Happy New Year!

Just working on dinner for tomorrow. We went and picked up the Crown Roast from the butcher this afternoon. It's a 'bit' bigger than I imagined. It's 13 pounds!!! I just worried it would take up the whole oven. The butcher wants us to take a picture of it and bring it in so he can post it in the shop to show customers what a roast like this looks like cooked.

I'm not sad to see this year end. This year just sort of inched by, and wasn't significant to me personally.

I have a few things I would like to accomplish in 2009. I don't want to list them because I hate to hear people drone on and on about what they "are going to do" and then never really even try.

I went to the mall today and returned a couple of things . I didn't shop around. I will go back next week sometime when there is no one there and browse.

Happy New Year to all!

Post Christmas haze....

Christmas was quite enjoyable for me this year. I was less stressed than usual and I relaxed a bit more. this was Paul's tree.... We had a nice visit there, and then went to Mom's on Christmas day. We stayed there until this morning and then went to brunch at Cathy and Bill's house as we have done the past few years. This year we had the excitement of the new baby. His name is Quinn Michael Christy. I say he's the "Mighty Quinn" (Like the song....) He looks a lot like his brother, Parker, and is so tiny!The sock monkey I made him is bigger than he is! He slept a lot of the time we were there and he was held by a lot of people who were there. He is not fussy at all.

The dolls were a big hit....so glad! As you can see, Abby likes hers. She hurt her arm and was in some pain, but clutched onto the doll all afternoon. They named the dolls. Abby named hers Gidget, and Emma named hers Coco because of the beret.

We had a nice brunch of egg, sausage and potato casserole, waffles, cinnamon rolls and french toast casserole, coffee and juice.

We made it back to Syracuse around 3:00, unpacked, and relaxed a bit.

I'm doing dinner on New Year's day as usual. Can't make up my mind what the meat will be.

I have a couple of things to return to the mall this week. Mike got a pair of track pants that still have the security thing on them. I'm just going to look around at all the supposed sales that everyone in talking about.

I'm glad to be home.

A bit behind, but at least the Sock Monkey is finished.....

Trying to get things done, but I keep getting distracted. this sock monkey took me forever because I was trying to hurry. At one point I even sewed his nose onto the back of his head!
He looks pretty bulked up in the arms. I had fun posing him.
this will be the last time I blog until after Christmas. Everyone have a "Merry" and
take care!

Busy Day Done....

It snowed so much here today....We got about 18" and it's still coming down. Harley was not in the mood to stay out in it today. I shoveled the deck off three imes, and finally gave up for tonight. I went out to get the mail today and wiped out in the driveway. It was so slick out there. This picture is earlier today when it was not so bad.

Baked cookies all day today. I counted about 275 cut-outs, and also made

Italian meatball cookies, Some Greek cookies, rice krispie treats, Biscotti dipped in white chocolate, some no-bake "KitKat" bar things I found a recipe for and Chex Mix. I still have Caramel corn to make, but I can do that tomorrow.

I had to get the cookies done to put them on trays for Jerry to take to a few people.

I also (finally) finished the three dolls I had to make for presents. they look sweet, I think!
I put the beret (on the one in the middle) on harley this morning. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. She was walking around with it on her head for a few seconds and that made me laugh even harder.

tomorrow I have to wrap those last few presents, go out and get a couple of last-minute things and probably shovel out some more. ....I also have to make a Sock Monkey (for a gift too).

(and clean and do laundry and pack, etc....)

We leave on Wednesday for a few days.

I'm Getting there.....

I have been working on last-minute-crafty-type presents that I have been putting off.....
I made these two little baby sweaters for gifts I am putting together. The pictures you are about to see are not lit well, but I have been playing with settings on the camera to see what works and what doesn't. The sweater in the foreground is actually a pretty pea-green soup color, and the one behind is a pale rosy-pink. I cut out all the pieces for the dolls I have been procrastinating..... I think they look cute already! I'm not going to go crazy with embellishments for this first batch of six.

I wanted to take a picture of Harley without the flash to see if her eyes would photograph without the spooky red-eye devil-dog eyes that happen with the flash.

She was suspicious when she saw the camera in front of her, but I mentioned the word BALL and this was her reaction....'Whaaa?????Ball????? You said BALL, right??????'So typically Harley. She went to the groomer yesterday and she looks so slick now.

I'm off to make Manwich. I haven't had that stuff in years. Hopefully it's as good as it used to be. I had a headache today. From eating chinese food and not going to bed at a decent time again. Plus, I haven't eaten oatmeal for a couple of days, and now I'm feeling sluggish again.

(could be psychosomatic, but I don't care....I think oatmeal is a magical food!)

It snowed here about 3 inches last night and more is on the way over the next couple of days.

I only went out to get the mail today, so tomorrow I will have to brush off the car when I go out.

Dec. 15

I had to go to the post office this morning to mail one letter.....

I had been putting off printing out family pictures to include in a card to Jerry's cousin in Italy.

I only realized last night that today is dec. 15th of all days.... the busiest freakin' day of the year at the post office!

I got there at 8:35 and the line was about 20 people deep already. it wasn't too bad, and I was out of there in a half hour. I ran into a man I used to work with (Gene). We chatted and caught up for about 10 minutes. So nice to see him.

At least there were no nasty people at the post office. Everyone was in pretty good spirits or quiet.

