yer mom

Heh.

the bones of her hands

I'm still reeling from the madness that was yesterday and the craziness that is today. I felt calm and at ease, though, despite the steady traffic that made its way into the downtown area. I am truly grateful. I took a break and did a bit of shopping at the farmers market, the small, temporary shop that the Collar City Clay Guild set up for the holiday season, and a craft fair, all within a two minute walk from my shop. Amazing. I bought some really great garlic and cheese bread at the market and a beautiful stoneware bowl from the Guild. Good stuff.

The holidays are indeed upon us and people are out shoppin'! In fact, it seems like our little push to encourage people to skip the big box stores and buy handmade (and local!) this holiday season is really paying off. I've had the chance to talk with some of the other business owners in the area today and we all share the same story: yesterday's sales were insane, and today's aren't too shabby either! Thank god! Even one of the local newspapers wrote about it today. This is wonderful news.

So after closing up shop, I decided to stop in to check out two new stores I had heard rave reviews about but never visited. If you live in the Troy area, you must visit The Spinning Seed! I finally made it there and the store is amazing! I met the owner a while back and knew that someone that charming must have an incredible shop to show off. I was right. You can buy eco-friendly products for your children, your pets, your friends, your kids, and most importantly, yourself! I saw many things there that I'd love to have, and there are a few items that I recognize from Etsy, too. The shop itself is so pretty and warm and I wandered through several times just taking everything in. Very sweet...I was so glad to hear that business has been good there because I really want this shop to stick around!

After leaving The Spinning Seed, I headed back onto River Street and into the antiques district to check out Vintage Chic Furniture. I'd be lying if I said I knew about this shop before reading about it on one of my new favorite blogs. I love the antiques district and I can spend hours upon hours poking around in the shops at that end of the street...any new stores there are welcome in my opinion. Anyway, this shop is so sweet and I think I left little trails of drool around all of the gorgeous furniture I could only wish for. So nice.

Anyway, I'll stop raving about Troy now because I feel like I'm doing an awful lot of that lately. I can't help it though...this city is really starting to pull itself back up after being down for so, so long and I'm honestly honored to be a part of it.

An open letter

Dear Customers of The Paper Sparrow,

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU from the very bottom of my heart for coming out and supporting the shop tonight. Sales rocked, and let's face it...you rock too! And I owe huge thanks to everyone who helped out and saved the day by lending a helping hand in every which way. I couldn't have done it without you.

I feel awful for talking badly about Black Friday now.

Love always,

Kate

All worn out with no place to go

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was pretty great, actually, though quite small compared to past Thanksgivings. Our huge family has grown even bigger over the last few years or so, so it was weird having such a small gathering. All three of the dishes I made for dinner were delicious, by the way, so if any of the recipes I linked to a few posts back sound good to you, I give them all two thumbs up for flavor and ease of preparation. That said, I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone already! So strange. I think we're all well aware that the older we get the faster time seems to whiz by. Everything is moving so fast and the idea of Christmas being less than a month away just boggles my mind. Yikes!

So of course tomorrow is Black Friday and that scares me a little. The Paper Sparrow is not my first venture into the sunny world of retail. I've worked my fair share of retail jobs, the most relevant being a position as a customer service representative in the world of undergarments. Yes, that's right, I used to sell bras and undies, and trust me, I've seen it all (gravity, she's a cruel mistress). The store was in a small mall where a major department store happened to be located and I've seen the evils and downright horrific conditions that Black Friday can bring about. Ugh. People are nasty. I've witnessed old ladies literally trampled by much younger "ladies" desperately trying to be the first in line for the early bird sales on (dare I say "ugly") Aigner handbags. Really bad. Makes me question humanity, to be totally honest. We, as a people, are certainly good at being consumers. Common courtesy, though, not our strong suit.

Anyway, now that I'm a business owner, I'm eager to see if this particular day of the year still gives me the willies the same way it always used to. I welcome the sales, and I really don't think I'll see the same viciousness in downtown Troy that I used to see at the mall. People are too broke these days, and I think there's a whole different mentality that comes with shopping outside of the mall. In any event, I'll be there all day. If you happen to be in the area, stop in! We're featuring work by THE David P. Geurin in the rear gallery, and since this is the last TNO for 2008, his work will be up and available for sale through mid January. So pop in and have a bite to eat (we're serving sweets this time around), some hot coffee, cider or wine, and of course there will be dip...none for sale this month, though...sorry. I wish I could show you how pretty the downtown area looks at night right now. They've strung tiny white Christmas lights in all of the trees and it's so subtle and yet so incredibly effulgent. If only all holiday decorations were this classy. Perhaps the person down the street with the enormous illuminated inflatable Santa on a Harley will find themselves in Troy tomorrow night and take notice. Or not.

Circles

food stuffs

So, can the average Joe find caraway seeds at an everyday grocery store?

I'm closing the shop early tomorrow in order to get to the market, buy what I need for Thanksgiving and Troy Night Out, and then get home to make the vittles. But I need caraway seeds. Think I'll be able to find them? If not I need to change my side dish lineup because I'd rather die than go market-hopping on the day before Thanksgiving.

What are you making for Thanksgiving this year?

This family takes the pot luck route and I couldn't be happier about it. Everyone pretty much makes the same stuff every year but I like to mix it up a bit and change things around. This year I'll be making the following:

Carrots and Parsnips with Caraway-Cider Glaze
I read about this in the November(?) issue of Country Home magazine and volunteered to make it this year for the family. If I can't find caraway seeds, I'll be making Barefoot Contessa's recipe for roasted carrots and parsnips.

Roasted Cauliflower
I'm not all that familiar with Dave Lieberman or his recipes but I gave this one a shot a few years ago and everyone LOVED it. I've been asked to bring it to every Thanksgiving dinner after that, so it's now a staple, I guess. Even the non-veggie people liked this, and that's saying something. It's more of a steamed cauliflower than roasted, though. Just thought I'd put that out there in case you have issues with mushy veg.

Rutabagas with Caramelized Onions
The only time a rutabaga enters my house is a day or two before Thanksgiving every year and I really don't know why. They're delicious, and so incredibly versatile and yet I never even think about them until Novemberish. My grandfather insists that I make rutabagas for him every year and only a few people eat them. I'll be making a small dish this year. We've done the mashed, we've done the casserole, we've considered the gratin. It's all about the roasting this year, kids.

Caramelized Onion Dip
Of-freaking-course, because I'm not allowed at any family function without this damn dip. You think I'm kidding? I'm not. This stuff makes people mean.

Anyway, I'm curious to hear what you're making. Anything especially daring?

And just because I feel like throwing you a totally random addition to this post, I give you this because, well, it'll bring you sweet dreams tonight. I guarantee it.

Only a complete dope would forget to record/watch the episode of Oprah that featured the business district she operates out of, right?

I guess I'm a dope.

Anyone know where I can catch a replay of the show? I'm so mad at myself right now.