Some Holiday Memories...

I have lots of pictures and things to share. We still have family visiting and don't have lots of time. Here are few of the events from the holidays...

We went to Jungle Jim's with mom. This is the one place they let you take a photo in the amazing market. It is apparently an exact replica of King Henry VIII's privy.

Here is the hat and fingerless glove set I made for my niece. The items are knit out of Knitcol yarn. I love the stripes and was surprised how close I got the left and right gloves to match.

I made this hat for my sister-in-law. She loves red. The hat is made from the wonderful Malabrigio yarn using the Thorpe pattern designed by Kristin Lapur. The edging is my first attempt at crotcheting. I love this hat. It just makes me smile:) I hope my sister in law smiles when she wears it!

I made this hat for my mom. It is my first attempt using two yarns in a faux isle type of pattern. It turned out great and will look good with her grey hair. The wrong side is about as interesting as the right side.

This year we made up lots of batches of Hot 'n Spicy Chex mix. We gave it to teachers, neighbors, and friends. It was a great snack in the car ride to Cincinnati too!

Peanut ended up with this book in his book exchange at school. It may take some coercsion to get him to read it.

I picked up these glass mugs on a whim. They are suitable for cold AND hot liquids. The boys love them. No better way to drink the egg nog.

The big goof ball was getting ready to go sing with choir on the square. He gives me some faces when he doesn't want me take a picture for my blog. Like the layers? It was freezing cold and he did not have a jacket that fit him. He had to layer up. I love that he wore the stocking hat I knit him.

There are more pictures to come and lots of good memories. I can't believe 2009 is just about history. I really think the saying about time going faster as you get older is true!

Christmas Spirit

We had David's work team over for a holiday lunch last Friday. I had the salads ready to go when we got here. I kept telling the Big Guy these were more than $10 salads at a restaurant. I enjoyed using all my Nikko Christmas dishes. I kept the decorations simple. We got two $1 lottery tickets for each place setting. Out of the entire group only one person was a winner of another ticket. It was fun to scratch and see what was underneath.

Here's the up close view of the salad. I shredded carrot strips and stored them in cold water. They curled just a bit.

Here are a few snacks I put out before lunch. The baked artichoke dip is always a hit! The lunch menu was salad, three bean chili, cornbread and rolls. It was very simple - easy to serve and different from what most folks are enjoying this time of the year. I finished off the meal with Pots de Creme from the Memphis Junior League Heart & Soul cookbook. The recipe is similar to this, but with the addition of Kahlua.

We played LCR which was a big hit with everyone. It is such a simple game, but lots of fun. We played two rounds giving prizes to the winners.

Last night we enjoyed the high school holiday concert. The conductor does a fabulous job with the singers. Here is the Mixed Choir. They sang a song Night of Silence. It was gorgeous. It rounds with Silent Night and the audience got to participate. Pumpkin is front and center. I don't know how to operate my camera in those lighting situations (on the 2010 todo list!) and the pictures are not the best.

I edited the photo zooming in on Pumpkin.

Here is a different angle. There is a mic right in front of him. It was a wonderful performance.

He sings again on the Collierville square on Thursday night. It is a short concert as the high school kids are in the midst of midterms. We are crossing our fingers that Pumpkin makes it through the midterms w/o any lasting scars. It is hard to watch my child develop his study skills or lack there of!!!

Peanut has a book report due Friday. We are looking forward to school being out on Friday!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas...

We got the decorations up this past weekend. I like these two little trees. We put them in the corner of the music room. They don't get decorated. They just light up the space as is. The great thing about all these pictures is that the Big Guy took them. He walked around while the boys and I were rummaging through the boxes.

Peanut did quite a bit of work on the tree.


I did the mantle adding the lighted garland this year.

I added the garland to the stairs too!

Buddy enjoyed supervising...

I got everything finished on Monday. The boxes are all put away. It is so nice to sit back and enjoy it!

On Tuesday, Pumpkin sang with his choir at the Peabody Hotel. It was gorgeous and the perfect event to put you in the season.



It all worked out. The Big Guy's meeting was cancelled. I swung by his work and picked him up. This photo is one of my favorites for the 2009 Holiday Season.

Yesterday, I had a few friends over for a holiday lunch. We started a play group years ago keeping up the lunch even though the kids are in school. It marked the beginning of the festiviities for us! We exchanged gifts. I made these log cabin washcloths that were on purlbee. They were a fun knit and I improved my skill of picking up stitches.

I struggled with what to put with them. Then, it hit me. I included the Dawn Foam, my favorite dishwashing soap.

It was great to see them. As usual, there was not enough time to catch up on everything.

We are off and running for the next event. We host David's work team here for lunch tomorrow. I've got grocery shopping to to!

Singing, Knitting, and Food

A few weeks ago, Pumpkin auditioned for the All SouthWest TN Jr chorus. It is comprised of 7-9 graders. He's had the honor of participating each year. This year was no exception. He ended up 2nd chair in the Tenor 1 section! This year the choir performed at the Canon Center, the performing arts venue in Memphis. It is amazing. Here he is before the final line up. There is an artistic scuplture outside the back door. I am so thankful he got to participate. The talent is amazing. He is listening to the CD of the Jr and Sr choirs as I am writing this. Guest conductors come in from around the nation. They do a phenom job with the kids. If I could quickly figure out how to upload the music to link it to my blog, I would. But, there is not enough time in the day!

The music was playing in our house - not really! I moved some chairs around ending up with a need in the playroom. I landed this chair and ottoman off of Craigslist. It is just perfect.


I am going to have it reupholstered in this fabric.

The plan was to have it done for Christmas. Unfortunately, the oven and the refrigerator are acting up! I have to see what the damage is from those needy appliances before I forge down the path to make a new chair out of something old. For the time being, the rocker is staying in the playroom. This "new" chair is in the guest room and matches perfectly!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving at my sister-in-laws. I brought a pumpkin spice chocolate chip cake (thanks to my neighbor's oven!) I wanted to do something else. So, I pulled out my needles and knit dishcloths for each family attending the dinner. I love the ballband pattern. I just put scraps of yarn together. It is fun to see how they turn out. I got them all done except for one. I had to give my mother-in-law hers on my needles! She was very understanding. I did get hers done the next day and gave it to her on Saturday.

On Sunday morning after mass, we headed to downtown Memphis for breakfast at the Arcade. It is the oldest restaurant in the city. Phew! They have been through it all. They are just a few streets down from where MLK was shot. Look at this hot chocolate. What a treat!

The plates were essentially licked clean. It was fun to explore a new place. The boys enjoyed it - even as they try to frown! We added the Arcade to our list of possibilities when we have guests in town.

I am getting a little nervous about how close Christmas really is. I have lots of knitting to do. We have to decorate and we are entertaining here at the end of next week. Did I mention that my oven does not work? I know. It will all work out!!