10 Years in the Making

I have been waiting a very long time for this.  According to my mother, it has been 9 and half years.  It has been a tradition in our family to have our stockings either knitted for us or cross-stitched.  Specifically my mother has cross-stitched all of ours (5 kids).  With life getting in the way, it has taken my mother slightly longer to get my stocking done.  I think to help compensate she made mine far more detailed than she did the rest.  Aaaannnd I LOVE it!!!

The week before Christmas was my sister's birthday.  We got together again for her traditional Birthday Cookie Day  It's starting to become one of my favorite sister traditions.  I think my favorite part is getting to see my niece and nephew.  :)

Adorableness

Betty Crocker won't be calling me for decorating tips.

Brian and I added to our State-cation list by visiting both the history museum and the natural sciences museum.  Currently, the traveling Titanic exhibit is at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.  When we took our first trip to the museum we went to the history museum....thinking the Titanic exhibit was there.  It is a historical event, right?  Anyway, after two hours of walking around the museum we never ran across the exhibit.  Being pressed for time, we decide we'd leave and try again another day.  As soon as we stepped out of the doors, we saw banners for the Titanic exhibit at the Natural Sciences Museum.  The Natural Sciences Museum is literally across the walkway.  We apparently were completely oblivious to ALL of the signs as we walked into the History museum.  Oh well.  It gave us an excuse to go back.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from the Titanic exhibit because it was prohibited.

Hubby loves anything military

Seems so ideal

Little bit of trivia: Pepsi was invented in NC

very symbolic, I enjoyed this part of the exhibit

only picture from the Natural Science Museum

Since the holidays are here, my Crossfit schedule has been pretty out of whack.  I'm a routine person, basically Type A personality.  Because of my busy schedule, I can only make it to Crossfit at a specific time.  That class time tends to be the one cut from the holiday schedules.  Now don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy being able to sleep in.....but I think I've begun to enjoy the sense of accomplishment in my day that I get from Crossfit.  I need to learn to appreciate each day, Crossfit or no Crossfit.  Maybe I should take up running.

I'm that girl

I think I've officially reached that stage.  I can't stop talking about Crossfit.  My sister says I'm obsessed.  I feel majority of the time that it is the best thing that I have done with my day.  I feel so accomplished and I can't deny how much I love the compliments I get from loosing all of the inches.  I literally hid the scale from myself because I swore off the idea that the scale was a definition.  I wasn't overweight when I began my Crossfit journey.  I was just out of shape.  I actually haven't taken measurements either.  I can just tell you from the clothes that I wear and the energy I have on a daily bases how much I've benefited from Crossfit.

Today's WOD (Workout of the Day) was very important to me.  I petitioned for our box to do this Hero WOD.  Hero WODs are signature workouts given specific names of service men and women who have died in combat.  Well recently a Hero WOD was floating around Facebook designed after one of the teachers killed at the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, Victoria Soto.  She was a teacher for 5 years in room 10.  She died on 12/14/12.  She was 27 years old.  Because today is Christmas Eve, normal class times were not running.  I woke up bright and early to get to the 6 AM class before work.  I was proud to see all of the people who showed up for this class.  We did 5 rounds of 10 Thrusters, 14 Box Jumps, 12 Sumo Dead-lift High Pulls, 12 Burpees and 27 Kettle bell swings.  It is workouts like this one that make me proud of the community that Crossfit inspires.  I don't have any pictures of us completing the WOD.  I have yet to get the hang of taking pictures on a regular basis, especially if I want to get serious about blogging.  But you will see some in the future, sweaty mess and all.

And just to toot my own horn, I achieved a personal record this week of 105 lbs on the Clean and Jerk.  To see an example of this I pulled a short YouTube video. Clean and Jerk demonstration.

On a slightly different note.  Merry Christmas!!  I hope everyone is having a peaceful and lovely holiday.  I'm glad to be able to spend it with my family.  So from my family to yours, here is a little holiday cheer.

Zeta Eve (named after Christmas Eve, the day we got her)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Leaves, Leaves and more leaves

I fear that my favorite time of the year will continually be the most labor intensive time of the year.  I love the chilly weather (the need for layers ;-)  ), holiday comfort food, family gatherings and the COLORS!  I know I'm not an outwardly girlie-girl but man! these colors awesome for my complexion and hair color.  LOL  I am more inspired to go out and about when it becomes chilly then all of the summer....maybe it's that whole awkward humidity/sweating thing that gets to me. 

The only downside to those beautiful colors is when they begin to fall.  My husband and I have been living with my sister.  One of the ways we show our appreciation is we try to help out in the yard as much as possible.  This particular weekend our father drove down with all of his nifty machines (leaf blower, chainsaw, etc.) and gave us a huge helping hand in accomplishing the yard work.  The town in which we live comes by three times during the fall and winter season to pick up any leaves raked out to the curb.  So our mission this past weekend was precisely that.

