heading north!

My Thanksgiving weekend started off this morning with a special pie baking morning with my mom.  She makes the yummiest pies and her crust is so delicious that I knew I had to bake something with her before we headed to my in-laws for Fox Family Turkey Day.  As we're chatting and skyping with my sister (remember she's in Italy?), my mom is just whipping together the crust ingredients and rolling out the dough like it is no big deal.  First of all, I can't get the ingredients to mix well.  I try, but it always turns into crumbles instead of a big dough ball.  I'm dough dumb.  Seriously.  I put together the pumpkin pie ingredients and we pop it in the oven.  We even added a few "leaves" on top to make it look festive.  Since I've been married I've spent almost all of my Thanksgivings away from my parents.  Even though I absolutely love spending the holiday with my hubbie's side, I miss her and the "comfort" of the Thanksgiving that she puts on.  I have the fondest memories of waking up to the sound of my parents both in the kitchen getting the turkey going.  My dad chops the bread for the homemade stuffing.  My mom does the pies and all the other "trimmings".  The parade is on in the background.  The house smells yummy.  It's just a fun fond memory I have of being a kid.  I felt like I got a little piece of that today by spending a few baking hours with her before I leave.  I'm so grateful for little special moments like that.  It kind of goes along with my slow down post.  Enjoying the small moments of life that happen sometimes so fast that we don't appreciate them.

With that all said, I also am so so excited to be hopping in the swagger wagon and heading north to new hampshire in about three hours or so.  The kids cannot wait to see "Grana and Poppy" and frankly, either can I!  This week (ok, pathetically it's only Wednesday!) has been so long.  I just cannot wait to leave our (extremely messy!) house behind and be a visitor in someone else's house.  My MIL is one of those amazing types that makes you feel "taken care of" every time you are at her house.  When I first started spending time with her I used to feel like I couldn't do anything to help out but I realized that she loves to take care of people.  I try and help as much as possible but she always has things in organized or done beforehand.  She's always prepared with food in the house, meal ideas, wine to drink, things to do, magazines to read, walks to be taken.  Her motto of doing things simply is so incredibly comforting because I can't seem to pull that off in my every day life.  I feel like I complicate everything I do.  So being up there makes me feel much less complicated because life just feels simpler around my in-laws.  I'm rambling, but the point is:  I'm MEGA excited for Thanksgiving at my in-laws.  I cannot wait to see them.  I cannot wait to relax in N.H. together.  I am so excited that it's snowing up there.  I am so excited my hubby has four days in a row with us.  I cannot wait for our annual Thanksgiving weekend 1st ski!  There is so much to be excited about this coming weekend!  Ok, with that said, I NEED to fold the laundry, and pack, and make my sweet potato casserole, and shower, and fold laundry...yeah, said that twice because there is THAT much to fold!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Birthday to....Me!

Thirty-One wonderful years ago (yesterday - I had too much fun celebrating that I didn't get a chance to post this!) my dear mother gave birth to the one and only...ME!

For 31 years I have enjoyed celebrating my birthday as big as can be!  I'm an attention lover - so this day is the best of the year for me.  It's all about me!  Ha - I think it's taken me 31 years to be able to say that out loud without feeling guilty :)  I mean, why not... I love this "holiday".  I love everyone calling and wishing me a happy day.  I love getting cards in the mail.  I love presents and flowers and all the special thoughts that people give me and, of course, I love the cake and ice cream that goes along with celebrating!  Ever since I was a little kid, I have always felt like the world has stopped and it's a day all about me (thanks mom and dad!).  I think every person should feel this way on their birthday.

Luckily for me my handsome hubby subscribes to the same birthday philosophy as my parents do and has treated me like a queen every birthday that we've spent together.  He has created amazing birthdays for me every year.  On my first birthday we were together he baked me a purple birthday cake and it has become tradition since.  His creations get better and better with each cake he's made.

Every year I am baked the most yummy and most purple 

birthday cake you can hope for.  Pete is quite the "cake boss" and has the ability to decorate a cake better than anyone I know.  On top of my annual cake that I have to look forward to, he always gets me amazing presents (which he wraps better than anyone I know.  He makes me dinner, cleans the kitchen and lets me do whatever I want.  He allows me to drag my holiday out across the week it falls.  I know what you are thinking - how did I get so lucky and where can you find someone like that - sorry ladies, he's mine!

This year my birthday week is filled with love from family and friends across my life.  I'm so lucky to have each and every one of you and am grateful for all the love and celebration you are providing for me this week!