New Year's Eve Morning

Our doorbell rang at 8:30 or so..... and it was "our" two young 14-yr-olds..... out on their bicycles and riding around the subdivision to see if there were any yard sales around. (Not a one, they said.)

Beautiful day again.... sunny and warm... perfect morning for a bike ride for those girls, so they stopped here for breakfast. Which we were happy to provide... they make our normally very quiet house come alive with teenaged giggles. What on earth will we do when C and her family move out to Vegas? (Although, a good friend of ours insists that something will happen to change that decision. Only time will tell.)

Right now, my husband and the two girls are out go-carting. There's a go-cart place a few towns away from us, and my husband called this morning to see if they were open. I don't know how this morning's conversation got onto go-carts, but it did, and my husband got the notion to take them.

Our little Miss C is just itching to get behind the wheel of a car and drive. Namely, my car. She made me promise her years and years ago that I would teach her how to drive. That's when I had a little lavender Toyota Corolla, and she loved that car. Now that I've got the Thunderbird, she's even more excited to get behind the wheel. "Will you still teach me to drive with the new car? Absolutely. A promise is a promise. However, we'll see how I can manage to keep that promise if she moves away to Vegas. Good grief.... I just hate the thought of her moving so far away. And I wish we would've kept that little Corolla instead of trading it in.... we could've given it to C when she got her license. When we bought the Thunderbird, C's 16th birthday seemed eons away.... now I'm realizing just how quickly it will be here.

I'm sitting here with rollers in my hair, but I'm all dressed for tonight. I hate to get dressed twice in a day, and mostly everything is ready for tonight's dinner party. Just last-minute things that won't take too long, plus I have to polish my nails. Can't have a party with naked nails.

Happy New Year to all....... and to all a Happy Night....!

One More Day For The Year....

I spent most of today in the kitchen....... making twice-baked potatoes (which are now only once-baked, but will be twice-baked tomorrow night). I also mixed everything into the crabmeat for the crabcakes, and tomorrow evening, I'll make the avacado sauce for them. I also need to grind the pecans to sprinkle on top of the crabcakes. The crawfish bisque is all done... just have to re-heat it tomorrow night. And those cute little "strawberry champagne" cocktails are setting up very nicely in the fridge. I swear, they make me smile every time I look at them.

Lots of glasses for this dinner...... 8 goblets for water, 8 wine glasses, plus the 8 champagne glasses for the strawberry cocktails. Not to mention all the dishes for each course, plus cups and saucers. I'll be running the dishwasher twice tomorrow night after everyone leaves. There should be a rule....... every kitchen should have room for two dishwashers. Sure would save a lot of time. (This is about the time when I say Just whose idea was this?)

Gorgeous day today....... sunny and warm, just a hint of a breeze. The cats (all except for the baby cat) spent most of the day in the yard. Now they're all tired out and sleeping on the screen-porch. What a life. That should be another rule.... to live the life of a pampered cat.

I was watching the Food Channel shows while I was working in the kitchen this afternoon. One of the good shows is "Semi-Homemade" with Sandra Lee. She makes beautiful table settings, easy-to-follow recipes, and the set decorators always color-coordinate her clothes with her kitchen accessories, or maybe it's the other way around. Not exactly "keeping it simple," as she says at the end of her shows, but her kitchen is simply nice to look at.

She was doing a New Year's Eve dinner today...... a black/white formal dinner. Naturally, she was all dressed in white, and so was her kitchen. All that cooking, and there she is with a pretty white sweater and white slacks. If she spilled a drop of anything on her outfit, I guess they had a spare set of clothing behind the scene, and they edited out the mess. (The magic of television, which isn't available in my own kitchen.)

I did like her idea for the invitations.... she sent her guests a little box with a small plastic disco ball in it, nestled in silver streamers with the dinner party invitation. And she wrapped all of the dinner napkins with great surprises--- a black tie for the men, and a rhinestone tiara for the ladies. (Which gave me ideas for next year, of course.)

I've got tiny silver disco balls attached to the candle-jars that I've used for the centerpiece--- I won't be lighting those candles because those are the favors for each couple tomorrow night. Other favors are the chocolate-champagne truffles in the tiny champagne glasses at each place setting, and the New Year's Eve horns and streamers, and the vintage New Year's Eve postcards that I used for everyone's placecard. I also found a large disco ball which I suspended from the dining room chandelier, so I guess the disco ball theme wasn't too original on my part.... but it was my own idea when I found them at Hobby Lobby last month. I think I will use the rhinestone tiaras next year, though--- what a great idea.

Just last minute things to do tomorrow.... there's always something to do at the last minute.... get the bread ingredients into the bread machine and time it so the loaf is ready for the first course. We're having a soup course, a salad course, the entree, then dessert, then the strawberry-champagne cocktails & truffles. I'm hoping the dinner goes as smoothly and as slowly as Thanksgiving and Christmas. We all sat in the dining room for hours, just talking and taking our time with the different courses, and it seemed that no one wanted the evening to end. A sign of a perfect party.

Straight Out of a Magazine...

That's how our dining room table looks........ after two hours of fussing with tablecloths, napkins, plates and bowls, flatware, the centerpiece........ plus the ribbons and streamers hanging down from the chandelier that I did yesterday. One look at that dining room and you know it can only be New Year's Eve. It all looks very inviting, very festive and fun. Lots of silver and gold, with some red thrown into the mix to add a little punch. Colin Cowie would approve. (I think that's how you spell his name-- the tablescape designer who's always on Oprah's show.)

Tomorrow will be for the cooking.... I'm making crabcakes, crawfish bisque, and twice-baked potatoes. I plan to stuff the potatoes tomorrow and bake them on Saturday night. I'll prepare the crab mixture, then bake those with the potatoes. And the soup..... if I make it tomorrow, then let it sit in the fridge till Saturday, the crawfish and spices will "get happy" and taste better the day after. I'm also making those strawberry-champagne cocktails again...... they looked so pretty for Christmas dinner, so they should be a hit for New Year's Eve as well.

Our neighbors R & M are bringing dessert. Our friends R & C will bring a fancy-dancy vegetable salad. And our friend J & S--- I don't know what they're bringing yet. I hope they're planning to be back from their trip before Saturday night. I called them and left a message on their machine... usually they're very prompt and reliable, so I'll just hope for the best. Our friends from Dallas still have the flu..... B & P sent us a check to buy the wine for the party, so I've taken care of that. B said they'll be here "in spirits," instead of in person. Terrible joke....... I'll blame that on his flu.

We drove over to our young friend C's house this afternoon....... to say goodbye to her dad. He's leaving for Vegas on Friday, to start the new job. Long drive from here to there, and he plans to be on the road for three days. Not going to be easy for any of them, this moving out west. It still saddens my husband and I to think about all of this, but there's nothing we can do but continue to be friends with all of them, no matter where they happen to be living. The distance between Texas and Nevada will certainly change things.... no doubt about that. At least C and her mom will stay here till the school term is finished. After that, Vegas will hit the fan.

We went to Babbo Bruno's for lunch today.... our usual waitress K still wasn't back from visiting her brother in California. She was supposed to be gone just a week, then decided to extend her stay for a second week. I'm sure she loved it there, and I know how much she hated it when her brother moved away. It wouldn't surprise me if K ultimately decides to move out to California herself in the near future.

What's that old proverb: The only thing that's constant is change.

Near To The End of Another Year......

I was out at the local stores today, looking to see if they had any interesting decorative items for New Year's Eve......... nothing. Not even those pretty balloons that say Happy New Year. If they had them, they sold out in a hurry.

So I guess I'm sticking with what I've already got........ the centerpiece with the candles and truffles..... and lots of curling-ribbons in gold and silver. I just finished decorating the dining room...... gold and silver streamers cascading down from the chandelier. Once I get the centerpiece on the table, everything will be sparkling and pretty. The candles and truffles will be the party-favors, as well as the vintage New Year postcards that I'm using as placecards. No one will miss the balloons.

We will, however, be missing our friends from Dallas...... both of them have strep-throat, the flu, cold/sniffles/sneezing.... whatever germs were going around with their grandchildren have found their way to them. Bill eMailed me and told me he mailed me a check so I can buy wine or champagne for the dinner... he said if he and Patty can't be with us in person, then at least they can be with us "in spirits." We'd rather have them in person, but that's the way it goes.

