Can I just say that I LOVE that it's almost Christmas? I'm SO excited that my two favorite sisters ;-) are coming for a "sisters Christmas" that we've only been talking about for years. We have tanning to do, Christmas gifts to finish, lots of movies and popcorn and games, and unbeknownst to them, lots of baking and cooking. :) Well, I'm a little neurotic, so I don't actually expect a ton of help with the baking and cooking, I'm sure I'll do that all myself, but that's going to keep me, at any rate, pretty busy. Oh yeah, and I'm hoping for a short road trip to the nearest Sonic in Binghamton.

And you know what's even better? They're going to be here for my birthday! I'm already planning a shopping trip to Syracuse to eat at one of my favorite restaraunts (Chilis!) and spend some birthday money (Barnes and Noble!).

And, as silly as this is... what I look forward to most? Stuffing their stockings.

Condoleeza Rice @ Hamilton College

So last week I got the opportunity to see Condoleeza Rice speak at Hamilton College and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm sure there are alot of people that don't agree with her, but after hearing her speak, I don't think anyone could NOT enjoy her company! So graceful, well-spoken, a little witty, very wise, and really down to earth. The type of person you could find yourself in line next to at a store and not even know it.

I think - without even knowing it - I assumed since she served under George W. Bush that we would hear from someone who is decidedly conservative and Republican. While there is no doubt that she is on the right for foreign policy, I sensed something decidedly moderate (maybe even liberal??) about her views on immigration, human rights overseas, and the emphasis she puts on women's rights. These were the things you would expect out of a former political dignitary, but what I was pleasantly surprised how she viewed democracy, our founding fathers, and civil rights.

DEMOCRACY/FOUNDING FATHERS:
"Democracy is still the way to go". She reminded us that it took us nearly 200 years to provide voting rights to all people in the US, so we should not be so discouraged that democracy is loved and approved and equal to all the people living in Iraq and Afghanistan. (And to no surprise, she said that she was much more on the side of Hamilton than Jefferson! I knew I'd love this woman! Just an aside, as someone who read an amazing biography on Hamilton, while never president, that man had the incredible insight to understand what needed to happening in banking, finance, and economics that WAY preceded his time. We follow much today what he originally recommended.) I admit, while I'm more in the center with these issues, and I had never thought of it quite that way. In regards to the foreign policy decisions around these two issues, she appears to not regret the original intentions - to seek out the terrorists that attacked our nation and to remove a "homicidal pyschotic maniac" (she said something to that effect) in Iraq. She staunchly defended the invasion of Iraq, and stated that democracy was the secondary goal.
Interestingly enough - on the same topic of Iraq and consequently, the U.N. - she listed all the violations Sadaam had committed in conflict to the U.N., and the attrocities committed against people living in his own nation. But what makes this fact intriguing is when you combine it with this factoid: the same situation was taking place in the Yugoslavia region - lots of violations, no action - and we decided to go in anyway WITHOUT prior approval. And, that our conflicts that we've had in the last 50-60 years, have not been officially "approved" by the Security Council. Interesting, eh?

CIVIL RIGHTS:
She told some amazing stories about why she is republican (that's who would let her grandfather vote in pre-Civil Rights days in Birmingham, Alabama!) why she's Presbyterian, and how her family rose out of the ashes during the 1930s sharecropper days and into successful and educated people. (Neat fact: not the first woman to be so successful in her family! Her aunt is actually a professor - think about that for a minute. Condoleeza is 50-ish, so her aunt is 70-ish, so that puts her at accomplishing a great educational feat 40+ years ago... that's the 1960s!) She explained a connection between being a victim and entitlement. In her words, her family decided not to be victims of Jim Crow laws, but use that to push them further. That education was their ticket away from these travesties, and rose above it. She says it is allowing oneself to become a victim, that it directly leads to a sense of entitlement... I have been _____, therefore I deserve _______. It's very true... never thought it quite like that.

Her accomplishment most proud of: the amazing strides made in the Middle East.
Her greatest regret: that nothing has done to repair Sudan, and that genocide shamefully still takes place in Africa.

So, for anyone that attended it, please correct my facts or add your comments. I'm doing this all from memory for something I attended over a week ago :)

Last few weeks...

The last few weeks have been jammed packed with sickness, travels, visiting with Gandy and Mimi, and catching up on emails/volunteer work after all that business was done!

Here's a few snippets on how GREAT Anna had it with Mimi...

Tent time (above)

Exploring outside, collecting leaves!

AND she got her first Happy Meal and trip to the PlayPlace!

Gift wrap services!

This year I'm going to offer my gift-wrapping services for the Holidays. I LOVE wrapping presents, and am anal-retentive about it... and would wrap every person's presents if I could!

WITH MY BOXES:
Shirt Size: $2.50
Jumbo Size (approx 2'x1'): $5.00
Robe Size: $3.50
Lingerie Size: $2.00
Square Size (8"x8"x8"): $4.00

WITH YOUR OWN BOXES/NOT REQUIRING BOXING:
Shirt Size: $1.50
Jumbo Size: $3.00
Robe Size: $2.00
Lingerie Size: $1.00
Square Size (approx 8"x8"x8"): $2.00

Items larger than 2'x2' cannot be provided a box; prices start at $3.00, and are subject to change.

