Sunday, December 29, 2013

Christmas Decorations 2013



It is too hard to put up the tree when we are both working (and worse is taking it down!).  But I put up a few Christmas decorations this year.  Here they are.


I set up this beautiful Christmas candle, give to us by Virginia Hobbs, on the dining room table.  The two small candles set up on opposite corners of the tablecloth I bought many years ago in Nuremberg, Germany.


Here's the mantel in the family room--resplendent!


I collected these ornament balls over some years from the old Paper Doll store that used to be on the Pearl Street Mall.  That store had a large pig out in front and lovely things inside.


I ordered these plates from an insert in a Sunday newspaper.  They depict Santa Claus in different scenarios and are titled, "A Grand Old Santa", "Christmas in Paris", "Christmas in Germany", and "Father Christmas."  I treasure them.  


Here is my nutcracker collection!


And some presents!

Orchids in Bloom, Winter 2013



I bought all my orchids in the wintertime, and they were blooming--that's why I bought them.  So now, they bloom, in the cold time.  I think it's a wonderful strategy for having blooming flowers in the winter, although I never thought about it and came upon it by accident.  Here are some of my December orchids.











Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Christmas Eve Brought a New Addition to our Family

Yesterday Dave brought home a surprise Christmas present for me: Hank.  He is about a year old and was rescued from a shelter by the Longmont Humane society because he was about to be euthanized.  He is a mix of lab and retriever and some other stuff and is a little shy and quiet.  We don't believe he is trained at all, but we are prepared to do the training.  We both like him and took him for a walk yesterday where he did quite a good job.  I am so very happy to have a dog in the house again!

Here are some more shots of Hank's first day with us.










Sunday, December 8, 2013

Our Molly

We lost our Molly in October.  She lived with us for over 10 years and was much beloved by both Dave and I.  Here are a few pictures of her.











Sunday, December 1, 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving this year. We were joined by 11 wonderful friends who brought delicious dishes to the party. Dave started cooking three days ahead of time and we tried some new recipes this year, which made it really fun. We invited folks to come by after dinner if they wanted to play some music, and more friends came to do that. Here are some photos of the day, taken by Tom Stuart.
Dave made two bourbon pies, mashed carrots, and baked ham ahead of time. The carrots were an addition to our menu after he heard about them on NPR.
Here are the pies--his pride and joy! They were a huge hit. We set up tables end to end in the sunroom. This is the first time we've done this type of a set-up. It turned out so great.
Our guests arrived and chaos ensued in the kitchen. But it all came together well and we sat down to a great meal.
After dinner, we all had to rest up for dessert.
Our guests were nearly overcome after dessert.
So, we broke out the instruments to wake everyone up.
Our non-music playing friends sat and listened (and napped). One guest, April, astonished us with a rendition of "Over the Rainbow." And four more people showed up to pick. We went strong until 11:30 p.m. A good time was had by all.