Yikes!

7 hours in an emergency room waiting area today.
Thankfully, all is well......I was waiting on the patient....(she is fine)

I am pooped.
I am planning on submerging my body in antibacteral liquids asap.

Why do emergencies take so long?

Hazy Shade of Winter

How strange that today at work, this song turned up on our compilation holiday CD...we have a muzak type system - and I almost fell over when this song came on. Amidst the songs of reindeers and chestnuts...was The Bangles! I have to admit to rocking out to this song. I loved that movie Less Than Zero, I credit it for the reason I never turned to drugs and alcohol.
(Requiem for a Dream had the same effect on me too)

Alas, I am adding it to my own Christmas mix.....it is a pleasant and unexpected surprise!

And shocking ~ I do like this version better than the Simon and Garfunkel one.

Happy Christmas

A friend of mine took an old photo of me and made it into an art project. It makes me happy.
I feel he gave it a bit of a Warhol treatment, and it was one of the best things anyone ever gave me.

Charles Dickens said, "Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood..."

I still remember that mouseketeer doll that I was so lovingly clutching to my chest, and there in the background sits my mother's ceramic christmas tree on a bed of angel hair. (Angel hair was spun glass that could cut you...so I was always careful not to mess with it!)

This is the kind of happiness we all need to remember when we start to get caught up in the stress of the season.....

Christmas Lights

I love Christmas lights.
I love getting in the car and driving around the neighborhood to see Christmas lights.
I love the color of Christmas lights.
I don't like blinking Christmas lights.
I don't like Christmas lights after January 6th.
That is all.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

My tree has ornaments that were given to me from the year I was born...My tree is awesome. This is my second Christmas going with the multi-colored lights. Usually I prefer white...but these are quite festive.

Nonnie made this for me in 1975....it would not be Christmas without him! My mother always filled him with hershey kisses...I hate hershey kisses, but have the urge to fill him with those for nostalgia's sake.

Nana's ceramic tree ~ when I was growing up everyone had one of these! I was so excited when Nan let me take it home last year....isn't it divine?

So far I have completed the following:

Christmas tree up and decorated!
Exterior lights up! and they are LED this year!
Christmas Cards signed, sealed, addressed ~ I still need stamps.
Manager holiday gifts bought ~ sadly, I could not complete all 20 scarves. I am going to make that next years gift...it will give me more time.
Symphony Tickets purchased for the 23rd! ~ can't wait to surprise the Grandparents with these!
3 Christmas Gifts purchased!
One batch of cookies done!
Christmas Eve guest list confirmed!
Preliminary planning of the Christmas Eve menu ~ feast of 7 fishes!

Body Image Issues in December

Just when I think I can't find something to gripe about.....taa-daa! Body images issues.

I am having bad body image issues. Bad to the point that I want to eat an entire chocolate cake and make myself feel bad about it.

Isn't that awful? I have lost a great deal of weight in the last year, and now, here I am, in a size smaller than I ever thought possible....and when I look in the mirror I don't see any difference.

But then I look at photos and see a big difference.
Why, in the month of December - when I should be happy and joyous, am I letting myself feel crappy about how I look?

So I am goig to take the following steps to improve my body image....and then I am going to eat a Bocca di Nonna cookie.

How Can I Improve My Body Image?

Body image can be a hard thing to change. We get used to giving ourselves negative feedback about the way we look. Thinking negatively about one's self can become an addiction. Like smoking, thinking negatively about one's body is a habit that is hard but important to break. There is no sure-fire or easy way to achieve good body image and, once achieved, maintaining positive body image takes work and persistence! Some tips for improving one's body image include:

Consciously fight every bad thought about yourself: recognize when you are being critical of yourself and remind yourself to be kind.
Speak to yourself only as you would speak to a friend, family member or someone you love.
Consciously focus on the things about you that you like. Be proud of these things!
Criticize the images that make you feel uncomfortable with yourself; try to recognize why these images are being presented to you (what are they trying to sell?) and realize that your bad self image helps to sell a product or an idea

Bocca Di Nonna Cookies ~ AKA Earl Grey Yummies

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds

1. in a small bowl, stir together flour and cocoa powder, set aside.
2. in a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in almonds. Beat in flour mixture just until mixture is combined. Cover; chill dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.
3. preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2" apart on prepared cookie sheet. Press each ball to flatten slightly.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until firm. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack. Remove cooled cookies from cookie sheet. Spread about 1 tsp of Earl Grey Ganache on the flat side of each of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down.

Makes 28 sandwich cookies

Earl Grey Ganache
1/3 cup whipping cream
4 earl grey teabags (or a tea ball with 4tsp of Earl Grey tea)
4 oz. milk chocolate (finely chopped)

1. in a small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup whipping cream to boiling. Remove from heat. Add the tea bags. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags from cream. Squeeze tea bags with the back of a spoon to release any liquid.
2. return cream to boiling. Remove from heat. Immediately add chopped chocolate. stir until chocolate melts and mixture is shiny and smooth. Cool mixture to room temperature.

To store: Layer sandwich cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container, cover. Store for up to 3 days.