I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.

I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.”

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

- – – Maya Angelou

While we were decorating our tree, we realized we have two weird traditions:

1. Our Dwight Shrute stress ball is always put in the tree, even though it is not a Christmas ornament.
2. We always have something random (and video-game-themed, it seems) at the top of the tree since we don’t have a star or an angel.  In the past, we’ve had a Master Chief action figure and a Pac Man stuffed animal. This year, Funnel choose this little green guy, shaped like a chocolate chip.  I can’t remember what his name is or what game he is from. Update! Funnel just texted me – he is Slime from Dragon Quest!

Here are a few photos:

Putting our decorations up has put me in the mood to break out our Christmas movies!  It seems like we watch Home Alone, A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation every year. This year, I’d also like to watch Jim Hensen’s A Christmas Toy and Miracle on 34th Street (the newer version) – two movies I grew up watching.  What are your favorite Christmas movies?

I was thinking today about twenty-seven – what I want out of it and what it might hold for me.  It made me really excited.  Because even though life can be so darn hard, it can be magical and amazing, too.

(If you don’t know who Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman is, she’s arguably the most popular blogger in the world, her cookbook is  a #1 New York Times Bestseller, and a movie is coming out about her soon.  Basically, she’s an amazing lady who is an awesome cook, photographer, mom.  Check her out.)

We waited for five hours to meet Ree & get our cookbooks signed by her, but it was completely worth it.  For the brief time that we talked with her, she was a completely gracious, sweet, warm person, and I’m an even bigger fan of her now than I was before.

Here are a few pictures from our adventure:

I’m exhausted, but happy – what a great day!

Funnel & I had a great dinner out at PF Changs. 

I did some spring cleaning and organized some things that badly needed organized, while listening to some old “Travel with Rick Steves” podcasts.  

I baked a couple loaves of bread.  

I went grocery shopping.  

I did laundry.  

I journaled the “Rome” part of our Europe trip in my little travel notebook because I never got around to it in May.  

I actually prefer weekends like this.  Maybe I’m becoming an old lady, but I am so exhausted by the end of the week that I can’t take too much excitement on the weekends.

There is something I want you to take a look at: The Julie Project.  Darcy Padilla is a photographer who, over the course of 18 years, follows and photographs the life of Julie Baird, a woman from San Francisco facing poverty and AIDS.  It takes awhile to click through all the photos and read the story, but I thought it was well worth it.  Darcy says, “I hope you can’t stop thinking about Julie’s story, I hope it makes you feel.  I hope it makes you look at the world differently.”  Julie’s story has been on my mind all weekend.

Also, I’ve never tried making creme brulee at home because I don’t own a kitchen torch.  Well, in this version, you simply put brown sugar on top of the custard and put it under the broiler for a few minutes.  It worked perfectly!  I wouldn’t have even known the difference!

Crème Brulee
from “Julia and Jacques at Home”

8 four ounce ramekin
3 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Grated zest of a large orange
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light-brown sugar or more if needed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Instructions:
Pour the cream into a 6-cup saucepan, stir in the vanilla bean or vanilla extract and the orange zest, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover the pan, and let steep for 5 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the mixing bowl for several minutes until the yolks are thick, pale yellow, and form a fat, slowly dissolving ribbon when dropped from the whisk back into the bowl.

Remove the vanilla bean from the hot cream (save it you can use it again). So as not to scramble the egg yolks, stir by dribbles half a cup of the hot cream into the yolks, stirring (not beating – you do not want to form bubbles). Adding it in a slow stream, stir in the rest of the cream. Set the sieve over the quart measure and strain the custard mixture through it to eliminate any coagulated bits of egg and the orange rind. Skim off any bubbles from the surface of the custard.

Arrange the ramekins in a baking pan and pour or ladle 1/2 cup of custard into each, leaving 1/4 inch at the top for the glaze. Set the baking pan in the oven and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins.

Bake the custards for 30 – 35 minutes, until the tops are set but the custard in the center is still quite soft to the touch. Carefully remove the baking pan from the oven, and lift the ramekins from the hot water. Let them cool briefly, and then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, at least four hours. Either serve them as is or glaze.
Loosen the brown sugar if packed and break up any lumps with your fingers. Sprinkle a tablespoon or so over each custard and smooth it gently with the back of a spoon, forming an even layer of sugar that completely covers the surface.

Set the ramekins on a heatproof tray. Turn on the broiler and place the ramekins underneath, so the surface is about 5 inches below the heat. Leave the door open so you can watch as the sugar melts and starts to caramelize. Turn the ramekins if one side gets too brown, so that the glaze is consistent all around. Remove the custards as soon as the sugar has turned to a smooth sheet of brown glaze. Chill them briefly before serving.

There’s a post on Vixen Vintage on how to do it, and even if you don’t want to try it, you should at least check out her blog – it’s totally great and adorable.

Now, if only I could pull off  red lipstick!

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