It's tiiiiime...

Now that we've gotten this Halloween nonsense out of the way, it's the most wonderful time of the year! Thanksgiving and Christmas are THE best holidays, in my opinion, so I'm compiling plans and ideas in my head with remarkable enthusiasm.

This year, more than any, the holidays seem particularly special, and also bittersweet. As thrilled as I am to be getting married, and as much as I am grateful for my new family who loves me and has welcomed me with open arms, it makes me immeasurably sad that this year is the last year I'll be able to spend both holidays with my own family, as I have done since...well, since I was born.

But 29 years is a pretty good run, and I think it's probably a good thing to mix it up a little and make some new traditions, both with my in-laws and also just between B and myself. And hey - if I spend Christmas with his family in Pennsylvania, there might actually be snow!!

There probably won't be any snow in North Carolina this year, but there never is, so that will be as usual. And this year I am ramping up all the Payne family Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions I can muster for one last rally. So get ready for an onslaught of recipes and decorations. I'm in charge of at least three dishes for Thanksgiving, so you KNOW I'll share those with you. I decorate my house the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I have some new ideas in mind for this year, so you'll get to see those as well.

Winter is a fabulous time to be "sous mon parapluie" with me, so stay tuned...