And HOW exactly, does one "accidentally" stumble across questionable reading material???

I know it’s been a while since I last posted.  It’s been a very odd few weeks for me.  I’ve been doing my best to buoy my spirits as best I can.  It’s hard this time of year because it seems like everywhere you look are happy couples, but I guess if there’s one thing I know it’s that surface appearances don’t really count for much.  Everyone has their issues.  It is what it is and I’m doing my best to be positive.

It’d be too much on you, my readers, to show and tell you about everything that i’ve eaten and all that has transpired since I last blogged.  I’ll just share some pictures and keep this at a respectable length so as not to send you into a coma.  I have an uncle who once made me look through a slideshow of over 1000 of his vacation photos.  He’s the type to take about five photos of say, a leaf, just to get that one perfect one.  But he doesn’t delete the imperfect ones.  I’m not even kidding.  Cliched, right?

I digress.  Here are some of the highlights from last weekend: my brother and two friends went skiing!  Well, they snowboarding and I skiied- i’ve been skiing since I was three and I love it more every time I go.  It was really tremendously fun!

My brother strikes a pose

Me, my brother and his friend Matt

Me and Chris- I've known Chris since he was 4- I used to babysit him and his brother!

The view from the top...I LOVE my ski boots!

Most of the trails were open, conditions were decent and other than completely forgetting my ski pants and having to buy a pair there, it was smooth sailing and a great time!  Generally, there are only two people that I really like skiing with, but I ended up enjoying myself and forgetting to think about my self-consciousness on the slopes.

So, a while back I mentioned that my mom and step-dad do Christmas pretty hardcore.  Or, as my step-dad actually said to me yesterday- “die hard.”  I’m not kidding.  What this means is that their house looks like Santa’s Village threw up.  Ok, several Santa’s Villages.  Remember that scene from Elf where Will Ferrell redecorates the place? That’s what they aspire to- except, it’s a little more…kitschy, shall we say??  Allow me to demonstrate:

My step-dad...collects snowmen. Here they are in a sled.

Snowmen close-up!

I think these are supposed to be caroling snowmen??

One of many santas...this one doesn't dance, although there is another one that does...

Yes, that is SPONGE PAINTING on the wall behind that sled.

I guess this matches the sled, kind of?

A couple of years ago I tried to class it up with these pot holders from Williams Sonoma...these stay out year round.

Nothing says Christmas like a fur trimmed wooden tree!

I wish I could put up more pictures, but here are some other highlights- a cross country skiing bear dressed for Christmas, three nativity scenes, a metal stocking, bows on the corners of every.single.hanging.picture., ornaments hanging from the ceiling, garlands on the mirrors, wreaths on doors INSIDE, a ceramic sled filled with mini ornamental balls, and lots more.  Hardcore.

Speaking of hardcore… There’s a terrific place on Newbury Street in Boston called, “Trident Cafe” that has free wi-fi, awesome food (very wholesome, tons of veggie options, great teas, etc), and they’re also a bookstore/magazine store.  After a stressful Christmas shopping spree, it was just what I needed. I got settled in at a booth with several cookbooks (including Pioneer Woman’s amazing cookbook), ordered a sandwich and spent the next hour reading and eating to my heart’s content.

Now, this place is supposed to have the best magazine selection in the city- and on the way out, I glanced at the magazines on the rack and one caught my eye…I’d never heard of it- DNA magazine.  What caught my eye was the Kellan Lutz look-a-like (I discovered it was a look-a-like upon picking it up) with the words “Sexiest Men of 2009″ above it.  I pulled the magazine out to view the entire cover and WOWZA!  It was slightly revealing.  He was wearing spandex pulled waaaaay down low.  ”That’s unusual,” I thought to myself.  The list of “sexiest men” on the cover was enticing and I opened up the magazine, searching for the feature.  But something was amiss.  Maybe it was the man in the blue thong.  Maybe it was the complete absence of any remotely female body parts.  Maybe it was the men glancing provocatively at each other in the underwear ad.  It hit me- I was checking out softcore gay porn.  That explained the odd looks I was getting.  Oyyyyyyy vey.  At least it wasn’t hardcore.  As hipster as that place is, it’s still kind of a family place- i.e. not a seedy place with the windows blacked out.

I’ll be returning to my roots as a food blogger later today- i have lots of pictures and recipes to share!  I’m off to the store to secure the ingredients for two recipes, one of which is intimidating me a little given my…questionable ability to bake.  I’m doing a pumpkin spice layer cake with caramel cream cheese frosting.  Bon Apetit wouldn’t steer me wrong, right?  I’m pretty much dreading leaving the house as I have visions of being trampled in a mad rush for cheese or something.  Wish me luck!

When I get back, I have to make a Christmas Ornament for tonight’s ornament swap at my step- aunt’s (which should be…interesting.), wrap a TON of Christmas presents, dodge the dog who has just discovered that ripping my earrings out of my ears after sticking her tongue in my ears is SUPER FUN and when she isn’t lying all over me, she’s hitting me in the face with her toys to play (which melts my heart every time, but I have so much to do I have to focus!).  It’s CHRISTMAS EVE!

I’ll leave you with these pictures…my favorite ornaments.  The cooking Santas are from Williams Sonoma

We aren't just fairweather fans. Diehard Sox fans since birth.

I think he kinda looks like Mario Batali.

As soon as I finish this tea, I’m off!

Of course my mom and step-dad have holiday mugs!

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!