Thirteen Desserts Thursday @ TDD - C&C

[trissie]

Triple Dog Dare!

Pick 3 things
Do them
Post your TaDas!

»»—-Cheers! WTG! Ygg!—-««

Don't think about it. Just do it!
~~ I Triple Dog Dare ya! ~~
Good Morning!
»»————　✼　————««[*]

[trissie]

The thirteen desserts (Occitan: lei tretze dessèrts) are the traditional dessert foods used to celebrate Christmas in the French region of Provence. The "big supper" (le gros souper) ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. The desserts always number thirteen but the exact items vary by local or familial tradition. The food traditionally is set out Christmas Eve and remains on the table three days until December 27.

Dried fruit and nuts
The first four of these are known as the "four beggars" (les quatre mendiants), representing the four mendicant monastic orders: Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians and Carmelites.
Raisins (Dominicans)
Walnuts or hazelnuts (Augustinians)
Dried figs (Franciscans)
Almonds (Carmelites)
Dates, representing the foods of the region where Christ lived and died
Dried plums from Brignoles

Fresh fruit
Apples
Pears
Oranges
Winter melon
Grapes
Tangerines

Sweets
Biscotins (biscuits) from Aix;
Calissons d'Aix, a marzipan-like candy made from almond paste and candied melon.
Candied citron
Casse-dents of Allauch (biscuit)
Cumin and fennel seed biscuits
Fried bugnes
Fruit tourtes
Oreillettes, light thin waffles
Pain d'epices
Pompes à l'huile or fougasse à l'huile d'olive, a sweet cake or brioche made with orange flower water and olive oil
Quince cheese/quince paste (Pâte de coing)
Yule log
Two kinds of nougat, symbolizing good and evil
Black nougat with honey (Nougat noir au miel), a hard candy made with honey and almonds
White nougat (Nougat blanc), a soft candy made with sugar, eggs, pistachios, honey, and almonds

[Kittykatt]

Good morning Trissie and thank you for starting us off.Id never heard of Thirteen desserts before, and I did enjoy reading about all the symbolism.

(((Laura))) Big changes like that are never easy, bit you know your DMum will be safe and well looked after. And, of course, your DDad will be able to visit her in both the hospital and the care home. May I share something that DF CW ( who is a comma matron) said to DNeighbour P when his wife had to go into a care home? Basically, it was that he would "stop being her carer, and would now be able to be her husband once again,"

Dogged, I'm glad you enjoy the concert

Bama, I hope you've had a better night's sleep this time!

Today is church, followed by coffee, and then I should have a free afternoon. DH is WFH, and my plans are to cot the Girls' nails, may e so some more wrapping and some more admin work that really needs to be done before Christmas! If it's dry, I would like to hand deliver those cards, but if it rains I'll move that to tomorrow.

[Kittykatt]

Thursday short list:
DH WFH
10.30 am church followed by coffee and chat
Hoover car first thing? ( Weather permitting!)
Bring blue crates up from garage
Cut the Girls' nails, brush, flea control
Wrap some more presents?
Write card for S and T
Deliver those cards if fine
6-7 pm Waitrose delivery
PA groceries
Kitties supper
Our supper
Laxapet -Matilda
Early to bed!

[Gma]

trissie, you always come up with such interesting topics! I melt butter instead of using oil when making the box mix, and I use orange juice instead of water, which adds extra flavor. It's a muffin mix, and teh muffins are just fine without adding anything when they are baked, so I hope the same is true for the loaf. One could put orange marmalade on a slice if one wanted to, but I think they are OK just plain. Or with butter. Or cream cheese.

laurlind, Going to a care center will be a relief for your dad, and in someways for you and your family too. However, there is still caregiving, in visiting, taking her out as possible, and most definitely advocating that needs to be done. Most care centers are minimally staffed so it is important to see to it that her needs are met. I'm happy that you will be able to go away with confidence that your mother is being cared for, and some stress is reduced for your father.

I had a very productive day on Wednesday, including cleaning Mother's kitchen because I worked in it enough to really make a mess!
And have written my list for Thursday on a piece of paper so I will know what to do when I wake up in the morning.

Now it's raining and windy here - at least I don't have to shovel it! but it kind of makes things messy. I hope the temp stays above freezing long enough for it to soak into the ground, and not make a hseet of ice on everything.

[helia]

What an interesting dessert, trissie! I'd never heard of this tradition before now. Hope life is not too crazy for you. WFH tomorrow?
I think using butter instead of oil with baking mixes makes them richer and yummier, Gma. I do that too unless I'm cooking for a dairy-free person. WTG on cleaning the kitchen. We're getting rain today. I too am hoping surfaces don't turn into massive sheets of ice.
Kitty, I don't think I've ever seen a short list from you! I hope church and coffee were encouraging.
Lauralind, others have said it. This could be a very helpful thing for both your parents! Once adjustments have been made, all can feel confident that your mom is being taken care of.

I'm otd in about 5 minutes to take the car to the tire place. I'll just walk home; it's about a mile and it's above freezing already.

