Grateful...

Spent the Christmas holiday with my family and extended family at Cory & Matt's. I ate and mostly drank like it was full-time job the entire time I was in the Midwest. A few of the themes that I notice about Midwest cooking; or maybe it was the holidays in the Midwest was the amount of casserole-type dishes that involve a cracker or cereal as an ingredient...and processed cheese. For example-my Mom's egg casserole has a Corn Flake/butter mixture on the top and it has ham, cheese and Wonder Bread in it. The broccoli casserole that we made consisted of: frozen broccoli, crushed up Ritz crackers, and chunks of Velveeta. Another good thing were the small circle pretzels with a melted Hershey's kiss with an M & M on top...

Matt's family is always so much fun...and I loved every minute of it. Cory really outdid herself with Christmas decorations, and it was fun to see the almost crazed Clark Griswald type excitement with her interior and exterior decorations. They have a really cute house, and hopefully next year there will be a little Jack or Emma Thompson to add to the joy of Christmas. Matt's Grandma and I bonded over our love of Patrick Dempsey and she taught me how to make real gravy-I want to be as smart and funny as Grandma Bley when I get older.

I think I may have gained about 10 pounds since the marathon...so I started a cleanse yesterday with lots of water, green tea and fiber...I also have not felt good for the past 2 weeks---so a cleanse is a good thing. I HAVE to start training for my 2 Spring half-marathons. I think my dreams of breaking 2 in Austin may be in a ditch...but I have the National Half-marathon at the end March to possibly kick some serious butt-although the course is not as fast....

Martha would be proud~

This is my 'Christmas Tree' this year

The Best Peppermint Bark in Baltimore

Note-always try and make cookies with a mixer; we did not have one...

I don't remember the last time I baked Christmas cookies; I truly had a great time with the girls in Baltimore yesterday afternoon. We made Peppermint Bark, White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut & Chocolate Mocha cookies. We did not have a mixer; and that would have been wonderful---we were so tired from our baking marathon that while watching "It's a Wonderful Life" I took a wonderful little nap.

Susan and I then made our way to one of the most anticipated events of my year; a Sara Groves concert at Grace---she preformed with 2 other artists that we so mediocre and boring, that it was a disappointment. BUT---Sara Groves was amazing, and did not disappoint one bit---she has the voice of an angel, and her words are so appropriate---she sang Fly, Add to the Beauty, and a couple of other songs that I cannot remember right now...

Feel like I have the flu and spent most of my Sunday in bed with lots of aches and fatigue...I know I'm sick when I slept in until after noon today...and am ready for bed now...off to another busy week, I am really looking forward to the time when all of the insanity at work quiets down a bit...

What I did over the long Thanksgiving Weekend

My prized IKEA hutch, JOHAN---it was a breeze to set-up in 4 1/2 hours and 42 diagrams! I am pleased to say that I only ended up with 3 extra screws at the end of construction,

that is an IKEA personal best
My new wardrobe, PAX

When life hands you lemons, such as what happened to me last week---instead of wallowing in the fact that I was spending my first major holiday alone I headed to IKEA! Apparently, lots of other single women in DC metro area were thinking the same thing the night before Thanksgiving. I picked up 2 lovely 'men' Johan and Pax; and I spent the majority of the weekend in DIY paradise.

I am enjoying my new place---I think I would have preferred something not so suburban, but there are advantages, and I can always move again. Work is really busy; and although I have not really started meeting people yet---I started doing some research on things that I am interested in...so, after the first of the year I am going to: Join the Montgomery County Road Runners; join a Bible Study; take cooking classes in downtown Bethesda; take a wine tasting class; go to Thursday evening Art lectures at the Phillips Collection; Get a bike; volunteer for a birthmother counseling ministry and enjoy living the life of a single woman in the DC area. I am going to celebrate 30 all year...I don't have anything that I thought I would have by the age of 30; but I can say that I am happy and confident in my future.