I found some purple beads and made a purple ball ornament for my tree. It is from the same yarn as my Grammy’s socks so I can enjoy it and always think of her. Also, I used some leftover yarn. Two Birds. One Ornament!

A couple of years ago, I was in Colorado and bought a couple of small handmade pottery dishes that incorporated recycled glass into the design. TH was a fan of the two I brought home and I’d been looking for them again ever since. I’d exhausted the Interwebs. They make nice ring dishes for next to the sink or a place to keep safety pins in the bathroom, etc. Then, last week, I ran across what appear to be the very same dishes at a local store! Here’s the one I got.

So, if you’re looking for a unique gift in Austin. I recommend swinging by Originals in the Arboretum area near Michael’s this holiday season.

Ps. I’ve had jewelry repairs done there also; he does nice work.

About a year ago in a land pretty close to here, I was making tomato basil soup for a Twilight party. At the time, the amount of fresh basil called for was running ten dollars which seemed insane to me. I purchased a tube of basil and happily used that in the soup. After the fact, I realized the tube was basically basil and sugar….enough sugar than they have to warn diabetics about it. Now, as someone that for the most part avoids desserts because of all the diabetes running rampant in my genes and family tree, you know what I like in my basil?
Basil.
So, this year, I grew myself a couple of pots full of nice yummy fresh all basil basil. Then winter was upon us. I brought it in so it wouldn’t freeze and decided to sacrifice it to another tomato soup gathering. I invited some girls over for brunch and they agreed to help sponsor the shindig.
Kerry brought not one but two lovely squash quiches. Kerry mentioned that I’d given enough notice for the party. Now, I thought she was being all Bonita (read sarcastic. “Bonita” is now an adjective.) and said, oh, did you need more notice? I’d given over a month. She said no. She was serious. She was being Kerry….which makes quite a bit more sense.

Meghan brought the movie, The Slipper and the Rose: A Cinderella Story (1976) for us to watch and sometimes sing along to. (The brunch was a little bit of a concession to her since she gets tired early due to the fact that she’s pregnant with twins….but also a nod to busy December schedules).

Bonita brought the tomatos and a second emergency bottle of champagne that doubled as a good deed because the brand she bought helps clean up beaches and she brought her relaxed personality to help temper my uptightness.

Lisa brought Romanov sauce which um, hypothetically might have sugar in it, but the key is to be aware of what you’re eating. I like to make educated choices. And this sauce can be compared to crack; it is addictive.

I got the garlic for the soup. It called for 5 cloves. At the grocery store, that seemed like an awful lot, so I had TH just get 4. Sunday while the girls were standing around, I was about to bust into the first fresh garlic I’d ever chopped and I pulled out the 4 things to cut. And everyone immediately said, it called for what? and I said 5 cloves……as I laid the 4 BULBS on the counter next to the cutting board. Through their laughter, they explained to me how to peel garlic and what a clove actually is. I think Kerry was a little worried about the soup but I explained that last time I’d made it with the jar and it just says 1 tsp = 1 clove or something. Turns out TH and I bought more than 8 times the amount of garlic actually needed. oopsie daisey. But I was able to provide the laugh of the day and some garlic for sharing.

I was a tad sad to sacrifice the basil, but it was less traumatic than I expected. It’s not dead yet, merely a flesh wound! Here are the before and after shots.



Thanks, ladies, for a fantastic afternoon of food and fun!!! :-)

Ps. The movie was pretty good (if you like Mary Poppins-esque films, and I do). I especially enjoyed the gentlemen dancing rockett-style on a table in the library, the fairy god-dog, and the costumes/sets. Sydney, however, was not impressed and snored through most of the movie.