Archive for November 2012

Mama Loves her Sparkle

By Sue · Comments (30) · November 29th, 2012

I love the weekend after Thanksgiving. It’s the time I set aside to decorate for Christmas.

I would suspect that I am not alone in this tradition.

With a long weekend at my disposal, I take my time making my way down to the basement

And returning with boxes full of treasures that have lain in wait for nearly a year

Treasures to be rediscovered as if for the first time.

Every homemaker has their method of choice…their signature style for making their dwelling merry and bright.

Some arrange winter village scenes

Others opt for a collection of nutcrackers

As for me?

It’s all about sparkle.

I eschew the candy canes, reindeer, snowmen and such

In favor of showing my holiday spirit with sparkle.

My groom rolls his eyes and laments that he will be finding glittery bits in his sock drawer come Easter

But still

I am compelled to sparkle.

If it don’t have the bling?

It ain’t worth nothing.

If it don’t shine?

Then it can’t be mine.

If it’s not bedazzled?

This mama’s sure to be frazzled.

{Insert five more sappy holiday couplets here}

{Have I made myself clear?}

Sparkle. ~~Dammit.~~

As tradition in our family dictates, The Cherubs are in charge of The Nativity. And although, in past years, they have put their personal mark on our Christmas decor with arrangements like Cirque du Messiah and A Mighty Fortress in Bethlehem,

This year?

They unanimously agreed to take my passion for sparkle to heart.

Hope, defined, in a season of hope. *sigh*

So last week, on the day after Thanksgiving, after I had finished bedazzling the halls, I went upstairs and took a long, hot bath while The Cherubs set to work on The Nativity.

Then I padded back downstairs in my robe to find the lights dimmed, save for a flicker of candlelight coming from a corner of the family room.

As I drew nearer, there was nary a Cherub in sight.

But, lo, there was sparkle.

Behold the 2012 Nativity:

Cosmic Bowling with the Holy Fam

Inspired by a prompt from

“Write a post that incorporates the word ‘sparkle.’”

Comments (30)

Giving Thanks for Quotables

By Sue · Comments (24) · November 22nd, 2012

When I was a girl…some thirty years ago…

My parents did everything in their power to provide my two younger brothers and me with a solid upbringing.

They saw after our grooming

They helped us with our homework

They fed us three square meals a day

With the exception of milk.

But I digress.

And, of course, there were household rules by which we three had to abide.

You know…the basics:

Respect your elders…

No hitting…

And…umm…No quoting at the table.

You see, having been born in the 1970′s, we were First Generation VHS Kids. We watched movies and television during an era when on-demand repetition of worthy clips was a shiny new concept. We would press that rewind button ad nauseum, watching favorite snippets in reverse before viewing them again…and again…and again…

And yet again…

Until we had committed them to memory and could recite them at the smallest prompting. Which, incidentally, was usually at the dinner table.

Much to the dismay of our parents, who did not share our affinity for ad nauseum movie quoting.

The table was where we gathered to nourish our bodies, exchange ideas, and bow our heads together in gratitude for our blessings.

Quoting matches had no place in this family portrait. Especially on Thanksgiving.

And now…now that I am a grown-up with children of my own…

I have the same rule: No quoting at the table. I mean, really…who needs to hear, a thousand times over, some annoying quip first heard on Cartoon Network?

Unless, of course, the quote in question happens to be from one of my favorite quotable films or shows from yesteryear…a belly-laugh inducing quote that I, personally, have introduced to my children via the magic of oral tradition and YouTube.

In that case? I applaud The Cherubs and enthusiastically help them fill in the blanks where they stumble.

Call it a tradition of sorts. Their collective repertoire includes, but is certainly not limited to:

click images for sources

I like it. I like it a LOT.

Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!

I don’t wanna be a pirate!

Dad is great…Gave us the choc-late cake!

Abe Froman? The sausage king of Chicago?

You can’t HANDLE the truth!

I could go on. But I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

And as certain as I am that the smoke alarm will announce supper

I am just as certain that there will be an abundance of vintage screenplay quips peppering our conversation.

So today, in addition to counting my blessings of faith and good health, of family and friends…I am especially thankful for the gift of laughter shared between generations, and the fact that there is never a shortage of it around my dinner table.

Inspired by a prompt from

“We’re going around the table and it’s your turn to share what you are thankful for…go!”

Comments (24)

The Case of the Missing Innards

By Sue · Comments (44) · November 15th, 2012

First: A bit of business…

The winner of the Organizing Utility Tote from Thirty-One Gifts is:

Pick Giveaway Winner

1) Runnermom-jen: jento-———–

Congratulations, Jen! I’ve emailed you to obtain shipping address information. I hope you enjoy your tote as much as I have.

WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Even if you didn’t win…make sure that you’ve requested to join Thirty-One Representative Tori’s Facebook Group. She’s conducting ANOTHER giveaway for group members only. Also – Click here to get in on some great deals ($5 bag, anyone?) just in time for the holidays.

And now…Back to our regularly scheduled post:

*************************************************************************************************************************

I was going through my Thanksgiving checklist – I’ve hosted my in-laws for the past decade – and jotting down the items that I’d need to purchase. I take pride in the fact that, though I’m no Martha Stewart, I am able to prepare and serve an almost entirely home-cooked meal, from the stuffing to the pumpkin pie.

Almost.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

My grocery list is always rather long:

25 pound turkey

roasting pan

unsalted butter

onions

celery

corn meal

and so on.

I paused when I got to large jar of gravy. My pencil hovered over the paper and a smirk spread across my face as I recalled the first time I had played hostess, some ten years ago.

***

The distinctive aromas of parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, ~~Simon and Garfunkel~~ and turkey wafted through the kitchen and were evidently intoxicating The Twins. At 18 months, they were spinning around the kitchen like whirling dervishes, ricocheting off of each other and my legs and cabinets and generally making themselves underfoot.

I, for my part, was hunched over my weathered edition of The Joy of Cooking, muttering curses beneath my breath. The turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole were all prepared, covered in foil, and resting upon trivets. I had moved on to preparations for the gravy. There was a pot on the stove waiting to be filled with the turkey giblets.

Which, incidentally, were nowhere to be found.

Had I thrown them away?

A quick peek in the trash told me that I had not.

Down the disposal?

I yanked up my shirt sleeve and gingerly inserted my arm up to my elbow.

Nothing.

I eyed Macy the Two-Year-Old Spastic Weimaraner suspiciously. She had a well-known affinity for all things slimy, from pre-chewed bubble gum to goose droppings. But she was gnawing with gusto on a slobbery chunk of rawhide.

I began to break out in a sweat. How was I to prepare gravy without giblets?

And serve Thanksgiving dinner without gravy?

In a panic, I flew to the pantry, a wordless prayer forming in my mind. It was all I could do not to scream hallelujah when, after a bit of rooting around, I located a jar of pre-made gravy.

In an attempt to save homemade face, I dumped the contents of the jar into the saucepan upon the stove, wiped the sweat off my brow, and stirred the concoction while calling to my father-in-law, “Granddad? Would you mind carving the turkey? I’m just about done with this homemade gravy.”

Granddad obliged, commenting dutifully on the effort that I had put into the meal, right down to the homemade gravy.

That’s what fathers-in-law are for.

And you know what else they’re for?

For not uttering a word of disgust

Or judgement

When they carve into your Thanksgiving turkey

And fish out a melting plastic bag of 375 degree giblets.

Inspired by a prompt from

“Tell us something that made you smile this week.”

Comments (44)

Getting my Act Together – A Thirty-One Gifts Giveaway

By Sue · Comments (76) · November 8th, 2012

I was flippng through my Martha Stewart Living magazine - the December issue – and feeling inevitably and woefully inadequate.

For, try as I might,

And no matter how many back-issues I collect and store for Someday,

All of my Martha-inspired projects

are destined to turn out like so:

Click the image for the accompanying story if you missed it.

Anyway. I was perusing the December issue, and this phrase in an article on gift giving inspired me to ~~dry heave~~ take pause and reflect: ”Each year, around September, I start to think seriously about my personal Christmas gifts for family members and close friends…I organize my homemade gifts into groups – edible, wearable, decorative, and practical – and the list of recipients into human and animal…”

After the smelling salts took effect and I more or less had my wits about me once again (September? Animal recipients?), I scrutinized Martha’s message, and a single word jumped out at me: Organize.

Could that be the key to sailing through the holidays Martha-style, full of creativity, heart-felt giving, ~~mimimum security prison~~ and clever crafts?

I quietly closed the magazine, filed it away,

And vowed that this holiday season, I would be organized.

Yes. This was key.

Once I had made this pact with myself, I raised my head and looked around my kitchen.

My gaze settled on this.

Thirty One Gifts Organizing Utility Tote

In the super-chic Parisian Print, no less.

My Organizing Utility Tote from Thirty-One Gifts.

And I sat up a bit taller in my chair.

It does keep me organized, friends.

Last weekend? I took it to Happy Hour(s) at a girlfriend’s house.

Drinks, appetizer, wine opener, and hostess gift all fit easily inside, as neat as you please.

I loaned it to Twin A a few days later as she was getting her things ready to take along to musical rehearsal.

She was smitten with the seven – SEVEN! – side pockets. I may never get it back.

