A little later in the day today, but better late than never, right? I’m taking a little mental break from end-of-the-year craziness at work before I start packing up my office for our upcoming refurbishing. Moving right along…
I’ll start with a question: What’s your favorite Christmas song?
If you’ve been fortunate enough to work in retail or the food & beverage industries near the holidays, you’ve probably hit the point of Christmas song saturation before. I’ve worked both, so for a while, I hit saturation years in a row. The good news is that I know a LOT of Christmas song lyrics.
My favorite favorites, though, are the ones we get to sing in church, especially on Christmas Eve.
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
“”O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
“Silent Night” (probably my favorite of all)
“O, Little Town of Bethlehem”
“Angels We Have Heard on High”
“O Come, All Ye Faithful”
“Joy to the World”
There are a whole lot of songs starting with “O…” huh? I know I’m looking forward to the choir concert and “midnight” Mass (it starts at 10pm, but the concert is at 9:30 and ensures we get good seats for Mass) to sing my little heart out.
And just in case you missed me asking the first time, I’ll go ahead and ask again: what’s your favorite Christmas song? Do you have trouble picking just one?
Fun fact: I have friends in real life who write awesome blogs. Cat at I’m a bad triathlete is one of those friends. As you might have gathered from the title of her blog, she’s a triathlete. After a little back-and-forth on Facebook, we decided to meet up for a bike/swim workout at a state park in between our workplaces.
For those in the area, the Middlesex Fells Reservation doesn’t allow swimming and nearly all the biking in the park is for mountain bikes. This was news to me and set the scene for a slightly disastrous workout. We’ll head to Breakheart Reservation next time– paved paths through the park and an open beach are big bonuses!
After meeting up, we got ready to ride. I’m borrowing my mother-in-law’s bike for the triathlon, so I took the front wheel off and had it in the back of the Subaru. I even practiced taking the wheel off and putting it back on to make sure I knew what I was doing. Long story short, I really didn’t, and there’s video proof on Cat’s blog. Watch that, then come back. I’ll wait.
…
Sad, right? But as you saw, we figured it out eventually and got riding. The lap we took was a little hiller than met the eye, but it was a great workout. It also gave us both some practice riding along popular roads, something that really intimidates me. We only did about 6 miles due to my race the next day, but any workout is better than none, right?
After we got back, we discovered that Cat’s keys wandered away, so we searched for them for a while. After making the find, we called it a day and declared the parking lot we were in Bad Luck.
Somehow still smiling!
Overall, though, we were able to declare the meetup a “thumbs-up” and plan to do it again.
Do you have real-life friends who also write blogs? Do you love buddy workouts? How do you deal with disasters before/during/after workout? Ok, maybe I’m being a little dramatic by calling it a disaster, but we’re dramatic ladies. Don’t judge.
We’re a big documentary family, the two of us. We’re the type to watch a movie and become totally engrossed in the topic and talk about it for days on end. Doesn’t matter if it’s the rise and fall of Imperial Russia, meth wars, Google, or Mount Everest– we love learning through the documentary format.
Our favorites are the ones about food and nutrition. What to eat, how to eat, where our food comes from, and all the regulatory issues therein fascinate the pants off us (figuratively speaking).
The movie that had the biggest impact on us, without question, is Forks Over Knives (FOK). Here’s the trailer (I’ll wait):
Taking Forks Over Knives to heart
We’re both pretty healthy people overall. We don’t eat a lot of junk, but we both knew there was room for improvement. After watching FOK, we realized there was actually room for drastic change. The basic premise of the film (in case you’re at work and unable to listen to the video above… I feel ya) is that the Western diet– full of dairy, meat, and fillers– is killing us. The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell plays a major role in the film, correlating the standard American diet with Type II diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other devastating chronic diseases. In rural China, these diseases are practically unheard of.
The movie certainly opened our eyes to what we were eating was doing to our bodies. Cancer runs on both sides of our families, so we’re open to reducing our risk factors if we can. Forks Over Knives posited that by cutting out dairy, meat, and processed foods, we could feel better, eat more, and (potentially) live longer. Rather than calling the changes in eating habits a “vegan” diet, it’s considered a “plant-strong” diet, just plain eating healthy.
Vegan-but-not-vegan
Dan was very clear we were not vegan. To him and to many, “vegan” equates with “crazy,” and I don’t blame him for wanting to add extra distance there. In reality, though, it’s basically a vegan diet, since we’ve cut out probably 90% of the animal products in our diets. I haven’t bought meat, cheese, or milk in the past 3 or so months when grocery shopping. Just about everything we eat at home would qualify as vegan.
After watching another documentary, Food, Inc., I became concerned with the conditions in factory farms and was making an effort to buy cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef, etc., but not to the point of being militant about it. I still think animals raised in humane ways are an acceptable food source and encourage people to learn more about their food sources overall, but skipping the debate altogether is just easier.
I’m not going to throw paint on your fur or leather. I’m not going to berate you about eating “flesh,” because I think that’s frankly disgusting. I’m also not above ordering meat when we’re out to eat or eating meat when we’re dining with family. Ask me about my food preferences and I’ll tell you I’m sticking to a plant-based diet and probably encourage you to give it a try to see how you like it.
Rethinking supper
Growing up like most people I know, dinner was always meat + veggie + grain/starch. The meat was always the star, and veggies were almost an afterthought. Switching to a plant-based diet meant completely reconsidering how I cook. It took a lot of searching, a lot of Pinteresting, and a lot of tinkering to get used to it, but I think we’re both pretty used to the routine. I’ve learned to cook with beans and leafy greens (both of which I rarely used before), added quinoa to the rotation, and do my best to keep trying new recipes and styles so we don’t fall into a rut.
One of the few animal-related foods I just haven’t been able to kick is ice cream. I try to only have it a couple of times per week, but since it’s my favorite dessert, it’s still tricky. I’ve tried coconut milk “ice cream,” but it didn’t sing to me. I still have to keep experimenting.
Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have a great variety of harder-to-find ingredients, but my local Stop & Shop doesn’t quite have the same selection. Of course, TJ’s and WFM aren’t in a 5-minute drive, so they’re special trips from time to time.
Resources
Pinterest is a great way to find new recipes. I’m able to make changes on the fly to switch out ingredients to go from vegetarian to vegan pretty easily now.
The Engine 2 Diet has been great, since the author (Rip Esselstyn) is a former professional triathlete and current (I think!) Austin, TX firefighter. Rip gets Dan’s stamp of approval, and Dan’s even started reading a bit of the book I checked out of the library.
Go plant-strong, I dare you! Be sure to let me know what you think.
Eureka, I’ve figured out what to call my newfound obsession in a single word!
Thanks go to this post from re-nest, a new blog addiction. From that list of modern homesteading books, I’m thinking of buying The Homesteading Handbook: A Back to Basics Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More for my nook.
Considering the lovely people who built my new-old house back in 1681 were homesteaders (though I generally associate the word with Westward Expansion in the 1800s), it only seems appropriate we channel their industrious spirits.
Or I’m completely bonkers and have no idea what I’m getting myself into. Likely the second.
Epic fail wedding blogger over here. Yep, that’s me.
This is also me/us:
You know, like the best picture EVER.
Since I know you were waiting with bated breath for me to post, I do hope you haven’t all died and whatnot. I also know that a lot of wedding bloggers stop writing midway through planning if the wedding gets called off. Didn’t happen! Happily married here, folks!
We got our disc with all the amazingness on it just last week, so now I can totally overwhelm you with the bad-assery of our big day! I just have to find the willpower to do it!
But first, a shout-out to the best vendors on the planet, who allowed me/us to be present in the day and say “eff you” to the idea that we “need a videographer because no one remembers their wedding day.” HOOEY!
Transportation: Patrick Flanagan, owner of a bitchin’ 1959 Cadillac Coupe Deville that he fully restored (and perhaps the best Craigslist find in history), and M&L Transit for shuttle
Attire: David’s Bridal for dress and hairpiece (and BM dresses), Gallet Collection for alterations and miracle bra, DSW for shoes, family and friends for accessories, Men’s Wearhouse for tuxes
Hair: Caitie Michaud at DeNovo Salon in Wakefield (who also gave me my fabulous post-wedding chop)
Makeup: did it myself with goodies from Sephora
Photography: the absolutely amazing love-them-to-pieces Mike and Kate Duval of MKD Photography
Music: uber-cool Julie Kramer with Big Jim in tow… line dances need not apply! Though I should mention she did wear a shirt to the wedding.
Flowers: Marla Porazzo at the Woburn, MA Whole Foods
BM and GM gifts: various Etsians, who will definitely be named!
Paper goods: us, never to be attempted lest you throw scissors at your matron of honor (true story… sorry, K!)
And since it’s a whopping 10pm here, this old lady needs to think about bed. Darling husband has fallen asleep on the couch studying for his firefighting academy final. He graduates Friday and will be a super-full-fledged firefighter who can pick up overtime– woohoo!
Now, I’m not usually one for the saccharine-sweet, cutesy trends that come along. And this isn’t much of a trend, really. But I am SO into it.
Cupcake earrings. Aren’t they so cute? Check them out at PetitPlat’s Etsy shop, where she’s put together all sorts of delicious creations as earrings, pendants, rings, and miniatures for dollhouses.
Incidentally, yellow cake with chocolate frosting is one of my favorite cake combinations. I might have to investigate a red velvet/cream cheese set, too. Oh, and the croissant hair pins are definitely on the list.
If you follow me on Twitter or hang around the Weddingbee boards, you’ve probably already seen this. If you don’t, you’re in for a treat.
MOH K is getting married in May, which is why she’ll be my Matron of Honor. So right now, she’s my Matron-to-Be of Honor, which sounds ridiculous. I digress.
Her dad wrote this beautiful, heartfelt post about watching her grow up and living her own life. I definitely found myself choking up, thinking of them playing when she was little and what an amazing woman she is now.
Take a few minutes to read it and really soak it in. Like I said, it’s a beautiful post, and it really captures his love for her.
My ass and my personality are the same thing. Huge and in your face.
If you haven’t been privy to a hysterical blog called Sleep Talkin’ Man, click on that link there. An American insomniac woman records her English husband’s nighttime mutterings, and they’re pretty much the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Note: some are a little graphic, so keep the kids’ prying eyes away, mkay? Great.
Then comment and tell me which one’s your favorite
It’s nearing Christmastime, when all your family’s traditions come out to play. My family is mostly Irish-German (which explains why I like beer so much), and we’ve always hung a glass pickle ornament from our Christmas tree. The story goes that it’s an old German tradition that the parents hang the pickle deep in the tree’s boughs on Christmas Eve, and whoever finds the pickle first the next morning gets a special prize. Isn’t that nice? I mean, aside from the fact that it may have caused Lil Bro and I to knock over the tree in an effort to find the dang pickle.
But it’s fake.
I just had what Mum described (when I told her) as a “balloon > pin > psssssss” moment. It was like finding my letters to the Tooth Fairy and Santa and maybe even the Easter Bunny in the top of the medicine cabinet when I was young (true story).
According to thesearticlesI’vefound on Google, the tradition is American and somehow got pinned on the Germans. From what I’ve read, the German tie comes from a town in Germany that’s famous for its blown-glass ornaments, many of which are in fruit or nut shapes.
I immediately emailed Mum to ask her what other pseudo-cultural traditions we observe might be fake (wearing green and drinking Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day immediately came to mind). She gently asked if I knew St. Paddy’s Day was a bigger deal here than it is in Ireland, which I knew. But she was, in her words “verklempt” that the pickle tradition was a fake.
Naturally, I bought a few of the dang pickles to give as gifts this year, so writing the “tradition” behind them will be an exercise in creative storytelling.
Have you ever had a “balloon > pin > psssssss” moment about one of your traditions or beliefs? What was it?
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Fake cultural traditions
4 DecIt’s nearing Christmastime, when all your family’s traditions come out to play. My family is mostly Irish-German (which explains why I like beer so much), and we’ve always hung a glass pickle ornament from our Christmas tree. The story goes that it’s an old German tradition that the parents hang the pickle deep in the tree’s boughs on Christmas Eve, and whoever finds the pickle first the next morning gets a special prize. Isn’t that nice? I mean, aside from the fact that it may have caused Lil Bro and I to knock over the tree in an effort to find the dang pickle.
But it’s fake.
I just had what Mum described (when I told her) as a “balloon > pin > psssssss” moment. It was like finding my letters to the Tooth Fairy and Santa and maybe even the Easter Bunny in the top of the medicine cabinet when I was young (true story).
According to these articles I’ve found on Google, the tradition is American and somehow got pinned on the Germans. From what I’ve read, the German tie comes from a town in Germany that’s famous for its blown-glass ornaments, many of which are in fruit or nut shapes.
I immediately emailed Mum to ask her what other pseudo-cultural traditions we observe might be fake (wearing green and drinking Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day immediately came to mind). She gently asked if I knew St. Paddy’s Day was a bigger deal here than it is in Ireland, which I knew. But she was, in her words “verklempt” that the pickle tradition was a fake.
Naturally, I bought a few of the dang pickles to give as gifts this year, so writing the “tradition” behind them will be an exercise in creative storytelling.
Have you ever had a “balloon > pin > psssssss” moment about one of your traditions or beliefs? What was it?
Tags: bogus traditions, Christmas, Germany, Ireland, pickle