ah yes. where was i?

hello friends -- am back! after many travels. hope all of you u.s. readers enjoyed your thanksgiving holidays -- i headed straight for my sister's, now that she is respectably married, and "helped" in the kitchen. by staying out of it, that is. she made pies from scratch. mmm.

and, since she's not a reader, i can tell you all i managed to scrape up enough to get the artisan stand mixer i wanted to get them for the wedding but couldn't swing at the time. hooray! wrapped for xmas and in her guest-bedroom even now. yuppie registries, unite! here's to many more delicious thanksgivings to come.

i could tell a number of heart-warming holiday tales -- interventions, 4 a.m. mall outings, etc. -- but will skip it and head for the goods, which is why you're here. right!

my sincerest thanks for everyone's well-wishes and patience while i took time off. here's my sister in her element: