Holiday highlights, the finale

Spouse & I remarked to each other that this was probably 1 of the best holiday seasons we can remember.  We never felt stressed, and everything just seemed to fall into place.

We got our tree up, our interior decorating done, and our exterior lighting all done before our tree trimming party.  (That has not always been the case.)  Our tree trimming party was fun, as always.  We attended the town Christmas parade which wasn't rained out as it has been in some recent years.  While our holiday shopping got off to a slow start, all ordered items arrived on time so I could wrap them without feeling rushed.  I got to attend the town's Christmas home tour for the 1st time ever.  I spent the good part of a day baking cakes, brownies, and breakfast casseroles to take with us.  We enjoyed our annual pizza and hippie roll luncheon with our dear friends Kerry, Hugh, Kelly, Carl, Lisa, Alex, Kim, and Danny.  We had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant followed by cookies at the home of our old buddies Ron & James, along with Mike & Clark.  We had a lovely visit/lunch with my cousin Nez and her husband Steve.  We saw most of the family on Christmas eve and/or Christmas day.  Once we returned home we debriefed with our friends Steven & Thad over dinner.  We went to a lovely post-Christmas party at Marty & John's home. We did a lot, saw a lot, and ate a lot; pretty much the perfect holiday season!

Here are a few photos of some of our special/unusual tree ornaments:

Purchased in Palm Springs Oct 2018

1 of 2 clear snowflakes purchased at the Dollar store several years ago, and a Paris ornament from 2003

Large, silver snowflake from Joey & Glenn

Lenox sleigh from my friend Dawn

Eiffel Tower purchased in Paris Dec 2003

Translucent chicken from our friend Megan 15+ years ago, Lenox bear from Dawn, and clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin

Another clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin, and Chihuahua from Dawn

Blue glass ball with white swirl from Calvin

 Here are some of our interior holiday decorations:

Although not visible in this photo, the snow-covered trees have glitter on them and were found inside our very 1st home together in 1996.  I adore them and suspect they're pretty old.

The reindeer were from my cousin Nez, the snowman was from our friend Clara.  The old school ceramic tree is actually not old; we bought it at the QVC clearance store about 5 years ago.

Red truck pillows purchased about 3 years ago

Red truck floor mat purchased this fall

Red truck wall hanging purchased 2 years ago

Without any knowledge of our red truck decor Spouse's sister gave us this red truck cookie jar which coordinates perfectly

 And last but not least...

Marvin & Walter in their Christmas bow ties on Daddy's lap on Christmas day

I hope all of you had a great holiday season.

Whirlwind weekend

I had a whirlwind weekend for sure!

In anticipation of everything happening this past weekend, I took Sat off work.  Sat morning Spouse & I met Steven for breakfast, then went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for the food we'll serve at our tree trimming party.  Once we'd put away the food, I finished decorating the inside of the house.  I'd started the decorating last weekend but finished it on Sat. 

As Spouse began making the party food, I went on a Christmas home tour.  There were 9 local homes on the tour, including a couple homes I'd toured when they were for sale.  The tour was very well attended and several of the homes were quite lovely, all decked out in their Christmas regalia.

After the tour I helped Spouse clean up the kitchen a bit, and then we met Steven for dinner.  (Thad was out of town.)  After dinner I performed as Elton John in the Blue Moon's holiday Legends show.

Whew!

Sun morning we met Steven & Thad for breakfast, then returned home where Spouse began warming the food he'd made the day before and I began setting the tables and getting the platters, bowls, and serving pieces out. Shortly before our friends began to arrive we plated the food and put the drinks out on the beverage table.  

Thanks to Spouse's cooking the day before and my planning an organization, we got everything set up with a little time to spare (let's take a selfie!) and with no yelling.  I consider this a definite "win".

Our friends arrived and we had drinks and conversation for a little while, then had dinner.  Spouse made meatballs in Italian gravy (tomato sauce), Italian sausage with peppers and onions, rolls, and a roasted vegetable pasta salad.

Then we migrated to the living room and began trimming the Christmas tree.  

Occasionally folks paused from the decorating to enjoy some sweets (brownies, chocolate chip cookies, anis pizzelles, and chocolate covered pretzels).

The tree went from this:

to this:

Yes, the tree isn't straight, and neither are we.  :-)

Everyone kept joking that we surely HAD to be nearing the end of the ornaments as the tree became colorful, but I assured them there were plenty MORE ornaments to fill in.  "I like just a little bit of green to show through" I told them.

I really love this tradition of having friends help decorate the tree.  Its a fun way to get together during the holiday season and it makes the tree look different every year.

Don't rush the holidays

I'm a firm believer in not rushing the holidays.  I do not want to see (and will not buy) Christmas decorations in stores in Sept.  Even more specifically, I don't put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  The day after Thanksgiving?  Fair game.

But yesterday I made a small exception... we put up our outdoor Christmas lights. 

It was sunny and in the low 50s so the weather was perfect for it.  Plus, the weekend after Thanksgiving I am scheduled to work both Sat & Sun.  Regardless of whether it rains or is cold in the coming days, we've already got our lights up and ready.  But we vowed NOT to turn them on until after Thanksgiving.

We will spend Thanksgiving and some of Fri in VA with our family, as usual.  When we get back home Fri afternoon or evening, I'll probably put the wreaths on the doors and start putting out our interior decorations.  Then (hopefully) on Sun after work I'll put up the Christmas tree and string the lights on it.  The following Sun we're having our annual Christmas tree trimming party where our friends help us hang all the ornaments, and in exchange we provide food and drinks.  Its always a good time and one of my favorite holidays traditions.

He told me so

Spouse has a new kitchen gadget:

This is a countertop convection oven that came with 2 racks, 2 cookie sheets, a roasting pan, and a cookbook.  And the most important feature according to Spouse is that it will accommodate a 9" X 13" baking dish, something most countertop ovens can't do.

But the real reason for sharing this is to come full circle with what happened back in early December when our regular kitchen oven wouldn't heat up the day before our tree trimming party.

You see, Spouse had seen this very oven on a shopping TV channel in November and wanted it right then.  I vetoed the purchase, telling him it was an unnecessary duplication of what we already have.  He argued that it would be a nice back up, just in case.  I rolled my eyes and said "If the our regular oven stops working, we'll just call a repairman and get it fixed."

So, of course, when the regular oven broke right when we needed it the most, as we were preparing food for 20+ people, Spouse did NOT overlook the opportunity to say "I told you so".

So then, a couple weeks ago when this oven was being featured again on the shopping TV channel, before Spouse could open his mouth I told him "Order the damn oven already!"

It arrived while I was home and he was not, so I removed it from the box and set it up on the counter for him to 'discover' when he got home.  He was unusually excited about it which gave me a kick.

Tree trimming party

So yesterday we had our annual tree trimming party.  It went very well, but it certainly was NOT without challenges.

Our plan was to bake the 3 pans of lasagna, a cake, and a large tray of brownies on Sat morning, so it could all be cleaned up and Sun could be spent reheating the lasagna and setting up the food and drinks.  But Sat morning the oven was taking an unusually long time to heat up.  In fact, after more than an hour it still hadn't come to temperature.  After a quick Google search, it appeared that 1 of the 2 elements wasn't working.

I tried calling someone to fix it, but we live in an area where repair people rarely work on weekends, so we had to come up with some alternatives.  We ended up baking everything in our 18 quart Nesco roaster (counter top oven).

Then I discovered water on the bottom of the base cabinet underneath our kitchen sinks.  I felt the drain pipes and disposal but they were dry.  I guessed it might be the supply line but it was too far into the cabinet and I'd have to unload everything to get to it, so I told Spouse "Let's get through this party and call a plumber on Monday".

Then on Sun as we were setting up the food and drinks Spouse was transferring the frozen punch ring from its plastic bucket into our beverage dispenser (with a nozzle).  When the punch ring dropped into the dispenser, the glass stand broke into several pieces!  After cleaning up the broken glass, we pulled out a vintage punch bowl and transferred the punch ring to it.

It would almost be funny if it weren't so stressful.  But fortunately we came up with work-arounds and the tree trimming party went very smoothly.  The food was delicious and everyone had a great time.

Here are some photo highlights:

The white Nesco Roaster is on top of the stove, underneath the microwave.

Quinn enjoyed petting Marvin almost as much as Marvin enjoyed being petted.

Quinn told Walter "No, no, no".

Spouse's homemade lasagna was a big hit with our friends.  We used warming trays to keep them warm.

I made a Christmas tree shaped cake dusted with coconut and decorated with edible ornaments.

I made brownies with white chocolate chips.

I loved Michael's Christmas sweatshirt with Santa in a vintage Cadillac convertible!

The finished tree looks beautiful, thanks to the help of our friends.

Christmas decorating

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Yesterday was my scheduled day off (since I work most Saturdays) and Spouse decided to use a day of 'use-it-or-lose-it' leave so we could decorate for Christmas.

I started by putting on some Christmas music then unpacked the Christmas tree.  We've been using an artificial one for the last 12 or so years.  It has a 'realistic' look to it and I like that we can put it up whenever we want, without regard to whether its raining or cold, and not have to worry that it will dry out from under-watering, and will be able to withstand the weight of all kinds of ornaments.  Yeah, we don't have that Christmas tree smell, but the convenience is worth it to me.  And we can get that Christmas tree smell from fresh cut greenery on the mantel or a 'live' wreath.  It only took about an hour to assemble the light the 6' tree.

Then we moved onto the outside lights.  We ran several strings of green and red lights along the front porch, and switched out the regular exterior light bulbs with green and red light bulbs.  Next we put multi-colored lights on the rose bushes, and set up the red and green light projector to display on the garage wall.

With the outside done, I began unpacking the inside decorations and placing them around the living room, powder room, and foyer.  In a day's time we went from no holiday decor to fully decorated inside and out.  I was tired by the afternoon and ready to sit down.

But all the effort was worth it, as the house is now ready for our tree trimming party this Sun.  Spouse is making dinner and I'm baking desserts, after which our friends will help us hang the ornaments until the tree is shimmering.  I like a Christmas tree with so many ornaments that you can barely see the green.  Photos to follow.

Final party

I mentioned last week that I was going to my company's Christmas party and the Blue Moon's employee/entertainers party on the same night.  Both parties were very nice.  I tried not to eat or drink too much at the 1st party so it wouldn't be obvious at the 2nd party that I'd already eaten/drank.  

Here's me in front of the tree at the 2nd party of the evening, at the Blue Moon:

I'm feeling a little fat in this photo, but at least everyone liked my shirt!  Seriously, I got a bunch of compliments at both parties on my shirt.  At this party we had a Chinese gift swap where you can 'steal' a gift already opened or open a wrapped one.  I opened a bottle of Hornitos tequila and was very happy no one 'stole' it!

Then this week my team had our team Christmas dinner and Secret Santa gift exchange in the party room of a local restaurant.  We post a list in advance with everyone's names so people can write gift suggestions for their Secret Santa.  Only, the person I was to buy for wrote that they wanted to be surprised, so I gave her a gift basket with bath/body products in it.  I received a nice variety pack of thank you notes (on my list) and this wonderful Chihuahua wall calendar:

Although my boys do not do this, I love that the dog in the cover photo is winking! 

This was the last of the Christmas parties for me, although we'll have a birthday party for Spouse's mom on her birthday, on Dec 24.  Tomorrow night we're leaving to spend the holidays with our family (staying at Spouse's sister's house) and will also meet up with several dear friends while we're in town.

Parties

Tonight I'm going to 2 Christmas parties.

The 1st one is my company Christmas party, where they reserve the entire restaurant just for us, with great food and an open bar.  Spouse usually goes with me, but I'm not sure he's going tonight since he's been having trouble with his back/hips and the standing may be too much.

