Sunday, December 27, 2015

2015 Catch-Up Post

Man, where does the time go? Oh wait, there were a bunch of lectures and 2 new committees - that explains it! (Plus that whole new computer that won't interface with my iPhone, so I can't upload pictures like I used to...) Let's catch up on the crafting side of things first. This is just one of the gorgeous bowls my brother turned on his lathe.


And here's a fancy pen my BIL turned on HIS lathe - crafters galore in this family! (He makes custom pens, so let me know if you want his website, or my sister can comment with it if it's cool to advertise.)



I even finished one sleeve on my mesh sweater - woohoo!


I personally think the mesh hides the off-kilter-ness of my pattern, but keep it to yourself if you beg to differ.


So on to Christmas. The plan was to spend it at the beach, so I put up the aluminum tree I bought off Ebay in 2008.


I love this thing.


Reminds me of the fake tree we had when I was about 3 or 4 years old...


Voila!


Oh yeah, random shot of Jake, who can't stay off the furniture these days, and actually knocked this guitar off Drew's bed somehow. Bad dog!


So this year I finally caved in and agreed to a fake tree at home, since we were going away for a couple of days and I just hate being the only one who waters the tree. Why did I wait so long? It was prelit, and you don't have to vote whether you want multi-colored or white lights - just use the remote to change it!


You can even alternate between them, but that's a little distracting when trying to watch TV.


And I practiced a little homemakery, even though I'm usually challenged in the gender-specific arts. I made my sister's cinnamon crescent rolls for the boys one morning, and my Mom's breakfast casserole on Christmas morning...even made them up the day before and stored in the frig - very efficient!


Ton of butter mixed with cinnamon in these things - yum!


And guess what? I've been talked into doing a Tough Mudder with the boys. (Because I have my health and mobility, so why wouldn't I celebrate that by doing something with it?!) Thus, I needed some trail shoes, which is what Drew and I got for Christmas.


This would be me learning from Drew how to climb the rope in the backyard.


I also received a plethora of reading material from the boys, ranging from a requested Stephen King book from Drew, to a requested knitting magazine and a surprise Donald Trump book from Lucas - that combination made me laugh.


I hope you all had a great Christmas too, and recognized your blessings like I did. I think I need to change my little blog motto from "It is to laugh" to "Life is too short not to dance."

(The rest of this is for my Mad Cow-riddled brain down the road.) Good times: running 4 miles then having a push-up challenge with Drew, eating at Hurricane's with the boys and watching Kingsman after an intense cleaning session at the beach, sitting on the porch with everybody after Christmas Eve dinner at Gilbey's, sitting on the dock hearing about Drew's life at Auburn and watching lightning roll through, discussing the ending of Birdman, following the new Roomba around and realizing it's as fun as a remote control car, but actually useful. More to come....