Starr colored this paper Santa at daycare when she was three years old, 18 years ago. It makes me smile every time I see it. I have a companion tree ornament that I cherish equally. Oh, and the reindeer with her traced hands as antlers that we post on the fridge! So cute.

She doesn’t make things like that any more. *sad face* I know…they grow up!

Do you have a favorite holiday decoration?

We didn’t go anywhere and no one came to visit. Starr and I had a mini-Thanksgiving, just the two of us. It was nice and stress free, though there are times that I wish we had family closer. Starr made this Apple Pie, it was really good. It was her first ever pie making experience…I think she will do it again!! I hope that she will do it again!

We talked about taking a day trip to Estes Park while she was on break. I might of actually taken some pictures, but her professor assigned two papers due today, so Starr spent most of her “break” writing and reading. It wasn’t much of a break at all!

The Holiday decorations are up and we are ready for the season. Starr actually broke her long-time rule of waiting until Thanksgiving is over and started listening to Holiday music a couple weeks ago.

Her sorority sisters have been getting a kick out of teasing her for her unusual playlist. I guess that is partially my fault!! Here is one of her favorites, she says that it is the best Christmas song ever! Though I am sure that many songs are equally her favorite!:

“Dominic the Italian Christmas Donkey” – Lou Monte

What is your favorite Christmas or Holiday song??

Okay, so it wasn’t dinner, but breakfast! Starr gives these muffins a big thumbs up!!

This recipe is adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook. I have really enjoyed this cookbook!:

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Streusel Topping (required! Just kidding…optional)

• 1/3 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cold butter, chopped into small pieces
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 to 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apple

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached white all-purpose or pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin by lightly oiling the cups or placing a paper liner in each cup.

If you want a topping (Starr and I approve of the topping!!), mix together all of the strusel ingredients and blend with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and then the milk and vanilla; the mixture will look lumpy. By hand with a rubber spatula, fold in the pumpkin and apples. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix well. Add the wet ingredients and fold together without overmixing. Divide evenly into prepared muffin cups. Top each muffin with some topping. Don’t be shy.

Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Remove the muffins from the oven and place the tins on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes.

Serve warm or cool completely and store in a sealed container at room temperature.

Starr wants me to make them again…very soon!

It’s been four weeks!! I am drinking tons of water and the occasional Sweet Tea.

My weak moments are each and every morning when I open the fridge and see this:

Starr is still drinking Diet Coke, so I’ve been keeping it on hand. It is so tempting, cold, easy, bubbly…mmm! But I have resisted and reach for the water instead.

Yay!

I think my goal for this week is to move those cokes to the garage fridge so that they aren’t so tempting. I wonder how Starr would feel about that??

I made this jar of Lemon Honey last spring and have been using it regularly over the past week. I don’t know if it helps my cold or not, but it sure feels (smells and tastes!) nice!

I don’t remember where I first saw this recipe, if you can call it that, but I have made several jars over the past few years. I sliced 2 lemons and placed them in the jar and then I poured honey over the top until the jar was full. I keep it in the refrigerator. To use, add it, to taste, to plain hot water or hot tea. It’s good!

Sammy and Zeta were, as usual, were in the way! But they are cute doing it!

Starr was a very affectionate child.

Always a cuddler, she was more comfortable in my lap, in my arms, leaning against me or holding my hand. I loved each and every second of it.

She would hold my hand in public places until she was about 12, when she announced that she wouldn’t be holding my hand any longer. I respected it. I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.

It was about 4 months after she made that declaration that we were shopping at the local mall and she kept reaching for and holding my hand. I smiled and let it happen. We would separate and then she would be reaching for me again. She was holding my hand more often than not. I was aware of it and didn’t reach for her or instigate it, she was reaching for me. Repeatedly. I savored it, because I knew that this sort of thing wouldn’t last.

I was right and that was the last time she really held my hand in public. We’ve talked about and laughed about that day many times over the years.

The truth is, she really likes me…and I love her…yanno…just a little bit!

Have you seen this?

Damn You Auto Correct! It’s funny. It can be vulgar and obscene, but sometimes I like it like that.

Starr and I received free tickets to a taping of eTown radio show featuring Josh Ritter and The Hold Steady Wednesday night. What an interesting experience! It was a lot of fun too! It was a two hour taping for a one hour show which will be broadcast in 6 to 8 weeks.

Josh Ritter was the artist that we were most familiar with and he was great. His smiles and barely contained energy were a joy to watch. Though we knew little about The Hold Steady, we throughly appreciated their music too.

Josh Ritter – “To the Dogs or Whoever” on Letterman

The Hold Steady – “The Sweet Part Of The City” – live El Rey, May 5, 2010

As the left the venue, we were greeted by our first snow. Big beautiful wet sticky flakes. As much as I hate Winter, it was really lovely.

Starr said to me the other day, “I’m worried about my future.”

I asked what brought that on and she said that things have always been easy for her. That things sort of fall into her lap and that adults in the working world don’t get those types of opportunities.

I agree that she has had some great opportunities and that being a grown-up isn’t always easy, but let’s look at it realistically.

She has held office in her sorority for two years. They didn’t just hand it to her, she went after those positions.

She has been interning with our local congresswoman’s office. A fellow college student asked how she lucked into that. Starr’s response, “I called them.” And she did, she decided what she wanted, she made the call, went in for an interview and was “hired”.

She has done a lot of volunteering and has started her own non-profit.

She has volunteered for and then worked for the National Writing Project for over four years.

She has had a  job outside of school and left a great impression.

She has experienced a horrifically tragic event that gave her life experience that we would gladly give back if possible. It matured her, she looks at life differently and she is aware of the strength that she carries with her.

They way I see it, she has been lucky in many ways over the years, but things haven’t always been easy. From the accident, to being a mixed race child of a single mom, as well as dealing with her mostly absent father. She has worked for and reached out for the things that she wanted. She didn’t just sit back and wait for life to happen, she is living it.

Just yesterday, she was talking to her boss from the National Writing Project about her goals to move to DC and possibly work as a legislative assistant when her boss offered to bring her to DC next Spring as her assistant. They will be meeting with legislators in an effort to shine some light on the National Writing Project. What a wonderful opportunity, at just the right time.

She is walking about 3 feet off the ground! It makes me smile.

I don’t know what the future will bring, but I do think that she is ready and that she is stepping out with the right attitude.

I think she will be just fine.

I worry about accidents, I can’t help it, but I don’t worry about her finding her place in the world.

Looking through the slides it is hard not to find other photographs that make me smile:

Me with Granddaddy on his farm in Tennessee

Playing with my Dad. The little boy was a neighbor.

I look forward to getting a new camera and photographing the rest of the slides. I think they are a lot of fun!!