Snippets of the weekend 1.2.2023

Friday I was up, showered, and out early to return shit to Kohl's, pick up a few groceries and some fresh flowers to end the year on a pretty note, and back home. I painted my nails quick & sloppy (OPI Verde Nice to Meet You and Zoya Charli). We picked up lunch and visited MFD's Gram who turned 94 Christmas week. Home to have a lie down before heading to Stephen & Aubrey's. 

We met up with Chris & Diana, Stephen's work friends, and Mike at Tired Hands then proceeded across the street to Ardmore Music Hall for the Stop Making Sense show, a Talking Heads cover band. The production was really good and they played long so I was super happy to have done the afternoon lie down LOL. MFD popped in at Uptown and we got home after 1.

Saturday NYE I did some purging and organizing, changed sheets, did a face mask, ran to Marshalls, finished a book and started another, and at night we did appetizers - roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, pigs in a blanket, mac & cheese balls. Dessert was angel food cake with lemon curd and mixed berries. We burned a bayberry candle and others down to the nubs and called it a year. I trusted the year would flip at midnight without me watching and I definitely did not make it until 10 pm

Sunday NYD MFD was gone to mummery early. I did laundry, made pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and ate none of it. 

My brother picked me up and took me to my other brother's house where we did eat that meal. The pork was outstanding. We walked over to see MFD and Uptown come back from the parade and hung out until about 10:30. Follow Evan Leslie Images on FB for more photos of Uptown in costume and of course if you are looking for a photographer for life's big and small moments or for any corporate/product needs.

Monday was a lazy day in observation of the new year and devoted entirely to eating leftovers and watching season two of Succession.

weekending reels on Instagram 

Back to work after 10 days off is what we're doing today aside from wishing my BFF Laura a fantastic birthday.

snippets of the weekend 12.26.2022

Festivus for the Rest of Us Friday, along with my last workday of 2022. My niece was over for a while in the morning. Chicken caesars for dinner, avoiding outside due to deep freeze (ice inside the window panes next to our door above), doing prep work for Mimi's bacon breakfast muffins, and asking the universe for no burst pipes at the shore, and Christmas Vacation. 

Christmas Eve we had Mimi's muffins for breakfast, and I did the prep work for Italian Wedding Soup and fresh bread for Christmas Day - spoiler alert, the fresh bread was glop. I think my flour was old. Try again on New Year's, maybe. Kitchen fails are normal! 

We did our annual rounds to Sandy's, cousin Colleen & John's, Uncle Billy/Aunt Sue's, and added a stop to cousin Jamie & Cindy's this year to see the Caldwells. We also did our annual drive through the well decorated neighborhood cul-de-sac. 

Christmas morning gifts with Dad & Carol. They have continued the tradition of getting me an Eagles item since I am the number one fan in the category of does not like football but likes football food and it is a running joke. My dad also picked this mug out for me, it appears that he knows me LOL. It was a fun morning watching MFD with his survivalist shit. We went to Stephen & Aubrey's to see the kids and have breakfast. We're all already thinking about summer. 

Back at home Dad & Carol left and we couched it all day. We watched both Knives Out movies, and when MFD went to do a shift for Advocates for Homeless & Those in Need I watched Do Revenge and made Italian wedding soup. MFD made separate chocolate and vanilla pudding and that was that for us on Christmas. I love doing nothing the majority of Christmas day.

Today I purged my top two drawers, jewelry, nail polish, and linen closet and made avocado dip. I assembled some goat cheese and prosciutto crostini at Mom's for Christmas Day 3. We had another fun time

weekending reels on Instagram 

Cheers to everyone who is feeling some sort of way about something that is decidedly not holiday-ish, to those missing someone or something, and to all of us out here finding joy amidst the complications of life, growing around our grief when we are grieving anyone/old ways/anything, coexisting as imperfectly perfect humans, and grappling with general societal expectations. I'd send the entire world a hug if I could and encourage us all to keep showing up, talking and laughing, sticking with each other through the hard stuff, and just to keep going.

