I Could Just Say That I Let The Cats Do It ...

For years, when both of us worked in academic settings, we used to go home and visit our families over Christmas. It was a lot of fun, and there are a lot of things to miss about it. Since my sister in WV is neither a cook nor a baker, we always would make sure that we had plenty of Christmas cookies baked, so that we could have some at home ourselves, but also take several large boxes worth with us to share. We would make hundreds of cookies of various kinds, and usually by about the second day we were home, everything was gone! 😃

Even though I continued to work in academia for a while, The Tim got laid off from his job and started working retail. Which meant that there were no more trips home at Christmastime, because working on both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas meant it wasn't worth it to make the trip for what would basically be part of Christmas Day. 

Needless to say, it also meant that we didn't do nearly as much baking. With just the two of us, we didn't need several different kinds of cookies, and since our schedules were not the same, we had little time to work on them together, which for us, was part of the fun.

Anyway, this year I have been watching several Vlogmas episodes of some of my fave knitting podcasts. And more then one of the people in the vlogs have been making cut out sugar cookies and then decorating them. For whatever reason, this year I decided that I would love some cut out sugar cookies to decorate. But there were two things to consider: 1) The Tim, who is much better at that kind of thing than I am, is not overly interested in that type of cookie, and 2) most recipes seem to make several dozen. 

The other day, I decided to Google "small batch sugar cookies" and lo and behold, I found a recipe for only one dozen cookies!  This particular recipe allowed for you to mix the ingredients, give them a short visit to the freezer, and then cut them out and bake them all that same day. I followed the reeipe, but put the dough in the fridge overnight because I know that's how a lot of recipes for larger batches work, and also, I wasn't planning on baking them until the next day. 

So last Thursday, after finishing some cleaning projects, I dug out a few small cookie cutters from our collection and gave it a try. I had a good time rolling out the dough and cutting out the shapes, and in a case of truth in advertising, I did get one dozen cookies out of the recipe! (One fell apart when I took them off the cookie tray, so I ate that one in the interest of quality control.)

Then once they were cooled, I made the icing, adding in a bit of cream cheese because regular sugar icing doesn't really thrill me. I had so much fun, icing and decorating the little shapes! 

The results:

I decided that this is a case of my adult self baking the cookies, and my 4-year-old self decorating them. Because really, this is what I ended up with, in spite of actually trying to get them to look nicer. 😂

In any case, I love them, and based on the one that I tried before any decorating took place, they are pretty tasty too! So now I have my cut out Christmas sugar cookies, and in an amount that is reasonable for us. 

The Tim thinks they are hilarious (he's probably just jealous), and we decided that we could always just tell people that I baked them, and let the cats decorate them, LOL! But then I pointed out that I don't think that would be a good idea, because frankly, they would probably do a better job ...

Also, as we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I wanted cut out and decorated sugar cookies, and now I have them. What's not to enjoy??

*****

This weekend was the finale of cleaning the house for us. I finished with the actual cleaning last week, but The Tim did the vacuuming and cleaned the kitchen (two things he claims he does better - fine with me!), and the house is now set. Other than that, we had no specific plans, but I did make some other treats, finished a book, and picked up the stitches for the final sleeve of my cardigan, so it was a busy time around here. The Tim said he finished all of his gift wrapping, so he got some things done as well besides cleaning. 

The cats rested. Because, well, they are cats!

I'm gonna work on the wrapping I have today, and have a couple of other small things to do - a quick trip to the market and to CVS, but otherwise all of the major stuff is done. We're about as ready as we can be!

Recent Things

Hello all! I hope that 2024 has treated you well so far. Our New Year's Eve was quiet. As usual, The Tim decided to "take a nap" which meant he was just gone for the night. The problem is, he was in the room where we watch TV and once he is asleep, there is no way to wake him up. So my choice was to sit and listen to him snore while sitting in the semi-darkness (because of course he turned down the lights), or go downstairs, read for a while, and then watch the ball drop on my own. Last year this same choice presented itself, and instead of just removing myself and doing my thing, I sulked and let my feelings be hurt. This year I chose the going downstairs option and enjoyed it quite a bit. I also felt like I had a small moment of personal growth by making that choice. 

In any case, I've been enjoying the season overall. I forgot to tell you that I made gingerbread muffins the weekend before Christmas. I have a yellowed photocopy from a cookbook of colonial-era recipes that I borrowed long ago from a library. It is supposedly the recipe for Martha Washington's gingerbread, but I can't swear to that. Anyway, I've always made muffins instead of just the gingerbread, and this is my most favorite recipe. It's not hard, but there are a few steps you have to do ahead of time.

For reasons I'll never quite understand, I sometimes get 16 muffins and on occasion get 24. I always use the same muffin pans, so go figure. But the most important thing is that they are full of YUM!

During November and December, I didn't keep up with my exercise routine as well as I had been doing (though my companions did better than I did); I didn't abandon it altogether, thank goodness, but I skipped it more than I should have. So in the spirit of "Start as you plan to continue," I took a nice long walk in the morning on New Year's Day. It was pretty cool but so sunny and bright that it was especially nice. I took a route I hadn't taken for a while, and got to say hello to these two:

It was pretty quiet everywhere, so I decided they were quite happy to see me, and wished them a Happy New Year. 😊

Yesterday I spent about an hour out of the house to make various stops around town. In an unusual state of affairs, I actually was able to accomplish and find everything I'd gone out to get! Usually, I am able to be successful with some things but not others, so I guess the planets were aligned accurately for me ...

