Martha, Martha, Martha!

Sigh. What is it about Martha that fills me with a double jolt of envy and self-loathing? I should be able to do all those amazing crafts she has in her magazine, I should have the staff and space she has to create! But alas, I do not, and frankly this magazine is not written for my personality type. (Organic Freedom) or frankly, Smart Freedoms either. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a great magazine. It’s just that without help or an ability to focus on the home exclusively without small children, I would venture to say that Organic Structures and Smart Structures don’t get much from her either.

Martha Stewart Living is mostly geared towards naturally crafty Funs and Classics. (Again, Funs and Classics who can focus on their home exclusively.) This isn’t to say I don’t get inspiration from Martha, or some good ideas that aren’t that difficult to do (spray mounting leaves to those unused glass vases sitting on top of my kitchen cabinets)  Regardless, I would only encourage Classics and Funs to get a subscription, but Thanksgiving and Christmas make me a bit of an overachiever, and so, Martha I do consult.

This year’s Thanksgiving issue does not disappoint. As you can see there are many many desert recipes to try. I have never tasted a better pumpkin pie than my mom’s so, I always use this recipe (you can see it here) and frankly I like my deserts full of sugar and fat. But, Martha has some low calorie options for sides that I think I might try. The secret? 2% greek yogurt. I can attest that greek yogurt has the consistency and texture of creme fraiche, so, um, YUM! I have often eaten it with honey or vanilla, and it is delish. So I will try at least one or two of her recipes this year — green beans and mashed potatoes. Hey, if the mashed potatoes don’t taste good, I can always dump in some butter last minute!

Okay, so that might not work for Classics, (no last minute changes!!) but she’s got her brined Turkey recipe that takes lots of planning, work, and one helluva big lobster pot. And whilst I thank her for the fact that I now actually owning a big lobster pot, the brined turkey was lacking in the deliciousness, especially considering all the hard work, and familiarity with a turkey that I’d rather not have.

But my favorite part of this month’s Martha is a project idea that I will think about for years and finally do when I’m retired. (I love that I used to have this idea that I would do such and such project when I was pregnant…yeah right!) But the perspiration needed to make the inspiration a reality can strike me at random times so who knows when this will get done. I just know that it will…one day. Oh, what is it? A great idea for a family tree using old photographs and a diamond pattern. It’s beautiful. There are lots of other ideas and templates for family trees just using names, but I zeroed in on the most difficult one. Regardless, this is the reason that I tend to hold onto Martha Stewart Living magazines when I get them.

Update!
I did the Thanksgiving spray mount leaves to candle holders with my 7 and 5 year old last night…here are the results. Took about a hour and half, maybe two. Girls had a lot of fun and while I gave them some direction and help, but by the end they were doing it by themselves. One on the left is mine, middle is the 7 year old, right is the 5.