Good morning

Do you know what happened yesterday?!? T's parents emailed around 2:30p, asking if the boys wanted to go over and play AND offering to keep them overnight. Though T and the kids were having a grand time playing baseball in the back yard, this opportunity was too good to pass up: a dozen people were coming for the potluck a few hours later, and T and I really needed a good night's sleep. Off they went, and what a treat it was to ready for the party in peace, not worry about our decibel level AND sleep in. After an incredibly lovely and pleasurable fete with friends, T and I watched Bill Maher from Friday night (sadly the season finale), and then I took every anti-cough, anti-congestion med I could find (safely of course, peeps), slept in the basement and didn't wake until nearly 9. Amazing!

The nearly two hours since have been so deliciously lazy and quiet. T made me a beautiful latte,  I enjoyed two muffins and our still clean house, finally sorted my recipes into the now distinct categories of Salads and Side Dishes (check it out), and am about to retire to the couch with the Times. Bliss. Aren't these flowers to die for? I swear I think I sometimes host parties just to have an excuse to buy beautiful fleurs for my home!

Full-out Friday

Oh my gawd..................today was nuts. Fun and good overall but nuts. Ol's school hosted its annual Thanksgiving Feast this morning, so I went early to help carve turkeys and set up and then enjoyed the festivities with Ol and T's mom. It was a very sweet party, and the kids did a terrific job decorating and preparing. Naturally afterwards, Ol did not want to go to FunFit Friday but rather home with me. He has started chatting nearly as much as J sometimes and by the time we picked J up at school, my ears were ringing. Also I've got a hell of a cold and sound like Joan Rivers crossed with an old man. Unattractive to say the least. We did take a walk on what was a truly beautiful day, and just look at this tree. As if it's on fire!

The Thanksgiving prep crunch has started in earnest, and today I brought home two turkey carcasses from the school brunch and have been simmering homemade stock all day. It smells wonderful. For the feast, I made two pumpkin pies with my homemade puree, and I must say, those were darn good too. Tonight we're going to have a curried turkey salad and while I would love a glass of wine know that is not in the cards if I ever want to breathe again.

Did I mention that nearly fifteen folks are coming for dinner tomorrow night? Yowzers, I gotta get cookin!

Hilarious article, excellent article, funny cartoon

My cousin Jill is an excellent source of all things guaranteed to overtake you with pee-in-your-pants laughter. It's delightful. Yesterday she sent this link to a Hater's Guide to the Williams-Sonoma Catalog and I still have not finished reading it because I start wheezing and snorting in hysterical, apoplectic glee. I happen to like W-S but this piece is just a gem.

This cartoon is pretty amusing too albeit on the political rather than culinary side of things. Et tu Laura Ingraham?

Lastly, this article by Frank Rich is excellent, truly excellent. It's an explication and measured rampage against Republican Fantasyland and the incredible, ballsy mendacity of the Romney campaign.