In the afternoon, I cast on my first new project of the year:

This is the start of a sweater. In the first season of the show "Only Murders In The Building," Selena Gomez was wearing a beautiful, bulky weight, light blue funnel neck sweater and I became obsessed with finding a pattern for one. I couldn't find the exact thing, but found a pattern that I liked well enough to try. Then in December, Knit Picks had a sale and I bought some bulky yarn to make said sweater. The yarn is much more of a light blue than the photo shows, and so far I'm enjoying the knit. Though I'm not generally a big fan of bulky knits. But this particular thing just struck me, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So hopefully this will turn out well enough that I'll be pleased with it. The good thing is that since I don't usually use this weight of yarn, I am pleasantly surprised with how quickly you make progress in your knitting!

Today is a laundry day, organize some things day, take a walk day, and whatever else I decide fits into it day. Tomorrow I have my mammogram first thing, which brings me to my annual question of why don't they only charge me 50% of the cost since I have only one breast to scan? I mean, I know the answer in the grand scheme of things, but it still always seems a little unfair. But since that is first thing in the morning, and will hopefully go by without incident, I'll have the rest of the day to decide what else I want/need/feel like doing.

What have you been up to this week? I'm enjoying myself, and am reminded again of how much I enjoy being at home with the kit kats and The Tim when he is here, even if I'm doing laundry or something else unexciting. Let's hope that continues in 2024 as well.

Winter Solstice 2023

Happy Winter Solstice!

One of my most favorite days. I know for some people it's their favorite day because it means the days will get longer, but for me it's the fact that it's the shortest amount of daylight all year. You know me - I love the darkness and the cold weather!

I don't mind telling you that I have been having a bit of a hard time lately. Mostly because of my own brain, to be honest (oh my brain - my best friend and worst enemy all at once!). Grumpy people are getting to me, and I usually don't let that happen, but there seem to be more people this year, and they seem to be grumpier. I am good at managing to keep the world and its problems in their own place, but it's really hard to tune out those surrounding you. 

BUT - today, on the Winter Solstice, I am going to pretend that all of those people do not exist. I'm meeting my friend Louise for lunch. I'm going to wrap a couple of gifts. I'm going to get ingredients to do some baking tomorrow. I'm going to set out the last of the Christmas things to go on the tree tonight. I'm going to take my time and enjoy the day with the kitties. Tonight, we'll have a good evening with The Tim, finishing the tree decorations, lighting some candles, and toasting the solstice!

Tomorrow - I'm going to dust around and clean things up so it looks as nice as it's likely to ever look around here. 😊 I'm going to clean up my nails and give myself a manicure. I'm going to wrap more gifts, and do the baking mentioned above. And of course, more cuddling with the kitties. Another nice evening with The Tim and the kit kats, and we are ready for the weekend!

And the whole time I'm at home doing things, guess what? Christmas music! 

I remember as a kid, whenever I would be in a bad mood/feeling grumpy, my mom would always say, "Well, that's fine, but let everyone else enjoy themselves even if you aren't. You have no business ruining someone else's day." 

So as of right now, I'm done with the grumps. And I've decided that since I don't absolutely *have* to be around grumpy people (I'm off work and so it's easier to avoid dealing with other humans in general), I'm going to make myself feel better. And I hope to use this as a lesson for next year and/or whenever I need it, to make a way to find my own happy and fun. Whenever I can remember to take myself and make it MY world instead of everyone else's, I do much better. 

So my wish for you this Winter Solstice is that you can do the same. Enjoy some light in the darkness, and make your own world the way you want it to be. It works.

Christmastime Friday Funny

This is one I've seen before, and may have even shared before, but it's a favorite. ❤ 

Today is going to be busy with a few things to pick up this a.m., and then I plan to wrap some gifts to send this afternoon. I like wrapping gifts - I get myself situated with the things I need, put on some holiday music or some Vlogmas podcasts, make myself a nice cup of tea, and I'm off!

This weekend our only specific plan is to decorate our tree. I have already put out 99% of the rest of our decorations (some are in boxes with ornaments), so that's all that's left. I'm guessing that The Tim may do some baking on Sunday while I'm at work, and I'm hoping to start my baking next week. Although I have it in my head for today or tomorrow to make some gingerbread muffins, so I may get a head start on that, we'll see. 

What about you? Anything exciting happening at your house? Whatever is or is not happening, I hope your weekend is a good one!

Hump Day Musings

Well, as you may know, our Phillies lost the last game they could lose in the series that could have sent them to the World Series. Sigh. It was all incredibly disappointing, especially since they started so strong. But it was clearly not to be. Yes folks, the D-Bags are headed to the Series, they will play the Texas Rangers. I hope the fans of those teams will show up and show their support. Needless to say, I don't want the D-Bags to win, and I have a personal bias against any teams from Texas, so I will likely read about who wins and loses but will not be watching any of the games. Besides, since they will all be in the west, they will start later around here, and as an old person, I go to bed not that much after they start. 😊 

But thanks anyway, Phillies - it was sure fun while it lasted!

In other news, Pip is sending me over the moon with his sweetness:

GAH!

Can you stand it???

He is really so cuddly and sweet, and always has been. But there are just some times when it's over the top, you know? Right now as I type this, he is sitting on my lap, purring like a truck.

In my FO post from yesterday, if you saw it early in the day, I said the pattern for the mitts I made was a freebie. Vera was nice enough to  let me know that when she clicked the link, the  pattern showed as being $6.00. So I'm guessing that when I saw it, there was a short-term "Free" offer that I just happened to have the timing to see. So I apologize if you were happily clicking over to what you thought was a great free pattern, and suddenly it was a paid-for pattern! As soon as Vera let me know, I edited the post - thanks to her for letting me know! (Also go to her blog today for the BEST NEWS EVER!)

Speaking of best news, next week is Halloween, which means that Thanksgiving is coming, and Christmas after that (Vera got an early Christmas present, it seems to me ❤) - it's holiday time for sure. I just love this time of year, with so many happy things going on and all of the anticipation in the air. But it does also make me realize that the year is getting pretty close to the end, and frankly that part never quite computes with me. It always seems surprising, and I don't know why because it's not like it's only an occasional occurrence ... 

