So far...

I love this year.  2013 has been the best year yet.  In general, every year seems to be getting better and better and this one hasn't disappointed.  I don't want to ruin my blog fodder for new year's eve so I won't list all the cool stuff that has happened this year.  Let me just say that today I love 2013 because tomorrow is our Italian designated Thanksgiving and David and I are not hosting it this year.  Yes, having my entire family here for my cousins' most awesome wedding made 2013 memorable but right now I'm ecstatic that 2013 is our off year. 

Ok, a little behind the scenes note:  I just asked David how you spell ecstatic and he said, "what's ecstatic?" "ME.  I'm ecstatic because I'm not cleaning the house and cooking a big ass turkey because we are having 12 people over for a feast tomorrow."  To which my husband looked at me and said, "cooking a turkey?  have you ever cooked a turkey?"   Yeah, ok, good point.  I'm really happy that I'm not cleaning the house and making my grandma's green beans and that David is not cooking everything else involved in hosting thanksgiving.

Really, I'm not lazy.  It's just that cooking and cleaning are right up there on my list of least favorite things to do.

Hanging out with our friends and extended family (on the dogs' side) is however right up there on my list of favorite things to do.  So, in prep for going to friends' Christine and Valerio's super clean house for a feast of food they've prepared, I am doing this, my usual off-year contribution to thanksgiving..



Where I take these greasy, hard craisin-ish things, pretend that they are cranberries....

And pretend that these mandarins are oranges

And whip up a concoction that we will all call cranberry sauce tomorrow.  I can get away with this because the only americans at the dinner, who know what real cranberry sauce is, are David and my dear friend Christine.  And they won't say anything.

So, here's to 2013.