Today: It's nice to have a day that isn't as scheduled as the last few days have been. I've had so many extras thrown in the last 2 weeks - more tomorrow. Back to today's schedule I am bringing the car in at 8 and then I have my work out with AS at 2. I'll need to pick up my car later - another walk. I'm also going to look into visiting CG at the hospital. (Dh left his car here when he went to the airport exactly so I could do this.) Other things to do: Memorial thank yous, order dh's gift, get RH's room + bathroom ready, a quick trip to WF, get the practice exam made. Dh comes home tonight.

BBL with lists.

Next:
- drop off car at tire place
- walk home
- some qt

TaDas!
- up; weighed self
- coffee
- email deletions + weather website: high of 52F, rain arriving around 5/6 pm

[L.Ann]

Morning all! I am glad your DMom will get the care she needs, Laura. Those transition decisions can be tricky.

1-walk outside
2-work on lists if time
3-Little Bits program

4-take DD32 to center
5-groceries, Halmark?..

Menus
Thursday-chicken burrito bowls
Friday-Sunday away for weekend
Monday-Southwest shrimp tacos
Tuesday-Mexican chicken and rice bowls
Wednesday-family dinner @DD39’s
Thursday-leftover brunch food
Friday-one pot kidney bean and pepper soup
Saturday-black bean burgers
Sunday-Cajun tilapia and roasted veggies


Events
Thursday-Little Bit’s program 9:30
Friday-Sunday away for weekend, Little Bit all day on Friday
Monday-
Tuesday-
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-
Saturday-
Sunday-

Weekly House Blessing-mop dining room, kitchen, bathroom, dust, windex, vacuum, swish and swipe, dust
Extra stuff-

Accomplishments
-stretching and knee exercises
-breakfast for dog and me
-dress and pick up bedroom
-meds and temp for DD32
-reboot laundry
-fold laundry
-reschedule radiology appointment since surgeon wanted it later
-trash

[helia]

How's the weather where you are, L Ann? Good for walking outside?

Main Goals for Today
1. Get car tire checked - drop off car - pick up car
2. Work out with AS 2-3
3. Visit CG? (She's very private so only if she responds to my text.)
4. RH's room ready
5. RH's bathroom ready
6. payroll: make the practice exam (HW for Monday)
7. payroll: prep for AAS D12 (coffee with a friend tomorrow a.m. means I won't have much time to prep tomorrow)
8. Memorial thank yous progress
9. More small things for J12yo's shoe
10. Order dh's gift

Next:
- some qt
- back exercises
- s2s and self care

TaDas!
- up; weighed self
- coffee
- email deletions + weather website: high of 52F, rain arriving around 5/6 pm
- texted CG - would a visit be welcome?
- dropped off car
- walked home

[Lauralind]

Morning all. Thanks for the well wishes and comments. It's interesting how life changes and goes round. It's comforting to have watched just about every one of you ladies going through the same putting mom in care somewhere. Almost all of us are on the same stage. And you all are wonderful role models advocating.

Our community is small. And with the baby boomers and such it seems we have no where near enough options for senior housing. We have 2 small homes for independent living. One where there is a little more care. And then the nursing home. Which is full up with what seems a 2 year waiting list. All of them are. Mon is going to the nursing home day center which they continue. But going to stay in the hospital. For now. Even there it is full. I think someone passed away to make room. That's the in between when it isn't possible to wait at home. Caregiver burnout. My sister and I are wondering now if we should have done more but I think we have to chase that guilt away. I don't see given the way it worked how we could have.

We will learn a lot more when we get there about how it works. Dad is still her authority but they will use is girls advocate as well. As for taking her out I think we can? Will it help ? She is so completely dependent now. But then i look at gma.

I just have to figure out my morning now. By the looks of it ds is getting better . But because he slept so long yesterday I don't know if he stayed up later than he should have. There are 2 probably not super productive days at school left... my sister will go to dad's at 9. I could meet at the hospital... depends if I take ds to school I will barely be at work. I don't want to work late shift.. or do I call sick day... forget it... hmmmm. Depends a lot on ds. Depends how emotional I am after... I have a gazillion things to do.

I don't actually but that many gifts doggedly. Mostly the kids but they are couples now. And ds 16. Usually a nice bigger gift and some small stuff. But still it's always last minute deciding what.

I better get on with the day.

[Harriet]

Good morning, Daring Folks of Fun and Games.

I knew nothing, NOTHING of the above interest in dessert foods. Will have to tell my children. I wonder if there has been a traditional teasing that someone in the family ate too much of the naughty nougat one year and not enough of the good one. Makes one look at our fruitcakes differently.

Here, one of the last greeting cards went out the door to mail, and HRH is launched on appts and errands of his day.

Final gift-wrapping decisions still loom and may continue - he is bringing home some dollars for a couple children to whom we give, who were harder shopping. My niece's dfather (my scattered dbil) was just not dependable in getting us her correct sizes or hopes. Sigh. She is sixteen, though, so money is a vibrant choice, lol.