Snippets of the week(end) 11.28.2022

I was off last week and at the shore from Saturday on. Monday I cleaned and organized and fretted all day about the big ass couch being removed through a very small door in our apartment. Sweat and swears and a quite large tip later, the Got Junk guys were taking off with it. I collapsed on the bed in relief mostly because there was nowhere else in the apartment to sit. Ben was very upset, he hates change. I rallied to go to the Dollar Store and ShopRite late.

My Dad and Carol arrived on Tuesday and we all went on beach walks and arrived home to the delivery of the LoveSac couch. I had no idea it would come when it did and we ended up putting it together instead of waiting for MFD to arrive the next day. We celebrated by sharing Motrin and they put my 

Christmas cards together. It was a good day to be me. Stephen, Aubrey, and my niece and nephew arrived Tuesday night. 

Wednesday Carol and I picked up bakery goods and last minute items at ShopRite. I made compound butter. Loungey afternoon that I spent in my apartment with Little Stephen while I did an air fryer turkey using Casa de Crews recipe - highly recommend. 

We took a family beach walk after MFD arrived, hunting for treasures. I got a phone call from a contractor at 4:15 scheduling work for Monday morning at 8 and am so so relieved the couch shit got done when it did so that was all possible. Taco bar dinner using frozen meat from Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving the kids were not feeling great so it was just adults at the table and me & Aub on a post-dinner walk and a few of us up for Jared's arrival at night. My turkey was too dry for my taste. Some years you win, some years you lose. My Instagram caption says it better - thankful for all of my communities.

Friday started rainy and ended up lovely. We did some creating at Glazed Over Pottery on Asbury followed by a trip to the thrift store then World Cup watching (Stephen & Jared in Philly for that and Dad & Stephen to the arcade) followed by Santa on the roof! This kicks off my holiday season every year.

Saturday was small biz shopping on Asbury, with a check in via bike by the Troll of Asbury Avenue AKA Uncle Mike. Little Stephen did more arcading with his army.

We did some shell painting and marshmallow gun shooting in the afternoon followed by a fam beach walk, ice cream tasting (six flavors from Jeni's) and Surviving Christmas. 

Sunday morning MFD and I cleared the porch and moved stuff around in our apartment getting ready for work happening today. He took off with the animals, and Stephen, Aub, Jared, and the kids were gone by early afternoon. Dad, Carol, and I took the shells down to the North Street Tree before the rain came through. The tree is up this year due to beach replenishment work happening now. Couch day with three Hallmark Christmas movies, reading, Boyar's salads and soup and leftovers, and the Eagles. Hashtag superfan made it to half time. I think? 

I was up until 11 packing up my car and finishing a book.

weekending reels on Instagram 

Another great long fam weekend for Thanksgiving despite illness circling. 

TWTW - well, the week that was

Mon - Wed I was off, but not much in the way of rest. Monday I headed back to Philly and got some Christmas stuff happening and errands run and chinese food for dinner. Tuesday the funeral services for my oldest friend's dad, a great man who used to lift me over the fence at three, four, five years old to play as our yards butted up against each other. Jen's family has always been so great to me, and I am sending all the love to them as they are hurting over this huge loss. I hightailed it back to the shore Tuesday to prep for Thanksgiving, running my final errands Wednesday morning to the grocery store and two corner stores to pick up. MFD arrived with Gus and Billy in the afternoon, and my brother and Aub and the kids shortly after. I prepped compound butter, had salad for dinner, and caught the sunset. 

Thursday Banger sunrise to start the day before prep work started. MFD was on stuffing and gravy, I was on turkey and sweet potatoes, Aubrey was on mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, Stephen was on kid games, entertainment, and sommelier. We took a beach walk while the turkey was in the oven and had snacks. Sam the bird (named by Lola) was out by 2:30 and we ate and lolled around for the rest of the day. 

Friday Dad & Carol arrived by about 8, and we set right to the turkey cookie decorating event...after Aubrey figured out how to make them stand up LOL. MFD was a late entry but he did his also during a break in his program. We took a family beach walk but didn't last long due to the wind. I dropped my brother off at Xfinity for the Flyers game and came back to do the art kits Cici got from my friend's studio Shades of Orange - they come pre-drawn with paint, buttons, and instructions you can follow or go on your own. You just need some glue. Christmas-themed and not. They make great gifts and support a small business! Mine is the pug, and Lola added a sweater to it. We bundled up to kick off the holiday season with my favorite tradition - Santa on the top of City Hall. We came back and ate Aubrey's delicious lasagna for dinner with salad and watched Big. 

