It's All Good

This Christmas, my mother got me a copy of a cookbook I've had my eye on since I saw it at a bookstore in London: It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Now, I know some people are skeptical about any cookbook by an actress. What do they know about eating healthy, right? Well, this one is a good one. It's chalk full of healthy recipes and gorgeous pictures of her *gasp* without make-up on. There's one thing I know: if you don't eat well, you cannot look that good. If you fill your body with crap, you skin and hair will look accordingly. 

I've been scrambling to try as many of the recipes as possible since I go back to work on Monday and won't have as much free time. Last night, we had a belated Christmas with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend ~ they were unable to make the Christmas in Phoenix ~ and I made the Grilled Salmon with Grilled Lemon Vinaigrette and the Grilled Asparagus + Portobellos with Shallot + Soy Dressing (I substituted an extra pinch of salt instead of the soy sauce). Holy cow, you guys, those were both ridiculously good. For lunch today, I made the Lentil Salad with Mustard + Tomatoes, which was very tasty,  and I currently have a big pot of the Chicken Soup with Kale + Carrots bubbling on my stove.

This cookbook has been a great way to get back to eating lighter after being with family because, let's be honest, stereotypical families eat nothing but rich food during the holidays. My in-laws are no exception: lots of heavy meals and snacks in between. Her recipes are light but comforting at the same time, and it's helping our stomachs lighten up a little and not feel so sluggish.  

Thanksmas

A lot of people bemoan the fact that people start the Christmas season before Thanksgiving happens. In my family, however, we purposely do this every 2 years. We have a tradition called Thansmas.

Some of my family live near each other, but some are nowhere close to us. I have family in the UK and Australia as well as other states within the US. Usually, we get to see each other every 2 years ~ if we're lucky. Every other year, as many of us as possible descend upon San Antonio, catch up, and celebrate the season together. This year, the family that made it were: Mum, Dad, Nana, Grampy, my brother and sister-in-law, my sister and her 2 kids, and my husband and myself with our two dogs. Quite the full house. We wished our other out of country relatives could be there, but I'm sure we'll get to see them again in the near future.

We went down Tuesday night after work. That in itself was quite the feat. We had to take a power nap in the car because we were so exhausted. It is roughly a 5 hour drive from our house to my parents on a good day. It was not a good day.

On the Wednesday, we were exited to be in San Antonio. After we got our dentist appointments over with that morning (I'm a wimp when it comes to dentists, and I have so far refused to change to someone up north. Don't judge), we enjoyed hanging out with family, taking walks with our dogs, and just relaxing in general.

My nephew and niece adored our dogs, and I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual. 

My husband doing jazz duets and improvising with my nephew. 

On Thanksgiving, we exchanged presents before Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, we hung out, played games, and just generally let loose like you only can around family. 

Crowns courtesy of our Christmas crackers.

Can't have Thanksmas without a Christmas pudding!

We Jenga-ed Jenga, built Stonehenge, and then found the true reason it fell down: giant pug attack!

The next night, after a day of being in a food-induced coma, we went out to eat to celebrate my brother and sister-in-laws' 10 year anniversary. We were joined with a few more family members who live in San Antonio. We went to the restaurant where they had their rehearsal dinner, and, coincidently, my husband and my rehearsal dinner was at the same restaurant. 

Waiting for some ridiculously good Mexican food. 

On Saturday, we headed up to Austin to see my other siblings (technically step-siblings, but I think that sort of labeling is unneccessary. They're family. Period.) and their families. That's when things started to get really ridiculous. In total, there were 6 siblings, 5 sibling-in-laws, 6 nephews and nieces, 2 parents, 2 grandparents, and 3 dogs (ours were left at my parents' house, so this does not include them). It was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone and seeing how much my nephews and nieces have grown. It's a rarity that all 6 of us, plus families, get together. We really should try to make it happen more often. It's so much fun! 

The siblings, plus their families.

