Pretty is

...My Life and Style

You are here: Home / Archives for Holiday

The Best Christmas Eber

It was a Merry Christmas indeed.

Although there was an Elvis episode to undergo, LB and I were able to get back on track to enjoy our usual Christmas traditions together.

As if still a little girl, I typically wake up early on Christmas morning… excited about what Santa left under the tree.  He is always very generous, and much better to me than I deserve.

It was around 6AM that I woke up and headed to the kitchen.

Elvis [my all time favorite Christmas gift] came down from his “lookout” and met me in the kitchen.  He was feeling much better and was ready to eat, which was a wonderful start to my day.

After feeding him, I lit the trees and made coffee.

LB joined me shortly thereafter.

He and I presented Elvis with his kitty stocking

and then exchanged our gifts to each other.

LB is one smart cookie.

He will take me shopping when we are out and about and let me pick things that he can save for Christmas morning.

For example…

my jeans and tops that were discovered at White House Black Market  while visiting the Golden Isles

My Navy Blue Hobo we found at Classy Crossroads when we kicked off our Fall 2017 trip to the mountains

And a Clara Sun Woo dress and jewelry from Mariani’s purchased during a weekend trip to South Carolina…

which I never published a post about!

Although I have seen some of the items I unwrap, I am still surprised when I see them again.  In addition, I am blessed with the opportunity to reminisce about the time my gift was purchased.

The memory is a gift in itself.

And…My LB is too!

 

 

The Whole Family

was planning to meet at Mama’s house by 10AM.

Mama had a special surprise of her own.

Gina and I sat together on the sofa as she stood before us with two little boxes and said

“This is from my heart”

We took the boxes from her hands and opened them to find…

two items that were part of her story of love, loss, and ultimately joy.

She gave my sister a pair of gold and diamond earrings that my Daddy had given her for Christmas shortly before he died.  She gave me a bracelet that she purchased [at the urging of her sisters], for herself after my Daddy died. Reason being: “he would have bought it if he had been here”.  She wanted to share what had special significance to her with the daughters who are precious to her.

She then sat down between us and we remembered Daddy together, whispering sweet memories, being thankful for the life we shared, as Mama described how God has restored joy to her life.

It was a heartfelt presentation that I will always remember.

 

My Kids

came to visit that afternoon.

We exchanged gifts and drank egg nog.  It was a happy time to lavish gifts upon my children

Stephanie, Amanda, Richard, Emily

and my GlamBaby Lydia.

In Lydia’s words it was…

“The Best Christmas Eber!”

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim


 

 

Isn’t there ANYONE who knows

…what CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT???

Some of us know!

Before the mic was dropped, Linus dropped the blanket.

As he speaks the words of the Angels who announced the birth of the Savior…

Fear Not

he lets go of that security blanket and explains the true meaning of Christmas

 

That little clip is one of LB’s favorites.

The full story can be read here.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Josef, Joseph, Maria, Donkey, The Holy Family

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

 

 

Christmas Eve with Elvis

My expectation of the 2017 Christmas Eve was a far cry from what actually took place.

Saturday I noticed that Elvis wasn’t behaving as he normally does.  He sleeps at the foot of my bed and will almost always follow me when I get up in the morning.  Assuming he was just having a sleepy day, I left him in bed and went about my routine.

Looking back, I wish I had taken him to the vet right then.

By Sunday morning I was convinced he needed medical attention.  LB and I took him to the Clay-Duval Pet Emergency Clinic.

He was quickly assessed at the front desk and it was determined that he was not critical

so we waited

christmas eve waiting GIF

And waited

wait waiting GIF

And waited

hang out waiting GIF

 

The Clinic was very busy on Christmas Eve Sunday morning and afternoon.

 Boots the diabetic cat did not leave the premise with his person.  Many people who were visibly distressed were observed leaving without their furry family members.  And I found myself crying every time I saw another pet owner exit an examination room in tears.  Although it was a sad place to be, LB was making friends and making good use of the Kuerig.

Five hours later we were provided with paperwork  and everything was clear.