If you do or do NOT want a specific theme (religious, Santa, juvenile, etc.) please note that.

Looking forward to helping you all out! Send me a message, email me at scmacri@yahoo.com, or catch me at the Facebook page.

"Elmo" and other things...

I made buttermilk biscuits today, and FINALLY got it! Well, I had the recipe down the last time I made it, but made them as drop biscuits. Up until today, I've always had a hard time getting the dough workable without adding way too much flour (and consequently overly dry biscuits). Well, a couple of weeks ago, I had a revelation while cooking another food, that I should just pat out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper (NOT adding any additional flour), then cut the circles. Well, I tried that method today and it worked like a charm! Not only that, but instead of spacing them out an inch a part on the cookie sheet, I smooshed them in. I'm convinced it helped them from drying out. These biscuits were divine. I made a batch of 10 and I think we have 3 left :) I took pictures, I was so proud. Maybe I'll upload them tomorrow.

Anna adores the Muppets, we learned tonight. We knew she loved her Sesame Street books and Tickle-Me-Elmo (thank you to my coworkers for the recycling on old toys/books!), but this was new. She calls them all Elmo (we've gotten her to say "ermy" a few times for Kermy) and it's adorable. Tonight we showed her the original "Muppet Show", Season 1, and she laughed out loud just watching the intro song! She especially loves Fozzie. And Animal.

Cooking and chili...

I've been on a kick recently on refining my cooking skills (for those of who track my FB wall posts see that I've been trying LOTS of new things as late!). I suppose part of my inspiration comes from recently watching movies like "Julie and Julia" and "No Reservation", but I'd like to think I would've done it on my own regardless.

Tonight I made chicken chili using actual chipotle chilis (among many other tasty ingredients!) thanks to Martha Stewart Living, October 2010 issue. It was way more intense than I originally though, and does need some tweaking. For my own notes, I am reminding myself now to not use a jalapeno with the tomatoes (the chipotles were spicy enough!), and in order to "soak" up some of the excess liquid and cool it off some, throw in some rice in.

At any rate, Lance and I ate all our chili, Anna did not (too spicy!), and I think with these changes, we will really enjoy it. I topped it off with a cornbread muffin (from scratch! go me!) and 1/3 c cheese.

Tomorrow's agenda: buttermilk biscuits (gotta use up all that buttermilk before it goes bad!), a lemon cake for the leadership meeting on Saturday, going to make nachos with the leftover chili, and probably another dessert of some sort... (I'm thnking these coconut/cereal/chocolate bars?).

Going to try this again.

So since my mom is officially off facebook, I am going to attempt to start using blogspot again to keep up with what is going on the Macri house.

Today, I have less to talk about what is "happening" and more on just general ramblings on John Adams.

First of all, I love reading biographies about the founding fathers. I read an excellent one on Alexander Hamilton while I was pregnant with Anna, before I knew it was a girl, and was nearly convinced that if we had a boy it was definitely going to be Alexander Hamilton Macri. (Totally nerdy, I know.)

At any rate, I am re-watching the HBO mini-series on John Adams, and am remembering now why I say Lance is the reincarnation of John Adams, and I have a hint of Abigail in me as well. Their relationship is very similar to ours in that our conversations and understanding is largely based on philosophical points, opinions on politics, what Christianity should and shouldn't be, etc. So that's the start (and probably how I even got to thinking about us in relation to John and Abigail Adams).

So that all explained, this is a part of a conversation Abigail and John have in Part II of the mini-series that could've been a discussion we've had, but with a different subject matter:

"John: Oh if you had seen them, Abigail. An army of plain country boys, with no experience of professional soldiering. But their faces shining like the sun through a church window. Oh we must support them with guns, and leadership, and faith in what they do.

Abigail: Say that, John. Say that to the Congress.

John: If I have to stand and rail until my voice breaks and my legs collapse beneath me- this time Congress will act.

Abigail: Men need to think that they have made their own decisions, not had them forced upon them.

John: I have not the time to coddle like a young girl courting a beau, Abigail. To sit in Philadelphia, listening to men talking to hear themselves talk, resolving nothing; to subject myself to that again, I cannot. I cannot."

Needless to say, he goes anyway, grumbling about the verbosity and arrogance of his fellow Congressmen. And later, there is an excellent speech John Adams gives in Part II of the mini-series that I can even HEAR coming out of Lance's mouth:

"It is one thing to turn the other cheek, but to lie down in the ground like a snake and crawl to the seat of power in abject surrender, well, that is quite another thing, sir. And I have no stomach for it."

I know none of these things mean much to those of you who are unaware of some of the politicking that goes on in our lives, but know that we have felt and had similar conversations just in the same way John Adams has.

Maybe now our first son will be named John Adams Macri.