White Elephant

If she doesn't like it, I'm blaming it on Yul Brynner-- You know the King of Siam. By "it" I mean the gift I sent to a fellow blogger as part of Margaret at Nanny Goats In Panties' White Elephant Gift Exchange. Do you know what a "White Elephant" is?

White Elephant

–noun

1.

a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of: Our Victorian bric-a-brac and furniture were white elephants. [This blogger's translation: junk]

2.

a possession entailing great expense out of proportion to its usefulness or value to the owner: When he bought the mansion he didn't know it was going to be such a white elephant.

3.

an abnormally whitish or pale elephant, usually found in Thailand; an albino elephant.

Origin: 1850-1855- from the perh. apocryphal tale that the King of Siam would award a disagreeable courtier a white elephant, the up keep of which which would ruin the courtier

I took my White Elephant gift selection seriously, wrapping the most tacky, useless, get-it-outta-my-house gift I could find. Afterall, it's supposed to be a gag gift, right?

But what if one man's trash is another man's treasure and the blogger I sent the gift too actually really, really likes it? Do I make light and say I misunderstood the rules of engagement? Or do I tell the truth-- That this Love Birds Soap Dish.....

....Has been passed around my family for years in our annual Holiday White Elephant Exchange.

Fortunately my Mom is a good sport because when she first purchased this gift for my Baby Sister about eight years ago, she sincerely thought it was the perfect gift for her. Sis had other ideas and wondered if perhaps she had been switched at birth because it was definitely not her taste, not ever. So Mom promptly suggested a White Elephant Exchange for the following year and the passing of the Love Birds began!

For the record, I've gotten stuck with this dish three times over the years, which just goes to show, if you aren't at the exchange in person you're going to get the junkiest of the junk.

When Margaret posted about the after-holidays exchange party I jumped at the opportunity to rid myself of "something inexpensive and hopefully hideous"... Like the Love Birds.

Truthfully, it's really not that bad, it's just so unpractacle for a soap dish-- Did you see all those nocks and crannies for soap gunk to build up in. Who wants to clean that? Not me, and apparently not anyone else in my family either.

So Paige at Some Days You Gotta Dance I hope you don't love the Love Birds but if you do, I hope you can take a joke. If not, it's all Yul Brynner's fault.

Thanks to Margaret for hosting this little ditty. Stop by and read about more White Elephant treasures at Nanny Goats In Panties.

What's the craziest gift you've received?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: The King And I

Sundays In My City #60 - Canned

Travel the world with

Unknown Mami's Sundays In My City

I have never been a "morning person", not as a child full of energy and certainly not as an adult living with cranky joints and sleepless nights. It takes a lot to get me to set the alarm for 6:45am on a Saturday morning but I'm so glad I did this week.

My godson's mom is an excellent cook-- I mean seriously good and outrageously generous with her wide variety of culinary skills. Our table is regularly graced with everything from her jams and marmalade to pies, tarts and cakes. On Wednesday night we had her homemade butternut squash-filled tortellini. It's the third time in a month she's shared her pasta making skills with us! (Yum.)

So when she invited me to attend a pickling/canning class at Hollywood's The Farmer's Kitchen I thought keeping her company was the least I could do even though, thanks to a hefty case of arthritis, canning, a skill I used to be proficient in and enjoyed quite a bit, is now history. My hands haven't been able to handle all the necessary chopping, slicing and dicing for years.

But this kitchen was different. Twelve women were in the class and everyone shared in the peeling and cutting so the work was spread out and fairly manageable.

What did we make????

Spicy Dilled Carrots, Red Onions in Balsamic

and Vietnamese-Style Parsnip and Daikon Pickles.

Yeah! I actually helped make these delicious, locally grown treats and I'm feeling really good about the sense of accomplishment.

But I didn't stop there. Oh no, no, no.! I went a little crazy....

Tomato Marinara Sauce, Corn Relish, Apple Sauce

and three kinds of grape jam.

Okay, true confession, I didn't actually make those myself but the chef of the class did and they are so wonderful I had to take a stash home. Since Chef only cans what's in season, I bought enough to last a while. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)

Trust me on this, they are pure heaven.

As for this Sunday... I'm sleeping in-- FOR SURE!

*******

My sweet friend and blogger extraordinaire, Holly of What Your Mother Knows But Won't Tell You had foot surgery this past week. She'll be missing in action for a little while through her recovery. Please stop by and show her some love.

*******

How's your Sunday?

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

For More Sundays In My City CLICK HERE.

Friday Fragments - Catch-up

Join Mrs. 4444 For Friday Fragments.

Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions on how to open my giant jar of Four Bean Salad, I've tried and tried, but.....

No beans yet. It's still not open.

Luckily, we're going to our monthly Pot Luck Dinner with the gang next week and all the guys are bringing their muscle and power tools to crack the jar open. I'm hoping it will still be edible once the mission is accomplished. Stay tuned.

*******

It was back to school for Godson this week after three very long weeks of winter vacation. Yes, three weeks! Los Angeles public school students spend so little time in classrooms it's not even funny. Grrrrr.

*******

Speaking of which, have you see the documentary Waiting For Superman about the state of public schools? I watched it yesterday and actually cried. It's pretty powerful. The trailer is below.

