Thanksgiving Weekend. Part A.

Part A? Does that mean there will be a Part B?

Hell, yes, it does! Because this is one heck of an awesome weekend, and needs to be documented in full.

I want to AW this gorgeous Dept. 56 bakery that my mom and stepdad sent for our Christmas village. Isn't it beautiful? We also have the old Yankees stadium front and an art gallery. I love adding to the village every year, and I really wish there was a local store for these pieces.



I've been learning a little bit more about my beloved camera. This week, I kind of mastered white balance and my portrait lens. What an amazing difference in the photos. And I do really like the portrait lens. It was being ornery and so I just sort of left it alone, but now, I definitely see it becoming a favorite.

I call this one Emo Pug. He's so misunderstood.



Turtle and I did an impromptu Cookies for Santa photo shoot. I dressed him up in his new Christmas pjs and set him up with a mug (empty) and plate of cookies (full).

It's not easy being cheesy.



I'm just gonna touch the cookies, mom. I'm not going to eat them. Really.



Juuuust checking it out, mommy... Promise.



Double-fisting. See? No bite.



I'm only gonna lick it a little.



Actually, he didn't eat the cookie. He licked the edges a lot, but never took a chomp. Odd. But I guess I can't complain.

He also really loves vacuuming. Go figure. When DH pulls out the Dyson, we hand Turtle the Dustbuster and let him go to town. I hope this continues.



Thanksgiving morning. We gave Turtle a Thanksgiving turkey. He clearly loves it. It's not quite his Monkey lovey, but it's certainly close.



The beautiful cornucopia of flowers DH and Turtle brought home for me. So sweet of my boys.



DH went out early that morning to pick up bagels and munchkins. He took Turtle along for the ride. He gave Turtle a munchkin to eat in the car, and Turtle just... held it. And brought it into the house, and then played peek-a-boo with it.







And then, he shoved the whole thing in his mouth and BAM! It was gone.

Grandma loved reading to Turtle.



Turtle loved reading to himself, too.



After the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, Turtle went down for a nap. And then it was time to take on Turkey. My nemesis.

Hello, Turkey. We meet again.



Turkey didn't respond. I think I was being stonewalled.

So here's how I make Thanksgiving Turkey. I preheat the oven to a nice 325F. I then clean Turkey, get rid of all the innards, and pat dry with clean paper towels. I transfer Turkey to the roasting pan and scour the sink clean. We're all about preventing the spread of contaminants and salmonella. Safety first. :)

Next up, we stuff Turkey. I don't use traditional stuffing. Instead, I chop up the following: red onions, garlic cloves, green apple, celery, lemon, lime, orange, fresh rosemary, fresh sage and fresh thyme. I shove it all in there.



In the meantime, I soften some unsalted butter, and have some minced garlic and rosemary on hand. Very gently, and making what I like to call Raw Turkey Face (imagine an expression of disgust and horror, and that's what I'm making), I work my hand in between the skin and the meat, rubbing in the butter, garlic and herbs and far as I can go. It's awful. But it's worth it.

We're almost there. I continue massaging butter and garlic all over the skin of Turkey. I get in all the nasty crevices between the legs and wings. Then I pour a little melted butter and white wine over the whole thing, sprinkle with black pepper, kosher salt and paprika and into the oven Turkey goes.



Any last words, Turkey?



I baste every 30 minutes with melted wine and butter and then I loosely cover with foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking. Yum.

DH requested we serve Manhattans for his dad and stepmom. I have never made them before. These are 2 oz. whiskey, 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth, 3 dashes of bitters, a splash of cherry juice and a cherry garnish. They photographed well. I think they taste like jet fuel, so I took a pass. Dad and Dottie loved them.



We did light appetizers at 1. Flatbread, hummus, olives, apples, cheeses and brie en croute with strawberry jam. Do you know who loves brie? Turtle, that's who.



Taking a break between courses.



The benefit of the portrait lens is that there is little to no adjusting. So DH can take pictures for me!



And so can Grandma!



Dinner is served.

Turkey's not so surly, now. Isn't it gorgeous???









The full menu was roasted turkey with homemade bourbon gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potato souffle, green beans sauteed in garlic and almonds, spinach patties and yeast rolls. We also had a salad of spinach, walnuts, gorgonzola and raspberry vinaigrette. Oh, so good.

Turtle was overwhelmed.



And not all that impressed by the giant turkey leg.



