Sad Pooch

What do you do for a depressed dog?

Since my parents left last Saturday, Penny has been one sad pooch. She usually follows me around the house and races up and down the stairs like a maniac. For the last week she goes up the stairs one at a time - almost in slow motion and then I find her laying in the corner of my closet. When she is not in the closet, she has to be sitting on my lap whether I'm at my desk, on the sofa, or trying to wrap Christmas presents.

I tried talking to her about it but she just looks at me with those sad eyes, rolls over and wants her belly rubbed. She won't say a thing.

If her grandparents are reading this: COME BACK SOON or send Doggy Prozac!

It really is so sad to watch. It's depressing me! I mean, look at this face:

A Pretty Table is a Happy Table

Even though we had the The Great Fall of 2012 we still managed to have a nice Thanksgiving day. We had course throughout the day. We started at 1:00pm with a butternut squash soup and a glass of prosecco. After a nice walk and a glass of wine, we sat down again for a pomegranate, pear and goat cheese salad. We sipped a bit more wine and around 5:00pm we ate the turkey and it's usual sidekicks. We ended the evening with pumpkin and pecan pies that we washed down with a little bourbon.

It was a lovely meal day to share with 3 of my favorite people.

I like to cook but I wouldn't say I LOVE to cook. Thank goodness Mom, even with only one arm, was still around to oversee the handling of the turkey and the making of the gravy. I had done both once before but not for a long time. Needless to say, I needed some coaching from a pro.

What I really LOVE to do is set pretty tables. I think if I could get a job at people's homes just setting their tables; creating something beautiful for families to eat around, I'd be a happy camper. This was our first big holiday in our new house so, I had some fun with our little table for 4.

• The napkins were a gift from my mom parents that started the whole scheme. Aren't the colors perfect? Very Fall but the hint of blue/aqua makes them so much more interesting and stripes are always a favorite
• The candlesticks I picked up at one of my favorite little shops in Phoenix and the Juliska vases were a gift from our wedding. 
• The place cards I found here in Lancaster. They were so beautiful that I didn't want to use pen on them so I could have them forever! 
• The runner is a beautiful raw silk that my folks gifted us as a thank you. It's texture set off the silver candlesticks and glass vases perfectly.
• I don't think you can see it in the photos, but each person got a little chocolate at the top of their place for every course!
• The china is our wedding set. I love how free form all the edges are and the faint color changes throughout the plates and bowls.

It was lots of fun. I can't wait to host another dinner party just so I can set another table!

Oops! I took these pictures before the silverware was set.

Meya's Place

Snow update

Just incase you questioned my video. Here is my car. It's usually blue!

Gotta go refill my tea and turn up my Christmas music!

Winter is here!

I knew it was cold outside last night when Penny came in from her nightly "duties" and did this:

Poor little thing had to sit by the fire to warm up her Phoenix fur.


Then, this morning I looked out my window and saw this:

SNOW!!!! 

It hasn't "stuck" yet, but it's snow, kids! Real, live snow!

All my plans for the day have just been thrown out the window. I'm staying in, drinking hot tea and wrapping Christmas gifts. It's officially the first snow day of my life!

It's Hereditary!

My folks came in to town to celebrate Thanksgiving with Husband and me.  We were having a lovely visit when all of a sudden my mom's socks started ice skating on our wood floors and she took a bit of a fall that landed her with a broken wrist. We ended up at an urgent care, where Mom of course commented on the nice shade of gray on the wall behind the desk while she tried desperately to sign her name on the papers. She was a trooper! She had her wrist set and back home she came in a GIANT splint. Luckily, the wine had been opened so we started in on that right away.

The strange bit about all of this is that 11 months ago to the day, I broke my wrist. AND, my grandmother broke her wrist. If you are a female in our family and it's around the holidays and you can pick a paint color in less than 2 minutes, and love to make meatloaf, there is a 99% chance you're gonna break your wrist. It's hereditary!

