Tuesday, January 01, 2008

December 2007 Round Up

Happy New Year! But first, the final Round Up of 2007. I'm actually a bit amazed with myself that I really did do this every single month for a whole year. Go me! LOL Special thanks to Katie the Scrapbook Lady for inspiring me to try this.


Credit: Pinky Blinkies


What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Um, yeah. ::rolls eyes::

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
Uh-huh, sure. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as television goes. We did get a whole slew of new HD channels though, including Animal Planet, Discovery, Sci-Fi, The History Channel, and several others. Movie wise, despite *really* wanting to see the National Treasure sequel over Christmas, it just didn't happen (I chose to visit with family instead). I did see the director's cut of Legend (Tom Cruise and Mia Sara, a Ridley Scott film) with about 30 minutes of extra footage and the original Jerry Goldsmith score (instead of the Tangerine Dream score that is almost more famous than the movie). But that will be its own blog post in a few days.

What special days did I celebrate and how?
Christmas with a house full of family, just the way I like it. It was also my parents' 34th wedding anniversary, but we didn't really do anything special, as I recall.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Besides Christmas gifts? Finally sent a couple of baby gifts, went to a baby shower (why yes, there are a lot of babies around all of the sudden).

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I was terrified that Luke would come down with another ear infection when he started coughing earlier in the month, but so far, the cold is gone, and no ear infection. He did have a single night of an upset stomach, but nothing more, so that wasn't too bad.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
We took Luke to the Centennial Olympic Park Holiday in Lights, which was actually pretty disappointing. Luke had fun, but it was hot (yes, hot! over 70 degrees (22C)). I'm hoping we can manage Callaway Gardens next year for Christmas lights. Also got to see my good friend Kelli on New Year's Eve. She lives in California now, so it really is a special treat to get to see her. She and her hubby have been flying back for Christmas every year lately, and we have been fortunate to be able to see her each time, but she is about 5 months pregnant now, and such travelling will pretty much cease once the baby arrives. I sure will miss seeing her every Christmas! Guess this is just a good excuse to get myself out to California again! LOL

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
I'm not sure I personally made any new ones. Oh wait, yes I did. Pesto Puff Bites: puff pastry smeared with pesto (we did half with basil and half with sun-dried tomato), sprinkled with plenty of parmesean, and baked. I preferred the ones with the sun-dried tomato pesto myself. Ack, and baked Potato Rounds, which are sort of cheater's potato skins. Slice potatoes thin (1/4 inch-ish), bake in very hot oven until crispy, sprinkle heavily with cheese and bacon, back in oven to melt cheese. Easy and yummy, quite a hit.

I also tasted a few other new ones that other people made. We tried Giada DeLaurentiis's Lemon Pine Nut Cookies. They were a bit disappointing. Partly my fault. I just need to accept the fact that I don't like lemon things, and that this is okay! LOL They were also terribly crumbly. No one in the family was very impressed. But, we also tried her marinara, which was excellent, as were the turkey meatballs (I think those are hers). That seems like all, but I honestly can't remember. I need to review the Christmas recipes for this year.

Wait, I forgot Cracker Barrel! I've been eating at Cracker Barrel for years, but I almost always get the same thing: Chicken and Dumplings. It was the closest I was able to find to my great-grandmother's, but it has been rather disappointing the last few times I've gotten it. Honestly, I've never even tried anything else on the menu (besides breakfast, which they serve all day; I highly recommend the french toast), so when DH suggested it as a place to eat last Saturday, I felt rather lost. But they have a Saturday special of Chicken and Rice, so I decided to give it a try, and let me tell you, it was heavenly! I may insist that we only go there on Saturdays from now on so that I can get Chicken and Rice! LOL Boy, was it yummy. Guess there is something to be said for trying new things every now and then.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
A Christmas tree and plenty of ornaments to decorate it, and a Wii! Oh, and I finally bought the new dining room chairs I have been wanting forever. I think that was more than sufficient for one month.

What were this month's disappointments?
My good friend Annette was supposed to visit over Christmas, being that she was within a 2 hour drive of Atlanta visiting family (instead of across the country in Arizona like usual). She's usually that close for Thanksgiving, but we're never in town to be able to take advantage of it. I was thrilled that she would be here at Christmas this year and I would finally get to meet her husband and children, but it just didn't work out. I had hoped to maybe make it out to Arizona in 2008, but I have a bunch of other trips I really must take, so I'm not sure I can manage it. We'll just have to see.

What were my accomplishments this month?
Finally started the new job with my old boss, after trying twice previously to make it work. Then, of course, there were the Christmas holidays and computer issues and missing IDs and all, so I haven't actually done any "real work" just yet. I sense that will change come Wednesday (Jan 2, 2008), though.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?
Just continued amazing improvement in his speech. I finally feel like he is pretty much caught up with the other kids, which is really exciting. He also finally pooped in the potty, another huge step, though we seem to have regressed again since then. Rather frustrating, actually, but as my mom likes to say, no one ever went to college wearing diapers. True, but I'm not so certain the same can be said of Kindergarten. ::sigh::

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Our desktop computer tried to die, but seems to have made a miraculous recovery. We don't think it will last forever, but we are grateful for the few months grace period we have been granted to get a few paychecks out of me before having to get a new one. We witnessed a fugitive traipsing through our neighbor's back yard and got to call 911.

Currently feeling: listed

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