PJ Trader

I’m in a Bah, Humbug mode right now.  Seems like the commercialization of Christmas and the rest of the winter holidays began before Halloween was even over.  The advertisers and media are making me feel Scrooge-like simply because I’d like to enjoy one holiday before I begin another.

And my neighbors don’t help.  Some of them put their Christmas lights up two weeks ago, others are taking advantage of our good weather to put them up over this past weekend. 

I’d rather wait until December, myself.  Because what’s the fun if you aren’t hanging off the gutter freezing your tootsies off while trying to get those lights in the places they’d rather not go?  Where’s the true sense of the holiday spirit if you’re not battling the elements, the snow whipping under your scarf as Frosty is positioned just so under the tree?

OK, I don’t even go that far.  The Bob and I will likely put our lights out this weekend, after the turkey is demolished, especially since the weather forecast calls for sunny and mid 50’s.  I’ll just pretend that snow is blowing furiously as we wrestle the lights into place.

But still, when I was a kid, my dad always put the lights outside the Saturday two weeks before Christmas.  Never earlier, never later.  They ran until New Year’s Day, then were put away for another year.  None of this up in early November and taking down in the late January thaw stuff for him.  (Michiganders are more hardy their their St. Louis brethren, apparently.)

So even if the lights and commercialism bother me, there’s still Thanksgiving to get through this week.  I’m heading out for the grocery story a little later today to pick up the fixin’s.  The Bob and I are going to deep fry a turkey this year, and I’ve decided to get a little more creative with the side dishes to go with.  This is our first attempt at cornbread dressing, among other things.

(Disclaimer:  The image presented in this post does NOT represent the Trader household’s holiday meal.   We don’t use fancy serving dishes or pretty glassware.  I don’t have an orange tablecloth.  I’m not that fancy.)

Here’s our menu:

Deep Fried Turkey
Duo Tater Bake
Cornbread and Caramelized Onion Stuffing
Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola
Quick Pickled Radishes
Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie
Hot Apple Cider Toddy

What about you?  Anything new on the menu this year or are you sticking with the old favorites? 

A good friend and coworker of mine taught me this one. 

You know how you write notes to yourself and then stuff the note somewhere and never look at it again?  Most of us women have a built-in spot to put our notes so we always see them – wrap the piece of paper around the handle of your purse and staple it together!

Since we take our purses most anywhere, the note is always in sight (and annoying us until we rip it off).  I like this tip because I’m less likely to forget to grab those books to take to Regan tomorrow if a note is stapled to my purse strap.

What about you – have you got any special ways to remember to do stuff?

Two new releases for my TBR pile today!

First up is the latest in the Dragonfire series by Deborah Cooke.  This is Delaney’s story and, according to the Romance Junkie’s 5 blue ribbon review posted on Cooke’s blog today (click here), it promises to be a satisfying story of redeeming a bad boy dragon shapeshifter.

Click on the pic to jump over to Barnes & Noble.com’s order page, and here’s the blurb while you drool over that cover:

For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have commanded the four elements and guarded the earth’s treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr and the dreaded slayers is about to begin…

The mysterious Dragon’s Blood Elixir gives immortality to Magnus, the Pyr’s greatest enemy, and his minions-so it must be destroyed. Outcast from the Pyr because of his own dangerous impulses, Delaney will do anything to vanquish Magnus-and vows to complete a mission which will either redeem him or end his suffering.

But his plans don’t take into account his sudden firestorm-or the hot- tempered Ginger Sinclair. The firestorm reforms Delaney closer to his old self. And when Ginger learns about Delaney’s scheme, she cannot resist a strong man with a noble agenda.

It’s a two-fer Tuesday, as the new JD Robb is also out.

When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena’s body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

So, what are YOU reading today?