I think I've said this before, but one of the best things about my job a the yarn store is that I get to knit with yarns I would not otherwise be able to afford. We all have "store projects" assigned to us that we work on when things are quiet, and then those projects (sometimes just swatches) are store samples. Right now, I'm knitting something with a yarn completely new to me, Studio Misha & Puff. Apparently this yarn has a kind of cult following in Japan, and it's flying off the shelves in places where it's being sold. It's nice and squishy, I have to say, and they have lovely colors. But it would be pricey for something like a sweater, at least for me. So I'm enjoying the chance to knit with it at work. 

Finally, a recipe link to share. Do you like apple pie, but aren't successful with pie crust most of the time? Both The Tim and I have that issue (though his crusts are sometimes really good). Well, last weekend he made this recipe for Apple Pie Bars, and OMG are they good! He was the one who made them, and according to him, they weren't too difficult (I wasn't home when he baked them, though the house still smelled wonderful when I got home!). But I can tell you that they taste just like the best apple pie you ever tried. 

And that's it for this Wednesday. I'm off to a dr appt, then a few errands on my way home. But this afternoon, I'm hoping to do some reading and knitting. I also have to figure out what I'd like to fix for dinner, but I have plenty of time for that.

Have a good "Hump Day," and take care.

A Post of YUM!

You may recall that last week I took a sick day for my mental health.  And in the post where I mentioned that, I said I was going to try a recipe that was new to me.  I'm here to tell you that a) I did just that, and b) it was a huge success!

The recipe is for Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake, and I can vouch that it is a winner.  It's easy to put together, and uses ingredients that are - at least in our house - already on hand.  Bonus, the house smells wonderful while it's baking!

Here's how mine turned out:

The only thing I did that was different than the recipe was baking it longer, because I used a ceramic loaf pan.  The recipe calls for baking 60-65 minutes, and I baked this for an hour and half.  So just be aware that the pan you use might change the baking time.

We ate it for dessert most evenings with a cup of tea, but it's one of those things that really would work any time of day.  Let me know if you give it a try!

*****

We had a good weekend, nothing really but staying home and getting things done in spurts.  I was proud of myself, because before I could think of an excuse to put it off, I went out first thing after breakfast on Saturday morning to clean up the garden.  I pulled a lot of weeds, swept, and though it didn't look as nice as when the tree people used their leaf blower to clean up, it was a decent second place effort. 😊  Even better, I only had a few minor aches and pains afterwards, instead of feeling like I would never again be able to move normally.  

And in knitting activity, I know that Saturday was Worldwide Knit In Public Day, but after my efforts in the garden I ran out of the energy to go anyplace and knit.  Plus, it was rainy off and on, so that was my Justification Part 2 ...

I have been knitting away on my cardigan project, and when I grabbed my project bag, I noticed I was nearly at the end of the last skein of yarn I'd wound when I started.  Combined with the fact that the knitting was getting too big to comfortably have on my lap during hot weather, I decided that I would knit until the skein was finished, and then tuck the project away to finish after Labor Day.  Even if I finished it tomorrow, I wouldn't be wearing it anytime soon!

As it turned out, the end of the wound skein took me to the place at the bottom of the body of the sweater where you start the bottom ribbing.  So when I pick it up again, I'll have the bottom ribbing, the sleeves, and the neckline/button band to finish, and I know that will motivate me to keep going.

While I was working on it, I watched a knitting podcast where the person had filmed outdoors, so I decided to count that for my knitting in public.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So things are now packed away safely and I've marked my calendar for the week after Labor Day with a reminder for myself to resume knitting.  

I didn't get to sort out what I wanted to start next, but I have a few things in mind.  Once I check my stash, I'll be able to decide what projects are next.  

Sometimes I think that's as exciting as actually starting something!

Cookies!

This past Sunday I was in the mood to bake, so I decided to get a start on some Christmas cookies.  And then I decided to try a new-to-me recipe because they sounded both uncomplicated to make and yummy.  I tried this reeipe.

It was in fact pretty straightforward, and other than the fact that you let the dough sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour, it didn't take much time until they were all baked.

But, of course, the actual dough and cookies that I made were not as attractive as the recipe photo.

I mean, the dough looked greener than I expected:

And  made the dough balls smaller than recommended, because I really think the recipe wants you to make cookies the size of a small platter!

Once you get them on the sheet, you press them down a bit, and add more sprinkles on the top.

The recipe claimed that the cookies spread out quite a bit, so I was careful how I spaced them on the cookie sheet.  But they didn't seem to spread that much at all - or maybe a) I missed something, or b) since mine were smaller to start, there wasn't much cookie dough there to spread ...

Anyway, I was pleased with the results:

I couldn't wait to taste them, since they have cream cheese as one of the ingredients.  When they actually come out of the oven and cool a bit, they taste pretty much like any sugar cookie tastes.  But if you wait, they are so much better - you get just the teensiest hint of cream cheese taste, which I happen to really like!

I can't say that these will become part of the regular rotation in our Christmas cookie repertoire, but I like to try something new every year to mix it up with our favorite standbys.  These were fine, but not extraordinary.  

I gotta say, it's pretty tough to break in to the regular Christmas cookie pantheon in our house, but at least we are willing to consider new members. 😊

Has any baking been going on at your house during this holiday season?

A Friday At Home

Yesterday afternoon, I decided that I was going to take a personal day today, because I just felt so tired and so sluggish.  I have been sleeping as well as I usually do - which isn't that great, but I've never been that good of a sleeper - but I was just feeling like I was dragging myself around the world.  I know that it has a lot to do with the stressful situation at work, which has amped up comsiderably in the past couple of weeks.  So on the spur of the moment I decided, since there was nothing that I specifically needed to be at work to do today.

