Pulling off a Holiday Season Miracle

Husker and I have been carefully watching our weight this holiday season.  We both added a little during the Thanksgiving period, but succeeded in dropping the added weight.  We both dutifully recorded our carefully maintained sizes on our chart on Christmas morning.  Could we make it through Christmas day without gaining? 

This morning was the evidence.  We both weighed the exact same as we did yesterday morning!  In fact, Husker has been working on his weight much more diligently than I have.  That is a difficult thing to do for someone who loves to cook and eat.  We both want to look better for Jon and Sarah's wedding late in January. 

Speaking of cooking, Husker seems to have developed an especially good feel for making a great pot of soup.  No two pots are exactly the same.  What goes in the pot is dependant upon whatever is on hand.  At Thanksgiving, there was a lot of ham left. So Husker turned out two pots of distinctly different soups, one with navy beans and parsnips, and the other with split peas and carrots.  Both were so scrumptious!

Yesterday, there was also a lot of ham remaining.  So of course, we are about to experience another pot of soup that will include some ham.  Can't wait.

We had such a good time yesterday at my son's house for Christmas.  Lots of people, lots of good food, etc.  Children playing with their gifts, etc.  Here are a couple of the highlights that Husker managed to catch.  Laura Gale is the first great-grandchild, and she is a sweet girl, too. 

Something that I did recently -- in one of my feverish moments of cleaning and organizing -- was to clean out my jewelry box.  I put anything that I thought 8 yo Laura would enjoy for playing "dress-up" into a baggy and took it along.  It was not a Christmas present; it was a little lagniappe.  It went over better than the sweater that I made for her!  Note the two bracelets. 

However, the best thing about yesterday was not the success of maintaining our weight.  It was meeting Jesse James Otto (J.J.), Shilo's new baby boy.  The youngster arrived December 14, 2010, about a week early, and it was a good thing he was early -- he weighed 8 lbs., 1 ounce, and was 21" long.  He mostly slept through yesterday despite everyone taking turns holding him and trying to get him to open his eyes.  His most wakeful moments were when his grandma Dina gave him a bath.  After wrapping him in a towel, he was quite willing to open his eyes and frown at us.  He showed his disdain for the preceding events by pooping in the towel!  Aren't babies grand?

Jones Family Christmas

The North Texas Joneses go their different ways for  Christmas, but we have our own get-together ahead of time.  Last night was the time, and Jon and Sarah's was the place.  We started a tradition of having a Chinese auction/white elephant type of gift exchange.  This usually results in some really interesting gifts (what is it?) to "stealing" someone else's gift until it is officially dead.  We eat too much, drink too much, and have a fun evening with family.  

Even the dogs get into the act. 

Then the official day of Christmas rolls around and everyone goes to their significant other's family home.  Adam and Caroline will go to her parents' home, Jon, Sarah, Cavaliers Jemma, and Kingston are going to her brother's home, we will go to my son's home, and Barbara, Jennie, and schnauzer Sydney,  have their own plans for the big day. 

Jon and Sarah will deliver Zach's Wallaby to him.  So it results that Zach will, indeed, get the promised sweater by Christmas after all.

Zach's Wonderful Wallaby

During our Thanksgiving festivities, I met Master Zach Guinn, a charming 4-yo.  He was interested in my knitting.  He finally asked if I could make him a sweater -- and a hat -- and gloves.  I promised that I would try to have him a sweater -- and a hat -- and gloves -- by about Christmas.

After thinking about it, I realized that a Wonderful Wallaby would be just the thing.  The hood and kangaroo pocket would complete the requested items.  The Wallaby is about 4" from completion of the hood.  I am pleased with the project, and I hope that Zach will like it, too.  I am sending him an email today to show him a photo of the Wallaby to-date and let him know that the sweater will probably be there the week following Christmas. 

In addition, I am going to ask his Mommy to supply us with some photos of him with the Wallaby on.  That would make a very nice post.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

A Melt Down kind of day

The day has not started off well.  I went into the guest bath this morning to do some routine cleaning.  (Yeah, a guest is coming for lunch.)  This bathroom has a china pedestal sink, a blue-and-white-and-sage color scheme and is a nice place for visitors to see.  I got a shock as soon as I started to clean the sink.  It had a big star-pattern crack in it!  I could quickly figure out what had happened.  There is a glass shelf above the sink and it holds a heavy glass dish with soap.  It was apparent that the dish had been knocked off the shelf.  The dish did not break - just a minor chip, but it was heavy and obviously hit the sink in just the right way to shatter the corner of the porcelain sink. 

I do not use that sink often -- hey, I don't go into that bathroom except to clean it for visitors.  So who did this and did not have the guts to tell me?  Husker does not know either.  We cannot remember who was last here that would have been in the bathroom.  I do, however, know when I last used that sink.  On Thursday, November 18th, I used the sink to soak the sweater set that I made for a niece's newborn.  Funny, I cannot remember who has been in the house since then. 

Now let me ask you -- if you knew who the last person in the bathroom was -- would you confront that person?  This is going to be an expensive repair job.  I am upset and hurt that the person who did this has not told me.