Sort of.

Assessment:

  • Mild cardiomegaly
  • No evidence of congestive heart failure.
  • Mild diffuse bronchial lung pattern.  Differentials include feline asthma (allergic bronchitis), chronic infectious bronchitis, antigenic stimulation due to parasitic infection.
  • Bronchial thickening and mineralization, right cranial lung lobe.

He was in an oxygen container when we were reunited.  At this point he had been medicated and there was no mistaking his displeasure.  The recommendation was to hospitalize Elvis, however the staff felt that leaving him would cause such stress that it would be counterproductive to his recovery.

I am happy to report that Elvis is back home  He did not go to any of his normal napping spots, but headed to the top of the stairs to keep watch from afar.  And although he is still not behaving normally, he is doing much better.

That event put us behind schedule and working to catch up for the rest of the afternoon.

  Given his remarkably improved condition, LB and I decided to attend Christmas Eve Service at Christ’s Church.

After the service, there was a kitty prescription to pick up.  Elvis was still doing well perched high up in his new lookout.

He would not be “taken” again.

LB and I had previously accepted an invitation to my Mama’s Christmas Eve party.  Since Elvis seemed to be stable, we decided to go.  With $10 gifts and hot pizza rolls in hand, we showed up fashionably late to the party next door.

Let the Christmas festivities begin!

 

Elvis the Christmas Kitty Cat

wishes you a very

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

Divinity Day

My Mema Reid taught me how to make

Divinity

many years ago.

That time with her will forever be in my memory.

Mema’s Divinity recipe is similar to Paula Deen’s recipe.

Mema was of the mind that it is impossible to make divinity on a rainy day and/or without a helper.

For the past few years Amanda has been my helper.

Amanda is a bit of a Star Wars fanatic and apparently Darth Vader likes plaid.That’s a lot of information (and it’s a little weird), but I can deal with it.

Amanda recently asked when we were going to get together for divinity making.  Due to our schedules, this would be the last entry into the Christmas Treat Assortment… and just barely in time for Christmas.

Today we met in my kitchen to engage in the Christmas tradition of

DIVINITY MAKING!

Sadly, our first attempt failed (tears)25 minutes in my smokin’ mixer and STILL it wouldn’t set up!

We gave it our all… but that batch is in the trash.

The failure isn’t surprising with a Florida high of 79° and 83% humidity on Saturday, December 23, 2017.

LB set the thermostat to 60° and Amanda and I tried againSUCCESS!Perfect!

And Delicious!

That sugar high should last through the rest of the holiday season.

 

 

Ingredients:

4 cups sugar

1 cup white corn syrup

3/4 cup cold water

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water until sugar has dissolved. Cook syrup mixture until it reaches 255° F on a candy thermometer, bringing it to a hard ball stage.

While Amanda is cooking the syrup, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the sugar mixture reaches 255° F, carefully pour a slow steady stream of syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until mixture holds its shape, approximately 7-9 minutes. Stir in pecans.

Using 2 spoons, drop the divinity onto waxed paper, using 1 spoon to push the candy off the other.  You will need to work fast when making this type of candy.  You’re done!  Store the divinity in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

 

What’s For Dinner

Last night it was a three course meal at the

Alhambra Dinner Theater

Our first course choice was a Winter Kale Salad that was consumed so quickly there were no pictures taken!

For the second course…

LB enjoyed the

Holiday Feast

(hand-carved turkey, honey baked ham, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato soufflé, garlic green beans, turkey gravy, apple raisin glaze).

And for me it was the

Beef Bourguignon

with buttermilk mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus.

My usually carbs-free self ate every single bit of those mashed potatoes!

Third course…

Crème Brulée French Toast with whipped cream which LB enjoyed.

I ordered the Peppermint Cake, but it fell over, so the picture was discarded.  But the cake was Very Good!

As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite new Christmas traditions is go to the Alhambra Dinner Theater to have dinner and enjoy the Christmas production of the season.

This season Bruce Allen Scudder’s version of

A Christmas Carol

returned to the Alhambra.

