My lovely vacation is over...

and it's back to work tomorrow.

It was such a delightful break, and I really needed it. I listened to audiobooks in the car, spent quality time with Supergirl, had fun doing Thanksgiving dinner with DiL's big, crazy family, and froze my feet off. Okay, so that wasn't so delightful. It was cold, ridiculously cold, freakishly cold, and today Asheville is back in the 50s, lows in the upper 30s, and comfortable. Thanksgiving just fell in the wrong week. I came home a day early and fighting a head cold.

The hats were a hit. Did I take pictures of the little hat recipients? Nope. Thanksgiving dinner was bedlam, with a huge room full of people all talking at once, kids running around, etc. My son did get texted a pic of the boy cousin wearing his hat, and a message from his mom saying to thank me again - he loved it so much he didn't want to take it off! Supergirl slept in hers, but truth be told, hers was a bit small. She has the family big ol' pumpkin head (we have to have room for our giant brains) and the kid-sized hat barely fit her. I'm making her another in the small adult size, in a lovely bright turquoise blue, and it's almost done. I'll pop it in the mail this week.

Her storybooks were a big hit, and it was so sweet to sit and read to her. After I read her two new books, she went to her room and pulled MORE books off the shelf, and insisted I keep reading. Reading to her was one of our favorite bonding times when I lived nearby. I don't think she could really remember that, but maybe she does.

The apple pie also was a big hit. It's a no-brainer easy recipe, especially if the Pillsbury Doughboy makes the crust. Again, my tweaks are as follows: Use Granny Smith apples. They add a little tart contrast to the sweetness of the topping. I used demerara sugar in place of regular brown sugar because I had it on hand, and it turned out so great it's now part of my standard tweaks to the recipe. Don't be too fussy about measuring the caramel and pecans, either. Don't drown it, but drizzle finely and thoroughly enough that every bite gets a hint of caramel. The pie held up pretty well despite being frozen and thawing on the backseat of my car on the drive up, and everybody raved about it. We had at least six pies and some gorgeous pumpkin rolls on the table, and the apple pie was the one that was demolished by the mob. I made four pies and got one tiny slice of ONE of them, so I think I'll have to make a couple more for Christmas.

Tomorrow is back to reality, and I'm actually ready. I'm rested and energized and decorating for Christmas like a madwoman. Photos to follow, I swear! In the meantime, here's evidence that the baby I left behind in Asheville is a baby no longer.