I call this one Pooped Pug.



After cleanup and whatnot, it was time for dessert. I made pumpkin pie, butter cookies and russian tea cakes and a Martha Stewart cranberry sugar pie (that lumpy, misshapen thing).



Cooookies.



Don't let the exterior fool you. That pie was gooood. A little tart, and the crust was a bear to make, but oh... yumminess.



Which brings us to Black Friday.

I would post pictures of us from 4am to about 7am, but yeah, we were sleeping, all snug in our beds, with visions of sugarplums and not dealing with crowds dancing in our heads.

DH was feeling feisty, so he put Bentley on Turtle's pony. I call this one Pissed Pug.



After Turtle's morning nap, we decided to head out for lunch and to see Santa.

Mimi's rules. The Cheerios for the kids is such a great touch.



Grandma and Pop Pop.



Waiting in line at the Gingerbread Cottage. It was very touch and go.



Posing with the toy soldier.



And then? Then we were in.

DH brought Turtle over to the big guy in red.



Santa was awesome. Totally let Turtle warm up to him.



And then we were ready for the official picture.



This is kind of the look we got in the first shot. That mix of fear and horror and I'm going to cry in just a second... The photographer was waiting for a smile. I told him not to worry about that. Just get him being cute, because a smile wasn't in the cards.



And then, amidst the concerned look and the quiet cries of "stuck! stuck! stuck!," Santa pulled out the big guns. He put his finger to his lips and said SHHHHH.

And voila. We have our Official 2009 Photo With Santa.



Great picture with his grandparents. I love this.



Waiting at the valet for the car. What a great day.



To be continued...

Kicking off the holidays

As Thanksgiving and Christmas sneak u on us, I've been neglecting this blog.

So much is goin gon, and I have pics of all of it, so let's get going.

A moment of sweetness between Turtle and Bentley. Yes, Bentley is wearing a t-shirt. It happens. They were watching Blue's Clues and I thought this was the sweetest thing.



Later in the day, we needed the pugs to cooperate for a photo. DH took carrot detail and I manned the camera. Those dogs will do just about anything for a carrot.



I just love when pugs look up.



So angelic.



Last night, we headed over to the big tree lighting at an outdoor mall nearby. I wanted to stop at Old Navy to see if we could find a decent hat for Turtle. He only has baseball caps and it gets cold here in the winter.

We got this great micro-fleece type hat with matching mittens. Pro #1 - it was on sale for around $4. Pro #2 - IT HAS A POM POM!!!



Solantic was having an absolutely GENIUS giveaway - fiber optic, light up snowman. This entertained Turtle for a good portion of our evening.



Posing with my little man.



There was a little fair set up in the parking lot. Turtle wanted to ride the "horses" or the carousel. He loved it!





He also played with his little buddy H, who was there with her brother I, and their parents.



Then there were fireworks. Ooooh. Aaaah.







So tired. Mind you, the tree lighting didn't actually go off until about 8:30. Turtle is normally in bed at 5:30. You do the math.



Totally worth the wait.



Right before we got in the car. With traffic, we got him into his bed at 10... He was so exhausted poor little guy.



Today, I went with some girlfriends to see New Moon.

STOP RIGHT HERE!





IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS, DO NOT READ ANY MORE. STOP HERE; DO NOT PASS GO; DO NOT COLLECT $200.




Still here? I'm serious... I'm going to say things that you may not want to read....


Ok... here we go...


Last chance....


REVIEW STARTS..... NOW!

We all knew this flick was not about to win any Oscars. In fact, it might get a couple of Razzies. But that's cool. I would watch it again, and plan on adding the DVD to my collection.

On the one hand, it accurately captured all the awkwardness of high school infatuation. On the other hand, it accurately captured all the awkwardness of high school infatuation. Listen, I've been down that road. It was brutal then, and it's even more brutal to watch now. And yet, somehow, it's oddly compelling.

The acting was thismuch better than in Twilight. The script was a noticeable improvement. I wish the actors would stop doing so much blatant avoiding of eye contact. The three main characters go through much of the movie looking like they're trying to contain unpleasant flatulence. It's weird.

The mysteriously appearing/vanishing Edward nonsense? Yicky. I'm really not a fan of plot points conveyed through flash backs, flash forwards, dreams or visions, so this was tough. Also, the "frolicking vision" at the end (you'll know it when you see it)? Yeah, that was just absurd. You'll laugh. It's not a good thing.