Everyone loves Charles Dickens’ holiday classic story about Ebenezer Scroogethe ghosts who visit him…

and his miraculous transformation from an old, miserly curmudgeon to a new man bursting with joy and filled with Christmas spirit.

This is My Favorite Alhambra Christmas production!

The show begins with a lively song (POM, POM, POM, POM) that I’ve heard so many times I can sing along with the people of the town.  Then enters the star.  This year, Tod Booth as Ebenezer Scrooge settles into his work at his counting-house with his clerk Bob Cratchit, shivering close by. After a visit from nephew Fred and two impressive gentlemen collecting for charity, Scrooge returns to his home, where he finds that the evening’s visitations had only just begun.

There are actually four ghosts that follow and all are played by a single actor…

the talented Kenneth Uibel
I have seen this actor fall off of the stage and get back up without missing a line.

First Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley relates his unfortunate story of an afterlife of wandering the Earth weighted down with heavy chains.  In an effort to save Scrooge from sharing the same fate, Marley informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him that night.  And as predicted, on that night Scrooge travels with the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and finally with the Ghost of Christmas Future.

I don’t know why am I telling you this… You KNOW this story!

As expected, Scrooge has a soft heart for the endearing Tiny Tim.  That and his desire to live brings him to display a miraculous change for all to see.

And as always, the audience comes to its feet during the closing number… afterward leaving the building with a heart filled with holiday spirit to share with others.

An incredibly fitting way to welcome with open arms the holidays…  I highly recommend the producation of A Christmas Carol and Dinner at the Alhambra.  We’ll be there!

Merry Christmas from LB and K!

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

Cookies & Colored Eggs

The Saturday before Easter Sunday would not be complete without coloring eggs.  This year I decided the day wouldn’t be complete without cookies as well.  I started early in the day with spritz cookies.  The recipe I used is from Remarkable Home and I found it on Pinterest.  When I first came across this post, it was cuteness overload.  The Artist has sandwiched the cookies onto pop sticks and formed them into a bouquet.  Intent on using my new bunny platter, I had no intention of going to bouquet route, but it was certainly adorable.

With my handy spritz cookie press and the basic recipe from Remarkable Home I was able to create these festive flowers:

And they are tasty.  The cookies are all brushed with a light glaze.  The pink and orange have colored sprinkles; the green and blue do not.  The general consensus is that the sprinkle cookies taste better, however those without sprinkles look better.  Maybe I went a little overboard on the sprinkling.

After I decorated all the flower cookies I placed them on the Garden Bunny Cake Stand from Pier One that I purchased on a recent shopping trip.

Isn’t it cute

 

This evening I drafted my daughters to do the egg coloring for me.  Stephanie and Amanda took care of the metallic and tie dye Easter eggs and did a great job.  We decorated 18 but my math/division skills were lacking at the time so we ended up with 10 metallic and 8 tie dye.  My bad.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the time with my girls.

 

This is Eloise

 

“For the whole world is Irish on the seventeenth o’ March!” – Thomas Augustine Daly

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17. The day honors the patron saint of Ireland with celebrations around the world.  There is no exception here in North Florida where we have celebrated St Patrick’s Day for as long as I can remember.  Most recently at the block party in Five Points which ended this year with the closing of O’Brothers Irish Pub

The block party was great fun and it is disheartening that I now have no place in which to wear my green wig.  But alas…

All is still well…  I may have no where to go on St Patrick’s Day but I still have baking skills.

Since I make preparations to have a dessert of the month for my LB (pictured above in the green top hat) March typically calls for the Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake.  LB loves his evening dessert… whatever it may be it must have Reddi Whip and a maraschino cherry on top.

This cake is right out of the oven before glazing.  Boy Oh Boy is it tasty!  (hence the smile)

Every March 17th I’m styling a green wig, an “Irish for a Day” tee, green star sunglasses, countless beads and other paraphernalia , and my everyday jeans and shoes.  Surely most of you have collected these things in your travels.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

 

Here’s a tasty Irish treat:

Reuben Sliders

 

Connect