and nearly a semester has gone by..

the proof is in the date stamps that i've been quite remiss in updating this project. i'd like to say it's because i've been off gallivanting and doing all sorts of exciting things, but, sadly, i've been babysitting, cheering loudly at football games, getting my hopes of a big 10 win out crushed, making a lot of pumpkin pie, taking 4 classes (i decided for the sake of my sanity and the lives of everyone around me to drop astro), finishing my thesis, and having way too many extra-curricular things to do.

i also haven't been cooking nearly as much as i'd like. the most advanced thing i've made (besides the pies, and those weren't hard) in the past month was probably chicken stir-fry, and that was only difficult because i had to remember to thaw the chicken when i woke up. chicken stir-fry is not exotic. it's not remotely asian. it's been my favorite meal since i was a baby, and something my mom made me all the time even though she hated loathed it. i consider it proof that she loves me a lot (i love you, mommy!). literally, you cube up a chicken tenderloin or breast, saute it in some oil in a pan, and douse the hell out of it with Season All (which is, in fact, a spice mix). since we always, always, always, had it with canned peas and uncle ben's chicken-flavored rice, i cooked a small helping of brown rice and finished it off with a handful of frozen peas. it was childhood on a plate, and it was awesome.

and because i don't feel like recapping my entire life since the last post, i will only discuss the most recent of adventures: Thanksgiving 2009, the epic. Yes, it was epic, in every sense of the word. My mother bought a 20 pound fresh jaindl (yep, the same farm as the Presidents' turkeys!) beast, which adam stuffed with traditional onion/celery/bread cubes stuffing, served alongside a more gourmet cranberry-walnut stuffing, steamed green beans, sauted carrots, riced mashed potatoes, sweet potato rolls, val's fancy-schmancy cran-raspberry sauce, complete-with-the-ridges canned (NOT whole-berry) cranberry sauce, and wine. despite our "foodie" appearance, we don't mess with tradition on thanksgiving. i want my slice of jelled cranberry-like substance, damnit. we had hors d'vour of humboldt fog and blue cheese with honey and walnuts, goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in proscuitto, and another bottle of wine. oh yeah, and there were 2 picture-perfect pumpkin pies, complete with cute little leaf and acorn cut-outs. and this was for a family of 5, none of whom belong to a football team or the lumberjack union.

i also have to mention that after a round of cocktails and dinner at grille 3501 on wednesday night, my mother questioned the validity of a light-up horse in a lights display (the more troubling aspect of this was not the horse, but the fact that this house probably could rival the lights of beaver stadium, and it was BEFORE thanksgiving), to which val and i both immediately responded by bursting into, simultaneously without prompting, i may add, a rousing round of "jingle bells," taking extra care at the "ONE HORSE open sleigh." my mom also expressed her desire to wear panettone on her feet as "slippertone." you WISH you were shoved in the back of the subaru for this one, i know.

i don't have any pictures of the feast, but i do have some lovelies of the finale of the epic: the christmas card picture. since i was merely 6 months old (born in june), we have sent a wonderous picture of my sister and i (sometimes with mom and dad, recently with adam) to 100 of our friends. and every year, the picture fails to capture the HELL that was the process. all that the public sees are the pristine angels, smiling, sometimes in matching outfits, backgdropped by christmas splendor. they don't see the screaming, laughing, tickling, injuring, fighting, yawning, eye-rolling, dad farting, more screaming, hair-fixing, plastic-smile-slapping reject pictures.

you're a lucky bunch, really. this year, i have possession of the outtakes, and i think it's time for the world to see just what a truly fabulous family i have =).

"this hurts and i'm mad at you, but because you're squeezing my stomach, you think i'm laughing and enjoy it. you are wrong. also, thank you, parents, for not reprimanding your daughter."

 "okay, everyone else looks normal. i appear to be blissful. i really want to cry."

2 seconds after this, i collapsed into a heap on the floor.

my dad thought it'd be entertaining to put "terrible" over my mom's head. good call, popsicle.

the truth: my dad is crazy, my mother has a really good evil-eye, my sister takes things seriously, and i don't pay attention and have constant, persistent issues with my jeans.

and adam finally makes it in.

merry early christmas from the "you'd never believe this wasn't the first take, and mom likes it that way" family!