Christmas and the Door To Hell

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving, courtesy of our friends Russ and Roe. I made mac&cheese, chess pie cake, pecan pie...and Roe made everything else (including a 30 lb turkey - well, she didn't make it...she prepared it, I guess...). A lovely time was had with our NY friends, and (Roe's) Cousin Richard from Jersey (boo-yah, my Scene-It partner!)

Friday, we did what any sane person should do after Thanksgiving...we slept late. Saturday and Sunday...well, we got busy.

We needed to clean up the attic for the heating folks to come out and redo the ducts. Joe had already spent a good deal of time reorganizing, trashing, and shifting various boxes. Saturday we thought we'd do some final touches.

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure - this is our attic. Or, about 1/3 of it. It's basically a 3rd floor of our house with walk-up access. It's also where we thought we'd work out with the weight machine. Didn't happen.

Our attic has been the source of many cool discoveries. Doors were removed from the first floor, stacked against the attic wall - we're grateful the bunghole didn't destroy them. One "treasure" we recently unearthed was the slew of bed frames that were stored in another part of the attic - we were going to pay the heating guys just to take them away, but there was a headboard/footboard combo that looked promising, so Joe & I went to town.

Here are the items, removed from the corner they were in for about 7 years. That little orange-ish square in the middle of the picture is actually a DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW tag attached to a metal box spring - with a 1913 date. It's safe to say the previous owners didn't remove the tag.

We had also noticed that there was a mattress behind all the box springs. Yes, a mattress. Ew. I suggested we should at least take a look behind it, because I didn't want the heater guys to be exposed to something horrid...

The mattress wasn't bad, actually. Thin and a bit damp, but no critters. What intrigued us was the door.

Here's the part where we had to take a break, and I wasn't about to take pictures of inside that door without someone else with me. As a beloved friend once said, "I’ve seen this movie and it does NOT turn out well." All I need is for this to be a portal to hell, the awakening of some evil spirit, or at the very least a very pissed off school-teacher ghost. Am NOT going back up there alone.

So I waited until Joe got back from the hardware store (again), and we opened the door...

...to a bunch of wood scraps. Less exciting - yet much better - than unleashing hell on earth, don't you agree?

We spent the rest of the weekend decorating the house for the holidays. I took charge of the interior lights while Joe took the exterior. It must be noted that while Joe had to be outdoors for his, mine took much longer, what with the hammering and extension-cord-logistics and all. Ptoooey.

Here are some non-flash shots that - while showing the lights - kinda look creepy...

Here's the front, from the street

And the side, further down the street. Moon an added bonus.

From the side yard - note the mini-trees...and the moon again :)

Same shot, with flash. Less scary.

That's about it for tonight - hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

The Day Before

I've always loved the day before Thanksgiving.

Whether I'm hosting or just bringing a few dishes to someone's house, I love taking a day to cook and bake.

Tonight I'm making a special dinner for Joe, as well as Mac & Cheese, Chess Pie Cake and Pecan Pie for tomorrow's festivities. The kitchen smells savory, sweet, and scrumptious.

Here's my mom's famous pecan pie. !!!!!

And of course my really cluttered kitchen as I use every appliance I have at my disposal.

It's a cold, dreary day, so the kitties are cuddled near the stove...

And me? I'm enjoying my day off, knee-deep in chopping, blending, and baking. With wine, of course.

Also watching such masterpieces of HBO as Thelma and Louise, which to this day makes me weepy.

Here's to you and yours this Thanksgiving. Hug the ones you're with, and don't let go.

:)

Awww...C'mon...!!!

It's really, really sad to see how every single moment of our existence is now scrutinized by the evil a-cigar-is-never-just-a-cigar media catering to the extremist soccer moms (and dads) who reside in the land of NIMBY.

According to this article, the newly-released, early-episode Sesame Street digital DVDs (gotta add those to my wish list) now contain the warning "These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child." Because Ernie & Bert lived together, Cookie Monster didn't eat salads, and Big Bird had LSD flashbacks of Snuffy.
It's actually a very interesting article - the GenX toddler experience vs how we (the same GenXers) are raising kids today. Now, you can't be too careful. Adults aren't particularly trustworthy. The world is too scary.

I don't know about you, but there were some pretty scary things in our world of the 70s and 80s...I grew up in the time of Wayne Williams, cyanide-laced Tylenol, and that evil USSR. It was nice to chill out with Gordon and Susan, and Mister Looper (Hoopah! Hoopah!). I kinda liked songs about how "Everyone makes mistakes" and "I love trash."

So forgive me if I don't want to think about how Ernie was naked with his rubber ducky. I'll take him and the whole SS gang, Mr. Rogers, Sigmund the Seamonster & all his hallucinogenic friends, Schoolhouse Rock teaching me about conjunctions, and even that wacky talking lemon from Saturday morning cartoon breaks ANY day, ANY time.

Harumph.

Okely-Dokely...

Got tagged by Sara, so here goes...

1-Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2-Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3-Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4-Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

I've done a few of these in the past, so forgive me if some of these are repeats, but here are some quick random things about me that I can think of during my lunch break. Not that I'm on the internet at work or anything. Ahem.

1) I bite my fingernails. I hate it, and every so often I can "break" the habit for a while, but then I fall off the wagon again.
2) When I was younger, I used to play my records (esp The Carpenters) and sing with my posters of Shawn Cassidy and other Tiger Beat hunks as the audience.
3) I planned on being an English teacher when I went to college. After taking an accounting course (because I also toyed with the idea of going into publishing) and doing rather well, I decided to get both English and Accounting degrees. It took some night and summer coursework, and virtually no fun time, but I completed both four years. I was insane.
4) I don't iron. I think I've used my ironing board 3 times in 6 years.
5) I don't eat anything that swam, crawled, and/or floated in a body of water...unless it was a swimming chicken. Seafood is just icky to me. If Joe wants it, he has to cook it and clean up afterwards. The smell makes me heave.
6) A perfect afternoon (if Joe is out of town) usually consists of some kind of cold, wet weather, a bottle of wine, pizza snacks, cuddling with the cats under a flannel blanket, and Lifetime TV. And knitting.
7) I can pretty much quote the lines, sound effects, and music of Romancing the Stone from beginning to end. When I was younger, my aunt had HBO and taped all kinds of movies for us. I fell in love with everything about this film, and I watched it repeatedly over one summer. Like several times a day. I still have to sit and watch it whenever it's on TV.

I'm not going to follow Rule #4, but here's a shout-out to the folks I'm tagging - Joe, Eric, Pam, Lorena, Jacquie, Sophia, Sharon. Play if you wish, but if you don't - Bill Gates won't be sending you to Disneyworld.*


*Of course, he won't be sending you if you DO play along, but that's neither here nor there.

When Critters Attack

Back when my mom and her friends came up for this fun weekend, Miss Nancy brought us the most delightful pumpkin that they found at a market on their drive. It held a place of honor on our front porch for some time.

As I was coming down the front stairs to make some coffee yesterday morning, I saw movement on the porch. I peered out the front door windows, and the carnage that was before me chilled my blood and brought fear to my heart. The images that follow might be disturbing to some.

And this gentleman was so kind as to attend the buffet with his "plus-one".

Unfortunately, not all critters were satisfied.

This is one of those days I wish I had an outdoor cat.

On the plus side, at least they're not eating the house, which is what the Marietta Squirrel Contingent did with our cedar home.

Keep eating, you rat bastards. Happy Thanksgiving.

Unhappy Cat...is VERY unhappy...

or...

I am in ur kichin...plottin ur death.

About a week ago, I noticed Dobby shaking one of his rear legs - cat owners know The Shake - like when a piece of litter is stuck between toes or a foot is wet. I checked (which is difficult with a squirmy kitty like Dobbs) and didn't see anything.

A few days later, still with the shake - just occasionally. And he liked to clean it (you know, when cats do the nawmnawmnawm on their feet). This time I looked and saw a wee bit of redness between his paw pad and his toe pads. With our rough hardwood floors, the cats sometimes land wrong when jumping off of the bed (or couch, or table, or chair, or lap), and they get a little boo-boo. Just a little redness, definitely tender, but no shards of glass or splinters, thank goodness. I'll just keep an eye on it.

Here it is, a week later, and he's still shaking and cleaning the foot once in a while. I check again - this time more red. I got a last-minute appointment with the vet (Joe thinks I'm such a worrier), and she confirmed that Dobby probably just had a little irritation that he has since made worse by over-cleaning. So he gets antibiotics. And ointment.

And a satellite dish.

This is the reason why, when Joe's out of town one of these days, I will slip while descending the steps, knock myself unconscious, and my cats will eat my face.

He's still not quite sure of what's going on - with limited peripheral vision, he doesn't move a whole lot. And he freaks when the other cats "sneak" into his line of sight. And it was really pathetic this morning when he sneezed, landed a huge boogey in the collar, and looked at me as if to say, "This is it. Life does not get any lower than this moment right now. Bitch."

I'm so sorry, sweet Dobby - maybe if we can keep your foot out of your mouth you'll be back to yourself in no time. In the meantime, guilt-ridden mommy will keep feeding you ham...

Not Very Impressive...

...but it's still the first snow...

We have plenty of pellets for the stove, the kitties are warm, there's laundry to do, and socks to knit.

All that, plus a dinner party to attend within stumbling distance of the house. Another weekend full of win!

Mah Coffee...

...it went up mah noze...

Bwaahahahahahahaha!

It's Frakkin' COLD!!!!!

Okay. By NY standards, it's not that cold outside. Maybe below freezing.

But inside? When we lost our furnace in April and have been too distracted to do anything yet?

In front of the stove, where the kitties are gathering? It's 53. Everywhere else it's about 50. So I run the dryer and oven whenever I can.

Looking forward to cat snugglies tonight...

Uh...Yay!?!?!

Looks like there's gonna be a new yarn store on this side of the river. Woohoo! And it's right across the street from THE BEST bakery, and just down the road from our pals! Yay! Whooooot!!!

Granted, I don't NEED to be buying any more yarn since the carnage that was Rhinebeck 2007. But...still...it's nice to know it's there... ;)

Freunde und Bier!

Friday night I enjoyed a few hours with the Newburgh knitting ladies. Then I awoke Saturday to happy sparkles in the dining room...

...caused by the morning sun hitting The Chandelier That Joe Hates. Sparkles are a great way to start a weekend. Spent the rest of the day working on the house, reorganizing my stash, unearthing the treadmill, working on my mum-in-law's xmas present, watching DVR'd Chuck episodes, and drinking lots of beer. Then Russ came over, smoked a cigar, and we watched The Man Who Knew Too Little into the wee hours. I loves me a nice slow day.

Sunday, after the initial joy of getting an extra hour of sleep, has seen the completion of the xmas present (all but blocking), walking into the village for THE BEST breakfast sandwich, getting fresh-baked-and-still-warm 9-grain bread from the bakery, and having Russ & Frank over to make a batch of beer.

Unfortunately, you folks at home don't have the added benefit of the German music in the background.

I think I'll knock a few more beers back, watch some more TV, and start on my mom's xmas present.

Life truly doesn't get much better than just doing "whatever" once in a while.

Snarky Handspun Scarf

Yay! I finished something!

Snarky Handspun in Elderberry & Goldenrod, with Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf Pattern. I started winding the balls with the knittas on the porch during the Rhinebeck weekend, and I bound off this past weekend. It's the perfect length to either tie around your neck or wrap twice with just a bit extra for jacket-tucking.

