Christmas Cookies

Today, I made my mom's Christmas pecan cookies for a Christmas party at our church tomorrow. Here's the recipe. You can also roll them in powdered sugar after they have cooked to give them a snow ball look. Enjoy!

1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans chopped
red and green sugar or powdered sugar

Cream the butter and vanilla; add sugar, creaming the mixture until light and fluffy. Blend in water. Stir in flour, mixing well. Add pecans. Shape into 1 inch balls. Roll in colored sugar.

Bake 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet in slow oven (325 degrees) 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cook before removing from the pan. Makes 3 dozen.

Red Maple Inn and Fireside Feast

Brian and I recently spend a night at the Red Maple Inn, a bed and breakfast in Spencer, Mass. The Inn had a deal with another inn/farm one town over, The Salem Cross Inn. We took part in their Fire side feast where they cooked most of our meal (prime rib, clam chowder) over a huge open fire. Before the meal, we went on a wagon ride on the countryside with the biggest horses I have ever seen. We then enjoyed a cup of hot cider and mulled wine. The meal was huge and we finished it off with homemade apple pie and a portion of whipped cream as big as the pie! The Bed and Breakfast was beautiful and very professional with a warm fluffy bed and thousands of DVDs to choose from for free! The breakfast really hit the spot in the morning, with some of the best coffee I've had in a long time. We were only gone for one night and day, but we had a great time!

Another week of Illness

Coming off of my allergic reaction, I contracted the stomach flu, along with 11 of my co-workers and about 8 of my clients. It's been a rough weekend for us all. I'm just hoping that the many body parts pictured here will be cooperating with me soon! I have Holiday parties to attend here!

Is it me?! This is my fourth week in a row being sick in some way. I have missed 3 Wednesdays at work in a row because of illness. This has to stop some time, right?

Really Thankful

This year, on Thanksgiving, I realized how thankful I am for several things I had taken for granted previously. Two days ago, I suddenly had an allergic reaction, to an antibiotic (didn't know that at the time). My body was covered head to toe in burning itching hives. I could not sleep, sit, lay down or stop moving for 24 hours. After vising my doctor on Wednesday Morning, I was given several meds to get the rash under control. My rash continued to progress, so my Doctor suggested I go to the emergency room, due to their fear that my air way may be compromised. I spent several hours in the emergency room with a team of doctors that were trying to figure out what was wrong with me. They were all very kind people and did what they could to make me feel comfortable. A few hours after they sent me home, the rash began to subside and the few particularly painful areas dulled out a bit. I was able to sleep 5 hours that night and woke up feeling significantly better. I'm still not 100%, but I was able to make some pies for thanksgiving (pecan and pumpkin, with store bought crust of course!). My friends who were coming over ended up making almost all of the food and cleaning up entirely after the meal (as I took a nap). They were a real joy to be with even when I was not feeling my best.

I'm so grateful that I'm not in the hospital right now. And that I have good health insurance and many great hospitals to choose from. I'm so thankful that Brian canceled his day to be with me and that my work place did not give me a hard time for calling out sick again this week for two days. I'm Thankful that this holiday was not one where I worked like crazy to entertain others, but my friends really provided for me. I can't say it enough, I'm just really thankful.

I PASSED THE TEST!

Good news!  I passed the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination for the state of Massachusetts! Now I can move forward with obtaining my license, hopefully in early 2009.  I have been working toward this for the last 4 years, and now I am only steps away. Yea!  I feel as excited as this turtle!

What Would Martha Do?

I have never recalled having Veterans day off at work. I am guessing that I usually have worked the holiday and disregarded the opportunity for a day off in the middle of the week (I probably tacked it on the end or beginning of a weekend to make it "worth it"). Here I am, with an unexpected day off. What should I do? I generally don't do well with time for relaxing or taking a break. In fact, this last Saturday, I swept and mopped my entire house, pulling up rugs, moving furniture, the whole bit. I wish wish I was content to read a good book for a few hours or spend some quality time in prayer. I have always felt like a failure in these areas. I'm the one with the mixing bowl in the picture, looking at the pile of dishes on the other side of the room, and I wish Mary would stop making me look bad.

So today, what are my options. First, I already slept in and it's about 10:30am. I have an offer to have lunch or coffee with a friend. I could do all of my grocery shopping today and not go on Saturday for my usual madness. Or maybe just a smaller trip for coffee, milk, and olive oil. I could bake some pumpkin bread (add molasses to the shopping list) or some Puerto Rican rice and chicken. What about all of the Veterans day sales! I could go to the Burlington Mall and look around (Buying only a cup of coffee and an item under $10). I always leave that mall feeling poor and out of style.

Maybe I should exercise! The pool is closed (I may sound like a regular, I am not), but I could go on a really long walk, maybe out by the harbor on the Deer Island trail. I could spend some time in prayer or contemplation while watching the waves. Or maybe I should get some use out of my bike for once, which I have neglected all summer, only to now bring it out on a 45 degree day! I'm so out of shape.

What about Christmas shopping? I could make a master list of gifts for every person. I could purchase or make Christmas cards.

What I have decided to do for sure:

1. Call my Dad (US Army Veteran)

2. Eat Lunch and Dinner

3. Take a shower at some point

4. Some form of exercise

5. Read a chapter of the Bible

6. Have fun?

7. Posting on the blog...

I'm I the only person stressed about having a day off? Perhaps this indicates that my present work days often 10 or 11 hours leaves no space for me to even think about such things. I don't know, I'm a mess, and I feel hopelessly obsessed with work. As Brian would say in a sarcastic voice "I'm not a human doing, I'm a human being!"