Saturday Meat-heavy breakfast is how we rolled. Stephen, Aubrey, Dad, & Carol went to the Cape May Zoo with the kids. I cleaned up and read. Carol, Aubrey, Lola and I did some small business Saturday shopping on Asbury Ave. with traditional chocolate covered marshmallows on the way home. I was glad for the mask outside at that point as it was freezing and it's a great face warmer. App and leftover general chaos and Clifford the Big Red Dog movie to close out the day.

Sunday We painted some shells, Aubrey ordered us breakfast from Deadend Bakehouse, and we visited the North Street Tree to leave out shells and admire others. It was beautiful so we lingered a little on the jetty. MFD headed back to Philly with Gus and Billy. After a playground interlude, Aubrey made nachos, I used leftovers for brie bites, and we put out leftover snacks for the Eagles game. Aubrey and my brother left with the kids in late afternoon, I took the dogs to the beach for sunset, and I watched Hallmark movies with Carol and Dad until I threw in the towel a little after 8.

Thankful for another great holiday weekend with the fam at the shore. I hope your weekend was great, however you spent it. 

Happy Hanukkah wishes to my Jewish friends!

Staring down the last two days of November, I'm trying to think about what I want the last month of my year to look like. 

Have a good one! 

The Thanksgiving Week that Was

A full week off. There were daily beach walks, sometimes multiple per day, lots of treasure hunting, dogs running, fishing, sunrises, fall props. 

There was Thanksgiving in adherence with NJ gathering guidelines, with everyone contributing to group cooking and cleaning up efforts, a turkey hat passed around, a what are you thankful for session around the table, a tie dye dress code. There were homemade desserts and purchased pies, only one of which made it to actual Thanksgiving day. The rest were consumed beforehand.

There was a lot of resting and just being. There was a new moonpod MFD purchased. 

There was a little bit of Christmasing, including Santa on a fire truck which always makes me cry. We caught him early and it was socially distant AF, the town did a great job with this this year despite our annual Black Friday Christmas in the Downtown being cancelled. There was a night of matching Grinch pajamas courtesy of CiCi and movie watching with jiffy pop and candy to fill the littlest Grinch lover's heart and make his almost three year old day when everyone individually appeared in Grinch pajamas. 

There was miscellaneous - cleaning out cabinets, jobs for all, excellent weather, nails, small business shopping and local love, poop adventures, fishing, mask wearing and hand washing like whoa, a curious kitten, lots of time together planned out and planned for exposure-wise beforehand. There was sadness on my part when my family was gone after a week, and then there were books and pizza and more beach walks and 

here we are in December. What a fucking  year we're closing out.

Congratulations to my Dad on his first full day of retirement today. Yesterday was his last day of work at a company he was with for 44 years. I learned work ethic and loyalty from him, and I'm so happy he is moving on to the next phase of his life now. It's well earned. 

TWTW - the one with the thanksgiving

Thursday I woke up feeling like I had slept five minutes, which is never ideal especially when you have a long day ahead. I made a homemade cranberry dish and went to Mom & Rich's for brunch.

We had two hours at home, so I packed for the weekend and painted my nails. Dinner at Mark and Sarah's, the food was so delicious I didn't even have room for pie. I packed up the car and was on the road to the shore by 8:30.

That was a long and tiring drive and I fell right into bed after turning the heaters on and walking Bruce and Ben. The last two (three?) Thanksgivings I've spent at the shore, and I was happy to at least end this one there. Bruce and Ben were too.

Friday  An exceptional Black Friday sunrise.

Dad and Carol were down before 9:30 and MFD and Gus and Mae were close behind. Ben helped Carol with her Black Friday couponing.

MFD went fishing and we went strolling downtown for the Christmas in the Downtown when Santa appears on the roof of City Hall and descends via fire truck. We love this tradition. MFD rolled in after it was over. Mae went this year and she was very popular. Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner and finally pumpkin pie.

Saturday Sunrise with Bruce & Ben. 

Dad got donuts and breakfast sandwiches. A little after 11 we headed to the boardwalk to stroll and do some small business Saturday shopping. Pizza for lunch, and skipped the line but still got a photo with Santa. MFD went off to fish and me, Dad, and Carol continued onto Asbury where we saw Santa again and Carol got me a new purse at the consignment store. Necessary since my zippers broke and more environmentally friendly than new. 

