Let it snow…

Friends, Family, Strangers;

Last night, Jeff and I had a conversation about the snow on my blog. He commented that he didn’t think it looked much like snow, and I said, “Well there is only one option, snow or NO snow! And I want snow!” He replied, “I can make you real snow.” And so, after two years, after Jeff asking me multiple times to move my site so we could redesign the blog together and make it more original, the prospect of personalized snow and potentially personalized falling leaves come next autumn, I am moving my operation over to www.jenniepalluzzi.com/blog. It’ll still be me, but I think after two years I’m ready for a change, including a redesign of the site (hopefully coming early 2011!) Jeff said, “Is that really what is going to get you to move the site? Falling snow?” And yes, yes it is. 🙂

So come on over, see my new digs. You won’t be disappointed!

Camp Waterloo Reunion

I was thinking about the up-and-coming holidays, and how I am going home for a bit, which is very exciting, and I realized that I haven’t been to Camp Waterloo in a year! A year, people! Ridiculous. Because of travels to Connecticut and Chicago, I’ve avoided the mitten for a full twelve months. Terrible! Despicable! Horrendous!

So I reminisced for a while, reminding myself of what I have to look forward to…

Crabs, and other delicious creatures of the sea…

These girls!

Family…

Hometown coffee places, and signs like this…

My home in general…

Family, and good eats.

This guy. 🙂

My momma and sister…

Of course, the whole Palluzzi clan.

I cannot wait. Family, I’m coming home! I am so excited.

Joyful and Triumphant.

oh come, all ye faithful…

We now have the perfect amount of friends; enough to eat an entire cake.

Yesterday I spent the day with tons of my friends who were all celebrating our friend Jen’s birthday. About 8:00 pm, when I was warming up a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers and then getting ready for my photo shoot (think: Christmas cards) I said to Corelyn, who was helping me get ready, “This is what I always pictured adult life to be.” We had been hanging out since 11:00 am.

At one point were nearly twenty people in my house, all eating cake we’d made and the coffee we’d brewed. We were opening presents and playing “Jen-trivia,” a year-long tradition that has made us know that much more about our LA base.

Near six, people started leaving, and Cor and I snuggled closer on the couch, not getting up to hug everyone goodbye. “Sorry, we’re jerks,” we exclaimed, but made no move to stand.

Our friend C smiled, bent over to hug us, and said, “It’s ok. It’s different when you’re family.” And we agreed.

There were five of us left, hanging out in my apartment, chattering about the past two days, talking about Internet sensations, about Thanksgiving leftovers, about moving our friend two days later. I had a conversation with my friend S about life; I went to the kitchen and chatted with M about her life, her new job, etc. I then moved to the bathroom with Cor, and smiled. This is adult life I thought. Or maybe twentysomething life; hanging out with friends that you treat like family, getting to choose how you spend your time, no homework to do, just time. Time to fill with cooking, and eating, and chatting, and Book Club, and wine tastings and birthday cakes and watching movies.

This, this right here? This is the good life.

 

5gts: Turkey Edition

1. Our turkey is 23 lbs.

2. Count is three days, two if you factor in that our cooking starts Wednesday.

3. There are at least four pies happening, and three PW recipes for Tday.

4. Corelyn and I are starting our day at 7:00 am. Here’s to mixed CDs and gabbing GALORE.

5. Did I mention the turkey is 23 lbs?

Watch for live blogging at Garlic, My Soul! In the meantime, send me what you’re thankful for, and I’ll post it on my blog on Thanksgiving as part of my up-and-coming “Readers Participation” weekly segment, starting in 2011.

 

So, you know, this isn’t normal life.

events: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Monday.
six events. nine days. (did I mention these were six different TYPES of events, too?)

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Friday night: PW challenge. Three recipes.

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weekend: Soccer finals, starting at 10:45. Right at the end of my Saturday event. Can I make it….tbd.

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this morning I brought my bag of change to school for the penny drive and I donated all of my pennies. I also treated myself to a chai with the 4 Sacagawea dollars I found.

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we’re so close I can taste it, and all I want to do is chug through the rest of these recipes, gain my butter weight, and slide into 2011 with a goal for weight loss before my sorella’s big day.