Last night I just *had* to go to bed much earlier than I usually do, because I was just kind of sitting watching a show with The Tim, and missing most of what was happening, since I was dozing in and out.  

Well, I think my self-diagnosis (such as it is) was correct.  Because after going to bed really early, and then waking up this morning at 8:30 a.m., I feel So Much Better!  And I can't think of the last time I slept so late.  (Yes, 8:30 a.m. is late for me.  I realize that for a lot of people it is too early, but there you are.)

So today I plan to do as much or as little as I feel like doing.  I know that as soon as I go back to work on Monday, things will be extremely stressful again, and I'll start all over again, but that will be then.  In the meantime, I'm going to just go with my own flow.  

The only very specific plan I have for the weekend is getting my hair cut tomorrow, so the rest is just my time to decorate and do some baking (hopefully).  I found a new recipe for some sugar-type cookies that use cream cheese as one of the ingredients, so I want to try those.  I'll be sure to let you know if they are deemed successful.  

The Tim sent this to me yesterday, and I decided to share it with you.  I'm sure we've all heard of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, but did you know there is yet another one that's been discovered??

Here's hoping your weekend is free of bagpipes (unless you like them, in which case, go for it - the bagpipes, not the virus!), and that you can enjoy whatever you like about the holiday season, or even just simply a pleasant weekend.   Take care, and remember - if you are feeling too tired, get some REST!

The Box

Yesterday was a looooong day.  I left the house at 6:45 a.m. and returned home at 7:15 p.m.  I really thought I'd never get home, you know?  Anyway, when I finally walked in the door, The Tim met me, and he didn't say "Hi," "Good to see you," or even "Go to hell" - nope the first words he said to me - in a reverential tone - were "The Box arrived today."

Magic Christmastime words:  The Box arrived today."

The Box:

Inside The Box:

And, the piece de resistance, what is inside the bag inside The Box:

You may be thinking that yes, it looks like we got some cookies in the mail, and you may also know that we bake cookies ourselves, so what is so special about The Box?

Well, about 25 years ago, I worked with a woman who I can truly say was one of the oddest people I've met in my entire life.  She is just ... odd.  Nice enough, but not a warm personality, extremely direct, not overly social, and could never be accused of being friendly overall.  But she is smart, and pretty funny in a sardonic way, and she loves cats.  At the time we worked together, it was (surprise) in a library, but that was her second career.  She had originally trained and worked as a professional pastry chef.  After years of doing that, she decided she was burnt out and switched to working in a library.

Through no real understanding of mine, she decided I was an OK person, and would talk and joke with me.  Then she started bringing in her baking experiments for me to try ("by the time I'm finished, I don't want to try it, and ____ [insert husband's name] doesn't really care, so you are my taste tester").  As I'm sure you can imagine, I was more than happy to try her concoctions.

After a couple of years working together, her husband died (which is sad anyway, but they were both a lot younger than me, so that just seemed extra sad).  She worked about another year longer, and then remarried her late husband's best friend, and they moved to Maine.  His mother still lived in Philadelphia, so they would come to visit here about two or three times a year.  Each time, this woman would e-mail, and we would meet to have coffee or something.  Which seemed weird to me, because again, I never really felt like we were actual friends, more like agreeable co-workers.  But, it was always nice to see her, and catch up and hear her stories about her new life in Maine.

But the really crazy thing is that beginning the year she moved to Maine, and every single year since, The Box arrives at the beginning of December.  It always contains three different kinds of holiday cookies, some old favorites but always a new recipe, and a chatty note from her, catching us up on things.  Now I know from working with her all those years, that she sent Christmas packages to her mother, her sister, her niece and nephew, and of course exchanged gifts with her husband.  Apparently we were added to her list.  Again, through no actual effort on my part or even awareness that we were so ... close?

I have to say that even though it surprises and puzzles me, I do enjoy it, and hearing her update every year, and realizing that I must have actually been someone she decided she likes.  

The Tim, however, has decided that his life is given new meaning every year when The Box arrives.  One year, it got to be late in the month, and we hadn't received it.  He wanted me to contact her and ask if she was sending on that year!  I nearly fainted when he suggested that - I know he was [sort of] kidding, but still ...  (Just so you know, it did get to us - she had just gotten behind on her baking!)

And so now you know the story of The Box.  This woman's mother-in-law who lived in Philadelphia died a couple of years ago, so they don't really come to town anymore.  Nonetheless, every year, I get her update in a long, newsy letter tucked inside The Box.

And The Tim finds his Christmas miracle as well.

Cinnamon Rolls, a Sock, a Book, and a Nor'easter

Hello from very snowy Philadelphia!  Phase 1 of the nor'easter snowstorm we are supposed to get is winding down right now, so that Phase 2 - which is supposed to be the "real" one - can move in this afternoon.  When Hamlet and I went out for our very early morning walk today, there was about 2 inches on the ground, and we were more or less the first ones to walk in it on our street.  It was nice, soft, dry snow, so we enjoyed it while we could, because right now, the infamous "Wintry Mix" is occurring, to be followed by heavy snow, which probably means that tomorrow morning will be like ice skates.  Ugh. Why does Wintry Mix even ever have to happen???

Anyway, it was nice this a.m., and Hamlet was so joyous!  He ate some of the new snow, he ran around, and when we got back to our street, I took his leash off and said, "OK, Hammy - home for breakfast!" and he seriously gamboled down the street until he got to our stoop.  I love seeing him that happy.

