Wii Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Despite my worries about not getting all of my Christmas knitting projects done in time, I finished with plenty of time to dawdle....before quickly (but reluctantly) sewing the zipper into my Grandmother's vest on Christmas Eve. I had the day off, so I did some of my favorite things like clean the house, go out to lunch with an old friend, do some baking (mmmm coffee cake for Christmas morning!) and finish knitting and sewing while the coffee cake baked. Not a minute too soon, I set down the vest and Dennis came home for work, ready to head to my family's house for Christmas Eve celebrating.

This year was a bit different. My dad had to work until 11pm, and Dennis's parents are in MA now, so we improvised. And by improvised, I mean we had a Wii sports tournament and finger foods at my parents' house! Dennis made delicious asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon, and we made pigs-in-a-blanket together, and my dad's best friend, Mike, brought his Death by Chocolate - we beg him for it every year.

Wii was fun, even Grammy got into it! It was a riot. After a drink or two, the usually quiet and conservative Mike even started trash-talking my sister!


Christmas day was full of fun and generosity. My stocking was filled with yarn, and under the tree were needles and books (guess what my apartment is filled to the brim with!). My family also all chipped in for a new iPod Nano for me (probably so I mind my own business, and leave them alone)....and Santa also brought me a nice warm down comforter that I have been asking for for years! My knitted gifts were well received. My sister proudly wore her new slippers, and even toted them with her to wear at family's house. Mom loved her socks, and Gram was gushing about the vest. I have been worried since I was about 30% into it that it would be too small, but it fits p.e.r.f.e.c.t!

From my sister Emily, I received a small label maker. I can't wait to use that thing! My goal for this week of vacation is to clean and organize the basement! Now that Christmas is over, I want to start 2009 with a new and organized beginning!

Shipping up to Boston

Dennis and I spent our Sunday in a most delightful, leisurely way. We slept in late, and then drove through the Northeaster CT countryside to a small goat farm. They serve breakfast and lunch in a small rustic dining room that is seemingly attached to their house, which is attached to the barn. We had homemade feta omelets and canadian bacon and watched the snow come down in fluffy flakes outside.

We then headed up to Boston, for what was supposed to be a Free State Project get-together to walk the Freedom Trail. We waited for an hour in the commons, but nobody showed (later, when we got home, we saw a post online canceling the event. It had been posted after we left the house.)

While we were waiting for the group, though, we got to see the city's sights. Right across the street, there was apparently a fire (though I didn't see any smoke or flames), and we got to see fire engines (yah, like I need to see any more of those!) and a firefighter climb a big ladder.





And these little sparrows all lined up on the fence, eyeing a french fry made me giggle.


It didn't work out as we had planned, but it was still fun to spend the day together anyway. We don't get to do that too much anymore!

New England Thanksgiving

This week was a crazy one. Our holiday festivities started with with visiting Dennis's aunts. They were all gathered in Oxford, MA to visit with his Auntie Jeannie who was down from Presque Isle, ME. We also got to visit with Dennis's dad (Walter) and Dennis's brother (Will) - who had a new car to show off! He is super proud - and I did the honors of taking pics of him in the driver's seat! It is all very exciting!


Wednesday night brought cooking and baking. Dennis got my mom's family's traditional meat stuffing recipe, and he was excited to try it. It smelled like a massacre in our house while he was making it, as it contains beef, pork and turkey.


I baked a pumkpin cheesecake. I don't have any pics, but it came out good - I swear! The fact that there is none left to photograph is a testament to that!

Thursday brought noonish dinner with my family, and naps by the fireplace. Some time in the late afternoon we headed northeast to Marshfield, MA to stay the night with Dennis's parents (and eat some of his dad's delicious cooking). This morning, Dennis and his dad headed out to LaZBoy to find a recliner (Walter is retired now, a LaZBoy is required equipment!), and I headed out to the LYS to check it out. I'm glad I found it, just in case there are any emergencies while visiting (ha!). I also savored the beautiful drive by myself. It was nice to get out and do something that I enjoy and see the local sights. Marshfield, and the surrounding towns, are filled to the brim with small horse farms, restored colonial homes and lovely wooded neighborhoods. On recent trips we haven't ventured anywhere else besides the grocery store, so it was nice to see some of the other scenes. Especially pertinent were the cranberry bogs near the end of their street. It made me immediately reflect on old traditional New England recipes, and the cranberry sauce that Dennis made and canned last year, and we enjoyed this year again.

