The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

No use waiting until the last minute

November 19, 2009

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. I spent a good part of it in the pantry doing an inventory of what items I need for cooking and baking in the next few weeks, and what Christmas gifts I've managed to gather in the last few months. I've gotten about a third of my shopping done already without having given much thought to it. I'm not an impulse shopper, but on those rare occasions when I find the perfect gift, I buy it. No use waiting until the last minute, and when the holidays do finally roll around, I'd rather spend it wrapping gifts and baking than out in the crowds trying to find everything on my List.
Speaking of which. Now that we're rounding the corner and Christmas is just over a month away, it's time to get the ol' List going. The kids made theirs and turned it in last week, and now I've got something to work from, and though I hesitate to say it, times sure have changed. I remember wanting a bike and a record player and a jump rope when I was a kid. Movie tickets, maybe, and perhaps root beer or a box of those Oreo cookies dipped in white chocolate. I remember getting most of it, and pajamas, and socks.
Here are a few items you'll find on my kids' lists: aviator sunglasses; a spare karaoke mic; Abercrombie and I-tunes gift cards; Wii Fit; a gift certificate for a past life regression session; a peach or pear tree; a conga drum; Hellboy 1 & 2; a tent; "a recliner for my bedroom"; and a "foster pet." Other animals mentioned include hamsters, dogs, cats, and fish. "Everything to make an herb garden" is on one of them. All three have "Germ-X" on his or her list.
I'm tempted to say I long for the days when things were simple. Thing is, things ARE still simple, if you ask a kid. Adulthood somehow complicates it all. Which is why one ought, as an adult, to own a bicycle, a jump rope, or a conga drum. Keeps it all in perspective. Simple. Germ-X or not.

Here's a light and healthy vegetable dish you might want to consider for a holiday table.

Roasted Vegetables
Cut one cauliflower and one large red sweet pepper and one large green pepper into bite-sized pieces. Place on a foil-covered 11x13 jelly roll pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Stir around to coat all pieces. Roast in oven at 350-375, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are done to your liking. Season with salt and pepper. You may add other vegetables as you wish, but this combination is particularly tasty.
Enjoy!

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