So - have you ever heard/seen a friend do something, and it just sticks with you until you give it a try yourself?  Well, a couple of weeks ago, a friend posted on Facebook some photos of some cinnamon rolls she had made.  We both love cinnamon rolls, and I just thought to myself that I had to try and make some - even though I'm not much of a bread/roll/pastry baker.  But it was in my brain, and I decided that I would make them this past Friday.  With all of the various steps and letting the dough rise, etc., it took the better part of the day, but oh was it worth it!  They are truly delicious, and I will definitely make them again!  I completely forgot to take any photos, but I used this recipe, if you want to try some yourself.  Highly recommended.

On Saturday, I finished my first sock of 2021 - not a pair, just a single sock, a HO if you will:

I call these Happy Socks, both for the colors, but also because I started them on Inauguration Day.  It's just a 2x2 twisted rib cuff, a pattern of k2, slip 1 for a round and then just knit on the next round for the leg, and then a plain foot.  I like the way it looks, and I will probaby start Sock #2 today or tomorrow.  I probably won't be keeping these for myself, though that could change.  But I want to try and knit things that I just want to make this year, and if I am not immediately wanting it with all of my heart, I'll put them in a box for gifts or to donate.

Also on Saturday, I started reading this book:

It takes place primarily in Philadelphia during the 1918 flu epidemic, and is really a good read, while also being terribly sad.  There are also so many similarities to the current pandemic that it was interesting for that reason too.  I finished it yesterday!  

The other thing that struck me was the cover, which is a winter scene of Philadelphia as seen from Logan Square.  The Logan Square Fountain is in the forefront, and to the left in the image is the tower of City Hall; then to the right is the Pennsylvania Railroad building.  If you stood where the woman in the image is standing today, you would see the exact same thing!  I just love that.

So it was a very cold but very lovely weekend.  When Hamlet and I went out yesterday afternoon, the nor'easter was just getting underway; when he and The Tim went out last night, there was probably about an inch on the ground.  So really overnight we didn't get that much more, but it was so nice to wake up this morning and go out for a walk in it, before everyone else was up and whining about it.  

Today's plan is to start the sleeves on the sweater I'm knitting, start a new book, and see how the day unfolds.  It's the first day of February, so a new month has started with all of the new possibilities to be revealed.  

I hope you are well, and if you are getting snow, I hope it won't be in any way harmful to you and yours, and that you don't lose power or anything.  Otherwise, enjoy a wintry day and stay cozy!

Drowning My Sorrows

Hello there!  March is underway, and at least for today the sun is shining, so that's all good news (even if it's supposed to rain again tomorrow.  Seriously).  I had a "good enough" weekend, meaning that it was actually just fine, but it took me nearly the whole time to get over the week at work, so to speak.  Suffice it to say that things are not going well, and individuals are being picked on - truly - by our new museum CEO, who we have decided is trying to get people to quit so he doesn't have to "restructure" more of us out of our jobs.  Like everything else in life, it all piles up and then something small really makes it magnified.  Which was what happened on Friday.

So my "good enough" weekend was spent drowning my sorrows and trying to move along and leave work at work.  This is usually not a problem, but last week made it a bit more difficult than usual.

Originally, I thought I had a haircut appt on Saturday morning.  When I called to double-check the time, I learned that no, said appt was in fact on Friday after work!  (Glad I called to check.)  On the plus side, this meant that I really did have Saturday free, which was nice.  

Saturday afternoon to get started on drowning my sorrows, I finally baked some scones I'd been wanting to make since I saw the recipe.  They turned out to be really simple to make, and wow were they yummy!  Here are my chocolate chip and cranberry scones:

In the recipe, they directed you to make 12 wedges, but I made 8 because we like one more substantial scone as opposed to maybe 2 smaller ones at one time.  They turned out really well, and were especially nice with a pot of tea while watching an old movie.  The Tim reminded me that we have some frozen blueberries in the freezer from last summer, so next time I may substitute those - blueberry scones would be good also, don't you think?  (Spoiler alert: If you ask me, all scones taste good, but that might just be my opinion.)

Sunday, The Tim had to work as usual, so I first drowned my sorrows by paying some bills.  Well, actually, that did nothing for my sorrows, it just gave me different ones!  ;-)  Then I decided that not much else was going to be accomplished, so I turned to knitting.  It's been too long since I worked on my scrappy blanket, so I pulled it out and added some squares, which was extremely pleasing.  My MO is to knit six squares before weaving in ends (don't ask my why, it makes sense to me).  Here's how it looks after yesterday:

And here are the six "new" squares - three from about a month ago, three from yesterday.

This project always pleases me because it's so cheery, but also finishing even just a single square feels like an accomplishment.  I know it will likely take forever to get something even lap-sized at the rate I'm going, but I don't care because I enjoy working on it so very much.  

I also cast on the pair of socks I'm making for March as part of a KAL with my friend Andrea.  No photos, because a) I forgot to take any, and b) I only have some of the cuff done anyway, so there is not that much to see.  

My last "drowing my sorrows" thing was that I decided to give myself a manicure and paint my nails.  I don't remember how or why, but last summer I watched a You Tube video where a woman showed how she successfully paints her nails - meaning that her fingers are not covered with as much nail polish as her fingernails are.  I tried her "system" and it was really successful, which was pleasing.  Of course, I was using a light color - something tells me that if I'd used any other shade, it would not have gone well.  Because that is how life works, right?  ;-)

So eventually I got there, and felt mostly better.  I gave myself a pep talk last night when I went to bed, and so far this morning I'm surviving just fine.  Hopefully that can last, we'll see.

Here's to a decent week for all of us.  Happy March!

Not Much to Report from Here

That's the truth.  Last weekend was fine - nothing much to report, except that I did dedicate part of my Sunday afternoon to another cooking/baking session that was successful.  I made a big pot of creamy potato soup with roasted brussels sprouts, and some applescotch crisp.  We ate the soup on Monday night for dinner and I had some leftover for lunch yesterday and now sadly it's gone - but it was pretty yummy, let me tell you.  And we finished the crisp last night, so that's it for this round of cooking ahead.