Now that Walter has his chair picked out, we were given their old chair and ottoman. It is a futon chair (unfolds out into a single bed). I have loved it ever since they got it last year...and it is now my next big project! I am itching to break out my sewing machine and sew a cover that matches our living room! I have about a week and a half of this semester left...and then it will be time to craft!

Santa's Workshop

As evidenced by my beautiful Christmas cactus, Christmas is coming! I'm quite thrilled with (and proud of) its flowers this year. It is the best bloom since I've had it. Interestingly, the side of the plant that has the most blooms is the side that was facing the window. I am not sure if this is because of the Easterly sunshine, or because that side was more exposed to the chilly late-October nights. It is the chilliness that makes the cactus bloom. Either way, I turned that side toward the living room so we could enjoy its beauty.




For the past couple of months, I have been working on Christmas presents. I am almost done with my mom's toe-up socks, and my grandmother's Quilted Diamond Vest. But this morning, as I sat and listed to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and APHC, I finished my mother-in-law's slippers. I embellished one with a flower - and will do the same for the second one!


This Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be tricky ones. Dennis's family now lives just south of Boston. Last year, on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, we stayed at their house until late in the night, just visiting and watching Christmas movies, because they only lived 10 m inutes away. This year will require a little bit more logistical planning. It's just a blessing that they didn't move farther away! Our friends all have their own families, and my dad has to work on Christmas Eve. It may be a Christmas of new traditions...

As my semester draws to a close, I am trying to draw on the peacefulness and excitement that the holidays always bring me. There's a few more hard weeks of paper-writing and cantankerous professors. But at the end, there will be pumpkin cheese cake and Christmas cookies, trees and garland, and the Christmas lights that I love so much.

I started Christmas shopping this week (eeek!), and am planning on making as much as I can. Its going to be a simple Christmas. Back to Santa's workshop to hopefully finish my projects in time!

Wedding Bells are Ringing!

Yesterday was such a fun day. Dennis's best friend, and lead singer of their band, got married to his partner Danielle. It was also their son Blake's first birthday (which I knit Blake's Birthday Bloomers for). It was a laid-back affair, but it was nice. Dennis started cooking at noon on Friday, and didn't stop until about 2pm yesterday afternoon (with a little break for sleep on Fri night). He and the groom, Jeremiah, did pretty much all of the cooking - and was very pleased to hear that many people (including a country club owner) asked them where they had the food catered!



Since I can't cook, I baked 4 batches of the vegan cupcakes (when I got a turn at the oven!) - they came out pretty cute, if I do say so myself!



The ceremony was done by a celtic minister - and it was a "Handfasting" ceremony. It was beautiful, spiritual and non-denominational. And they included the whole family. They had a cake for Blake's birthday, and Alexa ( Danielle's 4 yr old daughter) wore a beautiful crown of roses.


Afterwards, there was a show. Several punk bands (including Dennis's) played. It was a long day - but a fun one that went off with a hitch!

Congrats Jeremiah and Danielle - we love you both!

Weekend Getaway II

This weekend was another one away from home. A last hurrah for summer. It started out with the Woodstock Fair with friends. We ate fair food (fried dough, pretzels, gyros, sausages, and cookies as big as our face), we saw all of the livestock and barely restrained ourselves from taking baby cows and a sheep or two home with us!



And we (well, our husbands did) posed by the BIGGEST PUMPKIN!

We even rode the Ferris Wheel!



After all that fun, we headed up to the South Shore area to spend the long weekend with Dennis's parents. The second night I couldn't sleep because Dennis's cousin told me the house is haunted. The house was built in 1800, so a few ghosts here and there are likely. But the whole family has seen him, and I was terrified I would too. Sunday night, I was way too tired to care!

We had a fun weekend of IKEA, BBQing, horseshoes, new kittens, and of course knitting!

Weekend Getaway

This weekend couldn't have been better. I don't get to spend much time with my sister, and I haven't visited my aunt in a really long time. So, mix my sister's unexpected weekend off, some gas money from my mom, and a hankerin' to get away, and you get:

A beautiful view of the mountains from the front porch;

A swim in the pool;

Breakfast made with a smile by your aunt and cousin;

Night quading through the woods;

And a large dose of sugar from s'mores (or, "schmoes" in my family) right before bed. Also, Aunt Donna got us Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies instead of graham crackers and chocolate. Try it. Pure genius.


I have spent these last three days trying to catch up on sleep. Monday morning, a coworker held the door for me and said "you look exhausted!" But it was all worth it....for a weekend away with my mom and sister in Vermont.