  As you can see from the car in the background, this is quite the hefty pile of leaves.  This is in fact probably 10 years worth of leaves and pine straw that has fallen in the front and back yard.  I got a little carried away with the leaf blower....three and half tanks worth of gas type of carried away.  BUT!, the yard is as clear as it has been since my sister moved into her house.  She also took four (or five, I lost count) truck loads of trees and branches to the local dump.  Finally the sun can shine through the trees!!

See the line of leaves to the left, that's where her yard ends

Zeta is surveying her playground

I think the best thing I heard once this was all done is that my sister doesn't want to do anymore yard work for the rest of this year. YEA!!  Mission accomplished.

Festivals and Frogs

Let me preface by saying that I have decided recently to do some exploring of this fabulous state I have been a part of for so long.  And I must admit that I haven't been a very good North Carolinian.  Since I can't afford to take extravagant vacations, my husband and I are taking state-cations.  So, this past Saturday was the 29th Annual Barbecue Festival in Lexington, NC.  I brought the idea up to my husband that this year we should go to the Barbecue Festival.  We've gone to the NC State Fair three or four times and all we end up doing is walking around and eating the food.  So...lets walk around and eat food somewhere else this year.  The day was beautiful, especially consider what was around the corner.  (Praying for those in the midst of the Sandy damage.  We, North Carolinians, know all too well what it's like to go through those trials).  Since the food tents were scheduled to open around 10, we decided to take our time getting to the festival. 


29th Annual Barbecue Festival

We start almost every festival with the cars.  My husband tries to contain his excitement as he drools over any car he has deemed his "dream car".  I unfortunately just can't get on the same page.  Typical husband-wife scenario.  We slowly made our way through the crowds to get our peek inside each of the tents.  I will admit that either I go to too many festivals or the slow-going trend in today's crafts has become monotonous.  I only saw a handful of tents that peaked my interest.  I was more entertained by the stores who opened their doors to the masses. It all reminds me of why I loved living in a small town growing up.  I did break down a buy a soup cup to keep at my office.  Trust me, I wanted more than the soup cup but I restrained.

On to the barbecue.  This is one area of the festival that I was more than disappointed.  This is North Carolina people! AND a barbecue festival!  My expectation was endless rival tents of 'who's BBQ is better than whos' but that was clearly not the case.  When my husband and I decided have lunch we had to walk a few blocks before we even found a tent selling barbecue.  And if I'm not mistaken there were only two tents selling barbecue and one selling only sauce.  That does not make me a proud Carolinian.  This is the state of the East vs. the West.  (For those of you wondering, I am an Eastern BBQ girl)  I knew going to this festival that it would only be West but that was okay.  I was driving to the West portion of the state to get to this festival.  I guess the only thing I can really say now is that I've scratch that event off my list of Things To Do in North Carolina.

I managed to salvage the day though.  On the way home I stopped by my sister's house to visit my AAAADORABLE niece and nephew.  Nothing can make my day better than having my niece run and jump into my arms when she sees me walk into their house.  This weekend was just before Halloween.  My niece decided she wanted to be a princess.  And let me add that her favorite color is yellow.  So you can imagine my surprise when I found out her princess dress was.....wait for it.....yellow.  The cutest part of all of this is that her younger brother (7 months old) needed a costume as well.  So my ingenious brother-in-law sewed him a frog costume to coordinate with my niece.  It's the cutest site you will see this Halloween.

Princess and the Frog

The evening ended with a bottle of wine and countless giggles with my other sister.  All in all a successful day.

A loyal sister is worth a thousand friends

Considering the lack of friends I have in my life, I think that is why God gave me so many sisters.  I don't know what I would do without them.  Moving to the Triangle has to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.  Each sister has qualities that set them apart from the others.  And each one has helped support me in ways that are unique to that sister.  I will forever be a better person because they are in my life.

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.  ~Margaret Mead

There can be no situation in life in which the conversation of my dear sister will not administer some comfort to me.  ~Mary Montagu

Our siblings push buttons that cast us in roles we felt sure we had let go of long ago - the baby, the peacekeeper, the caretaker, the avoider.... It doesn't seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far we've traveled.  ~Jane Mersky Leder

Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring - quite often the hard way.  ~Pamela Dugdale

Sisters don't need words.  They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief.  Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling.  ~Pam Brown

We acquire friends and we make enemies, but our sisters come with the territory.  ~Evelyn Loeb

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities.  She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway.  She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark.  She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink.  Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child.  ~Barbara Alpert

A recipe concured

I am tickled pink.  My mother helped me create a recipe I once adored by my Farmor (father's mother in Swedish).  For years I have hoped to recreate a goulash recipe my grandmother use to make when I was a youngin'.  Unforunately a few years ago she passed away at the rip ole age of 90.  My sisters have plummage through boxes and boxes of recipes but have not been able to locate my personal favorite: goulash. 