Our last day there was Sunday. My Mum made an amazing Sunday roast, and then we were the first ones to leave, since we had the longest to drive. It was sad to go, but I look forward to doing it all again in the near future. Chalk this one up to one of the highlights of my year. To me, family is everything. 

How Green Was My Valley

After we returned from London, we had one more day in and around Cardiff before going to West Wales. My grandparents, husband, and I decided to go slightly north and hang out around my Grampy's old haunts around the Brecon Beacons ~ he lived in the area as a child. I will always wistfully wish that I, too, had grown up there because, my friends, it is the most gorgeous countryside I have ever seen in my life.

My grandparents on our walk.

And, before anyone asks, no, these photos have not been altered in any way, shape, or form. It is really that green, and it was really that bright and sunny (unusual for the UK, I know). 

We parked at the trail head and we decide to take a walk next to the stream.

Past a few waterfalls. 

Until we reached the top. 

And the waterfall, with local students climbing underneath it for a class (I wish I had a class like that in school!).

On the way down, we continued to marvel at the beauty all around us. 

And talked about how fortunate people were to live around this unspoiled beauty. 

And were thankful that it was returned to its original splendor after generations of coal mining, at one point, turned the mountainside black. 

It was humbling to think of my grandfather's family living here. They may not have had much: picking edible berries off the mountainside to make a little bit of extra money, illegally fishing in these waters for food, but they still felt blessed. It makes you think about what we hold most dear nowadays. It makes me re-assess what I value most. 

After our leisurely stroll through the mountainside, we stopped in Brecon on our way back to Cardiff where I bought ingredients for dinner. Once back at the house, I made a tasty meal from my find at the market: sea bass, new potatoes, and green beans, all in season! 

After dinner, we met up with three of my cousins and their partners for a drink. I hadn't seen them for 10 years! That's right, 10. Thank God for Facebook, am I right? It was great catching up with them, and I was glad my husband was finally able to meet them. Now he only has a few more to meet before he has met all of the cousins in the UK. It was a great way to end our portion of the trip in south Wales. 

The Evil Minion in Me

My husband and I had a date to go see Despicable Me 2 the other night, and it was ridiculously cute. I'm totally one of those adults that go to see "kid" movies. My favorite part about the movie - and it's predecessor - is the minions.  They are the epitome of adorable: sweet, giggly, happy all the time, and love to have  a good time. In the second movie, there is a twist on the minions: the evil minions.

Now, some of you may be wondering why in the world I'm talking about the minions on my blog. Well, I recently was made aware of one of my flaws: when I'm hungry, I kind of undergo my own little evil transformation.

Yep, that's me when I'm hungry...and my husband on the left.

I wasn't really clued into this fact until this summer. I thought I was just a stereotypical redhead - well, half redhead...I'm strawberry blonde - every now and then I would just have a "bad day" and be a little irritable. My sister and husband helped coax me into realizing the truth. 

My sister, being more new-agey than myself, told me that I had a lot of "pitta" in me. Well, I had no clue what in the world that meant, so I looked it up, and one of the characteristics said, "Strong digestion, strong appetite; get irritated if they have to miss or wait for a meal." Okay...crazy Ayurvedic people.  

Then, one day when I was a little, um...irritated, my husband said, "I'm taking you out to eat. Let's go get some food." Naturally, I wondered what in the world that had to do with me being annoyed. However, when I actually ate something, I miraculously started feeling better. Weird. Then, yesterday, after not eating anything all day, we were on the way to one of my husband's gigs with his band. I was getting annoyed at dumb stuff, so I actually suggested we go find something to eat this time. Again, I miraculously started feeling better once I started to digest my food. 

Well, dang. I guess they both knew something I did not. Now, I'm becoming a lot more mindful of how long it has been since my last meal. I'm the type of person that gets busy and forgets to eat. Apparently, that's a bad idea. I'm going to have to keep that in mind when school gets back in and I'm teaching again. Because, when dealing with a bunch of little minions - normal and evil - it is always easier when I'm having a "good day."