As you can see, this pattern and yarn were meant to be together. I looooves me this scarf, and I wore it in to work this morning (yes, cold weather has finally arrived).

This weekend will be a weekend of home productivity - finally putting up the air mattresses from our guests a few weeks ago, getting winter clothes out of the attic, giving our closet an overhaul (it has to be the most poorly laid-out closet known to man - mainly because it's not really a closet, but a very small bedroom in disguise), cleaning out the fridge (where the heck IS that smell coming from?), and other fun things.

Have a great weekend!

Too Much Perfection

Once again, we had a perfect weekend with friends - this time we did the traveling. Amy (with Craig & BTU) was in town visiting family, and Jane recently had some major sinus surgery, so it was only natural for us to go down there, pamper Jane, and hang out with the gang.

Friday evening, we all met at Greenwood's, an awesome comfort-food restaurant in downtown Roswell. Forgive the blurry shot - didn't want to blind folks with the flash. Also note that Jane is recovering so well that we forgot she'd been under the weather!

On Saturday, Joe and I just toodled around the city-that-we-no-longer-know. First, we went to the GT bookstore, which we discovered had sold out to The Man.

We did a quick walk around the block, marveling at how much we didn't recognize. I did, however, have to have the requisite skyline shot. One day, if you're lucky (and I'm drunk), I'll tell you about the significance of that hotel in the background. But this is a quasi-family blog, so no dice.

Then Joe drove us over to Virginia Highland, where we had a crunchy Presbyterian snack.

Actually, no. Joe let me wander into (and spend money in) Knitch!

Which is where I ended up buying a couple of skeins of Lotus Yarn goodies before I realized it was dyed by my Rav pal! In my hometown!

Here's little BTU, stylin' the superfly jacket that is the hands-down Most Awesome Jacket Ever. We were wolfing down Taco Stand burritos when not admiring his handsomeness.

And then the girls (half of whom have kids whom they left with the menfolk) headed out on their own, with only a British-frog-GPS to guide them.

Pammy is ready to be without a toddler for a few hours.

And here are the three best girlfriends in the world, at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. They had a very cool large-bugs-made-of-wood exhibit, and the pictures will be posted as soon as I upload them.

I have always loved the Atlanta skyline.

As wonderful as this weekend was, I am now completely exhausted. Two weekends in a row, we've had nonstop fun and love and giggles and hugs. I took Monday off because we'd had a late flight Sunday night. Fortunately, we caught an earlier flight (and were able to watch the Red Sox win - woohoo!), but I'm still recovering today and waiting for the furnace guy. And trying to find out where the heck that funky smell is coming from in the kitchen.

May you all be as lucky as I am to have such wonderful friends!

An Empty Porch is a Sad Porch...

There are moments in your life that you remember with a knowing smile. There are memories that you cling to like a warm blanket, holding them to your heart when you need them. And then there are memories that you want to wrap up in a box with a bright, sparkly ribbon, knowing that every time you open it, there will be laughter and fireworks and giggles and love. This weekend was the brightest, shiniest box of those memories.

This past Thursday, seven people (only one of whom I'd met) came to visit our home, and today they all left with a piece of my heart. From the first moment, anyone witnessing our knitting on the porch, sitting in a restaurant, or piling into the-most-user-unfriendly-minivan-ever would certainly look on with envy. Here are the bookend pictures of our weekend...and yes, every moment was as wonderful as it appears...

Early morning, Rhinebeck Day 1...we were so excited and naive...


End of Day 2, with our goodies.

Just to make Joe feel better, here's what I brought home...

And this is what was given to me. Yes, GIVEN. My friends rock.

Of course, the only fee to staying in the Weismann home is a tacky magnet or two. My friends did not disappoint...


The photos from the weekend are here.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou to Lorena, Sharon, Kelly, Ginger, Jacquie, Sophia, and Paul! You have an open invitation at any time, but we expect you back next October!!!

OMGPONIESANDZOMBIECHILDRENATPLAY!!!!1!