My friend A came down here this afternoon and we celebrated Christmas........ I hadn't seen her since before Christmas Eve, so we opened our gifts today. She was thrilled with the Lenox Snoopy ornament and even happier with the vintage Snoopy Christmas stockings. A gave me a beautiful Williams-Sonoma book-- "Christmas Entertaining." Lots of pretty decorating ideas and recipes....... I just spent over an hour going through that book. Also in the Williams-Sonoma box was a set of bright red mixing bowls..... great color, with a handle on one side of the bowl and a pour-spout on the other...... can't wait to use those.

The weather has been glorious......... nice and warm sunny days, and warm nights as well. The cats have been spending more time on the porch than in the house. And starting tomorrow, they'll all be on the porch till after New Year's Eve because I'll be setting up the dining room for our dinner party on Saturday night.

I've been busy taking down Christmas decorations...... everything is boxed up and in the holiday closet, except for a few things in the living room and dining room. Of course, the big tree is still up, and if we weren't having company on New Year's Eve, I would've been undoing that tree two days ago. It has stopped taking up water, and the water that's still in the pan is getting nasty. The tree stayed very fresh this year, considering that it's been in the house and up since the day after Thanksgiving.

The spider is still somewhere in the tree.... his web is still around the star at the top, but growing at a slower rate. Come Sunday, that spider is going to find himself out on the curb with the tree.

The Nutcracker Is In the House...

Back I went to Kroger this morning, after calling them first to make sure they had the five-foot Nutcracker still in the store. There had been three of them before Christmas, and only one was left this morning, but they put my name on it and held it for me.

I was about to leave the house in my car, but my husband suggested I take his.... and that was a good idea, because this lifesized Nutcracker wouldn't have fit into my car unless I could've bent his legs and sat him in the front seat.

As it was, I had to lay him sideways across the back seat of my husband's car, and I drove straight home with him. He looks right at home standing at the side of our fireplace. Into the holiday closet he'll go after New Year's Day, but for right now, he's standing guard in the living room.

Speaking of New Year's..... if we weren't having a dinner party for New Year's Eve, we'd be taking all the ornaments and lights off the big tree today and getting it out to the curb. It's finally starting to droop, and the needles are drying out. I think AngelBoy is drinking more from the water-pan than the tree is. Out it will go on New Year's Day.

I've begun taking down some of the Christmas decorations... just the little things from our bedroom, the porch, and the TV room. I want to make the dining room look festive for New Year's Eve, so I took some of the Christmas-y things out of there as well.

After I brought the Nutcracker home from Kroger this morning, I went back out to the local high-priced gift shop in town. They have beautiful things there, but they also come with beautiful price tags. Better to go the day after Christmas, as one of our neighbors suggested. I came home with some Radko ornaments, and also a gold feather-tree that's set into a drum... you wind up the little music box inside the drum and it plays music from "The Nutcracker," which seems to be the theme for this year's Christmas. I was so tempted to decorate that pretty gold tree, but it seemed pointless to do that when I'd just be undecorating it next week again. So into the closet it went, and it will be new for next year. Everything was half-price in that gift shop today... so of course I'm wondering if the mark-downs will be more as the week goes along.

Christmas Night

It's nearly 11:00 p.m. now....... everyone got here at 2:00 and left around 9:30. We had such a relaxing, peaceful, wonderful afternoon and evening.

Dinner was perfect...... spinach and pear salad to start (sprinkled with parmesean, pine nuts and cranberries). Then the baked ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes. J made corn pudding, L brought a baked spinach & feta casserole, and her cranberry/apple compote.

For dessert, we had my husband's plum pudding, roasted Italian chestnuts, little cheesecakes shaped like Christmas trees, and the grape juice/strawberry "cocktails" in the champagne glasses..... they were a big hit--- so pretty to look at, and they were light and delicious. They truly looked like glasses of bubbly champagne with strawberries floating under the foam. I will definitely make them again for our New Year's Eve dinner.

In between dinner and dessert, we all sat around the big tree in the living room and opened gifts. Of course, the focus was on young C, as it always is in this house when she's here. That child loves holidays, she appreciates little things and big things, she loves surprises, and she just loves every bit of every little thing.

We did notice a bit of sadness in her when the conversation got to their moving to Vegas next summer. She definitely is not liking that idea, and not getting used to the fact that it's going to happen. When she and her parents were ready to leave tonight, she stood between my husband and myself and said something like "Thanks for coming... see you soon!" ---- that was directed at her parents. She said it with a smile, but part of me wonders if she truly means it.

Among the gifts that we gave C this year, her favorites were two special ones that I found for her......... a Monopoly game designed around the Houston Astros, and a "friendship" ring with sapphires and opals in it...... the exact duplicate of one that I wore tonight. I had two of those rings....... they belonged to my husband's mom, and both were identical. I thought it would be nice to give one to C, so we both have one. I gave her a little card with the ring, and told her that no matter where she was, we'd be together in spirit. And I did my best not to cry when she opened the box and put the ring on. I could tell that she loved it........ it isn't too fussy or fancy, just pretty enough without going over the top.

Over the top........ This day was just perfect. I hope it isn't our last Christmas with C and her family. As they were leaving, C's mom wrote in the guest book: "Same time, same place next year?" We told them of course they're welcome to fly out for the holiday. But of course I don't think they will. Once they move, they'll be making a new home for themselves and they'll probably want to celebrate Christmas out there. Jingle bells......

Christmas Day

It is sunny and warm, just like it was yesterday and the day before. Perfect weather, perfect day. A bit of a tropical breeze just to stir the air and let the leaves make music in the trees.

There are days when I can hear my father's voice, and the voices of my grandmothers. I can see my dad standing next to the warm chimney in my grandmother's kitchen. I can hear both of my grandmothers as they wished everyone Merry Christmas in Italian. I know how to say it, but I don't know how to spell it, and I won't disrespect the Italian greeting by misspelling it here.

If I close my eyes, I can see the dining room in my grandmother's house in South Ozone Park. I can see all of my aunts and uncles, I can hear their voices. That house had such a wonderful, warm and loving energy, no matter the holiday, no matter the day.

I called my dad yesterday, to wish him a Merry Christmas, to tell him that I love him. When I hung up the phone, I cried. I would bet that he did the same. There are days when I wish that he had stayed here in Texas, and other days when I know exactly why he wanted to move back up north. "I was born up north.... I need to die up north. Who's going to know me in a Texas grave?"

To everyone too far away to hug.... to everyone else much too far away to see.... Merry Christmas. May your days be sunny and bright.... may they be filled with love and magic, and soft music like the breeze stirring in the leaves.

Christmas Eve

I woke up at six o'clock this morning to the pitter-patter of pots and pans.... my husband had gotten out of bed an hour earlier and he was making his famous Greek-style stuffing. Feta cheese, gyro meat, pistachio nuts, spinach, along with the other usual stuffing-stuff-- bread cubes, onion, celery and garlic, and whatever other magic things he mixes in to make it all taste so good.

After he finished cooking, I cleaned up the kitchen. That's our deal--- if he cooks, I'll clean up. Which I don't mind...... I'd rather clean up than cook these days.

However, I did make a new recipe for dessert tomorrow--- "champagne" cocktails. They're really clear gelatin mixed with white grape juice and club soda...... you pour half of the mixture into champagne glasses, add one large strawberry to each glass, then put the glasses in the fridge, along with the other half of the gelatin/juice mixture. After a couple of hours, you blend the reserved half of the gelatin/juice mixture till it gets frothy and foamy, then pour it on top of the mixture that's already in the champagne glasses. What you end up with is a "champagne" cocktail which has a delicious strawberry floating in its midst. Looks wonderful....... and I made an extra one for us to taste after dinner. Not only does it look great, but it tastes great.

Tomorrow will be a long day. Company will be coming at 2:00....... and the day will fly by in a heartbeat, I'm sure.

Merry Christmas to all..... and to all a good night.

Happy Festivus

If you're a fan of The Seinfeld Show, then you know that December 23rd is "Festivus... a holiday for the rest of us."

My husband never forgets to wish me a Happy Festivus on the 23rd of each December, and believe it or not, we've often thought of having a party to celebrate Festivus. However, we would have to limit the guests to the Seinfeld watchers, and we'd have very few friends coming to "celebrate" because mostly everyone we know is running around with last-minute things to get done before the 25th.

I'll say one thing for getting an early start with Christmas--- it lets you enjoy your holiday. And that's what we're doing. A couple of our neighbors are coming over tonight to see our tree and have some snacks and hot cider. I've got the cider simmering, and the oven is on low so I can pop in the tray of filled biscuits when the doorbell rings. I'm using my favorite stand-by.... Pillsbury crescent rolls which I've cut in half to make them bite-size, filled with whatever combination of things I have in the fridge or the pantry. No matter what you put in those little rolls, they always taste good.