I also must add that boys did NOT look like this when I was in high school. My grades would have suffered dramatically. When Jacob whipped off his shirt to tend to Bella's bleeding scalp, there was a gasp of appreciation that traveled throughout the theater. Followed by the collective thought of "Who the hell rips off an entire shirt to deal with a little cut?" No one I know, that's who.

I was most excited about Dakota Fanning, appearing as Jane. Scary as hell, that girl. I love Dakota Fanning. I think she is a rare talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

All in all... I liked it. I'm glad I got to see it this weekend. I've already planned to go see Eclipse, slated for a June 30, 2010 release. I'm also now torn on the Team Edward/Team Jacob thing. It's a pickle.

At the Fair

On Sunday, we did a fantastic family day at the fair. Wheeee!

As you may be able to tell, I adore fairs. :)

So we arrive. The fairgrounds are adjacent to the football stadium, which was hosting a game. As were walking around the grounds, a guy waved at me and said "Check this out. There's the stealth bomber. You won't be able to hear it, though."

::blink blink::

Really. Awesome.









Check it all out.



Turtle, enjoying some chicken fingers and honey mustard with a view of the stage.



In the agricultural area, enjoying the bunny rabbits. Some of them were the size of small dogs.



Hello, Turkey. We'll see you in a few weeks. :)



I had to take this picture for DH, in the hopes that he could maybe learn some techniques for shearing Bentley. Who is a pug and not a sheep, but the end result is the same.



Moo.



In line for his very first fair ride.



So, I'm sitting in this giant strawberry. And Mommy is over there taking pictures again. Hmmmm.



Going on the swings - all by himself, like a big boy. Although he does have Miss H there for support :)



Not so sure about this...



OMG WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!



This? This is my own private paradise. A land of fry. ::drool::



Ferris wheel.



Waiting for another ride.



The Crazy Bus.



This is ok...



From this point on, all you could hear was "All done! All done!" He didn't cry, but it was not his most favorite moment.



On the carousel. He's all kinds of suspicious now.



But then he eases right on in to it. By the end, he was saing "Again! Again!"



On our way out. Someone had had a little too much fair. :)

Happy Anniversary to us

Three years ago, on 11/4, DH and I got married. We had a beautiful ceremony overlooking the the bay and a fun reception following. I think my favorite part (besides getting married to a phenomenal guy) was our honeymoon - two weeks in Maui, San Francisco and Napa Valley. I would love to recreate that trip. Tomorrow, if possible. :)

However, despite it all, I wouldn't trade my life for the world. I have a great DH, an amazing son, wonderful family and friends. We have our health, our home, and a lot of love. What more do we need?

On Wednesday, DH took a day off from work for a family day. He wanted to spend time with Turtle and me before we went out on a date later that night. We got off to a sort of slow start because Turtle decided to nap until 2pm! Ack!

We went to Harry's, a cajun seafood grill for lunch. Yum.



Had to get a picture of the stone pug with lei.



After lunch, in the entrance to the restaurant.





We enjoyed the gorgeous weather, wandered around the streets of downtown, treated Turtle to some ice cream. It was awesome.

After we got home and got Turtle settled with the sitter, we went out to Campeche Bay for dinner. And to watch Game 6 of the World Series. We just hung out and enjoyed some margaritas and our meal. DH mentioned it was our anniversary and the restaurant treated us to...




... that's right. Shots with a birthday candle scotch taped to the side. So festive. We ended the night at Brix, then came home for dessert and to watch the Yankees go on to win their 27th Championship! Whoo hoo!

In celebration of the momentous event, I made this NY Yankees jersey cookies, one for Jeter, one for MVP Matsui and then just some plain logo jerseys. So cute. So good.



Also, another momentous occasion. I finally gave Turtle my very old Sesame Street baking set. It's a classic, over 30 years old, and no sign of that dastardly Elmo creature. He immediately started brushing his hair with the Bert spatula.



And throttling the Big Bird hand mixer.



But he loves Big Bird nonetheless.



After lunch, we gave him the Jeter cookie.



Nom nom nom.



Nom nom nom.



They were a hit!

Random pictures

This love of golf? No idea where he gets it from.

Definitely not from Mommy. Unless there's a windmill or a waterfall involved, I'm really not interested.





He takes his clubs very seriously.





Oscar, being silly.



Love the pug profile. Check out that little lower lip.



