Call me Paula Dean...or that wierd Italian chick...

ok...maybe that was a bit wrong...Guida..Gooda...Guiaida...I don't know her name exactly. Anywho, she is not wierd. I actually dig her in a sensual cooking type of way. Have you ever seen her cook and eat? It's a little bit sensual for the cooking channel.

Now, onto to my post. I have been taking up a cooking interest the past couple of months. SHOCKING!! Maybe not so much as "cooking" but really more of baking. I call myself a baker. I have one of the biggest sweettooths a dentist has ever seen and baking sweets has always fancied me. I've always been able to throw cookies or cakes into a pan and bake but now I am taking it to the next level. I have put myself in charge of the Christmas desserts. BIG UNDERTAKING in mi familia. I could possibly be banished if I mess this up. Oh I'm just joking...I won't mess up. The banishment part is quite real though. I bought Williams Sonoma recipe book to help me along and help me figure out what would be the best dessert spread. A chocolate cake of some sort will be good..but...the mack daddy will be the homemade Key Lime Mousse Cake (thank you, Paula Dean). That is looking to be my showoff piece. It's not necessarily hard, just a bit time consuming and the recipe is a bit more detailed than the usual.

I thought the Key Lime would be different for the Holidays. Bringing the tropics to Tennessee, ya know? The big test will be the father. If my dad approves, oh man...guess who is moving up in the will!!

This weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday, I went with Andy to photograph one of his aunt's horses. Thomas, a gorgeous Freesian (sp?), was HUGE. He took pictures at the stables where they keep him right now on Northshore. It's gorgeous out there. I never knew that place existed and I lived on Northshore for a majority of my life. Anywho, I was able to get on Thomas and was walked around the barn a couple of times...without a saddle. Yup, I'm like a pro. I've never been on a horse before but I believe this might have sparked a new love. Andy took a few pictures of me so maybe I will post some of them once I get them. After that, we headed out to Maryville where Andy is building his house. It's really coming along marvelously and I must commend him on his taste for building. He might be able to move in next month if everything stays on track. After tromping through mud we drove around Maryville and ate lunch..and of course shopped. We went to a store called "Little River" which is pretty much a "Blue Ridge Mountain Sports" place. I bought my first ever North Face jacket...which was on sale. I had never really cared for all that stuff. I remember back in high school when outdoors apparell was the craze...and a majority of people wearing it never skied, hiked, backpacked, or even camped out. The only cold I was used to was East Tennessee fickle weather and the ice rink. So why would I spend the money on a fleece that I could buy at Target? But I tried on this jacket and I understood. Its just enough weight to keep you warm during this time of year in Tennessee AND it keeps you dry in times of rain. I guess I sold out.

It was a fun all-day extravaganza with my darling. He even introduced me to video game playing. Yes...he plays all the video games that some of you reading do. I can appreciate video games to some extent. But it's like crack to some people. I learned...no...attempted to learn how to play some. WHEN DID THEY BECOME MORE COMPLICATED THAN CALCULUS?? I mean seriously, I played the "Gears of War" game. What the freak? I was used to my Super Nintendo setup but you have to push more buttons on this thing than starting up an airplane. Andy actually got nervous watching me play because my poor guy ran around in circles. I did kill some aliens though.

After Church yesterday, I went to the mall with my parents to help with holiday shopping. The mall is at that point where its in "feast or famine" mode. I always enjoy Christmas shopping. I like the crowds, seeing what new stuff is out, shopping for loved ones and it's always nice to bump into old faces. I love Christmas chaos.

I've been invited to some Christmas parties this year. The annual J.P. Coffin's Christmas dinner is tomorrow night. This Saturday night I am going with Andy to his grandparents' party at their house. Then I have the radio station's party. I've had to keep a planner with me this month. I've never had to keep up with a planner until now. Even when I was in school, I could just remember times and plan myself in my head. Not anymore. My days blur together since work splits my time up.