Momma

God bless my mother and her impecable memory. Even after 27 years she has been able to remember the ingredients my grandmother used to make this particular dish.  We still need to make some modifications but here is what we've managed so far:

I look just like my mother

1 to 1 1/2 lb of ground beef

12 - 16 oz of wide egg noodles

1 can of Contadina tomato paste

1 can of cream style corn

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp of mustard

1 medium onion - chopped

Goulash

Brown hamburger

Add chopped onion

Drain fat from the hamburger

Add tomato paste

Add can of diced tomatoes

In a separate pot, cook the wide egg noodles.

Drain noodle liquid in a measuring cup

Add meat mixture to noodles

Add about 1/2 (2-3 cupps) of the "noodle water" to mixture.

Add the can of cream corn

Stir

Add 2 Tbsp of mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste

The beginning of a tradition

Last year Sara suggested that for her birthday that we all come together and bake holiday cookies. Since her birthday is a week before Christmas, she decided it would be a very nostalgic way to celebrate her birthday and the coming holiday.

I've been lucky since I've moved to the Triangle that my work schedule has allowed me to join in on these festive occasions. In the past I've always had to cut my visits short or show up fashionably late due to my service industry themed jobs. Even though this year I have two jobs, I was determined to keep my schedule open for this convivial affair. The morning started out like any other. I basically woke up with half the amount of time I deem necessary to get ready. The cookie making was to start proximately at 9. Jane and I left her house about 9:10 with a half an hour drive to Sara's ahead of us. In my need to divert hunger, I suggested we stop at Chick-fil-A or McDonald's. A bacon, egg and cheese biscuit was calling my name...so McDonald's it was. Rarely do I become annoyed at fast food restaurants since I've had the pleasure of working in one, but it was too early for the nonsense that ensued. In order to ensure fast and effective service, this particular McDonald's has two speaker boxes in which to place your order. The annoying part about this particular concept is that the first speaker box is several yards from the menu. Unless you frequent McDonald's enough to know your order by heart, the menu is a vital step in the decision process. At the first speaker, the friendly employee asks for our order. We replied that we weren't sure what we wanted and that we needed to see the menu. The speaker goes quiet. About thirty seconds later "How can I help you?" I politely respond with "We are waiting to see the menu." Again about 20 seconds later, "Can I help you with your order?" "No. We are waiting to see the menu." At this time I beginning to get annoyed simply at the fact that the woman car in front of us seems to be taking an exceedingly long amount of time to order what I would imagine is a quite simple order. Again, the ever so pleasant voice from the speaker box graces us with her presence. "How can I help you?" At this point I choose to completely ignore her. Thankfully, the car in front of us has pulled forward and we are now able to make concrete decisions regarding our hunger pains. All is well, we get our food and I also get my much need caffeine and begin to pull out of the restaurant. I handed Jane her two hash browns and orange juice while I started unwrapping the bacon, egg and cheese I've been craving all morning. To my dismay, it is a sausage biscuit. I "flipped a bitch" and headed straight back to the restaurant. Our trip is now delayed by another ten minutes.

We arrived at Sara's exactly an hour behind schedule. Gam-Mah and Eva were already cutting out the sugar cookies while Ruth was taking a crack at the famous Farmor Rye bread.



Gam-Mah passing down the tradition

I will admit that I find myself more of a hindrance during the cookie making process than a helping hand. Eva probably contributed more in her enthusiasm than I did in my desire to stay out of the way. We made the traditional sugar cookies, date balls, Danish (?) wedding cookies, and peanut butter cookies. I had the pleasure of assembling the peanut butter cookies. Other than licking the batter from the mixers, I can't tell you if the cookies turned to perfection once baked.  This is probably the first time while making cookies that I didn't end up with a sick stomach from a sugar, raw egg overload.  I found it terribly entertaining that Eva sat so patiently on the counter while helping her mother mix ingredients for additional cookies. I can definitely say that I already see the Eslinger in her. She insisted on changing her shirt because it was dirty from all of the flour and batter. She went from her favorite pink princess shirt to her second favorite, yellow monkey shirt.

Her version of helping

On a personal note, I was quite happy to see the progress mom made on my Christmas stocking.  It has taken the better half of a decade to complete but I won't harp on that since to be frankly honest, my mother is a busy bee.  But I will say that I have the BEST christmas stocking of all.  :)  It isn't quite complete but if all things go well, it should be done by Christmas time.  Now I need to find the time to work on Brian's.  I'm not sure which is more difficult: finding the time to work on the stocking or getting Brian to make a decision on what he wants stitched.

A decade in the making

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

My beautiful niece, Eva Louise