This week I hope to keep going on purging, sorting, and getting rid of a bunch of shit. Whatever you're doing, enjoy!

TWTW - the one that started in 2017 and ended in 2018

If you have to get a security system installed, it's awesome if a friend of 25 years can oversee the installation. Thanks AJ! If anyone is in need in the southeastern PA area, let me know. I got a guy. I worked from home while that was going on and did absolutely nothing Friday night aside from shove Totino’s Pizza Rolls down my gullet.

MFD was in charge of flowers of the week and he did well.

Saturday morning we woke up to snow. I made dinner for later along with Mimi's breakfast muffins and a vat of iced coffee and painted my nails (OPI Berry Berry Broadway and Essie No Place Like Chrome).

We spent the afternoon at Fergie's to celebrate Angie's 40th, and it was Scott's birthday too. It was a lot of fun with great friends and music. And bathroom art. I freaking love art in bathrooms. And friends who carry the Bill of Rights in their wallet - looking at you Chris! Happy happy Ange, welcome to Club 40!

The good was balanced by the bad - Mom, Rich, and Sean had to say goodbye to Yogi Bear. He was a great dog and will be very missed.

Sunday I was out by 9 am, popping in on my niece and nephew then on to Dad and Carol's to help set up their Alexa, then to Target. On New Year's Eve I am always running around like an idiot. I don't get it. Even when it's not planned, it happens. It's like nothing can be done after 6 pm? I don’t know. When I got home we did our year end charitable contributions which was great this year because MFD won the Philadelphia String Band Association raffle so we were able to give more to more charities that are important to us! And we know we'll be good through January and February which are typically really tight months for us. I started to feel crappy so I showered and settled in with a book and the dogs and season one of The Goldbergs. Fucking hilarious. MFD went solo to the two NYE gatherings we were supposed to attend. I missed seeing our friends but didn't want to be the asshole who brought the cold germs. He was home at 11:30 and we rang in the New Year looking the worse for wear. LOL

New Year's Day - Monday - Mummers Day!
It started with a frantic scavenger hunt through the house for MFD's shoes and socks, which I raced to drop off at the club before the band left for the parade. Everyone has traditions. This is ours. I made elderberry extract - I swear my lack of taking it for the week between Christmas and New Year's left me in this position with this cold. I pumped myself up with this so I hope I head it off before it gets really bad.

I spent the morning preparing the traditional pork and sauerkraut and mashed potatoes for the New Year's Day meal. And dealing with a sink leak or clog or whatever that leaked through the basement ceiling. Happy New Year!

My ears were clogged and it was fucking cold so Debbie and I watched the parade at home with snacks. I had to rely on photos from MFD. I missed being down there. You really do need to see everything in person to fully appreciate it not to mention the pictures you get are tops. I also missed catching up with friends I don't see often. If you click on the band name you can see the performance and all have immediate music - Ferko came in 5th with their Peter Pan theme. I loved the Captain and Smee costumes, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbelle - the first female on the street with Ferko, which pleases me immensely. South Philly put on an exceptional show to win it and we are excited for our friends in SPSB as well as our friends and fam in Uptown for their great 6th finish. Everyone has their favorites, and I loved Quaker and Avalon, but Duffy and their mighty kid captain Jake who led the band instead of his dad, who passed unexpectedly in recent months, stole the show - this one is a must watch to the end. I cried at the end of their performance and three times watching video on FB of their prize announcements. I have never been moved to tears by the Mummers Parade before. For a link to all string band performances from the judge stands broken out by band, click here.

Weekly food prep

Breakfast is frozen breakfast burritos - I need to use them up and re-stock. Lunch is leftovers from Saturday's dinner or PBJ on english muffins. Dinner is NYD leftovers and chicken breasts when I need to make them.

Happy New Year!

TWTW - the one with Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Sunrise, two turkeys + double of the meal made, snacks, one meal dropped off to a local family, beach walk, dinner, The Godfather. It was quiet and perfect in my favorite place. 