Next Up - Rhinebeck!!!

What is it about taking days off that makes managers think you should work more before and after? Fortunately, this is my last day. They might squeeze every last inch of life out of me today, but NO MATTER WHAT, I'll be going home tonight and not coming back until Tuesday.

TUESDAY!!!


For my Rhinebeck wardrobe, I was aiming for Tubey completion, but that's a long way from happening - plus it's going to be abnormally warm this weekend. Then I was thinking about a shawl my mom made me a few years back, but even that will be too warm (it's a very cozy shawl).

In the meantime, for you Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo players out there, I'm probably going to be wearing my yellow Rasta Hat, and maybe some socks with birks. I'm a big-n-tall gal with big hair (unless it's really hot, then it's tied up in a knot), and I will probably be with or near a half dozen very cool knitter-friends, and two husbands of knitters, probably looking lost and a little overwhelmed.

I look forward to meeting everyone!

I'm Ready for That!

Last night, I attended one of my various Village Committee meetings, when the subject came up about one particular Committee Member's house (long story short, we're putting together a Master Plan, and this Member noted that her house - in an historic district, and very beautiful, I must say - should have a picture in the Plan, much as other historic residences do). No problems there - it's certainly a show-stopping house.

Then we as a Committee were joking about when to take the picture - just playing around, mind you - should we postpone our progress until the spring, when the flowers are in bloom, and we can get a good picture...? Then another member chimed in and said, "Yeah, and you could be sitting on your porch!" Then she started cracking up, "Yeah, in a rocker, knitting! I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

I almost stood up and screamed I'M READY FOR THAT!!! I'm ready to have a few days off and spend time with my friends and sit on the porch with a whole lot of other knitters, and wave to the people who will no doubt stop and stare at that crazy Weismann lady again, many of whom I hope are the Committee members in question!

Thank you. Rant over.

Diary of a Mad, Cluttered Knitta...

Okay, so going in to work both Saturday and Sunday did NOT help things...

Joe and I are pretty awesome cleaners. Not in the daily, weekly, or even monthly sense. But in the holy-crap-real-live-people-are-coming-over-this-week sense.

You see (and here's where I justify it), we have a big, old house. With lots of rooms only the cats use. And lots of construction going on. So we tend not to care about the spiderwebs in the corners or the boxes in the middle of a room we never use. But with guests? Overnight guests? Seven guests for a long weekend? Yup.

I'll never be Martha Stewart. Heck - I'm lucky if I'm Jon Stewart. And the things I notice in my own house (dust, clutter, etc) are things I tend to really overlook when visiting someone else - aren't we all overly critical of ourselves? But...? Still...

Off I go to clean...

Secret's Out!

You all (well, all two of you) have been reading about the socks for my sister. Well, they weren't for my biological sister (she doesn't read this, so I doubt she'll be disappointed - they weren't really her color anyway) - they were for Miss Snark.

You see, she was hosting a knit-a-long of socks for about a dozen people, giving away her priceless hand-spun as awards for finishing. Her friend (and wonderfully sneaky person) Sharon contacted us to see who would be interested in making the socks for HER, surprising her with our boundless love and affection, and possibly making her cry.

It worked.

We love you, Lorena - we know you've been working yourself batty each night, and although the trip this week (egads! THIS week!) probably puts a huge dent in your time to get the shop ready, Joe and I are very selfishly happy to get to see you again. Joe was even asking all day yesterday, "Did she get the socks yet?"

We hope your Birthday Week was perfect!

Random Pictures

Well, Fall has consisted of one weekend so far. It's been so dry and warm that the leaves aren't turning - they're just drying up and falling. For this, I apologize to everyone visiting in two weeks (TWO WEEKS!)...it just won't be as beautiful as it normally is.

Tonight I wandered around the house with the camera, looking all kinds of wacky to the neighbors walking by.

Here's tonight's hazy sunset...

A few turned leaves...

A neighbor's maple through stained glass...