Turtle has a fun game. He flings beach balls around, and then shrieks BALLLL! at the top of his lungs and crawls like a mad person after it. Sigh. Remember the days when we were amused by so little?



Coming to attack the camera. Not going to happen, kid. Mommy is taller.

Halloween Pro Pics - Sara Parets Photography

I know, it's a few days late, but I really wanted to show these off.

My friend Sara, of Sara Parets Photography, took these phenomenal shots of our little giraffe at our Halloween brunch. Someone was being remarkably difficult and didn't want to make eye contact. Always challenging. Always fun.



I love this one. For some reason, it reminds me of Max from Where The Wild Things Are. Except not a wolf suit.



Hilarious. The tail kills me every time.












Finally... a look.









Thanks so much for these, Sara. They are just gorgeous.

You can also check out more of Sara and her work on Facebook.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Today starts my Holiday Season. From now through DH's birthday on January 1, I am in heaven. I love the baking, the merriment, the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon and peppermint. It's just paradise.

So of course, we had to do Halloween right. We decided to host a little brunch for our friends and their families. It was going to be low-key, and lots of people volunteered to bring food and treats to help out.

Last night, after cleaning, I decided to draw a festive pumpkin in our driveway with Turtle's sidewalk chalk.



Followed by a big "Trick or Treat."



Followed by a path of pumpkins to our front door. I may or may not have done the same on our back patio.



Jack-o-lantern cupcakes. Orange-colored cake with chocolate chips, all festively frosted.



I really can't resist little surprises for Turtle. We got him a book and a Halloween Mr. Potato Head. It's his first MPH and I think it was a huge hit. Here, Daddy shows him how it works.



OJ for mimosas.



A cauldron of munchkins.



Cute little favors - pumpkins filled with m&ms and candy corn.



My pumpkin art survived the night.



I carved a spider pumpkin and a bat flying in front of a moon, obscured by clouds.



Where we live, we still have the hibiscus blooming.



Could these be any cuter? Jones Soda mini cans in Candy Corn, Lemondrop and Sour Kiwi flavors.



Turtle, all dressed up, on K's lap.



B the Lion with his mommy.



Rawr. Jungle friends, C the Zebra, and Turtle.



J with little H.



Banana and her mommy, N.



Here is Bumblebee A. She developed an attachment to Mr. Oscar. He is a patient little dog, and submitted to her loving.



So sweet and innocent :)



This photo is a testament to lightning reflexes. Apparently, B does NOT like to look at the camera. Got him!



Miss H. She's going to be out of that cast in no time! Her little brother I was the cutest pharaoh and she was a mummy. I have to get pics from her Mummy. Get it? Mummy? Ha ha.



Bartending: DH and A.



A little mom talk.



Mr. Q, speeding to surgery.



Miss A tried to get close to Molly. Molly was having none of it.



B tries to call Oscar, but that puggy is pooped.



One more hug for the road.



Our candy bowl for trick or treaters.



Mr. Potato Head.



Ok, Cutest story. Turtle was playing before dinner. He brought his costume over to DH, snuggled it a minute and then said "Help me!" He wanted to put it back on. Say it with me: Awwww.

Surprisingly, giraffes like turkey on rye with mustard, macaroni salad, melon and cupcakes. Who knew?



Giraffes also really like riding in Radio Flyers.



Heading out for candy.



So here's where things got dicey. I was a little opposed to the wagon, but DH thought it would work so Turtle didn't have to walk. Unfortunately, Turtle is also very attached to his wagon. By this, I mean, he does not like getting out of it. Or if he does get out, he does not wish to let go of it. A little hard for going door to door. DH got him out and attempted to coax him up the first driveway, and Turtle melted down. There were tears and cries of "Wagon!!!! Wagon!!!!" Sigh.

DH wanted to go home, but I said no. Hold him. I rushed the wagon home the 3 blocks and rushed back to catch up. By the time I got there, I had missed his first house and he was already a pro.

Check out this Resevoir Dogs moment.



The graceful giraffe approaches his target...



Inexplicably, he knocks, then turns and walks away.



Oh, wait. There's someone in there? Giving candy?



Here, Mommy. These are for you.



Also inexplicably, if Daddy stopped to chat Turtle opted to dump out and refill his bucket countless times.



Hilarious picture: chasing DH up a walkway, giggling like a maniac. Wheeee!



He did so well. He was two hours late to bed, but he was a total trooper. We love this little boy so much.