So, it's Mom's turn to take it easy for 4-6 weeks. Here's my advice to Dad her:

1. Buy a Kindle and download all the books on the First Ladies that you want
2. Re-watch Downtown Abby Season 1 & 2
3. Order take-out and go and pick it up have Dad pick it up
4. Use Flossers from Wal*Mart - floss is too hard with one hand
5. Sit on the sofa and have someone bring you a cup of tea glass of wine
6. Leave your Christmas gifts for The Elves Dad to wrap
7. Don't even think about putting up Christmas decor - Santa will know where to stop - he's been there before
8. It's ok if you wear the two shirts that your cast fits through all 4-6 weeks - no one will judge (publicly)
9. Have your driver Dad take you to get your hair done at the Blow Dry Bar
10. Get a 1/2 price manicure with H!

Chef E Turns 5

The whole reason I flew home to Phoenix last weekend was to attend Miss E's Birthday Extravaganza! What a fabulous party! Miss E loves to cook and has always asked to help her Mom and her Grandmothers in the kitchen. This was the perfect party for her. She and 12 of her closets 5 and 3 year old friends made little miniature pizzas with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Then they each decorated their own cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles!

My two favorite kid moments:

1. One little girl would not put just any color icing on her cupcake but waited patiently for the pink icing to come her way and then when at it full throttle!

2.  Another little girl didn't wait to eat the icing off the cupcake, she just squirted it right from the tube into her mouth.

My kinda kids right there!

I loved being at Miss E's party. I knew going into it that there was a high chance of being "ignored" at the party while Miss E played with all her school friends. It would be natural. She is just 5. At one point though during the party, Miss E walked up to me, grabbed my leg and hugged it tightly. It was her little way of saying: I love you, Meya. Thanks for being here. 

That little girl makes my day  life!

Here are some fab pictures of Miss E's 5th birthday bash taken by my talented friend, E, who's sweet little boy, Master L was at the party too!

Everyone got heir own personal apron and chef's hat!

Even Meya!
Obligatory Side Note : beer was for adult party-goers only.

Mr. P making his pizza with LOTS of cheese!

Miss E and Master L chowing down.

Cupcake Shinanigans!

Miss E and Meya making laughs!

Miss E and her haul of gifts. . . 

 . . . and off she goes to open them up!

Auntie Time

On Veterns' Day I took Miss E and Mr P out for a little morning of fun. We started at the park and we swung on the swings, slid down the slides, hung from the monkey bars, and did some good ol' fashioned digging in the sand with sticks. Then we took off to LGO our favorite sweet spot for "lunch". We each ate one entire cupcake and then we all shared one grilled cheese and refused to eat the fruit that came with it on the plate. Damn near perfect lunch if I do say so myself.

I can get him higher, Meya!

I'll catch ya!

Mr. P and the Blue Cupcake

Miss E and the Pink Cupcake

Man, I love being an Aunt. You just want to help them get as high as they can on the swings, be there to catch them at the end of the slide and make sure they pick out the perfect cupcake for lunch and get all the frosting off of it before they even think about taking a bite of the cake portion. Being an Aunt is God's way of letting you be a kid again even if it's just for one morning.

You Know Where You're Going

I got home late last night from a wonderful trip to Phoenix to help my niece, Miss E celebrate her 5th birthday. More to come on that fabulous party later . . .

The trip home was good fun. I saw all my family which was just what I wanted to do. Mom made meatloaf Sunday night which was to-die-for. I swear she could package those and sell them and make millions! I partied all day Saturday with Miss E and stayed late at her house to play Zingo and put together her new LEGO Beauty Shop (extra hair for LEGO ladies included). I spent two gift cards that were burning holes in my pockets. I was able to see a few friends and we picked up where we left off - not skipping one beat! And of course, I ate an entire bowl of chips and salsa at my favorite Mexican food restaurant and didn't regret one bite of any of the 72 chips.

Lots of people asked, "Is it weird to be home? You're not driving your car or sleeping in your bed, but your home.  How strange."