We also have enough cookies and candy in the house, so I didn't bother baking anything. For the second year in a row, we forgot to make Christmas cookies with the metal cookie gun that we bought three years ago. Oh well..... I will have to make a note of that for next year. Either that, or I may just bake some for my birthday next month.

Today was an outstandingly beautiful day. Sunny and very warm, with a tropical wind stirring the air with just the perfect amount of breeze. Now.... to whom do I speak to so I can order 365 of these days for next year?

My husband went to the supermarket this morning for groceries for his Greek stuffing, and I started cleaning the house. Everything is done except the kitchen, which I will do tomorrow when he finishes cooking. Then everything will be set for Christmas Day.

We both drove up to Kroger this afternoon, to get just a couple of items that the larger supermarket didn't have. I wanted to look at the five-foot wooden Nutcracker that Kroger has for sale. They have two of them, priced at $100 each, and they've been standing in different places in the store since Thanksgiving. I thought they would've been marked down by now, to half the original price, but they still had the $100 price tag on them. We asked an employee to call a manager, and they gave us a price of $79. Now is that a Scrooge discount or what? All the other area stores have Christmas items marked down to half-price or lower.

We said thank you, but no thank you. I'm planning on going back to the store tomorrow and asking the manager if he'll take $49 for the Nutcracker. Otherwise, he'll be packing both of them up and saving them for next year.... or whatever they do with un-sold nutcrackers. Sure is a pretty one, and it would look wonderful next to the fireplace. But for $49, not $79 or $100......

That's been the day....... busy and beautiful and warm.... and just two more days till Christmas.

Three More Days.......

........ and Christmas will be here. If I didn't believe it before, all I needed was one look at the traffic going and coming to the local mall this afternoon........ bumper to bumper all the way....... the roads had the same look today as they did during Hurricane Rita when we were all evacuating north and west along the roadways.

We took care of some errands today....... returned the electric blanket that I had bought a couple of weeks ago at Target. I bought it for the cats, to keep them warm on the porch. Trouble was, the blanket didn't work, and the instructions said "for indoor use only," plus it wasn't to be used by anyone who couldn't manage the controls. Back it went.

Then we went to PetCo and PetsMart........ in search of heated pads or pet-beds. Which we found, for $85 each, and we would've had to buy four of them-- one for each cat, if they were all to sleep on the screen-porch. That's a lot of money for four little heated beds.... and who's to say if they would even use them. Plus, I wasn't too keen on leaving four heated beds plugged into the electrical outlet. Burn the house down? Well, then the cats would really be warm, wouldn't they?

I didn't want to take a chance. We found very plush cat pillows, which fit into their pet carriers, and a larger one to fit into the little wicker house that's on the porch for them. They were more reasonable, at $15 each. When we got home (after back-tracking and going the long way to avoid all the mall traffic).... I set the new pillows into their crates and the little house. Then I moved them all together to form a shelter against the wind (should there be any wind)....... and then I covered everything with a yard-sale chenille blanket that I've had for years and never used on the bed.

The whole contraption looks like a tent out of the Arabian nights. If I were a cat, I'd be getting under that chenille tent and exploring all the little crates and the wicker house. So far, Mickey Kitty and AngelBoy have ventured in..... poking their heads into all the little sleeping spots, and Mickey even found his way on top of the little house while still being covered with the blanket. (He looked like Snoopy on top of the doghouse.... the little wicker house has the same shape.)

It isn't freezing outside....... it's just very cool. And these Texas-born cats are just used to nice warm temperatures. And I'm used to knowing that my cats are cozy-warm, not shivering. But I'm also used to getting a full night's sleep, instead of waking up every three hours because there are three cats in our bedroom and one of them (usually Mickey) doesn't want the other two in "his" room.

So we'll see what happens tonight. I plan to let Mickey Kitty, AngelBoy, and ShadowBaby sleep on the porch, while Rusty sleeps on the deck. Not to worry--- Rusty has plush furniture on the covered deck, and his own little pet-carrier which is covered with a blanket and cushioned inside with a pillow. These cats are more comfortable on our porch and our deck than most homeless people are in the shelters, I swear.

And speaking of two more days till Christmas........ I just got back from walking Gracie. When I got back in, I told my husband that "Christmas has officially begun on our cul de sac."

"Let me guess," said he......... and he thought for a moment and said: "S has thrown her string of Christmas lights on her lawn, correct?" Absolutely correct, said I.

Our neighbor at the corner of our street has given in to the Grinch in her heart. Every Christmas since we've lived on this street, she has taken one strand of multi-colored holiday lights and tossed them out on her front lawn. It's her own little way of taking her own road to the Promised Land. Ours is a street of white lights, with just a few red ones tossed into the mix. About twelve years ago, all the neighbors got together and decided that our little street would look very pretty with just white lights. About five years ago, my husband and HW got together and decided that every front yard should have a white lighted reindeer. HW doesn't live on the street anymore, but we keep her memory here with the white reindeer.

Mostly all of the houses have white lights. Every year, more white reindeer are added to the front lawns. All except for S at the corner. Her house remains dark, except for that one small strand of multi-colored lights that dress up one tiny patch of her front lawn.

Merry Christmas, one and all..... and that includes the Grinch at the corner.

Is it Valentine's Day Already?

I went to Hobby Lobby today, looking for decorative things for New Year's Eve..... what they had left was precious little, except for a pretty "Happy New Year" banner, which I bought. I by-passed all the silly hats..... and I already have horns and noisemakers. I think I will just stick with what I have, but I will fill up the dining room with balloons for our New Year's Eve dinner.

Hobby Lobby had their Christmas items slashed down to next to nothing, and I found some great items to use for favors for next year's holiday party.

A few aisles away from the Christmas things, employees were putting up Valentine's Day items. Of course I had to look, and of course I found some great things for our Valentine's party. Couldn't resist....... and February will be here in a heartbeat. (Pardon the pun.)

Our young friend L will be here tomorrow with her parents..... just dropping in to wish us a Merry Christmas. I have gifts for L and her twin brother, so I'm glad they called to stop by. If L opens her gifts tomorrow, I will have to tell her not to say anything to C...... some of the gifts I bought for L were also bought for C, so they'd each have one. Funny thing..... one of the gifts (for both of them) is a package of teenaged-styled postcards and writing paper....... I bought those just because the design was so cute. Who knew that they'd really be needing just that thing in order to keep in touch with one another after C moves to Vegas at the end of the school year.

I just hate the thought of C and her family moving away from here. The end of the school year... that will be here in a heartbeat as well.

Score One for Mickey Kitty

I had to take my table-top Victorian Christmas tree out of our bedroom this morning..... after I discovered that Mickey Kitty had a fine time undecorating that sweet little tree. He pulled out some of the pink roses, he removed a few of the little Victorian dolls and left them on my pillow, and he even managed to unravel some of the pearl garland.

Okay, okay..... I caved. It wasn't the first time he touched that tree..... and I knew it was tempting. I figured the only way to keep him away from that tree was to get the tree away from him. And being that he's spending so much time in our bedroom suite to keep him out of the cold porch and away from the big tree in the living room, I just had to move the tree out of his reach. (Or keep re-decorating it.)

So into my sitting room it went, and I fixed all the ornaments and pearl garland and pink roses..... it looks as good as new. But you know how it goes..... move one thing and then a dozen other things have to be moved. The Victorian tree is on top of my book cabinet in my sitting room, which meant that I had to move the lamp that was in its place. That lamp went on my dresser in the bedroom....... the lamp that was there went on the table near my side of the bed..... and the lamp that was there went on the round table where the Victorian tree was. All of that lamp-changing to get the tallest lamp on the round table where the tree was.

I did all the rearranging while Mickey Kitty was out on the screen porch, watching me through the windows, meowing every few minutes to let me know that his little kitty-body was cold on the porch. Stupid cold snaps....... I've had just about enough of them now. Too cold to leave the cats on the porch except for the hours between noon and three, when it warms up a bit in the mid-day sun.

Needless to say, I haven't been getting enough sleep, what with three cats in our bedroom at night. I keep a flashlight on the table near my bed so when one of them wakes me up in the middle of the night, I won't be stepping on one of the other ones.

I've read that having pets lowers your blood pressure. Remind me of that theory later on tonight at 4:30 in the morning when Mickey Kitty chases AngelBoy from one side of our bedroom to the other, and AngelBoy jumps up on my vanity to get away from him and topples over a few perfume bottles.......

