Awards Show Continued

Here are a few of my favorites for 2007 that didn't warrant their own separate posts:

• Favorite New Recipe--I discovered the recipe for Beef Carnitas in Cooking Light this year. It was published last year but I didn't make it until this year, so I'm counting it. It is definitely my favorite new recipe of the year. I actually make it as written, which is unusual for me. The only modification that I make is to double it so that I can (hopefully) stretch it into two or three meals. But the meat is so good that it doesn't last long! Given that I try at least a couple of new recipes every week, this is a significant award.
  
• Favorite Kitchen Tool--This would have to be my Cutco Santoku knife. It makes chopping, dicing, and slicing a dream.
• Favorite Blog Post (somebody else's)--although this was hard to choose, my favorite has got to be Debbie's Got Milk? post. I could not stop laughing, and even now, remembering, I chuckle. I can't wait for her book to come out.
  
• Favorite Reality Show-- Although we really enjoyed Dancing with the Stars and were inspired by The Biggest Loser, my favorite reality show remains The Amazing Race. (Which, painfully, we had to miss this last weekend because our satellite was out after the wind storms, as was our TiVo.)
• Favorite Comedy--Hands down, the award goes to The Office. I just laugh out loud every week at Michael, Dwight, and the gang. Curse the writers' strike! I guess I'll just have to be happy watching webisodes for a while.
  
• Favorite Drama--We've got a two way tie here for Lost (can't wait for January 31st) and Heroes.
  
• Favorite Technological Toy--As much as I love my cell phone and new Zen, now that you see how much TV we watch, this award must go to our TiVo. We couldn't do it without you, little box!
• Favorite Children's Book-- This is hard for me because I love so many of them. A couple of new board books that I got for Bronwen this year have been wonderful, both for their beautiful illustrations and their lilting text. They are Mommies Say Shhh by Patricia Polacco (one of my favorite children's authors) and Goodnight Goodnight Sleepyhead by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Jane Dyer.
• Favorite New Thing in My House (baby not included)--is still definitely this. With this being a close second. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so this was a no-brainer.
• Best Thing To Happen To Me in 2007--Besides having a daughter and having my sister move near by, I think that the best thing that happened to me is that I really fell in love with mothering and came to terms with the mother that I am, even though she's not perfect. After seven plus years of beating myself up over my faults (which are too many to be named) and worrying about the years of therapy my children will probably (read: definitely) require later, I have really felt a sense of peace that if I am trying my best and seeking the Lord's help and counsel, that it will be enough. Not perfect, but enough. After all, plenty of people turned out well even though their parents were just doing the best they could, right?

So there you have it, folks. Now you know some of the things that made me smile this past year. I still want to dedicate a post to my pick for Woman of the Year--maybe tomorrow. I've got laundry to fold!