good-byes and hello's

Here we sit, on 2010's last day, endings and beginnings.

Done with Christmas, counting down the hours to a brand new calendar, excited, and ready for anything, everything, and then some, as the still-frigid morning sun feels like a gift to my solar starved self, reminding me that spring will return in 6,765,660 seconds, that's right, I counted.

*sigh*

I  find myself fantasizing about getting kittened up in sequins and cha cha's and painting the town, and then I realize I'm wearing flannel pajama pants [even though they are the fancy, schmancy ones] and I practically need rocket fuel to propel my butt out of the house. So, it should come as no surprise that I'm a stay at home kind of girl when it comes to New Years eve, is there anything better than filling up on good cheer, then only having to walk up the stairs to the bedroom? Still.......

We made impromptu plans for dinner on the last eve of the year, with the promise of lobster tails, champagne and a leisurely stroll down memory lane. We will feast, reminisce, laugh, cry, share a glass of Veuve Clicquot. Toddle home, watch the ball drop and call it a night, a year...it's a wrap. Oh my, 2010 we are trying so hard to let go and say good-bye, but time is passing so quickly? Honestly.  This, I could do without.

A mass e-mail sent to friends and family remembered fondly, with wishes and good cheer. A visit to the place I go to [hopefully] offer a tip, share my everyday adventures, thoughts, recipes and the scraps I've picked up along the way. Somewhere between ushering out the old and welcoming the new, it occurs to me to wonder what do other people do during the lull? Me, I organize. Put in order. Arrange. Clear the decks.Whip into shape. Put to rights. Spruce. Tidy up.

 

A drawer. A mud room spewing hats, mittens, scarves and boots from a closet that hasn't once, in 2 months closed properly. The pantry, with the just-right assortment of flour bins and sugar jars which fit seamlessly, gracefully, before holiday baking are now all askew. So adjustments are being made, ingredients are taught to contain themselves a bit better, two sugars combined, baking powders blended. Expiration dates observed and obeyed. Scantily used ingredients are directed to make themselves useful or vamoose.  To and fro, from clutter to the trash can then back again, as I grant clemency to a few, several, almost everything I throw away, although the reason for keeping certain items eludes me. And not to throw the hubs under the bus, he has also opted for a double douse of breathing space in a much neglected closet. By week's end, everything is put back, in order, I even hear a click as I close the closet door. Out of the chaos of cabin fever comes a small semblance of tidiness.

I couldn't be more pleased,  tickled would be more apt. Really, dude I abhor sounding like a broken record but once again, it really is the little things in life that make me twist and shout. Good times.

 

But, have no fear I will attempt to transcend the cliches, as yet another year only has a few hours left on it's lease, it's always a good idea to keep an eye on it, you just never know, given its habit to "whoosh" by at breakneck speed, leaving all of us in its wake wondering "what now"?  From winter's start until the first signs of warm weather, I always get the sensation of meandering through some sort of suspended animation, trapped in a snow-globe world, thoughts of hibernation...head down, eyes focused on my feet, well... maybe not quite, but you know. I really don't know why I feel a bit austere this time of year, but I do know that it doesn't take much more than a waffle to coax me out of my cold weather induced fog. I'm just sayin', this recipe is worth keeping in your repertoire for whenever you need a waffle fix, fast. The batter comes together like a dream. I inhaled these babies with some butter and pure maple syrup.

peace.

Buttermilk Waffles

(go here for recipe)