Christmas Party for 2006

Talk about getting a head-start on a party.... I had a great idea for the invitations for next year's Christmas party. I've always saved the Christmas cards that are sent to us every year.... they make wonderful placecards for the table, and gift tags for packages. So why not use them for invitations as well?

I have a metal Christmas tree cookie cutter from Williams Sonoma, about 4" high and 3" wide...... I've never used it for cookies, but I've used it to cut out tree-shapes from old Christmas cards. That's how I got the idea for the invitations. I went through my box of cards, holding the tree cookie cutter up against the front of the cards to see which designs would make interesting and pretty tree-shapes when cut. I found lots of them..... and started to trace the cookie cutter on the card, then cut out the tree shape.

At our local hobby shop, I found blank cards made of heavy red card-stock paper. I hot-glued the tree-shapes to the fronts of the cards, then took a glue-stick and rubbed it along the outside of the tree as it sat on the card. I sprinkled sugary glitter over the glue, then tapped off the excess. What was left was the perfect sprinkling of glitter around the trees. I also had tiny snowflakes made of white plastic.... I hot-glued one of those to the top of the trees on the cards, so each tree has a snowflake-star on the top of it. Some of the trees got tiny rhinestones glued onto them. They look great.......all different designs on the trees, but all the trees on the red cards.

Next November, when I'm getting the invitations ready for our Christmas party, all I'll have to do is use my cookie cutter again to cut out the Christmas tree shapes from plain white paper, write down the party information on them, and just paste them inside the handmade cards. The red cards came with their own envelopes.... a set of 10 for just $4.00, which was very reasonable for textured card-stock.

My husband thinks I've lost my mind..... we're barely a week away from this Christmas and I'm already working on next year's Christmas party. But I'll stand by my belief that "next Christmas will be here before we know it........!"

Countdown to Christmas

Went to the Honey Baked Ham store this afternoon to pick up a small spiral ham for Christmas dinner. The line was right to the door.... and it will only get longer as the days get closer to the weekend. So I just wrapped up the ham nice and tight and it'll sit in the fridge till it needs to be re-heated on Christmas day. The hams are so good from that store...... I couldn't make it any better, so it's easier just to buy it from there. I don't eat ham, but I've tasted just a bite of those spiral hams and I know they're delicious.

I'll enjoy the salads and vegetables on Christmas day. I plan to make a corn pudding, and the spinach/pear/pine nut salad that I made on Thanksgiving...... I'll add some dried cranberries to the salad to give it a little Christmas color. C's mom is making her baked spinach and cheese, and her cranberry apple salad, and our friend J will be bringing another vegetable dish. My husband will be busy cooking a Greek stuffing later on in the week..... gyro meat, feta cheese and pistachio nuts.... that man makes wonderful stuffings. (So I think I'll keep him!)

Before I went into the Baked Ham shop, I popped into one of the other stores in the shopping center there. Believe it or not, they had a display of Valentine items, all of which were marked down 30%. Now, how could I not have a look-see at those? I bought a bunch of Valentine items, all ready to be wrapped up for our Valentine party in February. Nothing makes giving a party easier than starting way ahead of the party-day. (And the Valentine party is certainly getting a real early start.)

I also found a hand-carved Santa in the gift shop today. This Santa is holding a golden-striped cat, so I couldn't very well leave him sitting on the shelf in the store. I've added him to my own collection of Santas and he seems to be very content.

Speaking of Santas.... one of our neighbors invited us to her home last night... we popped in after we brought the girls home after having dinner out after "The Nutcracker." V & S's house was all decked-out for Christmas, and I do mean decked-out. Christmas trees filled with ornaments, a huge collection of Black Santas...... beautifully carved Santas, all of them....... antiques all over the house, Christmas packages piled up high underneath their big tree in the family room, blown-glass ornaments piled high in silver bowls, displayed on table-top wrought-iron trees..... V is into Christmas big-time.

That was the first time I'd been into her home, and after seeing her love of Christmas, I was sorry that we hadn't invited her and her husband to our Christmas party last week. Well, they'll be on our party list from now on, let me tell you. I swear, I've never seen such a collection of Christmas items....... her mantel was just beautiful with all those Santas. And you could see they were carefully arranged, not just lined up haphazardly without thought. V and S are coming over to our house on Wed. night, to see our tree and have some cake and coffee.

V has been collecting vintage Christmas cards, so I went through my own collection of turn-of-the-century holiday postcards, and I'm giving her a bunch that I know I can't use for placecards. V will make tree ornaments out of them, and I know she'll enjoy them.

And a small-world story....... V and I got to talking about the local antique shops, and it turns out that she knows our friend J, who owns the antique shop where I used to rent space for my own little shop. She's been shopping there forever, and when I spoke to J today, he said he's known her for years, but didn't realize she lived around the corner from us. V's house is jam-packed with antique furniture, most of it bought at the local shops and country flea-markets. All these years that I've been talking to V.... mostly around the neighborhood while we're walking our dogs.... I had no idea that she and I shared a love of both Christmas and antiques. You learn something new every day.

Less than a week till Christmas......

"The Nutcracker"

My husband and I took our young friend C and her best friend L downtown to the theatre today for a matinee performance of The Nutcracker. Neither girl had ever seen the ballet live on stage, so it was especially exciting for them. Both of them had their eyes on the stage for every second... they just loved it.

I had found books and CDs on The Nutcracker for them a few weeks ago, and we gave those to the girls when we went out to dinner afterwards. They were thrilled with the books, and couldn't wait to listen to the music.

The Houston Ballet always has a gift selection of "Nutcracker" items in the lobby of the theatre, so we got the girls a set of 4 nutcrackers, each one made to look like the main characters--- Clara, the Mouse King, the Nutcracker Prince, and the magician. We also got a set for us, so now every Christmas when we put the four nutcrackers on display (or on the tree) we will all remember this magical evening.

Such fun, to see the girls experiencing their first ballet. I think if C could have gotten away with it, she would have been dancing up and down the aisles while the orchestra was playing. She was absolutely entranced with everything...... and "The Nutcracker" is so visual and vibrant... perfect choice for a first ballet performance for them.

Oh well..... a bittersweet night. Everything will change next year when C and her parents move across the country to Vegas. Everything we do with her now will be the "last time," unless we're lucky enough to have her visit during the holidays. But I doubt that...... she will find new traditions once she moves. We know that........ and it makes us very sad. But she will have the memories. And so will we.

Along Came a Spider

We have a guest in our Christmas tree...... a spider. I don't know how big he is because I haven't seen him yet, but he sure is building quite a web at the very top of our tree. The web is being constructed around the star (Roy Rogers' star!) at the very tippy-top of our ten-foot tree.

I noticed a small web up there the day before our Christmas party. I showed it to my husband and asked him if we should leave it there for the guests to see, or get the ladder out of the garage and try to whisk away the web with a broom.

My husband, who carries bugs out of the house and brings them to the street, told me we should just leave the spider's web right where it was. So we did..... I was too busy to get out the ladder and try and do it myself, plus how much trouble could one little spider be?

That was a week ago, when the web was just a few strands wide around the star tree-topper. The spider has been very busy since then, and the web has grown. It now looks like we have vintage "angel hair" around the star that once sat atop Roy Rogers' tree. You remember angel hair--- those silky strands made of spun glass that could cut your fingers very easily and were probably highly flammable in the innocent years of the 1950s.

We have yet to actually see the spider, but he must be still in the tree because the web changes on a daily basis. I'm hoping the spider isn't one of those big fat hairy ones... and if it is, then I hope he just stays up in the tree and doesn't venture into the house. If the spider keeps adding on to his web as he has been, by the time we're ready to take the tree out to the curb the "angel hair" should be nearly to the floor. (Oh goodie.)

The Apprentice

We watched the final episode of The Apprentice last night, and I was happy to see that Donald Trump chose Randal as the latest edition to his organization. From the very beginning, Randal was the most qualified..... highly educated, organized and efficient, very well polished and put together, and just an all-around nice, nice, nice person.

I was surprised when The Donald asked Randal if he thought Rebecca should be hired as well. What? The Donald asking a new employee if someone else should be hired? Too much hair spray got to your brain, Mr. Trump? Good for Randal, saying that the entire concept of the last few months was to hire one apprentice, not many "apprenti." (Is that really a word, Randal?)

My husband thought that Randal should've taken Rebecca along with him to TrumpLand. I disagreed, suggesting that my husband wouldn't be thrilled to be sharing "first place" with another winner, had he worked as hard as Randal did these last few months to get to the top of The Donald's ladder.

