Holiday Updates & Post Thanksgiving

 I know that the time just keeps ticking by & my blogging just seems to go by the way side...but I promise I am keeping busy.  So busy in fact that it seems I rarely sleep & Jeff tells me I now have a sleep disorder...I like to call it productive, the word 'disorder' really bothers me & I am getting so much accomplished.  The Holiday Open House is one week from today.....Saturday December 1... in my newly renovated 1850's blacksmith shop.  It has turned out absolutely darling...better than my wildest dreams could ever imagine.  Here I am out front in a photo snapped on Thanksgiving...now mind you...I am sleep deprived...& the sun is in my eyes...& I didn't know we were doing this...but you can tell this barn is going to be really fun!  We are calling it Ellington's Mercantile & it will house 'Girlfriends on the Farm'....hopefully a monthly sale....calling all girlfriends to bring their wares to sell in a cooperative sale.  It has been a long process...one I never dreamed would take so long...but it has come together...& there is more to come...a much larger room is starting soon!  What with our salvage business & Lincoln's dreams of one day opening a tandem bike business our little brains are always going around here...& don't forget we already have Ellington's Stables...bringing you the finest boarding & pony parties around.  So things are never dull around here.

My brother in law Andrew is my best friend Chrissy's brother.  He married my sister Jill...so we have a GREAT life with the best of both worlds.  This year however, we all didn't get to spend Thanksgiving together which was SMALL.  But tradition is tradition.  We started a noodle cook off a couple of years ago...why I have no idea.  We use the exact same recipe.  Andrew gave it to me...it is their families recipe.  I loved their noodles growing up as a kid.  When he married my sister he made noodles with Lindsey & she loved making the noodles & now I love making the noodles.  He taught me how to make the noodles...now we have a cook off.  I bought the exact same vintage cast aluminum 'noodle' pan that Andrew had...because that is what 'Dorothy' made her noodles in....it is a roaster for goodness sake....but we make noodles in it!!!  We ALL call it the noodle pan.  It will be the noodle pan x2 until the day 2 families ALL die.  I don't think Andrew makes anything else in his pan except noodles & I don't either....because it is the noodle pan & when I saw it at the Antique Mall I squealed with delight because there was a noodle pan!  Andrew told me this year he has been making noodles since he was 8 years old....so he has quite a bit more experience on me.  He also graduated from Sullivan's Culinary School & is a Chef if that tells you anything.  So....I'm feeling pretty good right now when I tell you....

So you can imaging how truly humbling this is to me...even though it was my own family...but it was a pretty even playing field.  My family of 4....his family of 4....our parents....& our mother didn't vote.....because apparently she doesn't understand 'noodles'....whatever that means.  But we tied!  And I won on color...which is the pretty category....which is the category I would want to win in...because I am all about the presentation.  So all in all it was a great Thanksgiving.  And I am really excited about the Open House.  I hope you all have a great & productive day.  Blessings.