I did make a swatch for my sweater project on a set of smaller needles as I had planned, and the good news is that using smaller needles, I was able to get the proper gauge, which was pleasing.  However, that's as far as I made it at the moment.  I also have my yarn and pattern ready for this coming Sunday, when my friend Andrea and I are starting a sock KAL for March.  I spent a little bit of time on Sunday doing another square on my Cozy Squares of Memory blanket, and I did lengthen a pair of socks for The Tim over the weekend, but have otherwise not knit a stitch since then.  I haven't even really done that much reading over the past few days.

No, I'm not sick or anything, or even suffering from a lack of mojo - I'm just really really tired.  I know that I have mentioned in passing that they are "renovating" our space at work (I put that in quotation marks because, well, it's more of a spruce up and not really a nice one, but I digress).  Anyhow, it's close to being finished, and we are moving stuff back in to the space now.  Which is a very slow and tedious process, being that with all of the $$$ they spent, they were too cheap to pay for movers for the bulk of the stuff.  So it's up to us to get it done.  The custodial staff has helped with the truly heavy or extra large things, but the rest is all us.  And it is exhausting, as I'm sure you can imagine.  Yesterday by the time I left work, I realized that I had been on my feet, lifting, shifting, and pushing carts except for the 30 minutes I took for lunch. 

So I do not have the physical or mental energy to do anything other than just sit and stare at the TV.  Fortunately, we have a lot of stuff in our to-be-watched queue! 

The rest of the week will likely be the same, so I probably won't have anything "exciting" to tell you about or projects to show you.  I am hoping that I will be able regroup enough to get started on things this coming weekend.   The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak - so to speak!  :-)

Today is Ash Wednesday, and I have been able to organize my thoughts for Lent and am ready to go as far as that is concerned.  But whatever you are busy with, or not doing, I hope all is well and that here at the middle of the week, you are in a happy and/or content state of mind. 

In Which The Tim Gets One of His Christmas Wishes

This will always be one of my most favorite Christmas photos.  Every cat we have had has had to be in a photo with Rudolph, but I was lucky enough to catch this instant when it looked as if Jetsam and Rudolph are kissing.  :-)  I miss my Jet so much, but this makes me happy even so.

Today is the December meeting of our crafting group at work.  I brought in some cookies to share, and hope that more than just myself and my co-worker show up.  It's a hit and miss thing - one month there will be three of us, and the next time, twenty people show up!  I didn't bring in a whole lot of goodies, but at least made an effort.  One of the other members also usually brings a treat (her "craft" is baking), so I'm hoping she'll be there too.  It's a nice break in the day, even if not a lot of people are able to fit it into their schedules.  Quite a few of the people who have been laid off (excuse me, "restructured") have been in the group since the beginning, so I hope they can come today, since it might be the last time we'll get to hang out ... our institutional holiday party was mysteriously cancelled, due to "scheduling issues" which all of us take to mean that the administration didn't want to have an event that might turn into a farewell party for the people previously mentioned.

Anyway, we should have a good time - I'm looking forward to it.

I apologize if I've told you this story before, but I at least find it amusing every year.  About three jobs ago, one of the women I worked with was a former pastry chef who had chucked that career for one with "regular" hours.  She was simultaneously the oddest person and one of the funniest persons I've ever worked with, and I was one of the few people she never seemed to be feuding with (and I have no idea why, but it really doesn't matter in the end).  Her husband died from melanoma, and shortly after that, she married his best friend who lived in Maine, and moved there.  On occasion, if she came back to town to visit family, we'd meet for lunch or coffee, and frankly, I was always a little puzzled why she went out of her way (clearly I'm really good at friendships ...).  But every single year, at the beginning of December, we would receive a large box from her full of various types of fancy - and extremely delicious - cookies.  For someone who seemed to truly dislike most people, it was always a compliment, but a puzzling one, since I guess I never really "got" our relationship.

Anyway, last year, we didn't get the box until the second week of December, and The Tim (who can't even make an effort to remember her name, calls her "Your Cookie Friend") was quite put out that they arrived so late.   As of the end of last week, we had not received the box yet and frankly I was surprised I hadn't heard his "concerns" about it.  This past Saturday afternoon, as he was taking a nap, our mailman delivered the Box o' Goodies.  When The Tim woke up and asked if we'd gotten any mail, I said, "Well, you'll be relieved to know that your cookies have arrived," and he responded, "Oh I'm so glad!  If they didn't get here this weekend, I was gonna ask you to ask her if she was sending them this year."  OH.MY.GOD.  I would *never* do such a thing.  But now I've decided that if I happen to finish my journey on this planet before he does, he will not be likely to ever let this woman know ...

Now also keep in mind, if someone else said something like this, he'd talk about it non-stop.

Go figure.

What a weirdo.

Well That Was a Good Weekend!

I decided on Thursday afternoon of last week that I was going to take the day off on Friday.  The week leading up to that had been bad enough, but Thursday itself was a nightmare, and I decided that it was more important to save my own mental health than it was to not use a day of leave. 

I tell you, it was one of the BEST decisions I have ever made!  The Tim had to work on Friday, so it was just me and the critters.  But that's fine, because it was a perfect day.  I didn't do anything amazing or unusual, and that is part of what made it so good.  I took my time over a cup of tea and some oatmeal in the morning, took Hamlet for a nice walk, and then stopped at the market for a few items that I needed for some cookies I was planning to bake.  Then I took a little reading and knitting break, and then it was time to do some baking! 

