a peek inside the fishbowl

23 Dec, 2009

Is it really Wednesday?

By andrea tomkins in Misc. life

Merry merry!

As Sarah just exclaimed: “I can’t believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve! It came so quick!”

Sarah honey, you’re so right.

I am feeling a little more serene about the holidays today. The shopping is done. I’ve been getting more sleep, drinking more Bailey’s, and eating fewer cookies. I’ve even gone to the gym! I think it’s all helped. ;)

What’s left is (1) The Wrapping and (2) The Grocery Shopping (3) the guys to finish installing our new windows. When that’s done I will be MUCH happier.

Mark doesn’t know this yet, but I have decided to take on another installment of the Hourly Photo Project on Christmas Day (remember back in October and on the first day of school?). I am charging up ye’ old iPhone battery in anticipation.

p.s. I’m prepping a post with a whole bunch of outtakes from our Christmas portrait (not the one above, a different one if you can believe it). So do check back … and if I don’t catch you before the holidays, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

santa's knee

Ha. Look what I found!

I can’t believe I’m writing about a week’s worth of activities in one post. It’s been a busy week my friends. And Christmas is NEXT WEEK. Why does it sneak up on me every year?

Day 13 – “Decorate the tree.” The tree we bought at Ikea was tightly bound, they always are, so you never know what you’re getting. But we’ve been buying our trees here since our “old” Christmas tree lot (run by the Kiwanis) went under and we’ve never been disappointed. I think this year’s tree is the best one yet. He’s short and chubby.

Day 14 – I baked these easy bars (subbing almonds for pecans because I was out) for “Dessert before Dinner.”

Day 15 – “Visit Santa at the mall.”  Surprisingly we didn’t have to stand in a long line up. The family in front of us had a little boy who would not crack a smile, at least, not until he got a candy cane and a parting gift, but by that time the pressure was off. Ha! So cute!

Day 16 – I had an event I had to attend in the evening so Mark and the girls had a their own “game night” around the tree. They played Operation, Connect Four, and Trouble (I love that game) and ate popcorn, of course.

Day 17 – “Paper snowflakes to decorate the windows.” I wasn’t sure if the girls would be into this, but it kept them occupied for a solid hour while I made dinner (although I made a snowflake too… how I could I not?) Now if we could only find the scotch tape… hmm. I think I’m going to need it at some point.

Taffy Lane, OrleansDay 18 – We were invited to an afterschool cookie decorating party. The kids decorated and ate piles of cookies and then retired to watch a movie while the grownups drank wine, ate meatballs and cheese, and chatted. Wow. Did I have fun. Afterwards we drove to Taffy Lane in Orleans to check out the Christmas lights. (Taffy Lane is a regular residential street – albeit with a sweet name – whose residents go crazy with the Christmas decorations.) It was great, a real hoot. The kids loved it, but now they want us to decorate our house like that too. Ha! Go ask your dad.

I didn’t bring my camera (because if I did I’d have no choice but to bring my tripod and all of my gear and I really wasn’t up to that) so the pictures here are shot-with-the-phone-from-out-of-a-moving-car pictures. It will have to do!

Taffy Lane, OrleansAfter two turns around Taffy Lane, we drove downtown and past Parliament Hill to see the lights there too. (Too cold to get out of the car though!) They were nice, but not nearly as fun as Taffy Lane. :)

Day 19 (today) – UNPLANNED and so far, activity free. It’s too cold (for me) to do anything outdoors. I need to think of something, stat.

My SavvyMom piece this week was about a sweet little catering and take-out shop here in Ottawa called Epicuria Fine Food Store and Catering. You can read it here if you missed it. 

I cannot express how much I love the idea of someone else doing all the cooking, even if it is for just one night.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit the store and chat with Tracey Black, the owner and executive chef. She’s a mom too – and you know what – she gets it. She really gets it. She knows how tough it can be this time of year. As I wrote in the article; many of us get overwhelmed with food-related commitments this time of year; potlucks, cookie exchanges, guests and family for dinner etc exhausting etc. So why not make it easier and get some help? Do your own turkey and buy the side dishes. Make the hor d’oeuvres and buy the dips. Make your own soup and buy the stock.

Make it easier any way you can and keep a hold on your holiday sanity. That’s worth a few bucks to me.

At the end of our interview I was looking at Epicuria’s boxes of pretty Christmas-themed shortbread cookies. I made a joke about how easy it would be to pass them off as my own. She laughed, we encourage it, she said. Now that’s my kind of gal.

Archives


  • Jeanie Maennling: I spent many wonderful days visiting my cousins and Uncle Herb and aunt Eleanor at the Farm in the 1950's. Mycousin Skippy (Sharon) and I got into l
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The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Sunny who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. During the day I work as a freelance writer. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here.

I've deactivated the commenting function as well as my contact form so if you want to get in touch, please drop me a line at quietfish@gmail.com. Thank you!

 


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