I went grocery shopping after and found a nice little chunk of Brillat Savarin

which is my favorite Brie......but very expensive. I had some of it for lunch with crackers and raspberries and grapes. Just amazing.

Je suis finalement excite' de Noel

(I'm finally excited about Christmas) This has to be the very first time EVER that I've gotten my shopping wrapping and cards done this early.
I have yet to bake, but cannot do that too early. Plus, I'm doing less this year, because I decided last year that everyone is only really interested in cut-out cookies.
So, I've decided that I'm going to take the next week and ENJOY the holidays for once!The weather here is supposed to be in the 50's the next couple of days!
Here's a couple more "fantasy" pressies:

MMMMM.....Moldavite strand. this is amazing! I get the idea of this stone, but it doesn't hit me on the vibe level. I'm just not tuned into it. I do love the color and the rawness of the stones, though! (24", please....)

Cool.....Hermes makes Tarot cards! I like the old-world Parisian thing going on here....

I also love tarot cards. I have found them surprisingly accurate and revealing.

Keeping with the hermes-tarot theme, here is a nice Hermes tarot scarf. I like the cards better.

everyone is gone tonight. Jerry had a party in Buffalo and Mike is working until 10:30.

I'm seriously thinking about pizza and a dvd.......

Poor Princess....

Poor little Harley has not been feeling good the past couple of days.... she has been having issues with her kidneys and calcium shards again. (pre-cursors to stones...) she passed one or a couple over the past 24 hours, and has been having to go OUT like every 20 minutes. I had to go sleep on the couch last night at 3;00am so I could get up and let her out over and over. She finally calmed down around 4:30 am.
She was just standing by my side of the bed making low crying noises (of course, only I could hear....)
This happened to her last year at this time and the Vet put her on calcium pills with cranberry.
she's better today as far as having to go out all the time. she did look a little sad yesterday. I thought even her fur looked "sad" ( it just wasn't laying the same as it usually does!) and she was holding her tail different. Other than that you wuld never know she wasn't 100%.
She was still playing and begging and bossing as usual!
I've started her on the pills again, and we'll see what happens. She's back to normal right now.
there was like an inch of snow on my car this morning....yuck.
It was sunny out most of the day, so the salt I threw down on the driveway took it down to the bare cement.

Man(tooth) candy......

I think one of the first crushes I ever had was on Randy Mantooth from the show Emergency!
I think he got cuter as he aged!
Not too much happening here....I had a migraine on Friday through yesterday morning.
Such a nuisance.....
We had a Christmas party to go to last night. the regular DJ got bombed and passed out twice just as the party was starting. I guess he had been drinking all afternoon. He was comatose.
He had that look people got when they won't remember anyting that happened the night before.
Glazed and staring straight ahead in an open-eyed stupor. It was kind of amusing, because he's a really annoying guy. healways ends up sitting at our table to eat. he wears a santa suit and
walks around trying to get people into the "spirit" .
We were the last table to go to the buffet, so the food sucked. Plus, the food sucked anyway.
No great dessert.Brownies or carrot cake to chose from ..... whaaa?
I made stuffed flank steak tonight with mashed potatoes and gravy. It was yummy.
This week I will be wrapping presents and writing cards. I want to get it done so I can for once enjoy the weeks before Christmas without being stressed.
I still have to bake, but I won't mind it as much if I don't have other things to do.

Christmas List.....con't

Item 2: Eau de Guerlain. The 14.4 oz bottle...It's on sale for $349.00 us online!

Item 3 : Original rubber Wellies. the green ones, not those wierdly fancy ones with plaid or flowers. Just plain, thank-you.

Item 4 : Lucky Beggar coin purse. I heart this....

Item 5 : Small gold hoops....Something I don't have....These look perfect!

Item 6: LV Bucket hat. (but a real one....I'm pretty sure this one's faux...)

Item 7 : Yoga toes. Ahhhhh....They make these with a vibrator attachment, but I think the originals are the best!

Item 8: Staheekum Driving Mocs. I have slippers by this brand, and I love the fact I could wear these outside.


Item 9: A Lakh or gold metal necklace set....Bollywood- style.

I'm just playing......I"m not really that greedy! These are fantasy-like things I like......

My christmas list.... Item 1

Uncle Karl! Screw the teddy bear.....I want the finger puppet!
23 more shopping days......

Chaos!

So, Donna Karan has re-issued CHAOS for 2008. I am still hoarding a 85% full bottle of the original, and the price people were paying was outrageous! I just recently saw it online selling for 1,400.00us. for 100ml. (O-M-G.....)

I had a discussion with the man who ran the perfume store in the mall and he was willing to buy my bottle of Chaos and bottle of the original Donna Karan perfumes together for 200.00. At the time, I thought the way he was frothing at the mouth, I should just hang on to them a bit longer....

Now with the economy and the news that Chaos has been re-issued, I may just put that bottle back up on the dresser and use it up.

I read some reviews of the new Chaos, and they say it's different, but pretty close to the original.

I always thought Black Cashmere smelled exactly like Chaos....

I saw the new pictures of Marc Jacobs posing nude for the new Vuitton Sprouse line.

I thought about posting it here, but I couldn't do that. I'm just not a fan. Everyone always gushes on and on about him. I feel that way about Tom Ford, too. They are just smarmy to me.

Give me Galliano any day! (It's that pirate thing again!!!!!)