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The holidays have been amazing....everything I've felt, I've felt deeply. And there were not many words for the emotions around such a Christmas as this. I'll be back in a few days and I miss you all! Happy New Year!
Blessings to you, my friends.
Two Snow days! And what did I do? Baked more. Ate more. One of the treats I made this year was my favorite recipe pound cake, done in miniature tube pans.
If you love pound cake, you will not fail with this recipe. It is dense, moist, and eggy and so delicious.
Sour Cream Pound Cake
1 cup Butter
3 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla ( I use a good Mexican vanilla)
6 large eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
3 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
Cream together butter and sugar, add vanilla. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well blended. Mix in dry ingredients and blend until no lumps. Bake at 300 degrees for about an hour and fifteen minutes or untill a pick inserted comes out clean. Turn out of pan on to a cooling rack, dust with powdered sugar. Try to let it cool before eating. I dare you.
And I had to knit a little Christmas something for a baby boy that I know.
Stocking cap from Holiday knits. Made from stash yarn.
My only Christmas knitting, I thought, until Augie spied me making it and decided that he really wanted one, too. We even picked out yarn colors....so, I will cast on tonight for Augie's blue and red stocking hat, with a big pompom.
Happy Dance, Happy Dance! My sweater mods worked!!!!
AND here we go….my mods for Round 2: I frogged the yoke, and re-knit it to the larger size. To save having to buy another skein of yarn, I did the back short row shaping as per the instructions, then immediately began the 1X1 ribbing. This gave me a lower (wider) neckline, but I think it’s more flattering for me, anyway.
The other “yarn saver” was doing the last rows of the neck and front band ribbing and bind-off with the gray yarn left over from the fair-isle pattern. It really gives it a sharp look, I think.
I'm happy with it. Very Happy.
Every year I think I have the Prettiest Christmas Tree I've ever decorated. This year is no exception. It's always so calming to me to go through the ornaments and decide on a theme. I've collected vintage glass ornaments for years. This year's tree is a bit simpler than other years....I've used the old Shiny Brites. I love how their old patina and stripy-ness and muted colors just work together...no matter what the era. Christopher Radko has done a fabulous job of creating reproduction Shiny Brites, which I added to my collection several years ago. No doubt, they are shinier than my old ones, but they still have the same ageless charm of the originals.
I'm sad when I think about how, in recent years, such a harmless and joyous thing as a Christmas Tree can be surrounded with controversy.
The neighbors are really decking their houses for Christmas. We've had some new families move on to the street, so it creates a whole different festivity to the neighborhood.
JR has always taken pride in decorating the outside of our house. He has won awards for his Holiday Decorating ( going back to when he was fifteen, when no All-American, sports-loving teen-aged boy had any business winning a Holiday Decorating contest in his community) My husband takes pride in his careful execution of a classic holiday lighting scheme. And it can only be done when the mood strikes him. No amount of nagging or begging on my part will get my house decorated any sooner than when he's good and ready ( bah-humbug). Each plea is answered with " You decorate the inside, I decorate the outside. When I'm ready."
As this week progressed, and some of the new people have strung their lights and hung their wreaths and bows, I have found my husband peering through various windows in our house. Assessing the competition, no doubt.
Just before we went up to bed the other night, he took one last look out the front door, gazing through the wreath, and quietly, but authoritatively stated,
"I think it's time for an upgrade."
"But not this year... next year when they least expect it."
Okay, this is what I've been up to for the past several weeks.
I'm the shortest of these Andrews Sisters, in case I faked you out with my hair extensions.
It was hard work, lots of prayer, and a great deal of fun to share Christmas this way, with a broken and hurting community. Our church has been doing the presentation of the Living Singing Christmas Tree for over 40 years. We have the blessing of having many incredibly talented musicians and singers who participate in a program that shares the Biblical message of the birth of Jesus, through amazing choral and feature music. AND of course, there is some good old fashioned fun Christmas music as well. I can tell you that it was a blessing and an honor to participate. For someone who as always worked behind the scenes, it was a big step of faith to put a microphone in my hand to sing in front of thousands of people!
The relief is, it's over, and I can concentrate on sharing Christmas with my family. Which reminds me of my exciting news!
WE are going to be grandparents again! My Katie and her husband Ray announced that they are expecting! Of course, the makes us all so giddy with the thought of it....they were determined that their only children would be dogs!
In all my knitting days, I have not had this happen. Completed Sweater. Bad fit. Very Bad Fit.
The yoke is waaaaaay too small.
I have broader shoulders, but geeeeesh.
And you know what? I like this sweater. I've spent many dollars to knit this sweater. And this is the only yarn I have left:
Unless you have any other ideas on how to rebuild this thing, I'm going with frogging, and re-knitting the yoke in a larger size.
It's particularly interesting that this "mis-fit" happened during the same week that another woman told me that my outfit on one particular day made me look "boxy." and my skirt was "not flattering." I could have accepted it from Stacy and Clinton. But, really , girls, it's not cool to tell another woman such things....especially just before you go out for a Very Important Event and the outfit you have on is what you have to wear, and especially when you didn't ask for their opinion! Instead of crying about it for the rest of the night, I should have.....well, I shouldn't have done what I was just thinking. Never Mind.
Women can really do a number on each other about our body images. Like we don't get it from all media directions, we have to hear it directly from each other?
Okay, my rant is over! Enjoy a Christmas Cookie or two!
Lynne needs her quiet time. Since last Sunday, I've been away from home every day from 8:30 am until 10:00 or 10:30 pm. Other than Thursday, when I spent the evening at home doing costume adjustments...delighted to be on my own sofa watching "The Office." Don't you love that show? I got such a kick out of Pam's line this week as the employees were at a stand-off on how to spend the budget surplus.
"Look, I really need this new chair. I mean, seriously, how is it possible that in five years I've had two engagement rings, and only one chair?"
Last week we did our own office on a budget...or "Honest, Honey, all we need to do is paint, and there is paint leftover from the kitchen."
Until I checked Craig's List and found a corner desk setup.
And then had to get window treatments that were more office-y.
Oh, and there was a coupon that could be used at Kohl's, in addition to the discount I demanded because of a few scratches on the picture frames.
A new ceiling fixture, some old memorabilia, and we have the new office: warmer, more masculine, and organized.
Oh, and JR didget a new desk chair. And we DEFINITELY didn't have a surplus.
Being at rehearsals and presentations each night has not stopped my knitting....Throughout the presentation, when I'm not singing,I'm still on stage, in risers that are shaped like a Christmas tree ( my torso well hidden by the framework in front of me. In the dark. Knitting. I've almost finished one sleeve of Slyvi...
Hope you are having a great day.... and that you get to share some Christmas blessings with someone....maybe even someone in your office!
