Good morning! I missed you last week and am sorry that I didn’t give you any warning about the fact that I wouldn’t be home for us to have coffee together. As you’ll see in a minute, we travelled north so my time here took a back seat to spending time with people I love a whole lot. I’m home again now, and other than a load or two of laundry to be done still and a thief’s haul of Christmas presents (all owned by one person who shall remain nameless) strewn across the family room, we’re settled back in to our routine. Which, as you know, includes coffee. So, grab a mug and a comfy chair and let’s chat.
Travel Stuff
It all starts with the drive, doesn’t it? And that’s what we did. We left North Carolina on a beautiful sunny morning. At midday we were winding our way through the mountains of West Virginia, oohing and ahhing at the beauty of the ancient, mountains. Well, Hubby and I were doing that. Dudette had her attention focused on some game. Then we hit that stretch of road that connects Cincinnati and Indianapolis. B.O.R.I.N.G. The photo here was actually taken on the way home. I know that because of those splotches of salt on the window, a northern cities’ gift to all visitors in winter. I also know it was the return trip because the sky is blue and clear of clouds. That wasn’t the case on the way north.
The Way North
We left North Carolina on the Friday before Christmas early enough to try and avoid a storm that reached from south to north, blanketing one end in dangerous thunderstorms and the other end in equally dangerous ice. We hit rain just as we got to Indianapolis. Using the word ‘rain’ seems like such an understatement though. It freakin’ poured. Buckets. Hubby’s one of the easiest drivers I know, able to drive in anything and enjoying being behind the wheel. I’ll take boring flat fields over that any day. Even with hitting the flooding that Indianapolis experienced, we were lucky. The weather got way worse before it got better, but by then we were tucked safe and sound in my brother’s house.
Family Fun
There was a lot of activity at the house. I was happy catching up with my parents, siblings and aunt, so I left the game playing, fingernail decorating and paint-by-number stuff to my sister. She was awesome with Dudette and my little one misses her a ton already. You like that shade of blue on her nails? Pretty cool, huh. The crew also went sledding, but since I didn’t go (it’s snow and it’s cold … not a combination I do) and no one else remembered a camera or phone, there was nothing to show for the outing except laughs, rosy cheeks and wet, cold bottoms.
He Who Rules Her World
Dudette’s cousin. The bomb. The best thing since sliced bread. Her favorite person in the world. She has good taste. This was one of the few times that the two of them were sitting still. There was a lot of Nerf sword fighting and wrestling (he’s on the wrestling team at his school) that went on over the course of the week. Dudette went to bed exhausted and with a smile on her face every night we were there.
Yeah, We Did It
We introduced my sister to Christmas Vacation and she loved it. It should be required watching for every family during the holidays. I think my favorite part is Randy Quaid wearing the black dickie under the white sweater. That always tickles me to no end.
We Also Did This
A visit to Wheaton means a visit to The Smokehouse for their amazing, delicious gyros. Eating with her fingers? You betcha. The folks there pile the meat so high that there’s no choice (ok, a fork is available for those who are too hoity toity for fingers).
One of My Favorite Fields
I love these things. We couldn’t see them on the trip north (they’re between Indianapolis and Chicago), but on the trip south, I loved watching the huge propellers turn. They went on as far as the eye could see. See?
What Made The Trip Home Fun
My older brother introduced me to this cool little app and I had so much fun with it on the way home. Who knew that spotting and reporting roadkill on the expressway could be so satisfying. Apparently all the folks who thanked me for doing it did. If you travel a lot by car, you need Waze.
The Dish of the Week
The Roasted Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts from Cooking Light took the prize. What was doubly impressive about the dish is that it received thumbs-up from everyone at the table. That being said, Dudette and her cousin weren’t at the house, but had been taken to dinner by her Papa.
That’s it, my friends. It’s not really it, but I think I’ve rambled on long enough. We had a blast up north and it was hard to leave to come home. That being said, it was wonderful to crawl into my own bed and equally fantastic to snuggle with my kitty (who has remained firmly affixed to my body since my return … she has strong, sharp nails). I hope your Christmas week was as wonderful as ours was.
The post The Sunday Sip ~ What I Did On My Christmas Vacation and the Dish Of The Week appeared first on Taking On Magazines One Recipe at a Time.