I have a friend who does a different type of Christmas tree every year. Some years it’s weird and funky, some years it’s traditional. This year I made a suggestion I wish she would have followed…
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She was not amused, but damn. That’s epic.
Every couple of years the lazy Susan cabinet in our kitchen goes off track…. and every few years my husband asks why we need so many cans.
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Someday I’ll have an answer.
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I need this in my life.
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Who needs pie when you have martinis?
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Isn’t it sweet my cat loves rocks as much as his human mother?
And finally, a Christmas tree for Mark who has an affinity for awkward pink birds….
On our last night in the White Mountains we skipped down the road to a very popular brewery called One Love.
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It was a huge place, and so busy on a Friday night we had to schlepp up the stairs to the second floor bar.
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Sadly One Love brewery doesn’t take their beer very seriously and only had three of their own on tap, all of which were quite disappointing
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They did however make a stellar blood orange cranberry margarita.
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Which I consumed with some amazing lollipop lamb chops so the visit wasn’t a total waste.
Our trip home the next day was uneventful, consumed mostly with me bugging the husband to stop at multiple gift stores so I could purchase a thank you gift for our Lord Dudley Mountcatten cat sitting neighbor.
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In case you’re wondering, this did not make the cut.
Upon returning home I happily put my newly purchased brewery crate into service.
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Four down, probably two more to go. Since my idea for vinyl storage/display containers is proving more difficult to procure than I originally thought, I have culled my collection down to a more reasonable number and now have a rather large stack of never listened to albums in the closet. It was hard to be ruthless, but necessary. I need to get my crates out to the man cave before the husband bogarts all the available floor space.
Looking for a different topper for your Christmas tree this year?
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How about the Abominable ( but quite cute ) Snowman.
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Can’t say I’m crazy about letting him climb the tree at will….
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But he does make a great addition to that gift of champagne.
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How’s that for a shift in topic? (Spellcheck just changed ‘for’ to ‘fur’. I am not amused.)
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And I thought stupid ad campaigns couldn’t get any stranger.
In other news, we had lunch at a pub the other day called The Depot. It was loud, dark and though our meal was decent, I can’t say I’m in any hurry to go back.
When I think basement, I imagine dark corners, cobwebs and mouse turds. Clearly there was none of that here.
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How big is this resort?
It has its own post office.
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And a line of high end shops down the hallway. One of which I was forbidden to enter by my spouse…
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Did I mention the carpet?
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Trees, pine cones and woodland creatures. Very whimsical.
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Since we were visiting off season for lunch there were only two options, an upstairs restaurant offering small plates and tapas or downstairs which had a full menu. I think you know by now my husband is not a small plate kind of guy.
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Another cocktail? Don’t mind if I do.
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The menu was a bit smaller than I expected from such a big place, and as I scanned to the bottom I was seriously hoping my spouse would find something he wanted before he found the filet. Gulp!
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We elected to split a bowl of clam chowder to start and instead of bringing two spoons, they divided it in cute little square bowls. Very tasty.
For the first time in two years we’re venturing out of our Thanksgiving Covid bubble and spending the holiday with friends as was our tradition. It will be a small gathering with a large amount of love.
And food. As well as drink.
In that spirit… I went shopping yesterday for the ingredients to whip up my contributions to the feast. To say I had sticker shock is a gross understatement, and while I’ve been cringing at the checkout counter for a while now, this trip was solely to make three things which made the cost positively ridiculous.
Harvest sangria –
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And mind you, I already had the vodka.
Crabmeat toasties –
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Already had the mayo.
And a cappuccino mousse trifle.
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Already had the milk.
To assemble a drink, an appetizer and a dessert in 2022 without the items I already had at home?
$211.76.
Granted the fresh crabmeat is an indulgence at … are you ready? … $40 a pound. In Maine! Two pounds are pictured, which a few years ago cost me roughly half that. And sure, I could have brought cheese and crackers but everyone loves these and looks forward to them. Probably because they’re too cheap to ever make it themselves, but still.
On the flip side of my extravagance, I have a frugal girlfriend. Every year she challenges herself to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner for six people for under $30. She’s so proud of her ability to do this she lists her purchases on her Facebook page if anyone wants to follow her lead.
I thought this year, with its astronomically high food prices, she wouldn’t be able to do it.
I was wrong. And I’m including her post because she just impresses the Hell out of me.
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I’ve been asked by so many people if I was going to do a Thanksgiving on a shoestring post this year. Well, I did it. I’ll give a shopping list with prices, menu, and break down how I did it. Turkey $6.14 (.47 #) 13# bird 1 1/2 # sweet potato .56 2# sweet onions .87 Celery $1.50 1# carrots .50 2.5# potatoes $1.00 Squash $1.00 Turnip $1.00 Fresh herbs $1.99 Graham crackers $1.25 1 large banana .40 1# flour .75 2 cups sugar $1.00 Canned whipped cream $2.50 1qt. milk $2.19 Butter $3.99 Vanilla pudding $1.49 Cranberries $1.00 Stuffing $2.49 Grand total $31.62
Thanksgiving menu Roast turkey with stuffing Mashed potatoes Squash Roasted Root Vegetables Homemade cranberry sauce Homemade gravy Chai pie Banana cream pie Biscuits
This was probably the most challenging budget Thanksgiving Dinner. My goal was to keep it at or below $30.00. I could have done it if I went with with cheaper options, like margarine, instead of butter, but I refuse to skimp on quality. Another option was to get a loaf of bread for 1.29, at the off price bread store for stuffing, but $1.00 savings in the meal didn’t make sense when it cost more in gas to go get it. A lot of things, like potatoes, flour, and sugar I buy in bulk, but I used store prices for those items. By making things from scratch, like pie crust, biscuits, and cranberry sauce, you can save a lot of money. I got canned whipped cream, because whipping cream was sold out. The price is about the same. My menu is looking a little different this year as well. I talked to those who were coming for dinner, and we decided on two pies that we all liked. There’s no sense in baking a bunch of pies that aren’t going to be eaten. Six different side dishes aren’t necessary, so we decided what our favorites were. We grew our own Squash, turnip, and herbs, but I priced them for the dinner cost. This list can be tweaked to your personal liking. I didn’t include beverages, because we already have that stuff on hand. In the end, Thanksgiving dinner for 6 breaks down to $5.27 per person. That is, until I turn leftovers into more meals 😉………Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope this had helped 🙂
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Proof positive it is possible.
That’s also proof I’ll never do it myself, but hey… to each their own.
So however you celebrate Thanksgiving , or even if you don’t… I hope your day is filled with food, friends, family and fun.
The short window between Halloween and Thanksgiving when that sickeningly sweet, multi colored, triangular abomination is everywhere. My mother used to have jars of it scattered around the house when I was growing up. Why? I don’t know… nobody who lived there ate it.
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Global distaste for the product is right up there with kale, and yet it persists.
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In all my years I’ve only met a few people who truly enjoy the stuff. Take a bow Mark, I’m talking about you and your Spam addled taste buds.
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Okay, I admit that last picture is kind of fun… but I’m still not eating it.
River's world..... 