Home for the Holidays

Next Tuesday afternoon I will be on a plane home. I haven't been home in two months. Oddly enough, other than missing my dogs--and, yes, even my mother, occasionally--I'm okay with that. It's kind of nice to see these people only on certain occasions; I find myself taking them for granted less and less. I have to say, I've never had a hallmark family Christmas. There's always arguing and too much television and not enough care put into the whole day. Call me sentimental, but I always imagined the holidays being spent around the fire with wine glasses in hand, dressed your Sunday best. Yet another ideal Hollywood has implanted into my mind. Maybe this year it will be different. Small, yes. Full of arguing, of course. But hopefully, a little warmer and more to my liking.................maybe next year.

With Thanksgiving, of course, comes Christmas. I feel entirely unprepared for this day. Usually, I make gifts. Last year I made my cousins blankets, my uncle and grandmother socks, and my mother a magnetic spice set (which she claims to love dearly). You can see an example of my fine work to your left and above the mini-tree I made last year. I handcrafted that star on top myself from gold jewelry wire. This year.....well, who knows. Will I get a chance to throw something together? Probably not. Maybe I'll just garnish the wrapping with handmades...like crocheted snowflakes. Maybe beaded snowflakes. Maybe I'll just throw everything in a bag. Yeah, that sounds most likely.

How did I get to be this way? If anyone was a feminist and an icon for self-sustaining women, it was I. Now I knit, bake, pretend to sew, craft, read Martha Steward, disdain Rachel Ray, and find pleasure in creativity and "homemaking" activities. I'm truly a trader to my own ways. I suppose as I got older, however, I realized that it's not bad to do these things. It's bad if you let them define you. I don't. First and foremost, I'm a student who will be a doctor--a very talented surgeon who will be renown the world over.

Yesterday, I went to Costco and I got my pizza!!! Yay. I no longer feel like I settled. It was yummy. I do love pizza. I also got some souffle and two sweet baguettes which I used to make my finest creation: apricot cherry bread pudding. Its moist and yummy. Though, the recipe called for caramel sauce. I made it, but I didn't like it and so I poured it in a mold to make chews. It was too sweet. I've never been a huge caramel fan anyways. But the bread pudding is delicious. It's fruity and thick and creamy. Most people cut the crust off of the bread. But to me this seemed ridiculous seeing as 1) I was using baguette and 2) I like the crust. I don't think I would have had enough bread if I had cut off the crust anyways. The sweet baguette--the perfect bread to use in bread pudding.

I'm holding a dinner party on Saturday. Thought it would be fun to do something for the holidays. So far, only one person is coming for sure. 6 people can't. I am sad.