Happy Holidays!

The holidays came a little faster than expected and I found myself less prepared than usual. This year I didn't get around to making all of the things I had planned on. However, I did manage to make holiday cards. I seem to be on an every other year schedule:






















Yes, each one was cut by hand. No folding and cutting. I traced from a template and cut. Like real snowflakes, no two are alike. (Yes, I had a lot of free time over Thanksgiving.)

And here's the one from two years ago, when my mini-donk obsession began:

















HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Meatball Cookoff 2009

It was time again for the annual Meatball Cookoff! As with every year, competition was tough, meatballs were eaten and judged, winners were crowned and good times were had by all.

This year, the winners were:

• Best Meatball (round robin judging): Party Balls
• Best Non-Traditional (non-Italian): Meat Your Maker
• Audience Favorite: Y Tu Meatball Tambien
• The three above competed for the Championship (winner's belt): Y Tu Meatball Tambien
• Best Team Name: Y Tu Meatball Tambien

For the second year in a row, Dirty Cookie (Team: Y Tu Meatball Tambien) took the Audience Favorite trophy, the Championship belt, AND the prize for best team name!

Aside: I was in charge of drawing the names of judges. In the second round of the competition, it came down to Aaron and Dirty and I drew my own name. Yikes. Now, these are two of my best friends--and I have a birthday coming up--so I did what anyone would do: quietly drew another name instead.

Project File: Carrot Terrarium

I recently went to a cousin's wedding (no flashing eyed lobster slaw. whew.) and was handed the centerpiece to take home. I took it, not for the floating candle, but for the nice cylindrical vase. Those things tend to come in handy, and I thought it would be good for a terrarium. Ellen suggested planting some carrot seeds Maddog's piano teacher had given her--that way we could chart the progress of the root vegetables. We'd also have something to eat!

Here we are at 2 weeks...and things are starting to grow...

Brazil nut: okay or no?

My friend Carla once told me the story of a friend of hers, whose parents told her early on that she was allergic to alcohol. She wasn't allergic--they did this in an effort to curb any Girls Gone Wild tendencies. So said friend never drank, thinking she'd go into anaphylactic shock if she did.

One day, Carla and the friend went to the mall and had some Rainforest Brittle, a kind of peanut brittle made with Brazil nuts and cashews. Well, turns out fake booze-allergy friend was, unknowingly, severely allergic to Brazil nuts. Her throat closed up after a bite of brittle and they had to rush her to the emergency room. Don't worry, she survived.

There are a few lessons here:

• Don't lie to your kids about their health
• Get tested for allergies
• Beware Brazil nuts

This weekend I was given a canister of mixed nuts: cashews, almonds, pecans, macadamia (which I already know I am mildly allergic to) and--you guessed it--Brazil nuts. I have never had a Brazil nut before and I didn't know if I had an allergy like fake-booze allergy girl, but her Rainforest brittle story was a warning. However, I was hungry and the largest nuts in the can were calling to me. I was alone, so there would be no ride to the ER, no one to grab the epi pen which I don't own. So I gingerly took a small bite. No sudden closing of air passages. All clear!

Whew. Funny enough, I don't find Brazil nuts to be that tasty.

Live and learn.