As Promised

 I was determined to have these finished by the New Year.

They are. Now they are carefully tucked away until Christmas 2017.  Tonight The Mister and I are making Mexican food, drinking tequila and watching the ball drop on TV all by our lonesomes, as usual. Saying goodbye to 2016 won't be too difficult but looking ahead to 2017 and the challenges it will bring doesn't exactly look like a walk in the park either.
Happy New Year!

Heels and Toes

 Whew. It's time to catch my breath and focus again. I swear the Christmas socks will be done by tonight. I'm going to do some serious couch sitting as soon as the sun goes down.

 The other pair of twofers are on their heels. Once they become the main event, they too will go quick I think.

 I got two more repeats of the Ghazal cowl finished. It's going quicker now that I have rewritten the directions so my brain will get it. The pattern, though easy enough, was written in a way that was slowing me down. Not anymore. I had to chart it out.

 I am on row five of the color work part of the Gilmore Girls cowl. At 300 stitches getting even one row on a day is an accomplishment. It's not really like any colorwork I have ever done as it is a mixture of purls, make ones and purl 2 togethers. The jury is still out on if this is going to be worth all the effort. We shall see. Anywho, it's keeping me company while I rewatch all the GG episodes starring from season one. It's comfort food for my brain and most welcome after a day of heavy news watching while waiting for the other shoe in the universe to drop. Hopefully not on me.

I. Can't. Even.

No sense blathering on about yarny stuff today. The world is upside down. Since I was named for her, she has been like my fairy godmother and now she too is gone. The power of her grief is terrifying me. I'm going to go sit in a corner and rock until I can process all this sadness. Ttyl....

A New Beginning

 On the 26th I spent the morning fighting the urge to pack it all away.  By afternoon I had lost. I packed it all away. Not only that but I went through all the bins of old stuff and made a big trash pile. It felt wonderful to lighten the load.

 Why the rush? Because it's been weeks since I could get to my favorite wheel-which is naked btw.

 I've got a shelf full of fiber itching to go. Which one? Dunno yet.

 Loom's empty too. That's not right. I've got kits galore and the time has come for one of them. Which one? I dunno yet.

Why is none of this fun stuff getting done today?

Because it is 60 degrees out and Pup wants to play. I've got the rest of the winter to catch up. Today we walk-and cry.....

...damn, people.

Just damn.

Making Merry Part Two

 The Mister and I had the day to ourselves on Christmas so after a huge breakfast we took a long stroll along the beach.

 It was a spectacular day.

 No snow in sight for this guy's sled this year-lots of fog though on Christmas Eve. On the long scary ride home from visiting the Grands I expected to see Rudolph fly by.

 The boardwalk looks deserted here but there were actually lots of fellow walkers-and lots of kids on new bikes.

 All the benches have memorial plaques and are decked out for the holidays.  They certainly are a good reminder of how fragile life is. I can almost see the ghost of Christmas Future pointing at one with my name on it. Brrrr....

 We stayed out so long Pup got pooped and hitched a ride in Old Doggies's stroller. For once I wasn't the only weirdo with a pup stroller. A very barky pup went by in a rather fancy one. It really was doggie day at the beach. I've never seen so many out and about.

 Yeah, we're those kind of people. I was laughing at  a couple doing this with their dogs and then suddenly it seemed like good idea. Say cheese.

 Back at home a pitcher of peppermint martinis was waiting.

Christmas was officially over when we picked up some Chinese food and settled down in front of A Christmas Story.

Well, almost over. I had almost forgotten the plum pudding that I had steamed that morning. I always forget how good they are until I take that first bite. I make my hard sauce with very boozy eggnog and it is really, really good. I didn't however find my little plastic holly for the top until this morning. Boo....
Oh, well...Christmas 2016 is officially in the books. Now to pack it all away. I can't let it linger. Once it's over, it's over. On to New Year's!

