I get nostalgic this time of year despite myself.

Luckily I have learned that time travel exists. . .

well, at least in the virtual web world. . . 

http://www.archive.org/web/web.ph

. . . lets you search for sites that existed in a times past.

So, missing the thrill of getting my hands dirty, and having neighbors wonder what I was stirring for hours in my caldren, I found my old friend- the website displaying the line of bath and body products I created a few years back.

I have been missing my old friend even more recently because my new office now shares space with an organic market that calls out to my woo woo spirit each day. 

Perhaps I should have asked the rabbi to add 'and in strong fragrance making mishaps and creations' to my vows instead of just accepting that I was marrying someone extremely sensitive to smells. 

http://web.archive.org/web/20041010205959/bodyalamode.com/soaps.htm

I miss those days and may need to revive my lotion bar soon.  

Sorry McGyver, you will just have to deal, nose sensitivities and all.

The Cooking Encyclopedia Everyone Can Edit, but you may not want to edit your mom's recipes.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like the movie, since it looked a bit too Hollywood for me, but, I decided to order it On Demand as a shout out to a fellow blogger.

Yes, I guess I moonlight as a blogger, but I am still a snob of the medium on ocassion. 

I have to say, yes it was a bit hollywood, but it was charming too, and in the end, it inspires writers to write, and self-professed foodies to cook.  (I must brag about my first sushi wrestling and Chicken Masala here.)

There is so much more to our Narcissism than just what we do during the day than meets the eye.  We also need deadlines, and a self-obsessed project to give our life meaning and structure.  G-d bless the Gen Xers, even if I refuse to call you my brethren. 

Still, no matter what generation, we all have many layers, dreams, and thoughts, many of which we do not share even with our closest friends so we do not open the entire whole crazy package all at once.  Thank you Julie for doing so.

When you think about spending a year of your life living a certain way and writing about it, many thoughts come to mind.

So since living as an Oprah groupie, and this cooking story is already taken, I am open to suggestions.  For now the ones that seem to best suit my lifestyle are:

1.  Gluten Free Cooking without gagging

2.  101 ways to use Manishevitz

3.  Living undercover as a Realtor

4.  Being an Activist while lying on your couch

5.  Photoblog of Dirty Car Slogans

I did see a dirty car the other day that said: "I wish my girl was as dirty as you"

Feed It Forward™, Give a free $10 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate to 30 different people, everyday until Christmas. Simply choose whom to give to and they take care of the rest. 

And the best part is, it is FREE!

I have fond memories of watching my mom prepare holiday meals.

I sat staring intently, mostly just faking patience until I could lick the batter from the spoons, mixer and bowls and smell the pastries in the oven. 

Smell is the most direct of all the senses, and it is directly tied to memories. 

Each time I break out the mixer, sugar and flour, I travel back to my mother's kitchen, and the stress melts away immediately.

I won't claim to be Martha Stewart or Julia Child; I must confess that I avoided home ec as a young feminist. 

Yes, I am a late bloomer just finding my own cooking style at 38.  

Yes, my method involves crock pots, my own version of the easy bake oven, an obsession with Top Chef and all things cooking channel, and a 2 year old sous chef, but we manage to create some incredible dishes.

It is nice while under seige from family and friends in the age old holiday tug of war (that even though you brace yourself for every year, never gets easier),  to take a minute and remember back to holiday's past, when you didn't know there was so much drama, and the first time your mama let you lick the batter right from the mixer attachments.  

Most everything else pales in comparison.

Even better; REALLY let yourself get lost in the moment.

Came home to this note on the message board, not sure why I loved it as much as I do, but found it hilarious.

I think I love it even more because of the Goat Lady's Number at the bottom.

We have still been considering the goat time share so we can make our own goat cheese. 

Apparently making cheese is ok,  but buying it is not.