Good for Randal, for getting to the top in a gentlemanly manner........ and tsk, tsk, Mr. Trump, for second-guessing your first choice for your new apprentice, and for putting Randal on the spot with such a ridiculous question just as he was rejoicing in his well-earned victory.

Tea Room Lunch

My friend A and I went into League City today..... we stopped in at J's antique shop, then on to The Steeplehouse Antique Shop. Lots of little things to look at in both places, and of course it isn't hard to find something that just needs to come home with you.

We tried a new tea room for lunch today. The name of it used to be "Crazy Ladies in Hats," but they've changed the name and now I can't remember what it is. The food was delicious, and the decor was very whimsical. Lots of pretty murals on the walls, as well as painted designs on the floors, and of course there were a few rooms filled with trinkets and all things tea to buy. We had a nice time, catching up with everything that's happened sinced the party on Saturday night.

Pretty day today.... the rain quit yesterday and the sun has been out since early this morning and it warmed up a bit this afternoon. I'm sure it will cool down some when the sun sets, but for right now, the cats are on the screen-porch enjoying the Spring-like weather.

A gave me a video tape of our friend Frankie, who had done a local television show for the Clear Lake area yacht clubs. Frankie had given the tape to us so we could watch the show in case we didn't catch it on the Houston channel, and somehow the tape got misplaced along the way and never made it back to Frankie. I remember that show quite well...... there was a team of hair-stylists and make-up artists, and they gave Frankie a makeover before the cameras started to roll.

It was like night and day for Miss Frankie, since she wore very little make-up and never fussed much with her hair. The television crew gave her a sleek new hairstyle, added some cosmetics to her already-cute face, and all of the goodness and bright style and panache that was Frankie came shining through.

I don't know if I want to watch this tape, but I think I'll just make myself do it. When I think of Frankie, I remember her how she was every day..... just a touch of lipstick, a smile on her lips, a sparkle in her eyes, and usually a hat and big sunglasses to get everyone's attention. She was a beautiful lady, from the brim of her hat to the tips of her sandals. In my young friend C's words: "Miss Frankie is a character."

Maybe I will watch this tape, then mail it up to her daughter up in Ohio. She may not have seen her mom on that television show, and I'm sure she'd love to have this half-hour of tape when her mother was at her most beautiful, her most entertaining self.

Miss Frankie. We all still miss her. Everyone who knew her just loved her. And this past Saturday night, after our Christmas party, two friends told us that they felt that Frankie was right here with us. K said that as she was coming up our front walkway, she could've sworn on a stack of bibles that Frankie was right next to her.... and she hadn't thought about Frankie lately, so she was surprised that such a thought came into her mind. And A told me that she knew without a doubt that Frankie was at this party and dancing along in the Conga Line when the steel drum music was playing.

Why does that not surprise me?

Plum Pudding

My husband has begun the first batch of his Christmas plum pudding recipe. During a lull in yesterday's pouring rain, he went to three supermarkets in search of the ingredients. It never fails... no matter how big these mega-stores are, they never carry everything you need. He shops for all of the ingredients himself, mixes everything, chops/slices/dices.... the plum pudding is his Christmas baby every year.

He uses a traditional British recipe, complete with a touch of ground-up suet. (Translation: beef fat....... I try to forget that as I have a small slice of it on Christmas day.) The recipe (given to him many years ago by an elderly friend who must be baking on a cloud by now) calls for countless ingredients...... way too many for me. I've long since given up on recipes with more than a dozen ingredients. (And on most days, six ingredients is a more reasonable limit. And three is just about perfect.)

The plum pudding will steam in covered tins for hours, and come out smelling like Christmas. I even have a very pretty piece of silk holly that we stick into the center of the baked pudding before my husband brings it to the dinner table on Christmas day. In addition to the one large tin that we've had for years, my husband found some smaller covered tins on the Internet, so he'll be making more than usual. Quadrupling the recipe is his goal for this week.

The plum pudding is just in time for the latest cold snap, which began right after the heavy rains fell yesterday. We were having very nice warm days and nights... so warm that the cats were sleeping on the screen-porch again. Last night was too cold for me to put them out there, which is why I'm up so early this morning. As I type, it's 4:30. Never fails..... if one cat doesn't wake me up, another one will. This morning it was AngelBoy, who is curled up at my feet now as I sit at my desk.

We're still talking about the Christmas party... and so are the neighbors and friends that I've seen since Saturday night. It was such an unbelievable night..... nearly everyone getting up to dance to the music of the steel drums, and bursting into applause after each of the songs. My friend J called yesterday and said "Good Lord, that party was awesome...... what on earth will you do next year to top that?!"

Little does he know that my husband has already thought of something. But of course I won't tell.... the idea will be kept secret........ along with the recipe to the plum pudding.

Blessings

As I was driving home after having lunch at a Thai restaurant with my piano teacher today, the sun was shining, it was warm and sunny and the sky was blue and gorgeous. I was driving near the Johnson Space Center, and there was a flock of white egrets in the sky near the rockets, and nearly a dozen deer grazing in the pastures around NASA.

All of that made me think about my life, and how great it is. I was driving in my pretty little Thunderbird towards a beautiful home, a great husband, a loyal dog and four sweet cats. My husband and I are both healthy, we're secure in our marriage, and we have great friends. Just this past weekend we hosted our annual Christmas Party and we danced to music from a steel drum band, and joined our friends and neighbors in a Conga Line that snaked through half of our house. Last night, we had a birthday dinner for my husband and the four friends at the table with us just filled us up with love and friendship.

Life is just so good. So, so good. I am truly, truly blessed.

Birthday Dinner

We went to Babbo Bruno's last night, to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday. We asked our friends K & B and J & S to join us, and the six of us had a wonderful night. We were in the restaurant for over four hours, just talking and laughing and taking our time with dinner and dessert. It's amazing to me that when you have the right combination of people sitting around a dinner table, the time just disappears in a heartbeat.

My husband commented that the "synergy" at the table was amazingly vibrant throughout the evening. Our friends J and K, as well as my husband, have brilliant minds that can examine and explore every iota of scientific data, but all three have down-to-earth senses of humor that can make you throw your head back and laugh out loud.

My husband was telling J about the Serenity goddess statue that I gave him. J is also well-read in everything Buddha, and he gave us the Tibetan name for the goddess after we described her to him. I don't know how to spell the name, nor can I remember how to pronounce it, but I told my husband that I'd like J to come over and see the goddess and write down her Tibetan name for me.

Our friend K from Babbo Bruno's stopped in the other night to see our tree, since she had to work at the restaurant on the night of our Christmas party. She is indeed a sweet girl, and we've come to know her quite well over the past couple of years. K's mom has joined our Charades group, and both of them have come to the tea parties I've given. K left this morning for a ten-day trip to California to visit her brother, and she won't be back home till just a few days before Christmas. K goes to college during the day and works at the restaurant at night, and I'm sure she'll be moving on to bigger and better things once she graduates. But for now, she makes all of our dinners very special when we go to Babbo Bruno's.

50th Birthday

I guess the lack of sleep on the night of the party caught up with me because I fell asleep in a chair early this afternoon. While I was fast asleep, my husband also took a nap on the other side of the house. We woke up bleary-eyed, as if we hadn't slept at all last night.

Everyone is still talking about the party.... they all enjoyed the music and the food, and I can still picture all of our friends snaking around the house in an impromptu "Conga Line." Such fun..... and now my husband is wondering what we'll do for next year's Christmas party. Gee.... I wonder if Barry Manilow would like to come here and play holiday songs on my piano. (From my lips to the piano-god's ears.)

Today is my husband's 50th birthday.... I surprised him with some new books I found on Buddha and the Dalai Lama, both subjects which he's been interested in for the past few years. I also bought a beautiful Tibetan statue called Serenity.... a very peaceful goddess resting her head on her hands as she sits upright. When the package arrived, thankfully on a day when my husband was at work so he couldn't see how big this was, I started planning what to change on the wall unit in the TV room so we could give this goddess a proper resting place.

The wall unit in that room is filled with my husband collection of books and memorabilia.... baseball items, music CDs, "Orange County Choppers" DVDs--- all things "guy," with not a doily in sight, which was my promise when we gave that room a makeover. Yesterday, while my husband was at work, I rearranged everything on those shelves to make it neater and more cohesive-- baseball stuff all together, Corvette stuff all on one shelf, music and DVDs snuggled together on the smaller shelves, books of similar subjects all together. All of that left a tall narrow shelf empty for Serenity. Right close to the goddess's new home, I arranged all of my husband's Tibetan books and the small Buddhas, as well as the Tibetan bells I bought him last year for his birthday.

