Garden Rose

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend; I'm still on Cloud 9 from our restorative respite and so looking forward to a week of rich burgundy hues!

After a Thursday morning devoted to pies (I baked a deep-dish apple, a bourbon-pecan, a chocolate-coconut and two pumpkin!), a Thursday afternoon dedicated to drinking and a Thursday evening to devouring practically everything in sight, John and I tumbled home just after midnight from our Thanksgiving celebration. The next morning we were both up early, and enjoyed pie for breakfast before settling in with our steaming cups of tea and our to-do lists. We indulged in frequent Frasier episodes and John even took an afternoon nap while I tirelessly crossed items off my holiday shopping list. I woke my sweetheart just as the evening started to grow dark, and we wasted little time before heading to our favorite Friday night spot. You didn't think we'd skip Indian because of all that turkey the night before, did you? After a truly delectable meal, we headed to the movies to watch Katniss Everdeen take on her fellow tributes in Catching Fire.

John managed to sleep in on Saturday morning, and I couldn't have been happier–after all, what are holiday weekends for? While I tidied up, John made a run to our local grocery store for provisions and picked up empanadas and my favorite chai from nearby Hollow on his way home. We feasted on mushroom-gorgonzola, spinach-feta and chicken apple sausage pastries before we drafted the day's expansive to-do list. We'd stayed close to home on Friday, but we managed to check laundry, new tires and a perfectly petite Christmas tree off our Saturday to do list, all before the clock struck 12! We dove into our pet projects instead of making lunch, and decided an early supper was more our speed. I made mashed potatoes and warmed up gravy, which was perfect with turkey sandwiches on cranberry-walnut bread. Then we made a batch a mulled apple cider and turned on some holiday tunes; as the fog thickened, we decorated our darling Christmas tree and curled up with a few holiday Frasier episodes.

We were both up early on Sunday morning; John cooked up soft-scrambled eggs with fresh herbs and roasted fingerling potatoes while I read the epilogue of Salt Sugar Fat. We tackled a few projects around the house before John headed to work and I dove head-first into a undertaking I can't wait to tell you all about! I spent the better part of the afternoon with my red editing pen in hand, but as the sun set, I finally needed a break! I refueled with my favorite treat, a slice of toast smeared with avocado, then practiced yoga by the glow of our freshly-decorated Christmas tree. We had a dear friend join us for a late supper of garlic pasta and shared a bottle of white wine before saying goodnight.


Tell me, what were you up to this weekend? Shopping for your holiday gifts, enjoying Thursday's leftovers or traveling to see friends and family, perhaps?

 Image by Continuum Photography, Bouquet by Petalos Floral Design.