A Restless Mind

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The shawl is done.  Washed, blocked and wrapped.  I'm so pleased it's all I can do not to just stare at it while rubbing my hands together and cackling.  This is how much yarn is left.

That is 10 feet of yarn.  I was getting a little concerned when I got down to the final rows.

Furthermore, all the baking is done.  The Christmas bags are assembled.  I feel that now would be an appropriate time to rest on my "laurels."  At least for a few days...

1.  Interviews for the memoir continue.  Transcribing the interviews not so much.  I'd never make it as a secretary who had to type up diction. 

2.  All presents are bought and wrapped.  This point is totally worth bold and italic.

3.  Christmas cards have finally gone out.  I'm a whole 3 days earlier than last year despite having deleted all my Christmas card addresses at some point during the year.

4.  The ham purchased over the weekend is cooked, divided and frozen.  And in a fit of foresight, the bones boiled with onion and celery for super hearty ham stock.  I processed in the pressure canner 5 pints of the stock.  I'm thinking of savory dressing and hearty 9 bean soups.  

5.  The holiday knitting only requires 7 more inches for completion.  I've managed 13 inches in the past 2 weeks so I think that is doable.  I may be casting off as we drive in the driveway, but done is done. :)

6.  Spice tea is made and ready for the gift bags.  It's a simple recipe but so tasty.  Best of all, it's very easy for the recipient to make.  Here's the recipe--

SPICE TEA

3/4 c plain instant tea

1-2 packets of non sweetened lemonade mix

2 c Tang 

2 c sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves.

It makes 5 1/2 cups of mix.  To make a serving of tea, add 8 oz water to 1 heaping T of mix.   Heat in the microwave until hot enough for you.

 

We (Mary, Coventry, and I) played hooky.  The three of us took off from work and family, piled into the Jeep with Christmas music in hand (we were festive, by God.), and headed to Knoxville's West Town Mall, which is not so much bigger than our mall in Chattanooga but has stores like Apple, Williams and Sonoma, Pottery Barn and such.  We started out in the mall and I finished up some holiday odds and ends.  We found this at the Pottery Barn.

Coventry and I liked it so much we had a full 15 minute discussion, dissecting the pattern to see if we could replicate it on our own needles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary is on the left.  Coventry is on the right.  This was snapped in the AC Moore, a craft store we don't have in Chattanooga.  At first I thought Coventry's eyes were closed but I think she's just eyeing some beads in the highly competitive aisle of jewelry making supplies.  It was snatch or have snatched away.  Coventry and I were in heaven.  Mary abandoned us shortly after the picture in favor of the shoe store a few doors down.  She's not a craft fanatic but we're friends with her anyway : ).  I had never really given much thought to the jewelry making though I've seen Coventry's pieces and they're awesome.  But somehow, standing in the aisle, listening to her wax eloquent about what would look best with what, I somehow ended up at the checkout counter with a fistful of silver balls, dangling things and faux pearl beads.  I tried to resist, really.  But they were shiny, crafty things, and I was helpless against their siren call.  I swear I'm just going to dabble.

So Christmas is 10 days away.  

What's done--the tree is up and decorated.  The greenery is hung and lit--Well except for that piece that has burned out, but it was lit when I put it up.  That counts right?).  The stockings are hung (No candy this year after we were reminded of what happens when you burn a fire under the stockings that have candy in them.  In our defense, we had just gotten the fireplace rebuilt so we could use it.)  

In progress-presents.  I'm about 75% done.  I hope Shawn's about 100% done.  : )

Contemplated but not started-Wrapping presents, Christmas cards, stocking stuffers

Not even on the radar--holiday baking.  

Dear July Self, 

I don't know what you were thinking.  I know what you wanted to craft for Christmas but clearly you were delusional.  How's that orphaned cross-stitch going?  Really, you haven't touched it in months?  So how, exactly did you think you were going to have it completed, another pattern completed for a gift, knitted and felted slippers, a shawl knit up, and possibly a knitted car cozy so dear hubby doesn't have to scrape frost from his windshield?  We need to talk.  It's not me.  It's you.  Your craziness has only set us up for failure.  Are you trying to shred our self esteem?  I'm keeping it real.  The goal is to cast off current project by Christmas.  That's it.  Well, except for the Christmas baskets.  I'm going to try my hand at crocheting tiny snowman for them.  So that's 11 tiny snowmen.  Oh, and I still have apple bread, gingerbread cookies, and chocolate liquour to make.  But that's it!  I'm putting down my yarn and kitchen utensils.  I think.

--Your December Self

 

Long weekends are such a nice time to rest work yourself into the ground. 

1.  Thanksgiving--Shawn and I participated in the ritual stuffing of humans as sign of plenty at my parents.   Usually, we go to Oakridge to Shawn's maternal grandparents and several aunts and uncles, but Shawn was on call this weekend.  So we stayed local.  My Mom serves up her homemade turkey and (my favorite) dressing, but then she also serves this:

 

 

Cranberry sauce.  And yes, those ridges are the can mold.  How could anyone resist?

 

 

 

2.  Friday morning, instead of shopping, Shawn and I raked and bagged 25, 32 gallon bags of leaves.  Hey, gotta get rid of the pumpkin pie gut somehow, right?  Really, I just draw the line at putting up my Christmas festiviness when the yard is covered in fall leaves.  Just for a refresher, this what it looked like two weeks ago.

And here it is after:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Friday afternoon, Shawn completed our vacation video.  He started with our raw footage (about 4 hours) and about 500 pictures and sliced, diced, and added a soundtrack and now, we have a nice 40 minutes compilation of the vacation.

4.  Saturday, oh Saturday.  We commenced packing away the fall decorations and tossing up the Christmas decorations.  We have 3 lit greenery swags that go over our front windows and the front door.  On a good year, I don't have to replace any of the lights.  This year, I had to replace all but one.  Last year I started replacing the greenery with pre-lit since the old greenery was about 10 years old and looking a bit sad.  So this year, when one window swag was all dead, I skipped to Ace Hardware to pick up a replacement.  They didn't have any pre-lit.  Neither did Home Depot or Hobby Lobby.  We found some at Lowe's that was quite literally as thick as a fake Hawaiian lei.  My existing 10 year old stuff looked better.  So I went back to Ace to pick up some since what they had at least matched my existing stuff. So two hours and some serious teeth grinding later, I got to start winding the lights.  

I was in such a good mood at this point, Shawn started using the soothing voice on me.  You know, the one you use when you're afraid the crazy lady might go ballistic on you.

Another 2 hours later, we were out with the flashlight, hanging the last of it.

Then as I was hunting for batteries for my candles (no electrical outlets=battery powered candles for the windows), I nearly glued my fingers together in a sitcom-ish turn of events.  Apoxy had leaked in the hardware drawer.  I'm thinking, "What's this sticky stuff on my hand?  Mmm. I can't seem to separate my fingers.  Wait.  That's bad." Some quick application of rubbing alcohol kept down the bonding.

5.  Today, we cleaned up the mess from yesterday since at 8:30 last night I gave up and went to bed.