Of course, I had to include some Home-Grown Cute that CO would be proud of - here's my Dobbs, sleeping in his favorite warm spot...

And the Extreme Close-Up (XCU)...

I'm feeling very tired and non-creative. I'd best go to sleep.

Dear Upstate Mom:

I'm very, very sorry that Jenn will be a wee bit zombiesque when she and E go up to visit today. It wasn't our intention to stay up drinking with her and Todd until 4:00 this morning - it really wasn't. The good news of her new job warranted a certain level of celebration, and due to her travel plans this weekend, Joe and I basically invited ourselves over with wine, beer, and vodka in tow. After a lengthy game of Cranium and some lessons from E on how to play Guitar Hero, we just lost track of the time. If it makes you feel any better, Joe and I have just been staring into space ever since we got back.

I'm glad to hear you're moving around better and better every day. Take care, and we can't wait to see you again really soon. We promise to go to bed when we're supposed to next time.

Beth & Joe

Day Off!

This is my first day off in a loooooooooong time where there was nothing scheduled.

This morning, we woke up, and Joe went into town and brought me some breakfast back (Joann - Brian was asking about you Georgia ladies). Then I spent 4 hours on the couch reading. Finished the book, looked at some email, and now I'm having wine with lunch. Still not out of my pjs.

I loves me some days off.

We Can Flush!!!

...of course, we can't wash our hands or shut the door (it's off the hinges right now)...

But we're getting there!!!

Note the really cool shower seat...and the blue is just tape holding the trim until the adhesive sets. This is starting to look like a real room! Yay, Joe! And the plumbers!

Good Times with the Ladies...and Socks!

I'm a bit tired, since taking a day off last week obviously meant working 12-hour-days this week. Arg. But I wanted to make sure and get a few pictures up from the weekend...

Mom, JoAnn, and Nancy came up Thursday, in the midst of a hot, humid, freakish September night. Some rain came through, then it was suddenly a perfect weekend.

There was knitting on the porch...

JoAnn couldn't keep her hands from getting dirty in our yard (she's a Master Gardener)...

Nancy and Mom certainly did their fair share...yes, we had embarrassing weeds in our oak barrels.

We hit a few local shops, including Montgomery Mills, where we all bought some very pretty, soft yarn to make shawls/wraps. Winding balls of yarn goes hand-in-hand with drinking wine, methinks...

We did a little bit of this...I think this was during the Florida-Auburn game (sorry, Gators)...

And of course there was even more of this...

JoAnn is starting Clapotis, and Mom is working on the Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet with my new yarn - maybe something from the new Knitty. I have a sweater to finish.

But guess what I did finish...?

They're a wee bit tight on me, but I finished them on the way back from the Rhinebeck Crafts Fair. Yay! They were so fun, and I LOVED the Paca Peds yarn. SO soft.

Totally copying from Jacquie's Socks of Knowledge, I name these Socks of Enlightenment. I tried and learned the following:
- 2nd toe-up socks, first with a magic loopy start (1st were short row, provisional cast-on)
- 1st time two socks at once
- 1st time socks on circs (at certain points - toes and heels)
- 1st time Widdershins Mod, courtesy of Jacquie's brilliant eye...and I must admit - this is the PERFECT SOCK PATTERN! Never have I stitched the gussets so beautifully - and it's totally not me - it's the pattern!
- 1st time with picot bind-off, since Miss Snarky has raved about it so (the first few were after a bit of wine, so they're not exactly...er...uniform).

This was so much fun, THANK YOU to Mistress Snark for hosting this little sock party, and for the lovely handspun!

Lastly, our weekend involved this...

What's not to love about cats in the early morning sun...?

Soon - but probably not tomorrow - I'll post about Greedy Groundhogs, Munchy Marmots, and Wanton Woodchucks...

In the meantime, enjoy a sunbeam! Thanks, ladies, for being our sunbeams for the weekend. We had SUCH fun and wish you could stay for MUCH longer.