And Again

Once again Scarface had surgery this week;  on his right eye.  Same problem as last time.  Different eye.
He and Frankie are sharing the sick bed.  We had to make a sick bed because the same day he went in for his eye surgery he managed somehow to hurt his right back leg.  Consequently he can't access his favorite sleeping places;  our couches.  (We got to listen to a LOT of whining about that.)
He'll see our regular vet on Monday.  Leg issues aren't something the opthamologist vet can deal with.

It's a mistake, but it's OK

I finally finished my Montana Winter Cardigan.
And it's full of mistakes.

For one thing, and the biggest mistake;  it is way too big for me.

I started knitting this sweater in July.  I thought I would complete it around Christmas or so.  So in that sense, January 12th isn't too far off.

I wanted to make this sweater for myself after finishing this one in June.

The small one I made as a challenge to myself and for an unknown grandchild to be.  My idea was that knitting a similar one for myself would help us stay connected over what appears will be quite a distance of miles.  Not a bad idea.

My first problem was that the pattern was created for a 3 year old.  My second problem is that I thought I could adapt it for myself.  I'm not that advanced a knitter.

See how the brown drops down over the shoulders?  It's not supposed to do that.

So, after what you can imagine are many, many, many, hours of knitting I have a sweater that, well, is OK, but it's obviously too large.

But, I am going to wear it.  AND I am going to enjoy it.  Because it's a lesson learned.
I've already started another sweater for myself.  One I will check carefully along the way to see that it fits.  One for which I have an actual pattern.

I've made many mistakes during my years.  I think the worst thing a person can do is deny them.  The next worst thing is to not learn from them and then allow feelings of guilt and remorse to haunt you.

To hear a great discussion about making mistakes and learning from them, give this podcast a listen.


There are no mistakes, only lessons.   "Do you beat yourself up for past mistakes or are you unable to break free of a destructive pattern?  If you want to learn how to stop, join me and my special guests Team Universe for this incredible show and learn how you can press the reset button.  Join us, listen, learn and maybe even share your story.""

Fifth Holiday Post

My family celebrated our "Christmas" together yesterday.  Had lots of fun.
Our granddaughter Hayden was a big attraction.
Here she is modeling the duck hat I knitted.  She's also wearing her Green Bay onesie, because, well, she must.  Her Daddy is a big Green Bay fan.

Here Hayden attempts to eat her aunts hand.

Daddy entertains her for a while.

Grandma and Grandpa get in on some baby loving action.

Everyone enjoyed the hand knit socks I made for them.  And Kim gave his home made beer, which was a big hit of course.

There was football to watch.

And lots to eat.

  I went for appetizers this year instead of a sit down dinner.

Using recipes from Pinterest:

The Schweddy Balls, (yes, remember them from SNL? - Schweddy Balls skit), well, they were a hit. Easy to make, too.





Garlic Herb Roasted Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce;  also popular, and again, easy to make.

And who doesn't like red pepper jelly with cream cheese?  This time with a cranberry twist for Christmas.  Delicious.

I took a chance and tried this Scarpaccia.  It's all veggie, but also I left off a portion of cheese at the end for those with a dairy intolerance.  Worked well.  Made a lot.

There were also Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Aioli (delicious), guacamole, hummus, fresh veggies, and, thanks to my daughter, a variety of olives.  My friend Carol brought over pork and seeds.

For dessert, three new recipes.

Lemon Shortbread Truffles were a big disappointment to me.  Maybe I'm just not good at making them.  They never achieved a nice "rolling" consistency.  Then I added too much yellow food coloring and they were orange instead of yellow.  Oh well, win some, lose some.  I made my own shortbread cookies for this recipe and my own lemon curd.  Still have plenty of those leftover so it's not a complete let down.

And some chocolate for dessert is a must.  These brownies really hit the spot.  I think they'll be my go-to brownie recipe from now on.  Supposed to be one of Oprah's favs.  I see why now.

Am I the only person who likes meringues? Well, in my family anyway.  I love that crunchy texture on the outside and the way they melt in your mouth.  I thought these Peppermint Meringues were a nice dairy free dessert option.  And pretty, too.  Also super easy.

Later we played monopoly...

and watched a movie.  Bad Words is good fun.  Rohan Chand is adorable.

To top off the day we even received more snow.

It was a great day.  The one sour part was when Scarface growled at Hayden, so he was banished from the house for a while.  That's part of the reason he's part of our household now, he's a grouchy old turd.

Fourth Holiday Post

As I've mentioned before, Kim and I really enjoy this time of year.  But don't go thinking we have the perfect Christmas because we don't.  I'll be home knitting on that sweater I'm still working on and Kim will be sleeping until he gets up to go to work.  They'll be no big family dinner.  Not on that day anyway.
I think the perfect Christmas is one you enjoy whenever or wherever it might happen.  Ours usually happens a week or weeks after Christmas as it gets more difficult to work around everyone's schedules and extended families.
So whatever you do or whomever you do it with, I hope you enjoy the excuse to be a little nicer and a little more generous that this season provides.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Yule, happy whatever you celebrate!

Third Holiday Post

OK, I watch a lot of Christmas movies.  I admit it, readily.
I like them.  There's really no reason to go into how many of them I am willing to sit through, but it's a lot.

So, to keep it short and sweet here are two of my favorites so far this year.

1.  Nativity 2:  Danger in the Manger starring David Tennant and Marc Woottton.
 

 The critics don't necessarily like it, in fact they seem to hate it:
"David Tennant fails to sparkle in dual roles in this awful Christmas comedy sequel, writes Philip French."  From The Guardian.

Well, I liked it.  It made me laugh.  Yes, it's goofy.  If you don't like goofy, don't watch it.

2.  Get Santa starring Jim Broadbent and Rafe Spall.  (The British seem to be winning me over with their holiday movies.)

Towards this one the critics are kinder with their review:  Contact Music

"...but this movie is a pure joy, deploying a warped sense of humour that will have adults laughing a bit more than the kids, who will be caught up in a terrific wish-fulfilment adventure of their own."

How about you?  Love or hate holiday movies?  Have a favorite to share?