Post Thanksgiving Hang-over

Just htinking about Thanksgiving in New Zealand. Myself and my other American flatmate cooked up a complete American-Thanksgiving in Kiwiland. Turkey, mashed potatos, homemade cranberry sauce, and she even figured out a way to make Pumpkin Pie, and Pecan Pie - despite the lack of usual resource. For example, they don't sell the pumpikin-pie-in-a-can fixings, so she made it by actually cooking a pumpkin. And there was no corn syrup for the pecan pie, so we found something similar.

Then, after several calls to my grandmother back in New Jersey, about a day and a half either ahead or behind (I can't remember which it is now!) I found out her tricks for green beans, mashed potatos, and of course, the turkey!

This year was a wonderful Thanksgiving too - we spent it at a friends house - it's their new home, that they just bought, right in time for the holidays. Great food, fantastic friends, and bad little boys running up and down the stairs. Plus, more dessert than I'll eat in a year... actually made my teeth hurt. Y.U.M.!!!

Settling In

Organization is the key - I'm learning that I can juggle the different jobs and responsibilities I have, it all comes down to scheduling. I am going to go ahead and put a big "knock on wood" after that statement. We started a new schedule at the radio station last week; my deadlines are now Tuesday and Thursday instead of tuesday and Friday. This would, under any other circumstances, give me all of Monday and Wednesday to gather the pieces for my story. However, I work at two other places, and my Monday's and Wednesdays are divided up between those jobs. But I'm getting efficient at turning around a package in one day and making them sound as if I had extra time to work on them...

The house is great, it generally needs to be clean, but the dust bunnies aren't actually stealing food out of the fridge yet, so I think I've got at least another week before the situation becomes urgent.

The house really looks beautiful - when we come home we walk into a gorgeous little timber framed kitchen with this recycled wood center-island.
It feels more and more important to me every year to be able to come home and shut the door on everything else.