I made Seven-Layer cookies, which are one of my favorites - easy to put together, and excellent payoff!  They turned out really well, and I'm guessing they will be gone soon ... then I decided to work on the craft room/junk room/office, which was just in sad shape.  But no more!  I got it cleaned up, organized, and set out my sewing machine, which will good for two reasons: 1) it means that I will use the sewing machine because I won't have to take the time to clear off the table and then haul it out, and 2) there won't be to room pile up all the crap that tends to accumulate on said table.  It also meant that I could finally put the Christmas decorations in that room.  There aren't many, but I always refuse to put them out in there until it's cleaned up.  It was a good feeling to have accomplished so much, and still have the rest of the day to just relax.  It made a HUGE change in my whole being.

Saturday, The Tim made pizzelles, while I worked on a bit of laundry, and we mostly just hung out and enjoyed some Christmas music, Christmas shows/movies, and watched the Army/Navy football game.  He also made vegetarian shepherd's pie for dinner (not "peppered with actual shepherd on top" for those wondering ...), which was pretty amazing.

Sunday, The Tim was at work during the day, and I did some more laundry, some cleaning, and fixed homemade mac and cheese for supper.  It was a good mix of doing some things that needed to be done, and just relaxing. 

Today, of course, it's back to work, but at least it's a day when it turns out that I will be the only one there, so that's a good way to ease back into the week.  Because no one wants to be in prison at Christmastime, am I right??? ;-)

Here's hoping this week will be a good one - or if not that, a quick one!  Take care.

A Perfect Rainy Day

When I don't have to slog back and forth to work in a downpour, I love rainy days.  They just seem to provide a chance to slow down, and either do nothing at all, or tackle a project that you want to do, but find excuses not to when the weather is nice.

This past Sunday was a serious rainy day - starting overnight, and just pouring until Sunday evening.  It had been in the forecast, so I had already decided I wasn't going to make any other plans to do anything that required being outside.  And that worked out perfectly, because when I can, I try to remember on the Sunday prior to Ash Wednesday to make some Hot Cross Buns.

I'm not much of a bread maker - The Tim has that down to an art, and bakes bread at least once a week, so that works for me.  But I have always liked hot cross buns, and in our family, they have always been something we had during Lent, rather than at Easter as many on Facebook have pointed out in such a lovely fashion.  (I mean, really, is there nothing that someone can't find to "correct" you about???)  Of course, that always meant store-bought or if we were lucky, bakery versions of hot cross buns, but that was fine.

Years ago, when we lived in Chicago, I was perusing a Prevention magazine one day at lunchtime when I had forgotten my book and was at the mercy of what freebies were around the lunchroom, and I came across a recipe.  I decided to be adventurous and give it a try, and I was beyond pleased with the results.  So that became a yearly tradition, except for years I completely forgot, or last year, when I was in my cast for a broken ankle, and standing for any length of time was uncomfortable.

Over the years, as with any recipe you make over and over, I've tweaked things a bit.  This year, I decided that rather than adding only the cinnamon and nutmeg in the recipe, I'd just put in an amount that seemed right to me.  Turns out, that was one of my best ideas ever - this batch is seriously tasty!

So Sunday morning, I gathered the ingredients, mixed things together, and put the dough in a warm place to rise.  Then I sat down and did some knitting.

Then it was time to punch down the dough, let it rest, and form it into the individual rolls, which had to rise again.  So I did that, and sat down and did some reading.

I put them in the oven to bake, washed up the mess of dishes I'd created along with breakfast dishes, took them out of the oven to cool, and then took a shower.   By then The Tim was home from work, and we caught up on our days, and had dinner.  After dinner, I did the icing, cleaned up, and he did the dishes (our deal is that one of us cooks, the other washes the dishes).  And then we watched the Olympics and I did some more knitting.

Now *that's* what I call a perfect rainy day, and a nice end to the weekend!

Here's a shot of the buns before baking.  As you can see, the recipe makes a lot.   Since they freeze well, we will have them for breakfasts during all of Lent.

And here they are, baked and iced.  Boy did our house smell good!

We were laughing, remembering a few years back when I made a batch, and then we went out for about an hour.  When we got home, Dug had helped himself to about 10 of them!  He was so pleased, we just couldn't even be upset.  And fortunately it had no bad effects on his system, if you get my drift ...  we only wish we still had that problem, I have to say.  :-(

****

I'm glad so many of you enjoyed my Knit-taalik story, and I only hope we can get a group going at work, that would be excellent.

Today at work was also really cool.  They are renovating two of the dioramas in the museum, and the glaziers were here to remove the glass (the panels are about 200 pounds each!).  It was so nerve-wracking (for us, for them it was their work), but really cool!  And then, I came back up to my desk and was able to see the restored LOVE statue go past on its way back where it belongs.  As I mentioned on Facebook, it was actually worth coming to work today.  Though unfortunately, now they expect us to do something.  Work really does cut into my day, you know?  

An Excellent Christmastime Weekend

Hello all!  I hope all of you had a good weekend.  As I mentioned, we had some company this weekend, so it was a busy one for us, but we had so much fun!  Admittedly, I'm glad I took today off so that I could recoup and enjoy a day at home, but I'll also admit I miss everyone who was here.

We really only saw Julie on Saturday morning when she was able to join us for breakfast, and we didn't get to see Keith at all - both of them were busy with the wedding they were in town to attend.  But we got to spend a whole lot of time with my sister Mary Ellen and her husband Patrick, and with our little great-niece Penn.  We don't get to see Penn very often, because even though she and her family live in Brooklyn, which is not that far away, Julie and Keith have crazy work schedules, so finding a weekend when everyone is available is nearly impossible.  So this was our chance, to quote The Tim, "to make sure that Penn realizes that we're really fun."  I think we may have succeeded.

The cats were a HUGE attraction for her, which was a bonus for us.  Of course, they are extremely fond of anyone who keeps giving them treats (who wouldn't be?), so I think on Friday after we got back to our house after dinner, they had more treats in one evening than in their lives so far. ;-)  And the game of laser toy was quite exciting for Pip and Jack (Milo is afraid of it, the little wimp), so that was definitely a win.  Of course I forgot to take a single picture.