I left a note on the empty shelf which read: "This space under construction.... to be completed on 12/12/05." When he came home last night, of course he noticed the new, neater, (more improved) arrangement. "You moved my stuff around?" Yes, I did.... and I told him to read the "under construction" note and said that he would understand it all in just a matter of hours. With that, he picked up his Tibetan bells and rang them, saying "Serenity now." I suggested to him that he keep that thought in mind for his birthday morning.

My husband is a stickler for birthday-dates.... he opens not a card or a gift before the actual day of the birthday or holiday. (Unlike my sister and I, who tear into our packages one by one over the phone, starting on the first of December.)

Anyway......... after breakfast this morning, my husband opened all of his cards and gifts, and then I brought him into the TV room for a look-see. I had covered the goddess with gift-wrap, and when my husband peeled the paper away, there was Serenity, resting comfortably on her shelf at the center of the wall unit.... and looking very calm and peaceful in her new home. (And probably very thankful to be taken out of the hiding place in my closet.)

My husband loved the goddess, and understood why I had to rearrange all of his books and mementos to accommodate her. With the goddess at the center of the wall unit, instead of the plastic James Brown statue which was there before, the entire room has taken on a new personality. Sadly, the James Brown and the Louis Armstrong statues are now in a closet, but I will take them out for parties and for New Year's Eve. (James Brown sings "I Feel Good!" and Louis Armstrong sings "It's a Wonderful World" and "Hello Dolly.")

Thankfully, Serenity just rests there with her head on her hands and sings not a word. (No offense to James Brown, but I was getting pretty tired of hearing "I Feel Good!" every time my husband beat me at "Scrabble.")

Steel Drum Christmas Party

As I type this, it is 4:30 in the morning and I haven't slept yet. The party broke up around midnight, clean-up was easy since we used paper plates this time, and we were in bed before 2:00. My husband fell asleep quickly.... so did Gracie and the cats....but I was wide awake, and I'm still wide awake.

Our surprise at the party last night was a two-person steel drum band.... wonderful, beautiful, lively holiday music played by two talented musicians (brother & sister) on three bright and shining steel drums. They got here half an hour before the party began, and they started to play when the first guests came through the front door. Patrice and Jason played for two hours, with just a short break after the first half of their music.

The songs were so wonderful that people started to dance in the living room and the breakfast room. Then one of our friends started a "Conga Line" and that wound through the living room, dining room, kitchen and breakfast room.

I think the party began early this morning when our young friends C and L rang our doorbell at 8:30 this morning-- singing "Jingle Bells" as I opened the door. They came in for hot chocolate and quiche..... and we measured C on her special door (she grew over half an inch since the last time), and she hugged us and told us how much she loved that door.

C invited five of her friends to the party last night, and they all enjoyed the music as well, and started the second "Conga Line" dance. These teenagers have made such an impression on all of our friends. They are such a close group who get together for "game nights" every week or so, and they see each other in school and on weekends. They are all extremely well-mannered and soft-spoken and they have wonderful imaginations for making up games. I do believe that C is the "glue" in her group of friends. They will all miss her terribly when she moves out to Nevada.

Speaking of that, the plan is for C's dad to move to Nevada to start his new job later on this month. C and her mom will stay on here so she can finish out the term in school, then they'll put the house on the market and arrange to move during the summer. When C's mom was leaving tonight, she hugged me as if they were leaving town tomorrow and she had tears in her eyes as she signed the guest book. I knew right away what she was thinking--- that this would most likely be the last time they'd be here for our yearly Christmas party. A bittersweet end to the night.

I know I've said this before, but I will say it again.... this was one of our best, best parties. Fun and full of energy... that's how the entire house felt. It was just electric..... my husband's idea for the steel drum band was just a very special, magical touch for a great night. And the two musicians were such nice, nice people--- everyone could see that they truly enjoyed their music and their instruments, and they made the entire experience a night to remember.

We have lots of leftovers.... of course I ordered too much from both the Greek cafe and the Italian restaurant. I've already told some of our friends to come back tomorrow if they'd like to share lunch or dinner with us. And I have a hunch that young C and her friend L may just be ringing our doorbell in a few hours and singing "Jingle Bells" again for their breakfast.

Party Day Morning.....

I really should say "middle of the morning," being that as I type this, the time is 4:00. I was sleeping peacefully till Mickey Kitty started to bother AngelBoy...... they both spent the night in our bedroom. Little Mickey is getting very territorial with the master bedroom suite....... he thinks he's the master because he's been spending so much time in there. All of that will change when we take the big tree down and he can have access to the whole house again.

This has been a challenge....... one little kitten with that big tree. AngelBoy was a kitten for his first Christmas here, but all he did with the big living room tree was crawl under it to nap, which is something he still does. Mickey is the first kitten we've had who has tried to climb to the top of the tree.

Everything is ready for the party tonight, except for the last-minute things on my party to-do list. With every party we give, it seems to get easier. My to-do list gets revised at least twice a year, as I make the preparations easier and more efficient. (Preparations get more elaborate, but somehow seem easier.) For this year's Christmas party, I started six days before today, rather than three days before. The result has been that I don't feel so tired. I've even got my clothes for tonight all picked out, which is something I used to leave for the morning of the party. Now I take care of that three days before party-day.... clothes, shoes, stockings, jewelry... everything is picked out and ready.

The weather even seems to be cooperating. It has gotten warmer, which means I'll be able to leave Gracie and the cats on the screen-porch tonight. Much better than having them all in the laundry room during the party.

The tables are all set up and ready.... all I have to do is put the tablecloths on-- something I don't ever do until I put the cats out on the screen-porch. Centerpieces are made.... I used all of my red and green beaded fruit, arranged in simple white and gold bowls in the center of the three tables. I have the bowls resting on beaded round placemats, which are Christmas-red with green trim, and they look great. Great hint from one of the decorating shows on HGTV--- instead of buying centerpieces, look around your house for things that you can use for the center of your table. I always find something, and it always looks better than whatever I could possibly think of to buy. For the small table in the breakfast room, I used my little Christmas pixies... they're sitting around a small porcelain Christmas tree, all resting on top of a little round mirror so it looks like everything is on a piece of ice.

Enough of this for the moment. It's quarter after four.... I plan to get back in bed and sleep for a few more hours. I'm sure at some point today, I will get the usual pre-party thought running through my head: "What if no one shows up?" I usually think of that late in the afternoon on party day, as I'm getting dressed, or setting up the coffee urn.

But everyone always shows up. And everyone always has a great time, and they walk out the door with smiles on their faces and asking "So... when's the next party?!"

How Low Can It Go?

The temperature has been dropping all afternoon.... the evening news said to "bring all pets and livestock indoors, if at all possible, because we're going to get down to the freezing level overnight."

Oh goodie. Just what I need... four cats with cabin fever because it's just too cold out in the backyard and out on the screen-porch. So far, they've been good all day. Rusty is still in the laundry room, although he was out in the yard for a little bit while the sun was out, and so was AngelBoy.

ShadowBaby was out on the porch for a while, but he didn't last long out there once the sun started to set. Mickey Kitty is still in our bedroom suite, except for a little walk around the kitchen and breakfast room. He also peeked through the baby-gate at Rusty, probably wondering why Rusty was "in jail."

I had to put one of the larger litter-boxes in the laundry room for Rusty, since he's too big for the smaller ones, which have covers on them. Rusty can probably squeeze himself into one of those covered boxes, but I'll bet the farm that he couldn't possibly turn himself around inside of them. He'd have to back himself out, for goodness sake.

Should be an interesting couple of days, if this cold doesn't let up. I will have to re-think my plan of keeping all the pets on the screen-porch during the party. I'm thinking that I can keep Gracie in my husband's office, and put up the baby-gate at the doorway, so she won't feel so closed-in. If the door is open and she can at least see out into the hallway, she won't be barking at whoever she hears on the other side of the door. Plus, she'll be able to see out of the front windows. (Which could mean she might be barking at whoever comes up the path to the front door. Oh goodie.)

All the cats can be put into the laundry room, and I will just have to keep the door closed. They won't like being in there, and I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that Mickey Kitty doesn't fight with ShadowBaby. Or.... I can keep Mickey Kitty in my husband's office with Gracie and just shut that door as well.