The 2nd one is the Blue Moon employees and entertainers party.  The owners will close the restaurant and bar to the public so the restaurant and bar employees, owners, and the entertainers like me can all enjoy a buffet dinner, open bar, and a Chinese gift exchange where you can pick a wrapped gift or 'steal' a gift already unwrapped by someone else.  

Of course I'll have to drink in moderation since I probably won't have Spouse to drive me home.  But that's fine; I don't like hang-overs.  

It will be a fun and festive night!

Busy weekend

Wow, what a full weekend!

It actually started on Fri evening, as I left work early and met up with 2 friends to sing Christmas carols (in costume) at a charity event.  I love Christmas music so it was fun, and I saw lots of friends.

Rick, Magnolia Applebottom, and me in our caroling costumes

Then I met up with Spouse & Steven for a late dinner.

Sat I worked until 3:30, then ran home to change clothes and get Big Ella lined up for the Christmas parade.

While this parade is always popular, this was probably the best-attended I can imagine.  I've never seen so many people crowded into our fair little hamlet.  No doubt the moderately cool temperature and the absence of rain were contributing factors.  I saw lots of friends and even several clients as I inched down the main street.  After the parade, Spouse, Steven & I had a quick dinner and then I headed to perform in the holiday Legends Show as Elton John.  I got home about 11:45pm and after talking to Spouse, we decided to begin making some of the food that night for our party the following day, so we didn't get to bed until shortly after 1am.

Sun morning we met Steven for breakfast, picked up a cake, and then returned home to prepare for our annual Christmas tree trimming party.  Spouse picked the menu this year:

• Greek-style beef sliders with hummus and tzatziki
• Pork sliders with hot mango chutney
• Curried chicken salad sliders with cranberries, apple, and pecans
• Homemade potato salad
• Homemade bowtie pasta salad
• Peppermint bark dip with cookies
• Coconut layer cake

The holiday table, before the 2 salads were added

We made everything ourselves except the cake and it all turned out great.  We had 16 friends who joined us for food and hanging the ornaments on the tree.  Since it was only in the 40s out we were able to have a fire in the fireplace which, along with the Christmas music, added some nice ambience to the evening.  We had a great time and the tree looks gorgeous!

When the last guests left Spouse & I packed up the left-overs, emptied the trash and collapsed on the sofa with the dogs.  They did really well with the house full of people and activity!  Even Walter who usually teases people with his cuteness but doesn't let them touch him, allowed some people to pet him last evening... a Christmas miracle!  The boys were exhausted and both were asleep within minutes of settling in on our laps.  We watched the season finale of 'WestWorld' and went to bed.

Weekend highlights

So Sat I went back to work, after being home sick for 2 days.  Things at work are pretty quiet now so it was an easy day.  That evening Spouse & I went to Joe P's big holiday party which was a lot of fun.

As I was chatting with folks I began to notice that my voice was starting to sound hoarse.  I left the party early in order to perform in the Christmas Legends show and by the time I changed into my costume I could hear my voice getting weaker.  I made a real effort to stop talking in order to conserve what was left of my voice, and sucked on a cough drop.  I struggled through "Candle in the Wind" and "Step Into Christmas" with a few cracks but it sounded okay.  After the show I met up with Spouse and Steven & Thad who had just left the party, and I had very little voice left.  Sun morning I had no voice at all - complete laryngitis.

We had breakfast with Steven & Thad and Joe P on Sun, and after returning home Spouse did some laundry while I spread all the Christmas gifts on the dining room table and started matching up the gifts with appropriately sized bags and boxes.  We did something this year we've never done before:  used only gift bags and decorated boxes.  I didn't wrap a single gift this year.  

The decorated boxes were re-used containers in which we'd gotten chocolates or candy or something.  As long as the boxes are in good shape I save them for future use.  Some of the gift bags were re-used from gifts we'd received in years passed, while others were purchased 2-for-$1 at the Dollar Tree.