Saturday morning, we all met for breakfast, and then walked through Rittenhouse  Square on our way over to Macy's.  She wanted her picture with some of the sculptures in the Square.

She is the funniest little kid - she likes to get her picture taken, but will seldom smile, unless she is already doing something that makes her smile or laugh. 

We were going to Macy's, the former John Wanamaker department store, to see one of the most cherished Philadelphia traditions: Wanamaker's Christmas Light Show.  When Macy's was taking over, it was with the understanding that the Light Show would stay.  To their credit, not only did they keep it, but they freshened up the lighting with LED lights, so there are no random dark spots when lights die during a show.  It's corny, and cheesy, and one of the best things to do in the city at Christmastime.  I took LOTS of pictures, so I'm going to show you only one here, and save the others for a separate post.

Santa! Rudolph! Reindeer! A Christmas tree!  What's not to love?   Penn thought it was great, and told us that she liked that Rudolph showed up before the other reindeer, and she also liked the "singing" (there is a recorded background for each segment of the show).   After that we headed outside, and went to City Hall to see the Christmas garden and the city's Christmas tree.

Uncle Tim and Penn had a good time checking things out.  

Uncle Tim was a big hit.  (Uncle Tim is ALWAYS a big hit.)

She liked this reindeer sculpture, and told us that this was "Rudolph's mommy."  

Here is the Philadelphia Christmas tree, with a Liberty Bell on the top.  

She thought that was hilarious.

I thought the ornaments were really cool, and liked this wooden 

old-fashioned snowman inside the branches.

Then it was time for her nap, so we went over to my sister and brother-in-law's hotel so she could take said nap, and we would meet later for dinner.  She wanted me to take this picture of her and her stuffed kitty, Lala, who she said really liked our kitties.  :-)

Later we all met for dinner at a local pub, and then headed back to our house.  More treats for the kitties, and then a game of Kitty Tease (one of those fishing pole type toys with a mouse at the end to chase).  Pip and Milo tired out pretty quickly, but Penn and Jack did not run out of energy at all!

As you can see, it requires concentration on the part of both parties ...

but it's worth it at the end

They all headed home on Sunday.  The original plan was that we would all have brunch together (though The Tim had to work), but as it turned out, I got called to go to work at the last minute for a few hours (don't ask), so I missed seeing them all one more time.  But on Saturday night when they were leaving, Penn did tell us that "I'm coming back to see you and the kitties and sleep over."  So I think she enjoyed herself. 

When I got home from my few hours at work, I decided that I *really* needed to do something Christmas-y, so I made these:

A perfect decision - making some Christmas cookies while listening to Christmas music!  I'd seen this recipe on Facebook, and wanted to try it.  Let me tell you - these are really easy, and incredibly yummy!  In the recipe of course they have you just using one kind of sprinkles but you are probably not surprised to see that I pulled out every kind of sprinkle I could find!

Someday, I would love to be able to be off work, or even just work part-time, during Christmastime, but in the meantime, I try to make all of my own time - especially on weekends - make up for it.  This weekend was an excellent start!

Pie Day

Not to be confused with Pi  Day (March 14) ...

My mother was not much of a cook, though she loved to eat.  But once every summer, she would make a lemon meringue pie.  It was a *big* deal.  And always yummy.

The other day I stopped at the market near our house for a few things, and I saw that they had a box of Lemon Pie filling.  Hm, I thought - I have a pie crust in the freezer, and I'm home this week, maybe I'll make a lemon meringue pie.  So I bought it, and today turned out the be the day.

It doesn't look as nice as my mom's used to - she was really good at getting super high peaks on her meringue, and successfully spreading it so that no filling was visible.  But I think I did a pretty good job for my first attempt.  We'll have some later, and hopefully it will be good.  I already remembered one ingredient she would use that I forgot, but I'm hoping it will still be OK.  Lemon meringue pie always makes me think of summer.

This week has been OK, so far.   Monday afternoon we took Milo the Koodle to the vet for a checkup.  We've been so busy with Dug and then Jetsam the past couple of years, that it had been a while since any of the others had gone.  We were trying a new vet, and hoping for the best.  Milo was so freaked out, that when we put him in the carrier, he expressed his anal glands.  OH MY GOD THE SMELL!!!  Fortunately, the vet cleaned him up.  He got his shots, and was declared in good health.  Of course they made a huge fuss over him, which he loves.  And his report from the vet said he was "a good boy."  PUH-LEEZE.

Yesterday was just a terrible day. First thing in the morning I got awful news (nothing health-related, don't worry) and frankly it just ruined my whole day.  I couldn't stop crying.  I don't mean to be vague, but I just can't talk about it right now.  By the end of the day I was OK again, but it was one of those days that was so humid, it was unbearable. So unfortunately, it was a lost day.  

We had crazy loud and violent rainstorms overnight.  I was having trouble sleeping anyway, so I sat up watching most of the night.  Needless to say, I'm tired today!  But it was a day of doing stuff around the house, baking, cooking, and things like that.  The weather today was gorgeous, so we had a pleasant walk this afternoon, and will likely sit in the garden for a good part of the evening.

Tomorrow - a beach day!!  YAY!!

I've also been knitting away, and yesterday I finally swatched for my summer sweater top.  Ahem.

I finished one book today, and started another.  Though I have a few squares on my Book Bingo card filled, I'm not anywhere close to having a completely filled card like some other participants.  But I'm OK with that, because I wasn't thinking it was a contest, and I just wanted to see what I would be able to accomplish.  There's still a week or so left, so who knows, I may have more than I think by the time it's all over.

So it's been a week when I am more than happy to not be at work, especially yesterday.  Now the weather has improved, which helps everything anyway, so it's all good.  

How has your week been?