I took Bruce and Ben to the beach where MFD was fishing. Someone left behind beach art, Bruce was enamored of surfers, and I found great shells. 

When MFD went off to be in a parade in Stone Harbor we watched the Auburn/Alabama game because we're on basic cable down there. What a nail biter. I was dead asleep by 10:30. MFD was upstairs after me with Ben and Ben was daring enough to sit next to my dad (not a dog person).

Sunday I slept in until 8 and that was amazing. Dad and Carol and already left and MFD was close behind. I ran the dishwasher and packed up and was back in Philly by 10:30. I changed the sheets, ran and emptied the dishwasher, unpacked boxes, did three loads of laundry, and we had a snack plate and fried goat cheese apps for dinner a la MFD and watched The Irishman.

Weekly food prep: I didn't feel like it Sunday, but I took sausage out to make breakfast burritos to freeze and chicken thighs out so I'll bake them tonight and do a side of rice and steamed veggies. I've got some freezer stuff for lunch, I only need three days of packable lunches this week.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I definitely did. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year. Happy December, everyone. 

Thursday Thoughts - from now on it's me and my sweet potato pie

Thanking the universe for the big seven - good physical and mental health, framily (dogs included), a good job at a great company, a roof over my head, food on the table, access to clean water, living outside of a war zone; as well as a never ending list of things like polarized sunglasses, the sea, libraries, the right to vote, Living Proof dry shampoo, people who stand up for what's right no matter what, sunshine, the kindness of strangers, MAC lipstick, candles, fierce women, fresh sheets, kiwi, spray paint, the truth, the existence of the Oscar Weinermobile, poop bags, Bruce Springsteen (the man), making it through another year of this exhausting and disastrous administration, the confidence & comfort to be myself in all situations, when there’s no line in a place I expect a line, Dirty Dancing, the moon, barefoot dreams cardigans (they're on sale at Nordstrom right now if you're in the market), Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the trees in autumn, iced coffee and its mugs, clarity, my ability to see the sunrise over the ocean most months of the year, fierce women, fresh berries, comfortable shoes, stained glass, finding a bathroom when I need one, the ease of communication in the age of the internet to stay in touch with loved ones and form connections with people we don’t know in person, being childless by choice, science, the color purple, David Rose, opposition to hateful regimes in this country and abroad, pie, laughter that comes from deep in my gut, nail polish, you for reading this, and a zillion other things under the sun. Life is short. Don’t take a damn thing for granted. 

Heading to my mom and Rich's for brunch, Mark & Sarah's for dinner, and to the shore tonight after it all. Elastic pants all the way, and all weekend.

Making a turkey yesterday for the sole purpose of having leftovers for sandwiches for the weekend...well also for the purpose of being able to stand in the kitchen and fight MFD for the skin, eating all of it within 10 minutes like wild jackals.

Buying my typical Thanksgiving week buys - Toms for 30% off from their site and dog toys and treats from Chewy from their annual early Black Friday sale. I keep an eye on Target too and scored some Frozen items half off for my niece and goddaughter yesterday. 

Remembering this well - well, I remember sitting in my grandmom's living room and the adults discussing it. I was a lucky girl who got one. 

Making bracelets with my niece...this is about the craftiest I get, and she told me to redo it after my first ugly attempt. LOL forever

Laughing because it's true 

Roaring because it's true

Thinking of everyone who finds the holiday season hard or dislikes it for any reason. Loss doesn't always mean death and grieving something is hard, like grieving someone is hard. I see you out there and I support you. You're not a ruiner or a grinch. 

Reading slowly, but just started Demi Moore's memoir last night. Where are my Will Trent series fans? I just finished Criminal (#5) last night and it was my favorite by far.

Listening to Sweet Potato Pie by Ray Charles as evidenced by the lyrics after Thursday Thoughts
Reminding everyone we don't have to hold space in our lives for one damn person who disagrees with someone's existence. It's not an opinion and it's not politics and writing it off as those things is not okay - it's people and their right to live as they are, to BE who they are; to worship who they worship, love who they love, and the expectation of safety, respect, fairness, justice, and equal protection under the law regardless of skin color or gender or where they were born or how much money they have.

Ecarding 

Wishing you and your framilies a wonderful Thanksgiving from Lenape land.