Reports of Dasher's Demise...

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...have been greatly exaggerated.

 

He just didn't get all his bling on before Christmas. I'm going to try really hard to finish him before the new year, but there are a lotttttttttt of beeeeeeeads.... I bet I only have 1/4 of them on in this shot. I'm probably up to 1/3 now!

Pre-Christmas was very busy, then we spent Christmas Day with my parents and Boxing Day with Michael's parents--not that they celebrate Boxing Day in any way, shape, or form...it just sounds fancier than "the day after Christmas". It was fun; pictures and such are coming. I kinda threw an impromptu Christmas Eve buffet, too.

Then, Tuesday the 27th...I had to go back to work. I say "had to"...it was more like "chose to". I took off the whole week before so I'd have time to bake cookies, deliver them, wrap, take our niece to the Aquarium, and generally make the festivity happen. But I must admit that I thought I'd have at least a day or two to totally hermit...play video games, stitch, knit, maybe even finish some ornaments! (I actually have a "pile" now. I always scoffed at people who had a "pile".) Anyway, I ended the year with 2.5 days of vacation and 3 days of work. It's always so quiet and I get so much done (with so little to do), and I thought I'd get to do a long lunch at the Mall shopping crazy sales. Not so much...I actually have a lot to do, and I didn't even see the Mall. I did have lunch with my parents, which was nice, since in all the hubbub at Christmas it's hard to find time to really talk.

But boy oh boy do I just want to stay in my pajamas all day!

Taking a whole week off before meant that I actually did get to make scarves for my sister and mom for Christmas. It was a super-crazy plan, trying to make them the week before, but once I saw how EASY and QUICK the crochet version of the Berroco Lacey scarf was...I thought, why not???

 

They are a bit "bright" in this picture. They're kinda like the "potato chip" scarves but WAY fluffier. =) Why are there three? Well, I had to make myself one, didn't I? You know, to make sure it was good? Like when you have to sample at least three cookies from a batch to make sure they're fit for public consumption. (Just me? OK.) Really, though, when my sister's pink came, it was a lot darker than I thought it would be and I wasn't sure she would like it. So I made mine as well (middle) and would have given her mine and taken hers (left). Lo and behold, she showed up on Christmas morning wearing a top that was THE EXACT COLOR of her scarf! A Christmas miracle! Mom was wearing her red one at lunch on Tuesday and said she'd already had lots of compliments on it. My mom and sister are very knitworthy. =)

Here's an in-progress picture of Mom's scarf so you can see how the yarn comes. And I don't really crochet, but the knitting directions are like, "lift the next four stitches, one by one, over the first stitch on the right needle," whereas the crochet are "pull the loop through the next four loops". Yeah, I'll do that!

 

The first one took me a while because I was trying to figure out what was going on and how to pull through those loops. But the 2nd and 3rd took less than two TV shows (1.5 hours?), and that was while paying attention to Nikita. =)

I hope to do a pre-Theme-a-licious post with graphics for you all, but if I don't get around to it, or the hubby is late with the shiny graphics ("shiny," get it? I'm still hoping for Nathan!) the first post will be on the 31st. Many of you have already blogged about what's on your list (some for the whole year!), so you can just link in that post. Otherwise, share what you're working on for Jardin January! Here's a small graphic that I made that you can put on your sidebar or use in forum signatures. Sorry it's not a "blinkie" but those make my eyes cross. ;) It's also on the Theme-a-licious page.

JiffNotes
I want to be in school again so I get the long Christmas vacation!!

Merry Christmas!

Advent has arrived; the final square is turned!

Hope your day is truly blessed.

Not a TUSAL was stirring...

(What's a TUSAL?)

Well, the Nativity scene is on the top of the china cabinet where I normally take the TUSAL picture! Hope you have a blessed Christmas Eve!

Almost Done

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The cookies are baked!

Somehow, I achieved a world record of having all the gifts wrapped on the 22nd!! That's, like, TWO WHOLE DAYS EARLY.

Unfortunately, Dasher didn't make it again this year. Oh, well, I have other deer to keep me company.

 

And lots of ornaments...some I've done, but a bunch that I've received in exchanges.

 

Everyone who visits us comments on them and gets to hear where they all came from. =)

 

I finished scarves for my Mom and sister, but I won't post a picture...yet...on the TEENSY OFFHAND CHANCE one of them will read my blog in the next 48 hours.

Now there's just a little baking and cleaning left!

JiffNotes
I would be totally done...if it weren't for Swampy. Or taking my niece to the Aquarium today to see the dolphins. =)

The Geekend That Was, 12/18

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So this post was going to be filled with awesome live-action images of the cool stuff I did this weekend, but I forgot my camera every time we left the house! So instead, here's a picture of part of my sister's decorations last Christmas for tea (since you will remember IMichael forgot to take any this year!)

Friday night we went to see Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (most awkwardly punctuated title, ever) in real IMAX (as opposed to the retro-fitted regular movie theater screens now calling themselves IMAX). WOW. It was fantastic...or should I say, "incredible," since it was directed by Brad Bird (who directed The Incredibles, as well as Ratatouille and The Iron Giant). You could absolutely tell what was going on in the action scenes (no close-cropped, hyperactive editing) and Tom Cruise failed to annoy me. =) I feel like the trailer was incredibly cheesy; the movie is not. Also, I completely missed the switches from IMAX to regular format during the film (only part of it was filmed in the large-format IMAX). Go see it in IMAX!

Saturday it was all about the cookies. I did not get as much done as I intended; my original plan (before Mission: Impossible intervened) was to have the cookie list and shopping list done on Friday. I did try to work on the list in the car as we drove to the IMAX theater (it's about 45 minutes away), but lack of protein tanked my efforts. So Saturday I made the list and sent Michael off to grocery shop while I attempted to clean up and wrap his presents. I got exactly two teeny stocking stuffers done before the dulcet tones of the garage door opening caused me to throw everything back into bags. Too much cleaning!! I managed to mix one dough and make one batch of Peppermint Cream Bars...

 

...the surprise break-out cookie from last year, to take to one of my favorite annual parties, Cookies & Carols, hosted by The Roses. It's just what it sounds like...tons of Christmas cookies and singing every Christmas carol from "Angels We Have Heard on High" to "I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas". (Geek alert: One of the attendees brought his ukulele to play the fastest ever versions I've heard of "Santa Baby" and "Frosty the Snowman". The ukulele was signed by Jonathan Coulton!!! Who played a bit of "Still Alive" on it!!!!!1!!one!!! I got to touch it. =)

Sunday after church and errands to buy remaining cookie ingredients, all I had time to do was put up my Advent calendar post before it was time to get ready to go to one of my favorite Christmas concerts/performances: Carol Sing! One of my coworkers invited me...two years ago? Three?? After the first year, I said, "Just try and stop me from showing up every year!" His church has not one but TWO hand bell choirs, and they do a concert...but the audience is the choir. Sit and listen to gorgeous bells and organ and sing Christmas carols as loud as I want for an hour?? YES, PLEASE!!! That's about as perfect as I can imagine. He plays the bass bells, and it's so fun to watch him and his co-bass-player manage their table of giant bells! Also, afterwards they have a vast table of Christmas cookies in the fellowship hall, and if you're quick, you can get a Buckeye (they go fast)!

So, yeah...cookies for dinner two nights in a row. I expect Eating Well to show up any day to interview me for tips on how they can emulate my healthy lifestyle.

JiffNotes
It's all about the cookies. And the carols.