see ya real soon

our thanksgiving this year was stuffed full. we had lots of good quality time visiting with family that we don't often see and a delicious, locally raised turkey on the table with all the seasonal fixins. we even pretended to be rock stars. belting out tunes and playing drums with beatles rock band. bug was a natural with the mic (should i be worried?).

and now the grand holiday season is officially upon us. and i've got lots of blog posts on the tip of my tongue (er, fingertips). i'm feeling terrible about not posting anything since thanksgiving, and am anxious to get some of my ideas down on virtual paper... from repurposing wine corks (from all those bottles you polished off while basting the turkey), to recycling the holiday cards you'll receive to a good cause. and i'll be baking too. our traditional christmas morning breakfast, homemade sticky buns. i can't wait to dig into some holiday-centric posts.

so why is this entry not dedicated to one of those projects? we're leaving tomorrow morning for another vacation. i know, we're very, very lucky. nana and grandpap are generously taking us to walt disney world for the week. or, rather, they are taking lulu and bug on their first trip to walt disney world and i'm going along for the ride. merry early christmas to us!

my mother recently sent me these nearly-vintage disney vacation photos. taken during one of my early trips to the magic kingdom in the late 1970s. here, with my mom and tigger...



and taking a magical ride with dumbo...

i can't wait to introduce lulu and bug to mickey. it is likely that lulu (at her tender age of twenty months) will scream bloody murder and cling to me desparately, but what would childhood be without a few of those terribly scarring experiences in our pockets?

see you when we return from the mouse house! a new blog entry should be posted on monday, december 7th.

what's your favorite disney theme park?

two pies are better than one

as if the tradition of the thanksgiving day meal wasn't gluttonous enough already, i'm here to bring one more decadent addition to a day guaranteed to be filled with family, friends, football and feasting. our chocolate bourbon pecan pie.

this will be the fourth (or fifth?) year that i've made this dessert for our thanksgiving dinner. the first year that i made it, i was completely disappointed. the center of my pie didn't set and it was a runny, gloppy disaster. despite my dismay at my failed attempt, the pie was a hit. the flavor was so good that no one minded the mess (or at least they were all kind enough to pretend not to care). fortunately the recipe (not unlike the bourbon) has improved with age, and there haven't been any pie soups served since that first year.

this chocolate bourbon pecan pie is now a standard on our holiday table, faithfully earning its spot beside our traditional pumpkin and pecan pies each year. bug and i made two of them today in preparation for thursday's festivities.

our first pie, headed into the oven...



and cooling on the rack...



the pie puffs up nicely in the oven, and will fall back to typical pie height while cooling. serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or (if you're feeling super indulgent) a scoop of butter pecan ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce. so good.

chocolate bourbon pecan pie
adapted from southern living, november 1998

what you'll need: mixing bowl, wisk, measuring spoons and cups, pie pan, and the following ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust, 9 inch
4 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecan halves, cut into large pieces
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. place pie crust into pie pan, crimping edges as desired

3. wisk together eggs, corn syrup, butter, sugar, brown sugar, bourbon, flour, and vanilla

4. stir in pecans and chips

5. pour filling into pie crust

6. bake on bottom oven rack for 65 minutes

7. cool

8. serve with fresh whipped cream, butter pecan ice cream, or with a drizzle of chocolate sauce

happy thanksgiving, everyone

what's your favorite holiday treat?

busy bee

the kids and i arrived home last night from our adventures in new england. we had a wonderful trip, and are glad to be home. and as usually happens on the day after our barely tolerable eleven hour drive, today has been a very, very busy day. as i type, my hands are speckled with paint. a neutral yellow-beige given the atmospheric name 'pebble path' by its manufacturer (more on that in a moment).

i've been slaving all day to accomplish something useful, but my list of chores is still tedious and long...

1. the car is not yet unpacked. nor have all those bags been emptied, clothes been laundered, sippy cups been washed...

2. my kitchen and family rooms are torn apart for a half completed painting project (thankful shout out to the hubby for starting this while we were away). the first coat of paint is now on all the walls (check that off, but round two still awaits). on the plus side, i do like the color (thank heaven)

3. i've yet to do any shopping at the market for my contributions to our family's thanksgiving feast

4. the kids (enough said)

with all of these tasks waiting to be tended to, i'm facing the sad reality that blogging on luluandbug will fall below the line of what-i'm-capable-of-getting-done today.

i'll be blogging tomorrow though. i've been asked to bake the pies for thanksgiving dinner this year, so bug and i will be cooking in the morning. stay tuned for our favorite chocolate bourbon pecan pie recipe tomorrow!

vrksasana

this blog was born when i decided to put down on paper (er, in the digital ether) the projects that help to keep me balanced on a daily basis. on most occasions that balance is figurative. simply finding a project around my home that (when completed) gives me a sense of accomplishment and provides a tangible product for my efforts (an organized medicine cabinet, a baking adventure with bug). on other less-frequent occasions, that balance is literal. and often provided by my practice of yoga.

i've practiced yoga off and on for about five years now. and it's been long enough for me to realize that i need to keep it "on" with a more regular dedication. put simply: i love it. it provides me with a strenuous physical workout while granting me the opportunity to completely tune out the world and just exist for myself for a few moments. what a treat, and all the while building nice long, lean muscles to boot.

i've practiced prenatal yoga in a classroom setting at our local hospital, and also taken more traditional classes through a local karate studio. more recently though, i've been practicing yoga with my tivo (dutifully enlisted to record a daily program on the oxygen network). i do love taking classes, and the energy of the studio setting, but practicing with my tivo is far more practical for me at this stage. flexibility is my top priority when trying to fit exercise into our days, which are generally filled with preschool, playdates and more play time (all of which is great, but doesn't leave much alone time for mommy).

so today, on this balmy fall day, ready to kick-off a relaxing weekend spent with family and friends, i offer you my favorite yoga balance pose: vrksasana, or the tree pose. yoga always puts my head in a good place, and the tree pose in particular always leaves me feeling, well, balanced.


image from beliefnet

vrksasana (tree pose)
as described by the fine folks over at the yoga journal

what you'll need: comfortably fitting clothing, bare feet, an open space, and (optionally) a yoga mat

note: if you've never practiced yoga before and want to try this pose out, you might like to read this article, which provides more detailed explanations of the movement: vrksasana for beginners

1. stand in tadasana

2. shift your weight slightly onto the left foot, keeping the inner foot firm to the floor, and bend your right knee

3. reach down with your right hand and clasp your right ankle

4. draw your right foot up and place the sole against the inner left thigh; if possible, press the right heel into the inner left groin, toes pointing toward the floor. the center of your pelvis should be directly over the left foot

5. rest your hands on the top rim of your pelvis. make sure the pelvis is in a neutral position, with the top rim parallel to the floor

6. lengthen your tailbone toward the floor. firmly press the right foot sole against the inner thigh and resist with the outer left leg

7. press your hands together in anjali mudra

8. gaze softly at a fixed point in front of you on the floor about 4 or 5 feet away

9. stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute

10. step back to tadasana with an exhalation and repeat for the same length of time with the legs reversed

how do you find balance in your day?