A television, turkey stew, butternut squash, christmas rosemary, and oregon wine

Thanksgiving weekend! A four day weekend may very well be my favorite length of holiday. Long enough to have time to do something AND to relax. I spent my holiday in Oregon with my family. It was lovely. I had delicious food and wine, time with my parents and sister, took a walk in the rain, and got to play with my sister's kitten, IO.

I returned to Phoenix Saturday, early evening, and got to spend the rest of Saturday with a dear friend. We made a trip to Lowe's and I bought a new pedestal sink for my bathroom AND, more importantly, a tree-shaped rosemary bush. I also got a few poinsettia plants.

Today I decorated my christmas rosemary bush with ornaments, and set out other christmas decorations. I bought a wreath from Trader Joe's. While at TJs I also got the makings for Turkey Stew! Mmmm what a cozy afternoon. I baked a butternut squash while the stew was simmering. My house smelled delicious.

The television. Well, I blame my sister. She has one. I visited her. It was really nice to be able to watch stuff on a real TV instead of on my laptop...and she has a blueray player, so she doesn't pay for cable. She can connect directly to Netflix, blockbuster, youtube and pandora for radio. She can also connect her computer to her TV. Now, I knew all of this was possible, but seeing it right there in my sister's cozy little living room made me want one! So, I figure, this time of year is a good time for sales, I should do some shopping. Of course! I come home with a TV. It was a good deal, they say. Dad says it was well rated by consumer reports. The funny part is, I couldn't bring myself to spend the money today for the bluray player. I also don't have the cord yet to hook up my computer to the tv. So. That leaves me with a very nice television in my living room...that plays the music and a couple random videos from my ipod. Smart. I'll get it figured out pretty, but at this moment, I have a $400 paperweight in my living room. It cracks me up quite a bit.

This weekend my mother gifted me a copy of Barbara Kingsolver's newest novel. I started it on the plane on my way home. So far it is really good...I especially enjoy all the references to Mexican history, culture and geography.