*******

It's a good thing I didn't make my usual "spend less" promise for a New Year's Resolution this year because I've been a bad girl. I got a new quilting sewing machine and I think I've purchased fabric from every cotton shop within a 50 mile radius of my house. Now I'm in quilt fabric overload and need to actually start sewing. Let the fun begin!

*******

I will be 53 years old in April and am happy to say I still do not color my hair-- mostly because I don't have that many grays yet. But-- That's because I clip, pluck and pull every gray hair I see on my head. Now, um, ahh, I really need to find a colorist soon because at the rate I'm going, I'll be bald before my next birthday.

*******

That's all I have. It's been a week of nearly getting over a bad cold, catching up on all the things I didn't do while I was sick and, frankly, obsessing over the Bean Salad. I'll be back soon.

Hope your weekend is grand.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Beans

Lately, friends have been asking what I've been up to. I haven't been out of the house much due to my monster cold and I haven't made my usual phone calls or written emails since that would require my missing in action energy. But once people hear my hacking cough they pretty much assume I'm down for the count in bed.

But that's not the case, or at least it's not entirely the case.

Between the usual doctor's visits and unpleasantness that go with being sick, I have been working very hard to accomplish one simple task that's turned into my number one priority every waking minute of the day since Christmas.

I want to open this huge, half gallon jar of our favorite Four Bean Salad....

It was a gift from my brother and sister-in-law for the holidays-- A gift that's actually produced in my hometown by a company owned by the Mayor. It's one of our very favorite treats and as crazy as it sounds-- it's comfort food for me.

But we can't open the jar to save our lives.

The lid will not budge. We've tapped it, run it under hot water, used the rubber gripper thing, held it upside down, stood on one foot, cursed, prayed and pried, but so far-- The jar, after 16 days of trying, is still not open.

I'm kind of a weakling but my husband is really strong and usually the jar opener in this household, but no luck. Same goes for the people I've asked to try to open the jar, who all also looked strong, not the least of which were:

The Postman,

A Garbage truck driver

Three gardeners

One UPS guy

The FedEx woman

Two next door neighbors

The nanny who works across the street

The guy my husband plays tennis with

My BFF

Godson

Both daughters and a son-in-law

Four dinner guests

And my Rheumatologist (Yes! I actually took the jar to the doctor's office with me-- I'm that desperate!)

So I ask you dear Blog Friends-- What's the trick to opening a stubborn jar of Four Bean Salad? All advice, suggestions and secret tricks welcome.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Cha-Cha-Change

I started the new year with high hopes and the anticipation of great change. I was bound and determined that 2011 was going to be different from the seemingly endless stream of trials and tribulations of the past. No resolutions were made, but I had a confident knowledge that, one way or the other, things were going to change-- for the better, around these parts.

But in the short six days we've called 2011, so far things have not worked out as planned. For starters the whole "be healthier" thing does not match the monster cold I've been battling since New Year's day.

My puffy eyes, red nose and unpleasant disposition, along with the use of at least nine boxes of Kleenex, have not made me a happy camper. I'm pretty sure that will be evident to the plumber who is scheduled to arrive sometime today between 8am and wheneverthehellhefeelslikegettinghere-- Because, after spending an ungodly amount of money on sewer and plumbing repairs in 2010, two toilets are backed up... into the bathtub.

@#$%^!

I was hoping for change a little more along the lines of spending less/enjoying more, quality time vs long work weeks for my husband, living in the moment not cursing the moment I heard the toilet girgling-- you know, things that would change our overall quality of life... for the better.

In all honestly, I was really, really ready a fresh start and a better attitude after a year that felt like one up hill battle after another. With great excitement and positive energy, I watched on television as the ball dropped in New York's Time Square. A relief washed over me as I saw people from around the world gather to celebrate the start of a new decade; and I thanked the lord for giving me the good sense never to be part of a mass crowd of over one million crazy, drunk people on New Year's Eve wearing really bad hats in 40 degree weather.

I felt renewed.

But alas, now, as I sit watching the clock tick away and the list of out-of-the-house errands I need to run grows, I'm guessing, at least for today, I need to reset my expectations and look forward to a fresh start to the new year.... beginning tomorrow, or the next day. Because one way or the other, change is coming.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit: © SSilver - Fotolia.com

Sundays In My City #59 - Year 2011

See the world with Unknown Mami.

New Year's day-- Did you enjoy yours?

Here in Southern California, the weather gods cut us a break, dried up the record breaking rains, blew around a bunch of wildly strong winds, coaxed the sun to shine, and presented us with one of these days....

The view from our back yard.

....Saturday was a day that screamed "Gorgeous!" with clear skies as far as the eye could see-- An ideal day for the televised Pasadena Rose Parade to be seen cross country by snowbirds freezing in the Midwest and East Coast-- A picture perfect day so inviting that the Chamber of Commerce was proud and real estate agents started rolling out the red carpet for everyone who saw our snow-capped mountains and lush greenery on TV and longed to enjoy its beauty in person. Yep, we had one of those New Year's days and it was glorious.

Happy New Year and a million thanks to all my blog friends far and wide. You continuously inspire me.

May your 2011 be glorious too!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

For more Sundays In My City, CLICK HERE.