Making Merry Part One

We had a small but festive gathering on Christmas Eve with the Grands. They didn't disappoint. They were adorable and hilarious. I couldn't get enough of them.

Dear DIL made her signature sangria in her enormous new kitchen. The family had moved a few weeks ago and were hosting their first holiday in their posh (very posh) new digs.

 I owe #1 Son an apology for dissing last year's Christmas mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. These were perfect. I had two helpings.

 Mmmm....I don't eat meat but this looks yummy.

Dessert was a strawberry shortcake that was delish....

...with a side of some amazing artisan ice cream. We had fresh banana and crushed peppermint. Mmmm...

Though we were missing several family members we had a blast. Three dogs, two kids and a handful of silly grownups equals a very good time.

Peace on Earth

Be happy. Be merry. Be loved......

Holiday Hits and Misses

 I cried yesterday in the grocery store. Seriously bawled because no one had mince this year. Jarred or even in pie form. NO one had any anywhere and after going from store to store all week I as all done in. As a last ditch effort I went into a Weiss by Daddio's nursing home and found....a frozen mince pie. Hallelujah. Bless you Mrs. Smith. Of course I dropped it in the driveway and broke the crust to smithereens but who cares. I have my mince pie for Christmas breakfast.

 I also couldn't find any mixed nuts for my nut bowl. I had to make do with almonds. Even worse, I came up empty handed with spumoni ice cream-always a holiday staple for me.

 In a last minute switch I had to sub Halos for more traditional tangerines because the darn code on my tangerines wouldn't work in the self checkout. Grrrr....this wasn't my week at all for shopping. Don't even get me started on finding presents for the Grands. That's a long rant in itself.

 I DID get the Santa puzzle done. It was a perfect pastime for my addled brain. Note to self: do more puzzles.

 I also couldn't believe my eyes when the latest Flavia De Luce book was still on the shelf at the library. Sweet. I'll be curled up on the couch with this if anyone needs me this weekend.

 The Christmas socks made it past the heel. Further than I thought given the amount of time I spent bawling in grocery stores this week instead of knitting.

 I also treated myself to this adorable snowman stamp after opting out of the January card kit. It featured snowflakes and last January was snowflakes. I need snow folk for next year's cards.

 I finished December with time to spare. I decided not to do the red striping on the wings.

 Now to find color matches to finish the border.  Of course the floss from the two extra kits I bought don't match. Of course.

Finally, in a surprise move, I did finish the towel that was living on the loom. It is really beautiful. You can't tell in the photo but it almost has a gradient quality.
Happy holidays everyone!
See you on the other side of Christmas!

Holiday Ramblings

 There is no point to this post other than we are days away from the big day and I'm trying my best to make merry. An eggnog taste test helps. I've bought two brands and am not in love with either of them but that's not stopping me from taking a nip now and again-and again.

 I made cookie dough.

 I kept it in the fridge and made a few cookies here and there when the mood struck me. It took a while. I am in my usual holiday funk.

Nothing fancy. Just the usual. The sugar cookies are awful. I really think I forgot the sugar. Gosh.

 Look at what just arrived in the mail. Liza sent me this. She made it herself. It's crocheted and it is beautiful! I am hooky challenged so I can really appreciate the work that went into it. I am in serious awe.

I love little shoulder shawls in the winter and this one is just perfect- warm and cozy. It sits so nicely where it should.
Thanks Liza! You too are one of blogland's bestest!
Happy holidays everyone...Hmmm, I think that eggnog is doing it's trick. I almost feel merry!

The Longest Night

We celebrated the Solstice by taking not one but two walks down by the bay. We went there for coffee and scones in the morning and then realized we needed to come back to see the lights after dark.

 The pier when it is lit up is a fairy land.

There are lots of blinking critters all over the place.

 The little beach town looks very fancy in the dark.

 The big tree on the boardwalk is always a show stopper.

 It's also the scene of our annual Christmas selfie. Two old fools out for a night on the town that lasted all of twenty minutes. Brrr....happy winter!