It wasn't strange. In fact, it was the opposite. It was home. Home is never strange because you know where you're going. You know how to get places. You know where things are. You know where people will be. You know where to find what you like to wear, to eat, to drink, to be. It's easy because you know.

That's what I think is hardest about moving to a new place (besides missing your niece and nephew!). You never know where you're going. You never know what you're going to find or not find. You're always looking at a map or asking Siri for directions. You never know who you'll meet. You know what you like but you're not sure where to find it. Not knowing is hard.

Home is comfortable. It's where you see all the people you love. It's where you eat all your favorite food. It's where you drive to all your favorite shops and do your favorite things. Even without your bed, your car and your house, it is still home. It's what you know with all the people you love.

via www.pbase.com

The Candy Scare

I saw this on line and laughed out loud watching every minute of it. Here's the scoop. Every Halloween Jimmy Kimmel asks his viewers who are parents to tell their kids that they have eaten all the kids' Halloween candy. The reactions of these kids are absolutely priceless, some are a bit scary but most are just hysterical and a few are darling. WATCH IT!

I'm off to see my favorite 2 Rascals in Phoenix this weekend. Let's see if they'll share some of their candy with me?!

Aqua Tone

Last week I joined the YMCA. It has a beautiful pool with lots of classes that looked awesome.

Yesterday morning I walked into the pool area to look for my class. I wasn't sure I was in the right place because everyone in the pool, EVERYONE, was 70 years old +. I asked the Lifeguard where the Aqua Tone class was, he pointed to my white-haired friends and said "right here ma'am".

At this point I was already in my swimsuit and all wet because I did as instructed and showered before getting in the pool.

I had no choice, so I hopped in  . . .

I thought the instructor had started class but I couldn't listen when all the ladies around me were talking about their bridge clubs, how they voted, the cold weather, and their kids. I quickly came to realize that Aqua Tone was Senior Social Hour in Your Swimsuit.

I kept trying to follow the instructor and do what 5% of the class was doing but I was easily distracted.

Some of the ladies got a little disgruntled once we got the water weights out. Betty #1 looked over at the clock 15 minutes into class and said, in a very matter of fact tone, "The clock must have stopped running because no way have I only been doing this stuff for 15 minutes". Betty #2 agreed and moaned that the exercises were too hard and the pool was too cold (82 degrees) and she was finished. She walked faster into that locker room than she did any lunges in the pool! Betty #3 complained that the swimmer practicing her freestyle in the lane beside her was getting her hair-do wet every time she swam by. While all of this was going on, the one male in the class was making his rounds around the pool talking up the election results with all the ladies. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to participate but it so hard with all this going on around me.

The lifeguard was laughing at me. I knew it. But I gotta say, I laughed the whole time and I felt really good the rest of the day. I don't know if it was the great exercise routine or that my spirits were high because it's the first time I could do everything the instructor showed me in a gym class twice as fast as everyone else.

But hey, kudos to those ladies for showing up and putting their swim suits on! At 70! That's awesome! I might have to just go back and make sure the Bettys keep their hair from getting splashed during class.

The Final Debate

Now, that the election is over, we can get back to the REAL debate: iPad or iPad Mini?

It's keeping me up at night. I can't decide. Do I want really small, very portable, compact enough to fit in my purse or do I want kinda small, still portable, not as compact but has better resolution? Both are awesome. One fits in my smallest purse, the other allows me to see more of the Anthropologie site on one page. Oh, this is when I hate being a Libra. I have to weigh everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!

When I tell people about this I can just see them roll their eyes - for goodness sake, woman, just get one and be done with it. But, I don't buy this kinda stuff often. In fact, I might be one of the last people on Earth without an iPad or any small tablet device. I don't own a kindle and truth be told, I still haven't purchased my iPhone 5 (don't get me started!). I had one iPod. One. It never died. I never replaced it.  Now it's an antique. So you see, these decisions are tough because I have to live whit them for quite some time. I also think I don't know much about this stuff because if it were a paint color, I could pick it in 20 minutes flat and know I'd have to keep it for years and be totally happy. I know paint. We get along. We have a relationship. Techy stuff - I try to know her but she's tricky. She's always changing.  She always has something new and better to show me and I can never feel like I can keep up.