In sum? My Organizing Utility Tote helps my family get our act together. And keep it together.

Heck – Thirty One Gifts is all about getting it together.

Envious of our togetherness, now, are you?

Don’t be. This is your chance to nab one of these gems for yourself. Here’s how:

Giveaway Rules:

Each comment left on this post, from now until Thursday, November 15th, will be considered an entry. The winner will be chosen by random electronic drawing and announced in a post on that date. Multiple entries (up to five) per person are encouraged. To enter, do one or more of the following. Verify each action with a separate comment here.

1. Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me how you would use the Organizing Utility Tote.

2. Check out Thirty-One’s online catalog – They have a boatload of supercool stuff – and let me know which product(s) most appeal to you.

3. Share this giveaway on your Facebook wall.

4. Join Tori’s 31 Specials Facebook Group by clicking here and then on the “Request to Join” button on the upper right corner of the page. This will keep you in the loop with all of Tori’s upcoming holiday specials! And, by all means, add friends to the group who you know would love Thirty-One Gifts.

5. Follow The Spin Cycle on Twitter and tweet this giveaway.

Good luck, friends!

Disclosure Statement:

I was provided with an Organizing Utility Tote in order to complete this post. All opinions are my own. Only residents of the United States are eligible for entry. Thirty-One Gifts and The Spin Cycle are not to be held responsible for transforming hopeful entrants into Martha Stewart.

Comments (76)

Parisian Do’s and Don’ts

By Sue · Comments (23) · November 1st, 2012

Je suis revenue!

I have returned!

What a fabulous ten days it was, friends. I want to tell you about it.

How to do it within the confines of a single post?

That’s like asking The Small One to pick his top five Legos, and, forsaking all the rest, only play with those five for an afternoon.

But I’ll try. So please indulge me as I present you with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek list of:

Parisian Do’s and Don’ts

*****

Do consider renting an apartment.

If you plan to stay for more than a couple of days? It’s a very economical choice that beats the pantalons off of selling your firstborn off in order to pay for nightly hotel room fees. Throw in on-site laundry and cooking facilities? And you’ve got yourself one suite deal.

Through a little detective work, we learned that our apartment was owned by world-renowned wine expert Jeannie Lee. Tres chic, indeed.

*****

Ladies, don’t bring your high heels.

Or your bling. Or your revealing clothing. Or your loud voices. Or your push-up bras. To say that French women are understated is…well…an understatement. My group knew about this before our departure and did our darndest to blend in with les femmes locales.

Why, yes, we did walk around like this for ten days. Did I not mention that everyone in Paris does?

Our flat-heeled walking boots, stud earrings and black-on-black ensembles served us well, but our raucus laughter screamed America, time and time again. We might as well have been wearing star-spangled top hats singing Yankee Doodle. C’est la vie.

*****

Do prepare to be wowed by Exceptionally Obedient Parisian Dogs and Children.

No leashes, harnesses, muzzles or sedatives required. For the dogs or the children. If I have any more of either in the future? I’m totally shipping them off to Paris for boot camp.

*****

Do partake in delicacies like fois gras and pate’. But don’t snob off to the Nutella crepes and French fries.

This guy loved me and begged to have his picture taken.

For a city renowned for its fine dining, Paris is up to its proverbial eyeballs in Nutella. I’m not complaining…I personally love the stuff. But to my mind, it’s comical that I can purchase fois gras and Nutella crepes within a stones throw of one another. And the French fries? They’re fab. Despite the fact that French fries are not French, people consume them 24/7. They call them les pommes frites and eat them with everything from eggs in the morning to garden salads at dinnertime. Also? They prefer them with mayonnaise. Tres highbrow.

*****

Don’t be taken in by Parisian street scammers.

They abound in the city of lights, friends. If you don’t keep your eyes wide open and one hand on your billfold, you’ll be robbed blind before you can say Champs-Elysees. While on a walking tour, my friends and I asked our guide about the times that we felt that attempts had been made to swindle us:

Friend 1: ”I was stopped by this lady who was walking toward me. She knelt down and picked up a gold ring off of the sidewalk. What was that about?”

Tour Guide: ”Ahh…she was a gypsy. That is a scam. They tell you that you dropped the ring. When you say it is not yours, they insist that you keep it anyway. If you do, then they bother you for money as a show of your appreciation. Do not fall for it. Just keep walking.”

Friend 2: ”Okay…how about the all of the people hanging around the train station who want me to sign their petitions?”

Tour Guide: ”Another scam. You stop to sign, and while you’re concentrating on that, their friends swarm around you and pick your pockets. Never agree to sign anything. Ignore them as you would the ring gypsies.”

Me: *And what’s with that group on the bridge over the Seine holding signs saying, ‘Free Hugs’?”