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today on the way to work I found my sunglasses broken in the car. Don’t worry, I carry a back-up pair. And it’s supposed to rain on Saturday. So we might be OK.

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PW was on Throwdown last night. It was magical. It’s been DVRed.

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there is still a pumpkin on my desk at work with candy in it. Since Halloween, I haven’t eaten any.

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little victories.

This weekend…

…it was….

girl’s night, real loud. wine, PW apps, more wine, and salad. Laughing, laughing, laughing…more wine. Laughing, crying because we’re laughing, smiling. Stories, clothing swap, “That looks great on you!” Screaming about nothing, screaming about “You are SO pretty omg” and “He’s so sucky, he just sucks” and “Oh my god this is delicious” and “Ugh I love it!” Music, and smiles, and hugs, and god, we needed that.

sleep, wake.

soccer. “No more goals” to keep it fair. “Can I play for the other team?” to keep it fair. Running, smiling, laughing, soccer. Home, leftovers. CC and I, shopping. Meeting CD, shopping ,work appropriate tops, and “No you cannot have that.” Christmas music, which we’re ignoring. More laughing. Cute dresses, cute shoes. No boots. “Why does this zipper make sense?” Home, lasagna. Calm. Alone. Thanksgiving planning. “All we have to do is making this and this the night before? That’s great!” Eat lasagna. Realize we’re nine recipes behind in blogging. Not caring. Lasagna = winner. Princess Bride, because he hasn’t seen it…”Anybody want a peanut?” so good.

sleep, wake.

Egg sandwich. Head to work, by 10 am. New clothes, feelin’ spiffy. Work, work, smile, smile, work…off of work, nearly done. Gas, then home, then TJs, for pizza stuff…then home, then cookies. Half the recipe. Cookies look half the size…but they are still good! Open some wine, make some pizza dough, get ready for Jenn…Jenn arrives! Pizzas get made. Bacon and onion, clam, mushroom broccoli, pepperoni, cheese. Best. pizza. ever. Chatting, chatting all night long, about home, about friends, about new friends, about nothing in particular. Three pizzas, three friends, one bottle of wine. Great night. Goodbye, promise of seeing each other tomorrow.

sleep, wake.

Best Video/Best Sound Bite ever.

Please listen/watch and enjoy.

Dancing Baby

Alec Baldwin: listen to “Coffee is for Pledgers” if you only listen to one.

5gts: Thursday before a LONG WEEK edition

I have six events at my job next week, so I am trying to cram all the goodness of two weeks into one. 5gts, you ask?

1. I swam 18 laps in 24:47 this morning. Faster than yesterday. I didn’t stop between any of the first ten laps. I think this resulted in slower swimming overall, but more endurance, and that’s what I am aiming for. There’s no bottom in a lake/ocean (in case I follow in my sister’s footsteps…) I rewarded myself with two laps of otter swimming (thanks Auntie Rose and Nikki for suggesting!)

2. Tonight is PW Challenge: Chicken-fried steak. Thank goodness I swam this morning! Also on the agenda is twice-baked potatoes and gossiping with CC, since I haven’t seen her in a hot second.

3. Glee was phenomenal this week. I watched it last night as part of date night (thanks Jeff!) and it really just blew my mind. It was way better than doing laundry 😉

4. Girl’s Night tomorrow night! And PW appetizers. What could be better?

5. The weather has finally cooled off, which sparked a cleaning frenzy in me when I realized I had drawers upon drawers full of unreasonable clothes. Pared down, got rid of a garbage bag full last night, and realized I have two pin-striped dress pants and a handful of patterned work-shirts. And six events in the next week or so. Problematic? Yes. We may have to go shopping on Saturday! On the gts side, I have an organized closet, summer clothes are away (for now) and drawers are looking fresh and clean!

Red cups are here.

I don’t know if you know that I secretly hate the red cups, but I do. This is because I hate Christmas when it’s not Christmas, because I love Christmas SO MUCH that I hold a strict “No Christmas until Thanksgiving is over” policy.

But alas, they are here…

…At least they are cute…How do YOU feel about red cups?