So, weigh in. I have to make this decision soon. Like Santa soon (wink)!

Small Town Voting

I ran off to vote early this morning and I have to say, small town voting is the best!

1. I walked to the voting site, hot tea in hand.
2. One person was ahead of me.
3. I ran into one of my neighbors as he scanned his ballot.
4. I scanned my own ballot.
5. I ran into 2 more neighbors on the way out the door.
6. I walked home.

Easy. Social. Civic.  Can't ask for much more!

Now go vote!

GO VOTE!

Happy Birthday Brother!

Today is Brother's birthday. He's good fun. If you haven't met him, I highly suggest you buy him a beer, introduce yourself and get ready to laugh. He's a funny one. You'll like him. I promise. If you have met him, just buy him a beer for goodness sake, it's his birthday!


Brother,

Hope you have a super fabulous birthday that includes a giant warm chocolate chip cookie!!!

Love ya,

Meya

Brother & Me
Western Days : Tucson, AZ : Circa 1982

Good Ol' Fashion Fun!

Before Hurricane Sandy came crashing in, I convinced Husband to buy a puzzle.

My thought : Romantic! We'll sit by candle light, sip wine and hover over the table, share puzzle pieces and just be together.

Husband's thought : Boring! We have other things to do like watch all of Season 1 of Breaking Bad or re-read Les Miserables, so when the movie comes out I can quote every line.

My reality : We never lost power so we sat with the lamp on, gulped wine and hovered like 2 crazy people over this puzzle for hours.

Husband's reality: MUST FINISH THIS PUZZLE NOW!

We both ended up loving every second of it. Monday night I could barely get Husband to go to bed because he was looking for just 1 more piece . . . and that 1 piece to finish that corner  . . . and that 1 piece to finish the green part  . . . and  . . .

It was just good ol' fashion fun and that's what I loved about it. It didn't cost us much except a few hours of sleep. We could do it and eat at the same time. We could do it with power or without. We could do it and still listen to the Weather Channel. We could do it together. We could do it for fun.

I think by the end of winter, we may become puzzle hoarders.

Isn't she pretty?

Can you find the missing piece in the picture below?  I accidentally vacuumed up 1 piece before we started the puzzle. Talk about driving you crazy . . . looking for that piece forced us to consume 1 entire bottle of wine!

Impromptu

Yesterday morning I decided that it would be a good day for a pot of chili.  It was Halloween, and cold and rainy out and I knew Husband and I wanted to stay home for the Trick-Or-Treaters.

I found a recipe a friend of my mom's had given me at my bridal shower and went off to the grocery to get what I needed. By 2:00pm I was back in the kitchen chopping away and by 3:30pm I decided that I had enough chili for the neighborhood . . . so I invited the neighbors over! By 4:30pm they were all coming. At 5:00pm I decided it was also a good day for a apple cranberry crumble, so I ran off to the store to get more apples and by 7:30pm the crumble was in the oven!

We sat around and ate and drank and enjoyed the warm food on a cold night. We laughed, we shared funny stories, we refilled each other's glasses . . . everyone stayed until after 11:30pm! It was just simple good fun.

Now, I could have planned that evening for a month, shopped early, sent out an invitation to everyone and it never would have worked out so well. Sometimes, impromptu is so much more fun! It's no stress, no one expects much and everyone is just happy to be doing something fun. Maybe I should start to plan my next impromptu event. Ha!

If you want to see what Penny looked like while everyone was at the house, here ya go.  At about 11:00pm, she scratched at my boot and made me hold her until everyone went home. She is not a party animal!  Maybe it was the sweater . . .

Halloween 2012