OUR SLOWEST HOLIDAY YET

I think we're finally getting the hang of "Slow" celebrations. We opted out of the big family get-together up in east Texas this year since Lex had to be in Houston to work the Renaissance Festival this weekend, and since we needed to work on clearing out the townhouse. Therefore, it was just the four of us - five if you count Guinness, our granddog. John, Lex and I spent a lazy morning at home, relaxing and reading the paper, awaiting the arrival of Austin and Guinness. We then headed to Taco Cabana for an early lunch, followed by the noon showing of Harry Potter. No crowds at all since most everyone else was home slaving away in their kitchens!

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the puppy dog, watching a little football, reading and/or knitting. Around four o'clock the kids and I headed into the kitchen. They prepped veggies while I rubbed the pork tenderloin with its spicy flour mixture, browned it, then popped it into the oven to roast for a mere 15 minutes. As soon as I pulled it out of the oven, Austin shoved our broccoli and his super-dooper sweet potato concoction in to roast. Meanwhile, Lex mashed potatoes, and I finished off my roasted garlic cranberry sauce in the pan drippings. John poured wine and set the table, and within an hour of beginning our preparations, we were sitting down to eat.

There was very little clean-up to do, having no carcass to deal with, so we loved on the puppy instead, and watched a bit more football. When we were ready to start a good movie, I heated up the rest of the Mexican Chocolate Streusal Brownies and Mini Pecan Tarts that I had frozen after my autumn tea party, and served them with a dab of vanilla ice cream. A most enjoyable, stress-free day all around, I must say. So let's hear it for slow celebrations, where everyone--even Momma--gets to relax and enjoy the company of their loved ones!