Or......... the Weather Gods can send our 80-something-degree temperatures back and we can resume life as we know it down here in southeast Texas, for goodness sake!

Musical Cats

We've had cold weather for the past couple of days here, which is so hard to take-- considering that the temperature was 86 on Saturday when we went to Galveston. I don't think today's temperature is going to go over 55 degrees, plus it's windy outside which makes it feel even colder. The temperature up in Chicago must be below freezing today and I guess their northern winds are finding their way down to us. Just a guess on my part, since this has happened so many times in the past.

Being that it's so cold out on the porch, and being that the stupid electric blanket I bought at Target didn't work, I cannot, in all good conscience, keep our cats out on the porch. As I type, Rusty is sleeping in the laundry room. I have a baby-gate up in the doorway, rather than keeping the door closed, so he can at least see out into the kitchen. Poor Rusty is too old and too big to jump over that gate, as the other cats can easily do.

AngelBoy is sound asleep behind me, on the pink velvet sofa in the sitting room. Pretty as a picture, this cat is. He's been there for hours now, after a short venture into the backyard where he quickly determined that it was much too cold to watch the squirrel stealing birdseed from the feeders.

ShadowBaby is in the TV room, all curled up on my recliner. I swiveled the chair around a little bit so he can see out of the window, should he choose to open his eyes. From that chair, he can see out the window and down to the end of our cul de sac. He likes to watch two other black cats on this street, both of whom belong to a neighbor who doesn't care if her cats get icicles on their whiskers on cold days and/or nights.

Little Mickey Kitty is in the master bedroom, so I guess he thinks he's Master of the House these days. He's got his own private bathroom and dressing room in there, complete with litter-box, two walk-in closets, double-wide shower, king-size bed, two comfortable chairs, and a fainting sofa by the windows which let him look out to the screen porch and beyond that to the backyard. His favorite napping spots in there are the fainting sofa and the chair next to my vanity dresser. I go in from time to time, just to let him know he hasn't been abandoned, but I don't think he cares as long as I bring food and water in to him.

Cats. If there is another life beyond this, I hope to be reborn as a cat in a household with a crazy woman such as myself taking care of me.


I spent about four hours today baking desserts for Saturday night's party. I've got two batches of the best brownies I've ever made, one Christmas-y looking cherry/cranberry cobbler, and two dozen miniature Key Lime tarts. I sprinkled the tops of those with red and green sparkle-sugar, to make them look like they belong on a holiday table. Needless to say, I decided on the Key Lime tarts last weekend when the temperature was in the 80s here. I could've changed my mind this morning and baked something else instead, but I'm hoping that the cute little Key Limes will soothe the soul of the Weather God and he/she will send some warm tropical air to Clear Lake. (From my lips to the Weather God's ears....)

It's supposed to warm up some over the next couple of days and into the weekend, which is a good thing because I had planned to keep Gracie and the cats out on the screen-porch. I would hate to put them all into the laundry room for the party.

As for today, I'm finished baking. I could keep on going, but then I'll have way too many desserts, and I know that a lot of our friends are bringing either desserts or some sort of party food. When they told me they wanted to bring something for the table, I told them that I would be using paper plates and plastic utensils this year. At last year's Christmas Open House, we used all the "real" plates and flatware, and glassess and cups. I usually do that for our Charades group, but that's only abour 24 people. With the Christmas party, the number is double that and then some. I think I ran the dishwasher four times last year after our Christmas party.

I vowed then to use the paper/plastic stuff this year, and I'm sticking to that promise. I shall just have to erase the thought in my mind that all of those plastic forks, knives, and spoons will be sitting in a landfill for the next hundred years.

Out of The Closet

Finally, after two hours, I've decided what I'll wear for our Christmas Open House this weekend. I swear, I don't ever remember spending this much time picking clothes out of my own closet before. I feel like I just wasted two hours.

Part of the problem is the weather. Cold one day, rainy the next, warm the day after, then back to cold again. So the problem not only becomes a decision between dress slacks or a skirt, but also a choice between velvet or silk. Then... sleeves or no sleeves, floor-length dress or just below the knee? Christmas red or sparkling black?

As I said.... two hours in and out of my closet, with outfits laying on the vanity in the dressing room and across the bed and the sofa in the bedroom. I decided that the black velvets were out-- too warm, even if it's a cool night, because I'll be in and out of the kitchen. I wanted to wear a shawl with tassels and fringe on it, but that's too risky-- getting a tassel dipped into a Christmas trifle isn't a pretty sight. And you know it's bound to happen if you're wearing anything with fringe on it.

I finally decided on a black silk skirt, below the knee and almost to the ankle, flouncy ruffles from top to bottom-- wide 6 or 8-inch ruffles, not tiny ones. I paired that with a lacy blouse that has a black silk camisole underneath. When the two are on together, it looks like a dress rather than a skirt and a top. The black lace blouse has some sparkles in the material, which looks great with a pair of black heels I have that also have sparkles in the fabric of the shoe.

Speaking of shoes, one of the outfits I tried on was a two-piece ivory skirt and blouse set that I'd found in Galveston a few years ago. Sort of lace-y, with just a few ivory beads on top to make it interesting. That looked fine, but the only shoes that look perfect with that outfit are my wedding shoes-- ivory satin with beads and lace. Problem is, although the wedding shoes look new, they're not as comfortable as they were ten years ago. And I just love those shoes. I took them out of their box and now they're in my sitting room, looking pretty next to the pink velvet sofa. Looks like someone just stepped out of them and left them there.

Shoes.... clothes... table linens.... centerpieces.... cakes.... catered food.... all these details on my to-do list. This is about the time when I sit down and say out loud: Just whose idea was it to have this party anyway?!

Another Cold Snap

Just to make sure we're all paying attention, the Weather Gods have lowered the temperature from 86 degrees to 55. Oh goodie. Where do they think we are? Ohio?

The other night, the temperature went down to 46.... too cold in my book for me to let the cats sleep out on the screen-porch, so they slept in our bedroom. Because the big Christmas tree is up, and because Mickey Kitty is too much of a kitten to know that he shouldn't try to climb that tree, we kept the door closed. Mickey is a sweetheart, but that big tree is just too tempting for his little kitty-soul. Hopefully, he will be much better by next Christmas. He's not bothering any of the little table-top trees... he just can't resist the real one.

With the cold snap in mind, my husband and I went to Target yesterday to buy an electric blanket. Not for us. For the cats. (I shall give you all exactly 60 seconds to laugh at my foolishness.)

The way we figured it, we could hook up the electric blanket out on the porch for the cats, and when we have abnormally cool nights, they'd be nice and warm and toasty on their blanket. Such was the theory. It didn't happen that way.

I spent nearly an hour moving the wicker furniture around on the porch to create a little corner for the cats which would keep them out of the wind, and the electric blanket near enough to the electrical outlet. Into the outlet went the plug, and I arranged the blanket (a twin-size) in their cozy corner.

An hour and a half later, the only part of that blanket that was warm and toasty was the six inches of fabric around the electrical connection. I read the instructions to make sure I had done everything correctly, which I had. Doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out an electric blanket.

In the midst of all of that, my sister called from NY to see what I was doing. When I told her, she laughed at me. (For much more than 60 seconds.) While she was laughing, I was reading the little instruction booklet for the blanket. I got to the part where it said something like not using the blanket for people or children who couldn't operate the controls. I was reading that part out loud, and my sister said "And that would be the cats. Unless you can train them to lower the tempertaure if it gets too hot."

Oh well.... I thought it was a good idea. The blanket is going straight back to Target the next time we ride down that road. It doesn't work anyway, and I'm not going to exchange it for another, given the "fire hazard" warning in the booklet if a person with a disability cannot manage the control panel. My cats are smart, but they don't have the ability to stop a blanket from burning them or the porch. (And as my dear friend Frankie used to say--- "Let's not put that thought out into the universe.")


I've started to get the living room, dining room, and breakfast room ready for this weekend's Christmas party. I put the leaf in the dining room table, and I've opened up the drop-leaf table in the living room. Tomorrow, I will bring in the table from the porch and set that up in the living room as well. All three tables will have matching ivory tablecloths on them, with holiday centerpieces on each, and they will all look inviting and festive.

I remember when I first walked into this house when we were considering buying it... I thought the living room was too big. What on earth would we do with such a large living room? Silly me. If we didn't have this big living room, where would we put a ten-foot Christmas tree, and where would we host all these parties?

