Intentions....

My intention was to scan in ALL the Holiday cards/photos I received during the season. I think I speak on behalf of EVERYONE when I say the holiday season can sometimes be crazy and the very best intentions sometimes do not always come to fruition. The plan was to spend Christmas Eve holed up in my house scanning and blogging. But....the best laid plans, right?

In the very early hours of Christmas Eve a storm blew in and left some pretty bold gusts of wind for most of the day. As a result, I lost power at roughly 1:30pm and it was not restored until 7pm. Needless to say there was to be no scanning, no blogging, no television, no heat, no light...just me, Julia Child, some candles and a tiny little book light that was of precious little assistance. Once the power was restored I threw my overnight bag into the car and drove to mom and dad's, lest I fall victim to the powerlessness again and once again be "trapped" by an incredibly heavy garage door. (That was my only real obstacle.) Oh...and there was the small stomach bug that surfaced in the midst of "lights out!" A great Christmas Eve, to say the least! I kept looking towards the heavens and then towards the earth and saying, "Which one of you is responsible for this? Whomever it is...you've got an interesting sense of humor!"

This is all the light I had to read by. I was growing increasingly more flustered with each passing, powerless, moment. I wondered, "What have we devolved towards? People lived like this for ages and I can't even live like this for 6 hours?!?!?!?"

Here's the thing....the urge to scan and upload has passed! Sorry friends...it was a great idea but rather arduous and laborious in execution.

Today I celebrate my mother's birthday! Happy birthday, mom! As many of you know dad and I hosted a surprise party for mom last week. It was so wonderful to see friends and family all gathered together to celebrate my mother....an amazing woman! And I think she was really surprised! (Despite several close calls....my Tia Velma saved the day!)

I do not think a parent can possibly love a child anymore than my mother loves me! As Diane Keeton says in "Because I Said So"...."It is an impossible kind of love." It is a love that I do not understand and so I often think I fall so short of holding up my end of the relationship. I suppose that is why parents are often so eager to become grandparents....RETRIBUTION!

To you on your very special day, Mom....

Mom and her special birthday dessert....

Mom and I celebrating her birthday at The Grill @ Leon Springs.

Mom celebrating with her dear friend, Elsa Jasso.

There are MANY "to-do" things on my "list." I prefer not to call it a "bucket list" because I find that term cliche' (but that is another issue entirely.) Perfecting the art of pie making is something I fully intend to realize before my "time is up." This has long been a goal of mine but I was too afraid to actually attempt the task. Being a bit of a perfectionist I knew that the first few hundred attempts would likely result in failure; and I simply do not attempt activities where I might fail. (That is the perfectionist part of me taking over.) However....yesterday I decided to put one foot in front of the other and tip toe over the "starting line."

First of all let me set up the scenario....I was upstairs practicing Pilates...rocking it out, really! I was feeling strong and warm (despite months of near lethargy). I mean...sure I was a bit "tight" but it wasn't anything I hadn't worked through before. Moving into "spine stretch forward" I was feeling good, connected, and accessing all the "right muscles"...keeping it small rather than "showy" considering it had been a while. Then I decided to treat myself with a full stretch forward. I was moving and breathing through the stretch when I heard and felt a "pop" in my low back; like a rubber band snapping. I immediately knew this must have been important because I couldn't move and was stuck on the floor for a few minutes. I couldn't figure out how to "get up." I felt QUITE OLD in that moment and figured "movement" had sought vengeance for my laziness. I managed to get up and called mom who suggested a few "opposite direction" movements. From that moment forward I could stand, lay flat on my back, flat on my belly or kneel. In other words....spine needed to be "straight" (and I use the term "straight" VERY losely!) So....since I couldn't sit down, I decided to face my fear and bake a pie!

I improvised...a bit...because the only Crisco I had was grossly expired. As a result this is an all butter crust. I also think I used the wrong blade in the food processor. The butter never got "beat" into pea-size balls and thus the dough was clumpy and impossible to roll out. I kept using more and more flour to "un-stick" the dough from my rolling pin and my counter tops and I have since learned that will "over-process" the dough and result in a chewy texture. Sure enough...it did. The pie is just as ugly as can be. However....it smelled DAMN good while it was baking. I opted for an apple filling and tossed in some bourbon for good measure. I will say the inside is very tasty, if not a tad too "liquid-y." (Bourbon needs to be better portioned out...)

Overall...I am happy with my first attempt. I faced a big fear, I am on my road to warming the hearts (and tummys) of my loved ones and I have a "pie expert" coming over in two weeks to give me a tutorial. (Shout out Meredith Jones!) My goal is pear pie with Gruyere baked in the crust and some sort of deliciously fresh strawberry pie!

Here is my little pie....my first little pie....(I am throwing it out because I won't eat it and it is pretty tough. But I might toss a piece Jace's way. She is like "Mikey" with the sweets!)

Before you roar, please take a deep breath.

Goodnight, dear friends! If I do not blog before the New Year (which is a VERY distinct possibility) allow me to wish you and yours the happiest of celebrations! May His grace bless you all with another prosperous New Year!