The Eve of Christmas Eve

Carlton and I both worked on December 23rd.  Actually, I worked all day like any other normal day at the shop. Carlton was at his office until about 12:30, at which time he drove himself on home to take a long winter's nap with the pup for the rest of the afternoon.  :)  But the time spent up until 12:30 at his office was just critical office work time, I might add: the exchanging of gifts, lunch, desserts, more gifts, and blissful Christmas spirit had to be crammed into that tiny time frame of 8:30-12:30... and what a job that was!  He did come home with some glorious and very gracious gifts (including a great duffel-style insulated cooler, Omaha Steaks, some gigantic summer sausages, gift cards, candies, and more), so I can't really complain too much about the work he did that morning.  :)
After I got home at 6:00-ish, we had some dinner and wrapped the last few gifts that were to be packed up and driven to Cartersville the next morning.  After the wrapping was finished, Carlton and I went ahead and picked one gift to open that night, for our very own first Christmas in our very own first home.  Carlton's choice was pretty much a given, since it was so big it only fit into the MINI because the back seats were down and it definitely wouldn't even come close to fitting into the Nissan (which was what we had planned to drive to Cartersville).  I had known for a couple weeks what gift I wanted to open first, but waited patiently for Carlton to open his gift first.

He had tried for weeks to figure out what I'd gotten him, failing time and time again to guess correctly.  Once the paper came off, he was so surprised that he had never guessed what was inside the giant box: a new high-def home theater system!

Next it was my turn.  I shook my box, listened really well, shook it some more, and ripped the paper open.

More paper!

Finally, I got all the paper off and discovered 10 tiny black boxes.  Tiny boxes are always a good thing!  Inside the boxes were 5 pairs of earrings and 5 necklaces, making 5 matching sets of semi-precious stone/sterling silver jewelry for me to wear with just about any unsuspecting outfit! 

Way to go, Carlton!  I was very impressed and surprised.  Your bases are now officially covered.  (Actually, Carlton's theory was to cover his bases this year on the basic "color wheel" so that from now on he can select "specialty" pieces.  Who can argue with an entire collection of necklaces and earrings, or his theory?  Not this happy wife!)

After opening our gifts, Carlton and I showered, packed our clothes for the long weekend, and loaded up all the gifts into the car for the long haul up to Cartersville!  We got to bed at about midnight, set the alarm for 6:30, and just hoped and prayed that our little eyes could pop open for the holiday drive.

Ruffles for Christmas

Have you started thinking about and/or working on the gifts you're giving this Christmas? I have been brainstorming for weeks, have ordered some materials (guess what my material of choice is!), and I started the first gift late last night. Thanks to an hour of America's Funniest Home Videos followed by an hour of Project Runway (part 1 of 2 of the season finale!), I've gotten quite a bit of work done on it tonight. Ruffles, anybody?

And, not that you'll get this at all if you're not a knitter, but I totally pulled the loose tail from inside this skein. On the first try. *Rock Star.*

Knitting and Committing

I've been working extra hard and extra quick to make sure I finished one thing that I reeee-hee-heeally want to make a tradition of: knitting stockings each year for the fireplace mantle. I started learning the process of "knitting in-the-round" last year before Christmas, but just couldn't wrap my brain around it. It finally stuck this year. I have just finished both mine and Carlton's, and I am sooooo proud of myself! I am now working on a miniature striped version for Vespa. Here are the results!!!




Since our embarrassing trip to PetSmart, there have been one or two other "situations" with Vespa that finally convinced Carlton that we needed to enroll Vespa in a doggie training class. (I had wanted this since the PetSmart situation, but Carlton convinced me that we could work on it ourselves, until he took her for a walk and she encountered the next door golden retriever. Then he was ready to make a small investment in training/rehabilitation classes.)

Vespa was enrolled in a group class that was supposed to start Wednesday night at 6:30. Before bringing her into the store for class, I called to check and see if I needed to bring in anything at all: a certain leash, treats, etc. Turns out, due to the holidays, Vespa was the only pup enrolled in her class. The instructor and I talked for about an hour over the phone, and she talked me in to private lessons... with Vespa enrolled in the "class," she was limited to a specific curriculum, one which she wasn't really in need of. By enrolling in private classes, the instructor can work with both of us on her specific needs, and teach me how to handle her when she starts to get out of control. Unfortunately, Vespa didn't ever get out of control last night, so Trainer Lana, who uses the exact techniques as Cesar the Dog Whisperer, didn't get to experience the horror... or correct it. I did learn lots of great techniques and a few sure-fire commands that Vespa is very responsive to. Leash walking and encounters with other dogs in the store went well over all! She was very shy and submissive, and didn't really want to be anywhere except under my feet. We'll work on that! I'm totally, 100% committed to making this work. She's going to be chill and proud of herself in no time!

Thanksgiving for Two

Today I woke up and got right to work in the kitchen! Because it's finally Thanksgiving, it was time to finally use the Thanksgiving table decor that I recently sewed. I made a table runner which turned out so-so. As I moved the plum purple cordouroy and orange plaid wool fabrics through the sewing machine, I pulled just enough to stretch them both out, so there was a rippled effect on the hems. The runner looks wavy, which is fine, it's just not what I had originally envisioned. I also made some napkins in a black and creamy white damask print. Then came the challenge! While in North Carolina on our trip to Greg and Jillian's wedding, I innocently picked up a Martha Stewart magazine. Inside were ideas and detailed drawings on how to create multitudes of fall-themed sewn decor. I found one thing I couldn't seem to live without: a placemat shaped like a maple leaf. I decided to make the mat two-sided, an orange wool on top with a black and creamy white houndstooth on the bottom. Getting these two maple leaf place mats finished was a test on my sewing endurance for sure!!! The last craft I had on display for the Thanksgiving holiday has been hanging on our front door since Halloween: a paper leaf wreath with accents of silk florals. The paper wreath hanging on our front door wasn't really an issue here since there is no rain in the big desert!

Wreath hanging on the front door:

Table setting for two:

Detail of placemat's underside:

Turkey, potatoes au gratin, sweet potatoes, lima beans, stuffing, dinner rolls. I didn't want to make more than that, becaue we can't even finish what's listed. One vegetable for me (the lima beans, yummmm) and one for Carlton (he's discovered that he really likes sweet potatoes), and a turkey breast (legs and wings removed).

I brined the turkey for 24 hours, and followed these directions all the way through to the end. I can say that I have never had a juicier turkey in my life, unless it was deli sliced from the grocery store! All of the meat was sooo juicy!!! I am very proud of how it turned out. The potatoes au gratin were a little runny and not as soft as I prefer (even though they baked for 2 hours!), and Carlton's sweet potatoes needed a little more baking to crispen up some, but everything was overall a sweet success! I'm very proud, especially since I have never baked a turkey, a sweet potato, homemade au gratin potatoes, or stuffing before.

Carlton and I talked about what we were thankful for, and about the delicious meal as Vespa ate her (very) fair share of turkey on the floor next to the table. Even though we couldn't share this holiday with our friends and family, we had a very happy Thanksgiving together with each other.




Tomorrow night our plans are to meet up with the Cook cousins in Anthem, AZ for a post-Thanksgiving dinner. I'll be sure to get pictures of the whole crew together!


Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!