Black Friday 

Sunrise beach walk, discovered I will be buying this library book thanks to Bruce, nails (Sally Hansen Cherry Fast), Dad & Carol arrived, lost MFD to Game of Thrones, spent the afternoon downtown small business shopping on Asbury Avenue and watching Santa atop City Hall during A Small Town Christmas, leftovers for dinner, Stephen/Aubrey/Lola arrived

Saturday 

A family beach walk where Lola took the reins with Mae, ice cream and small biz shopping on the boards before Lola Jean did some rides, an afternoon lie down, dinner at The Ugly Mug in Cape May, and a wander around Congress Hall's Winter Wonderland so Lola could go on the train. I’m lacking in photos this week because my phone camera sucks, any minor darkness and they’re blurry AF. 

Sunday

A morning beach walk with the dogs, cleaning upstairs and lounging with the family until about noon, a quick run to Drip N Scoop for coffee, and reading downstairs when they left. I was on the road with the dogs by 3:20, hitting Philly just in time to join the Eagles game traffic.

It was a great weekend in the place I love the most with some of the people I love the most, and the last time we’ll be together before a third Stephen joins the world. 

No food prep aside from leftovers and no blogs done for the week. I'll roll the dice and see how this goes.

How was your Thanksgiving?

TWTW - the last Christmas

Not mine or yours, of course. Rest in peace, George Michael. I loved you. You've done us dirty, 2016.

Friday I had an early dismissal and we wasted the night away watching the Seinfeld Festivus episode and all of the Christmas episodes of The Office. I didn't want to go out into the melee to get flowers so I ordered from Urban Stems and they were fabulous - they're only in certain cities, but check them out. Fair warning: if you use that link I get $15 off and you get $10 off. I got these lovelies for $27 with delivery. From myself to myself. The delivery guy at my office laughed at me.

Christmas Eve on Saturday! It was a pretty chill day at home, I finished a book and MFD decorated the tree despite my pleas to leave it with just lights. My mom also came to drop off cookies and ham and have coffee with us.

Annual Christmas Eve at Sandy's with my dad & Carol's friends and our friends and some of MFD's family and Aubrey's family and my brothers and lots of love. It's always a great festive start to the holiday.

The sleigh stopped at Billy & Sue's next. The little girls, my cousin Gabriella and Lola Jean, were the hit of the party of course. And Lola's baby doll, apparently. Christmas conversation: titty bars. Don't ask. 

MFD, Debbie, and I drove around to the two super decorated cul-de-sacs in our neighborhood before heading home, where we watched A Christmas Story and I ate 489 cookies before falling asleep on the couch and never going up to bed. MFD was in and out for midnight mass and then he left to do Code Blue volunteering for the rest of the night. 

We met at Lola's house in the morning and had breakfast with them and my Dad & Carol. Despite my brother's protests and with her mother's blessing, we got Lola Jean a bounce house. Years of fun coming up! Also, pick which hair is mine and which is my brother's? 

Santa's sleigh pointed to my mother-in-law & father-in-law's house next. We hung out there for a while and will pop in again today. ho ho ho mofos

Under our own tree, it was both a bookish year and apparently a shit-themed year. The 1990s brought me some Docs too.

I putzed around in the afternoon cutting up some veggies and putting a ham in the oven. Mom and Rich, Swan, Pop, and Debbie came over for a relaxed dinner. MFD woke up most of the way through, ate, and went back to sleep. It was a perfectly chill way to close out Christmas Day. The dogs were of course pleased to see Swan, their new designated babysitter when we go away. Mae in particular adores him.

We were all beat so they left a little before 6. All the dogs and MFD were snoozing and I just sat in the glow of the Christmas lights and watched Christmas Vacation before heading up to bed at 9. A merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Christmas 2016 in the books. I feel very thankful for framily and the generosity and love from everyone. More visiting to come on this day and this week. I hope yours was very merry.

Favorite reads of 2016 coming tomorrow for a special edition of Show Us Your Books with me & Jana. If you got bookish gift cards, get them ready!

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending