back at it

It's about time for a new post around here! It seems I took an unplanned break from blogging.

A quick report on the desserts:

I made the Raspberry Sherry Trifle and the Frozen Grand Marnier Torte from the last post.

Both desserts were delicious, but the trifle was the biggest hit. It was light and more ubiquitously pleasing. The sherry was cooked, so the children enjoyed it as well as the adults. The Torte was delicious but very "orange-y" and the crust would not come out of the bottom, since it was frozen. If you ever make this one, either grease the bottom of the dish VERY well or make a crustless Torte and use all of the "Crust" in between the two layers of custard. Overall, I loved the flavors. But they were very unique and bold and would never do for a picky crowd.

Now for our three-day visit to Alabama.

DAY ONE

was most certainly Khan's favorite.

Can you sense the energy? He loves the leash-less freedom the tall pines of Alabama bring him.

It's refreshing for us, too.

Fire pits. Fresh lumber cut from one's own property. And, of course, inflatable Auburn tents.

I got to meet some friends for lunch, too.

 

Miriam (middle) was in town from the UK where she is working on her PhD in Creative Writing, and Ashleigh is a (newly graduated) lawyer in Atlanta. I'm so impressed with my smart friends! I've known these two since elementary school. And with all they have to offer the world through their vast accomplishments, I talked through the entire lunch. Do you ever leave a visit and think, I just talked the whole time and really had so little to say? That's how I left lunch with these two: wishing I had listened more than spoken.

DAY TWO: Christmas Eve

We spent the day near Birmingham with my dad's family.

The town they recently moved to is an old railroad town with a vintage depot deli. So we explored the town, perused its shops, and had tasty burgers at the depot. Many of the shops were closing for good (or had already). It's the kind of scene that makes me want to try harder to support small businesses, to keep places like this alive. It's just not the same as rushing through Target. It would be a tragedy to lose.

Christmas Eve night was spent in my parents' tiny country church and at their house preparing for Christmas Day... and meeting my brother's interesting (and cute!) girlfriend for the first time through Skype. She teaches English in Tibet and couldn't be home for Christmas.

DAY THREE: Christmas Day

Got up early. Men started frying and smoking turkeys. I showered and had lots of coffee to await the arrival of the Herndon family, which has grown from four to seven in the last two years. They have visited early Christmas morning for as long as I can remember-- and have at times opened our gifts before we've reached them saying, "Hey, look what you got for Christmas!" They bring lots of LIFE to groggy Christmas mornings :)

I usually have no idea what to get my parents. But this Christmas, I couldn't wait for them to open their gift.

The wrapping, they were told, contained a CLUE.

So they discussed and tried to discover the CLUE... any ideas?

To no avail.

So they opened the box, and the spring system I designed to make the silk flowers pop out was a total flop....

so the flowers that didn't gurgle out in slow motion were gathered and moved...

the letter read aloud...

and they are very happy with their 108 perennial bulbs that will be delivered for spring planting! It's a gift that (hopefully) will keep giving. In this shopping process, I learned that Spring bulbs can be pre-ordered at discount. I went through American Meadows.

(By the way, the hat I'm wearing in that photo is a fru-fru chef's hat that Santa brought me.)

After the Herndons' visit and the giving of gifts, we traipsed over to Pittsview, Alabama to my grandmother's 160-year-old home to see my mom's family-- all 30 of them.

It's one of my favorite events of the whole year.

Photo One: The grandchildren's playroom

Photo Two: Mother and Brother taking out the wrappings (and wearing some, too!)

Photo Three: The "cousins" generation-- minus two who had to leave early

Photo Four: Lounging in the parlor towards the end of the day's activities (usually, this time of the day involves skeet shooting in the fields, but it was too misty out for that kind of fun)

On the fourth day, we returned to Greenville, SC where a light dusting of snow awaited us. It rarely snows this far South around Christmas, much less on Christmas night. It was quite magical.

 

pieces of charlotte, nc

We went to Charlotte on Saturday night for Husband's company Holiday Party. It was nice to be back in the Queen City where we spent a year of our lives, stopping in at our favorite restaurants, exploring things we didn't explore while living there, seeing Husband's company's latest projects, going to a service at our old church, and visiting with friends.

We got to see the Bank of America tower husband's company recently finished.

 

It amazes me to see buildings like this-- so large and stunning with indoor gardens...

 

 

and millions of lights strung from the ceiling just to adorn the seasonal feel.

I feel it's a testament of the gifts God has given mankind--

specific strengths and talents

ways to engineers and create through discipline of mind and body.

Of course, man's God-given gifts aren't only visible in majestic buildings!
Our favorite sushi restaurant of all time (visit RuSan's if you are ever in Charlotte!)

has created some spectacular new specials since we last stopped in.

Our hotel was downtown, so we also visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame,

which we never quite made it to while we lived there...

 

They call that twisty piece of metal across the front "The Ribbon."

It's supposed to artistically echo the race track.

 

 

And of course the pedestrian walks to and from the edifice are painted like the checkered NASCAR flag and logo, which I thought was quite witty. Although, I know very little about the sport-- except that it's dangerous, fast, often raw, and very very loud. Those stereotypes were enough to keep me away from an actual event while living in Charlotte!

Well, other than visiting people, getting dressed-up a lot, freezing in dress-up clothes, and stocking up on our favorite local coffee, that's about it from our Charlotte jaunt!

 

pieces of a ramshackle beauty

This ramshackle beauty appears to store rusty gardening tools and jugs of aging, home-brewed red wines.

Nestled on a back road

off of a dirt road

off of another back road,

it's so quiet you hear the dryness in the leaves each time the air moves.

It must be a nice place to garden and sip wine.

pieces of a quick getaway

No doubt about it, some areas of the world get more attention than others. The world loves Tuscany, Maine, New York City, and Paris-- as do we. But moving once a year like we’ve done during the course of our 3-year marriage (we’re on our fourth state!), we’ve been awed by the little gems just waiting to be found in the most unexpected places.

We just returned from a rendition of Paradise. Well, we actually returned on Sunday night but immediately had to pick up the pace with new friends, work, laundering, and grad studies, as life demands. So I’m just now sharing our Paradisaical stumbling with you.

We spent the weekend at our neighbors' Blue Ridge cabin, located in a rustic, private compound beyond this interesting gate. See the blue haze of the enchanted forest beyond?

We took a lot of books, a pound of pumpkin-spiced coffee, a block of white cheddar cheese, and turned off our cell phones to enjoy this view of a clear, freshwater lake shaded by gradually changing trees.

The lake has a tiny "beach" where Ghengis Khan made friends

And showed off his latest tricks.

And wondered why no one else was enjoying the freezing water as much as he was.

The banks were covered and (literally) crawling with Grandaddy Long Legs.

Which made for a creepy prequel to the pending dusk of October 31.

About 2 miles up the road is a lovely little winery where we sampled and dined...

In the Tuscan-gone-Blue-Ridge ambiance.

(More about THIS image later....)

All that being said, I just discovered Pandora. I know I’m a day late and a dollar short on this one—I’ve certainly been hearing “Pandora this, Pandora that” for quite a while. It’s just that I finally responded. If you aren’t yet registered, I highly recommend it! Right now I’m listening to a playlist they created for me. All I did was type in: Chopin, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Secret Garden, Yo Yo Ma. And they subsequently created a phenomenal instrumental playlist for me.
Next time I think I’ll type in: Ray LaMontagne, Blind Pilot, Jewel, Keb Mo, Regina Spektor, Sarah Vaughan, Shawn Mullins, The Cranberries... and see what they create for me!

rummaging 'round for autumn

 We've been busily searching landscapes for signs of Fall here in the South Carolina foothills. The air is crisp when the sun is low, but midday is hot as summer in New England-- not too hot, but tie-the-cardigan-around-the-waist warm nonetheless.

 But here and there, from time to time,

We catch of little glimpse of Autumn breaking through.

We feel she'll be here soon.