I don't care for the tissue paper sprouting up out of the bags, so I fold it neatly over the top of the gift and tuck the sides down inside the bag.  I think it gives a neater look, and it give us the ability to stack the bags.  Since we will be transporting all the gifts to VA along with our duffle bag, the 2 dog carriers, and assorted stuff for the dogs, we need the ability stack things.  All the gifts were boxed, bagged and labeled in under an hour.

That evening we met up with Steven & Thad to eat "bar food" at the Frogg Pond.  Steven & Thad made fun of me for having no voice.  "What's that?  I can't hear you..."  They have a special menu on Sundays while football games are played on big screen TVs there.  I got a plate of tater tots with a ladle of sloppy Joe meat on top, drizzled with cheese sauce.  I know - probably 10,000 calories in it, but hey!  Its the holidays!  Time to eat, drink, and be merry!  

January is for dieting.

Now its Mon and I still have laryngitis.  I sure hope this doesn't last much longer.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post. 

One of my friends posted an idea he'd seen on facebook for getting some sensible gun control laws passed:

Speaking of facebook, a friend of mine posted this little ditty which gave me a chuckle:

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy/busy day for me!  I'm working from 9am-3pm, then running over to a friend's house for a holiday between 3:30-4:30, and driving Big Ella in a Christmas parade between 5:00-6:30, then grabbing a simple dinner between 6:30-8:00, then arriving at 8:30 at the Blue Moon to get dressed and perform in the Christmas Legends show.  I'm already exhausted just thinking about it!  I'll post some photos next week.

On Sun evening we're going to have some friends over to help us decorate our Christmas tree.  Spouse & I are making some snacks and desserts.  But of course this means we'll also need to be sure the house is picked up and presentable, so another busy day but it will culminate in a fun evening with friends and a lovely Christmas tree.

Speaking of Christmas, my friend Steven sent me this:

Here's wishing everyone a terrific weekend!!  What do YOU have planned?

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Today is Fri the 13th.

The Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival is going on now.  Unlike previous years where the festival showed a variety of films simultaneously at a time at the local cineplex, this year the Festival had to find alternative venues and could only show 3 simultaneous films, 1 at each venue.  The drastically reduced number of films offered resulted in me only finding 3 films I wanted to see, compared to the 12-15 films I used to see during the festival.  Mon night I saw Those People which I liked a lot.  Its about a young gay art student named Charlie who is secretly in love with his well-to-do but co-dependent best friend Sebastian, and the concert pianist Tim who offers Charlie the possibility of a healthy relationship.  Set in contemporary NYC, the film explores the delicacies of a love triangle, co-dependency, and unrequited love.  Highly recommended.  Watch the trailer:

Wed night I saw Fourth Man Out which I also liked a lot.  Its about Adam, a 20-something auto mechanic and his 3 sports-loving, beer-drinking, women-chasing buddies.  When Adam confesses that he's gay, his 3 pals are thrown for a loop.  He's not like the gay stereotypes with which they're familiar.  To show Adam they are supportive, the 3 friends try to help him find a boyfriend, but this does not happen without some false steps and misunderstandings.  The film comedically delves into stereotypes, acceptance, and friendship with enough laughs to keep it from being too heavy.  Highly recommended.  Watch the trailer:

I hope to see a documentary tomorrow on Tab Hunter.

I realize its not even Thanksgiving yet, but I'm already getting in the mood for Christmas.  Typically I try not to think about it until we get through Thanksgiving, but I began shopping online earlier than usual and have about 1/2 of our gifts purchased.  I also purchased our Christmas/holiday cards on Wed at HomeGoods, and Spouse & I have set a date for our tree trimming party.  All of this is highly unusual for me at this point, but I'm kind of happy about it.

I just received my assignment for the Christmas Legends show series, starting just 2 weeks from now, taking place every Sat night between Nov 28 and Dec 26.  I will be Elton John and will sing "Candle in the Wind" and "Step into Christmas".  While I'm not unhappy about this, I was hoping for a little more variety.  I did these same 2 songs the last time we did a Christmas Legends series.  Oh well; I'll sing them again and collect my paycheck.

I saw this sign at a local independent coffee shop and it gave me a chuckle:

 

Have a great weekend!!