Turn Out the Vote

Brian and I went to the polls at 8 this morning to vote. We waited about an hour and 15 minutes and used a ballot similar to the one pictured here. I thought the state or even this area would have the same kinds of ballots for each polling station, but I found out that my co-workers filled in circles (rather than drawing lines). Some were asked for ID, though I was not. Brian and I thought it would be funny to actually show up to the polling stations with "street pride" in T-shirts with street slogans, maybe some chants for our street. Okay, it's not that funny. . . Happy voting.

Call for Beef Stew Recipes!

I'm looking for a fab beef stew recipe. I have often tried to make beef stew and my meat is too tough, my broth tastes weird, and it just doesn't have that good comfort taste. Please feel free to comment with suggestions or links to recipes!

Test taking

Hi everyone. I thought I'd let you know that I'm taking my license exam to become a licensed mental health counselor. The test is tomorrow the 18th between 9 AM and 1 PM. Wish me luck. Prayers are welcome too.

Brian's Birthday at the ICA

We went to the Institute of Contemporary Art on Friday for a concert: saxophonist Evan Parker and pianist Marilyn Crispell. The music was the most unusual, creative music I have ever heard. It seemed that they were almost re-inventing music through unorthodox uses of their instruments. In addition, we were treated to a viewing of a new exhibit by sculptor Tara Donovan (click her name to see a slide show), who uses every day objects to create pieces of art that are surprising and even moving. I was particularly struck by a billowing swell of styrofoam cups suspended from the ceiling. I also took an illegal picture of one of one of her works, which could be viewed on both sides with different light. Shhhh, don't tell. The ICA is located on the Charles River. The auditorium of the theater faces a wall of glass with a view of the Charles river, passing boats and all. Overall, the night was fantastic. And fitting for the end of a great night, we topped it off with a 10 o'clock meal at our new favorite Chinese restaurant.

Cookies and Debate

Of course, we've been keeping up on all of the presidential politics, especially the debates. For the first presidential debate, we had a friend over and ate fresh baked cookies. The Vice Prez debate definitely called for more serious food--pizza with mushrooms and garlic. Brian's birthday is coming up this week. We plan to see a concert and exhibit on Friday at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. I'll let you know how it goes, with photos!

Swimming

For several summers in college, I was a lifeguard and camp counselor at camps in Colorado and Texas. My sister Jennifer and I use to take the short walk to the officer's club pool every day in the summer as kids. I always felt comfortable in the water. This last Thursday, my friend Carrie and I visited a new pool near by for the lap swim time. My suit was not suitable (a tankini from Wal-mart bought 4 years ago), and I had no swim cap or goggles. But I swam several laps, only to find out that I still enjoyed swimming, but I have not had formal swim training since those lessons in elementary school. Good thing Carrie is a real swimmer who knows her stuff. I still felt great. I went home and purchased a purple and black suit, goggles, and a purple swim cap online. I'm so excited to be back in the pool again!

My inspiration to swim come from two people. First, Dara Torres (pictured here), 40-year-old Olympian, need I say more. Second, (and even more influential in my decision to start swimming) my little five-year-old niece, who must have been a mermaid in a different life.

Fresh Apples

This Saturday, I went apple picking at Autumn Orchards in Groton, MA. The orchard was on series of hills, making it quite a work out to collect apples. We shared a picnic lunch on a beautiful clear 70 degree day. My pie just came out of the oven. Smells good...

The farm had roosters, geese, and a beautiful view. On our way home, we visited Walden Pond, seen in the picture through the trees.

Friday

At work, we just started having therapy dogs come to see our teenagers. The dogs are from an organization called Caring Canines. I find myself now waking up every Friday with excitement to see the dogs! Here's a picture of Joseph, one of our favorites! They brighten our day!

Life is...

Life is too fast, too slow, boring, messy, dramatic, disappointing, and fascinating. Most of us do the same thing every day. I wake up each morning to a cup of black coffee and a bowl of fiber enriched cereal. If I, for some reason, walk out of the door without completing this routine, my day is completely thrown off, in more ways than one if you get the picture. In any given day, I may or may not accomplish the most basic tasks of some peoples' lives, such as checking my e-mail, updating my blog, crossing tasks off in my day planner, and washing the evening dishes. Some days, I feel that my life is completely boring and predictable. Work, television, sleep, repeat.

So I complete my bi-weekly trip to the grocery store, where I always spend more money than I intend. Predictably, I swallow hard when I swipe my card and exit the store with a mountain of food and plastic white grocery bags, ripe and ready to pollute the earth. I forgot the eco-friendly bags again.

I flip on PBS and watch my Saturday cooking shows, and enter into a fantasy world of food and travel. I too once traveled, and tasted, and experienced life in another world. The places that I have traveled seem to remain inside of me, awakened by images of cobble stoned roads and fresh seafood. In the here and now, the daily bread of my life is sufficient and even bountiful. Really, I can't complain. But I am afraid that my routine often sends me into the auto-pilot mode. Again, work, television, sleep, repeat. One more chapter in the book of American work-aholism, 2008. Ironically, my job, the service for which I am paid, is to help people to unlock their potential and live life with grace and passion (at least that's how I see it). When I actually have time to "have fun" and "enjoy life" I am merely trying to recover from the grind. By grind, I mean that same feeling that causes me to grind my teeth in the shower when I have a 9 o'clock meeting. I am either sleeping, or moving. I avoid sitting still, because my drive toward productivity refuses to go down without a fight.

This blog is about my daily choice to seek passion not productivity, freedom, not guilt, joy, not depression, peace, not worry.