra degree of difficulty and balance to your yoga practice.  (Also known as Paddleboard Yoga.)

While I was standing there watching, one of the girls fell into the water during her sun salutation and had to climb back onto her board, get her balance back and go right into her upward facing dog.  

Watching this play out made me think if I would ever consider trying this?  If you know me, you probably know I’m not one to swim.  I have this insane fear of drowning that probably shows I didn’t allow myself to take enough swim lessons as a kid (I’m sure my parents are reading this going “told you so”).  I’ve had a few people ask me when I’m going to train for a triathlon (WHAT?!) and thankfully I have the swimming excuse to get me through that answer.  But this still looks kind of fun and I love finding new ways to challenge myself in my workout so maybe someday...

(P.S. It’s November 1st and we all know what means - off to the store to get discounted candy!) ;)