Party Favors

Our foyer is now filled with party favors for this coming weekend's Christmas Open House. I spent about three hours this afternoon putting the finishing touches on all the baskets and gift bags filled with holiday goodies. To make certain that no one leaves empty-handed, I've got an array of gifts.... Christmas books, scented candles, datebooks for the new year, CDs of holiday music, pretty jars of mixed nuts, different varieties of fruit jams with holiday spreaders tied to the jars, Christmas neckties for the men, holiday cookie cutters and colored sprinkles for the ladies who bake, and bright Christmas-red nail polishes for those who don't. I've got trendy gifts for teenagers, coloring books & crayons and storybooks & stuffed animals for little kids. A little something for everyone, and of course, special gifts in marked bags for special friends.

This is what takes most of the time.... it isn't the grocery shopping, it isn't the baking, it isn't the cleaning--- it's the details. But, as the saying goes, love is in the details. So I must have a lot of love to give, because I am constantly, consistantly, never-endingly minding the details.

As usual, we had a few little problems with the outside lights this year. The lights have only been up for three days...... and wouldn't you know it, one strand went out. My husband fixed that early this morning. Then this evening, we found half a strand that wouldn't light up. And it's a brand new strand, for goodness sake! I heard the famous phrase from my husband that I hear every year: "Next year we're Jewish... no lights, just a few candles." (These words from the same man who spends countless hours making authentic British plum pudding every December.)

I don't even want to think too hard about Christmas Day yet. Just let me get through this party on Saturday night. As it is, I've got half a dozen things going on at once: Saturday's party, plus my husband's birthday dinner next week (but the favors are done for that, and so are the placecards), Christmas gifts are wrapped and those placecards are done also, then we have New Year's Eve-- favors and placecards and table decorations are done for that as well.

Okay, so maybe it's not as bad as I think it is. I seem to be ahead of myself, at least for the next couple of weeks. Although, I haven't yet decided what I'm going to wear on Saturday night, so I'd better get into my closets and see what looks good and/or feels good. Never know from day to day... what feels good on a Monday may not feel good on Friday. My husband will get dressed in five minutes for the party-- black slacks, black socks/shoes, a green or a red shirt, Christmas tie. He'll look at me and say "Done!" (He does the same thing when he packs a suitcase for 10 days in six minutes.)

And me? If you can't find me, I'm either in my closet standing in front of the racks and just looking up and down or side to side, or I'm in the dressing room tossing outfits on top of the vanity and asking the mirror: "Now what on earth were you thinking when you bought that?!"

"Dickens on The Strand"

A Victorian Christmas festival, Galveston Island style...... that's what "Dickens on The Strand" is, and this was the weekend for it. My husband and I took our young friend C and her best friend L out there for the celebration. The weather was just gorgeous.... high in the 80s, nice and sunny, hot and breezy without getting broiled in the sun.

The girls and I dressed up as Victorian ladies... long skirts, fringed shawls over sleeveless tops so we wouldn't get too hot as we walked around. The only things missing from our "costume" were hats, but that's just as well, given the Galveston breeze. I did buy the girls sequined hairbands with deer antlers attached--- the antlers were covered with red sequins, with tiny bells jingling at the points. Whenever they moved their heads, you could hear the tinkle of the bells. They loved them, and they looked adorable--- plus it made it easy to find them in the crowd, which was my intention. Lots of food and merchandise vendors from all over the country were there today, and we had a look-see at just about all of the booths. The girls had never been to Galveston before during the "Dickens" weekend, so it was all new to them, which made it new for us as well.

There were elephants and a camel for riding, and both of the girls did that, as well as taking a ride on the Shetland ponies. I think they enjoyed getting up close and personal with the animals even more than the shopping. C is a true animal lover, doesn't matter the species... she loves and respects them all.

The "Queen's Parade" at two o'clock this afternoon was a lot of fun. We found a spot in the shade under the Mardi Gras arches, and we all enjoyed the bagpipers, the singers, the wagons, the school bands, magicians, antique-bike riders, jesters, street-beggers... and of course, the Galveston woman who looks like Queen Victoria and rides in the most exquisite horse-drawn carriage as she waves her arm without moving her wrist in the well-known Queen's wave.

Lots of fun for the four of us, and I tried very hard not to think about C not being here for next year's Dickens festival. There were a few vendors this afternoon who thought that C was my daughter. I must admit that I just smiled and didn't bother to correct them. Come to think of it, C didn't offer a correction either.

We came back to our house after Galveston, and I made hot chocolate for us all while we waited for the girls' parents to come pick them up. 80-something degrees, the air-conditioning was on in the house, and we were drinking hot chocolate. Sort of made sense, after celebrating Christmas in Galveston. They even had snow machines there-- flakes of faux-snow blowing down from the balconies on The Strand. Almost made you feel like we were back up north. (Okay, that's a stretch.... but it was fun to see.)

Tomorrow will be a relaxing day. Sort of. I've got lists of what to buy, do, bake, order, rearrange, and prepare for next weekend's Christmas Open House party. And, I've got to get out in the front yard and fix the Christmas lights.... I thought I would surprise my husband the other day by getting the little white lights arranged in the flower beds while he was at a meeting on Friday. I even put the lighted deer out in the front yard. I plugged everything in and all the lights were on and the yard looked great. Then I took Gracie for a walk and when I came back, the left side of the lights were all off. Dark as night on one side of the yard. Never fails, I swear.

I think they make those tiny white lights to last just one season, so you may as well not save them from year to year. Tomorrow, I will run up to CVS and buy a couple of packages of white lights.... and I'm going to toss out the old strands, replace them with the new ones, and I just might toss everything away in January and buy all new ones next year. Every time we have problems with the outside lights, my husband says to me "Next year, we'll be Jewish--- no lights, just a few candles.... much easier."

How Did December Get Here So Fast?

Seems like Thanksgiving was just yesterday, and there is still some white meat from the turkey in the fridge. No matter how small a turkey you get, there's always something left. And I sent our company home with leftovers, too.

My husband and I are still talking about C and her family moving to Las Vegas. We just can't imagine not having C close by. That little girl has made such a difference in our lives, she has no idea. I was talking to her mom tonight, and it seems that C has got it in her mind that after she moves away, her best friend L will take her place in my heart.

My own heart cracked a little bit when her mom told me that. I told her mom that I will do my best to make C understand that no one could ever take her place. My husband and I have included her best friend L in some of the things we've done with C just because we thought C would enjoy having her with us. I had no idea that C would even dream that we wanted L with us so we'd have a "second C" in our lives.

There is only one C in this world, and I've tried to tell C that over the years since we've known her. I have explained to her that every person on this earth is special for the simple reason that we're all unique, every one of us, and we all have special gifts and something to offer to this world. "Even criminals?" -- that was her response to that statement of mine, and she was only in the third grade at the time. I told her that even criminals had a gift, except they were choosing to ignore their gift and were focusing on doing bad deeds instead of good deeds. It seemed like a reasonable explanation to a third-grader.

And now little Miss C is in the 9th grade, and this will be her last grade in this area. Her mom said she's hoping to stay here with C till the end of the school year, then join her husband out in Vegas--- he's got to start the new job by the 19th of this month.

I'm glad we've planned a lot of special days with C for this month, and now that we know this will be her last Christmas here, we'll be planning even more days for her during the Christmas break. Two of the Christmas surprises for C were planned for both her and her best friend L, but my husband and I will now make arrangements for extra-special days for just the three of us. We don't want to push her friend L away, but we do need to make sure that C knows just how very extraordinarily special and precious she is to us.


I spent most of today running errands. I always do Christmas shopping all year long, so by the end of September, I've got packages wrapped and cards written out and everything is ready to be mailed. And I always think I'm ahead of the game. (Man plans, God laughs. Or in this case, Woman plans...) Trouble is, I always think of one more thing to get, one more thing to look for, one more decoration to make the dining room table look over-the-top gorgeous.... and off I go, in search of just one more thing. And of course you never find just one thing.

So that's what I was doing today, searching for special napkins for our New Year's Eve dinner, and looking for festive embellishments to use on the beautiful glass-jar candles I found for the party favors. It's the party favors that take so much time..... finding just the right things, and then making them just a little more right. If my dad heard that, he'd be telling me (in Italian) "Leave it alone.... leave it alone... it's fine just the way it is." My response to that is that I don't want something that's just "fine." I want something that's memorable, so our guests walk out the door with a brilliant smile on their face which tells me that they're so glad they accepted our invitation.


Memorable. This will certainly be a memorable Christmas, with it being C's last holiday with us. Unless, of course, we fly out to Vegas and spend Christmas there next year. I wonder how I could decorate a desert?