Holiday meme

The Christmas Meme... for you reading pleasure! I probably won’t blog again before the holidays, so I hope everybody has a safe, merry, and fun-filled Christmas and New Year!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg nog usually once or twice... it is too rich to drink more than that!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Definitely wraps them!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have been putting up white lights the last few years, just because they were gifted to us. When they start burning out, I will be replacing them with green/red, which are my fave.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Naw. The hubby and I kiss enough as is. :-)

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the week after Turkey Day. They stay up until after the New Year.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I don’t have a big sweet tooth, and my family has never eaten “traditional” holiday meals. In fact, this year my mom is making lasagna, italian soups, garlic bread, and cannolis for dessert. Which sounds pretty darn tasty to me so we’ll go with that for an answer.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? There are so many! Maybe my younger brother and me hiding the GI Joe action figures in the tree? (I am not sure why, but this was always a big thrill for us.)

8 . When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Actually, I can honestly say I never believed in Santa, despite all my parents’ efforts. I guess I just figured it out early on. I can distinctly remember when I was 6, trying to convince my brother who was 4, that there was a Santa for his sake, not mine.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Of course! How can you sleep through the night without opening at least one?

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Lots of ornaments inherited from both sides of our families, plus special ones we buy for ourselves.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? As a Michigander, I am obligated to say I love it. I can’t imagine living someplace warm for the holidays.

12. Can you ice skate? Sure... if ice skating consists of falling down a lot.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Ever? Tough call. When I was in my 20s, my mom completing redecorated the bedroom in my apartment without me knowing (like Trading Spaces, except I didn’t start crying and saying “oh my god!”), which was awesome. When I was in college and getting ready to study in London, my mom got me a set of luggage, which was practical and much needed. When I was in my teens, my parents always got me a pile of ridiculously overpriced but trendy clothes that I needed to hide my secret nerd status. And in middle school.... I remember getting my bean bag chair and thinking it was the BOMB. Basically, my family has always spoiled me and loved me to death. :-)

14. What's your favorite thing(s) about the holidays? Time with my family and friends.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I could take it or leave it. I would much rather have a holiday shrimp cocktail!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? My hubby and I always make a big breakfast after we open presents on Christmas morning.

17. What tops your tree? A blue and silver flower ornament. It is by default, as we haven’t been able to agree on a traditional topper that we both like.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Both, of course.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Little Drummer Boy (the Bob Seger version) and Silver Bells. Plus, anything by Nate King Cole.

20. What is your favorite holiday book? Despite being a book worm, I don’t think I have one.

21. Candy canes yuck or yum? Yum? I guess?

22. What's number one on your Christmas list this year? The same thing I asked for my b-day, and didn’t get.... KnitPicks Options needles! And I can’t wait for my hubby to open the Whalers jersey I got him from Ebay, I know he will love it. See... I do like receiving just as much as giving. :-)

December dishclothes

I said I was going to cast on another garterlac dishcloth... and I did! Here it is:


When I was growing up, we always had knit dishclothes (from an elderly aunt). My mom doesn't really knit, so I think both of these are going to her for Christmas. They were fun little projects and I am glad I did them. FOs are always good in my book!

Working very sporadically (i.e., when I have a few seconds at work), I have made my way to level 19 on the Weffriddles (see last post for link). Sometimes I get them with my no problem and feel like the smartest person EVER, and sometimes I get stuck and even looking at the forums doesn't help and then I want to scream and punch the screen but I just can't stop. Hmmm... I might be a little addicted. And obsessive. :-)

I have a mountain of Christmas tasks that I need to finish this weekend (does anybody besides me dislike wrapping presents? I am so bad at it; they always look like a drunk chimp wrapped them.) but am feeling non-holiday-ish because it is SUNNY and WARM. It is Michigan in December. I want snow, darn it! (And don't quote me on that in about two months!)

Non Yarn Obsession

I saw this on January One and tried it myself... and can't get past Level 7!

It is driving me freaking INSANE.

How Jen Got Her Groove Back

As you may have noticed from the complete lack of posts, I have not been knitting much lately. I still loved the hobby/obsession, but everytime I looked at my half-finished Under The Hoodie sweater, I flinched and looked away. The barely begun lace scarf, which took ages and ages to even get one lousy inch knit up in, stared sourly at me from my WIP bag. Even little things, like the ill-fated headband, just didn't seem to go right.

I was down in the knitting dumps.

And then. I was bored on Saturday night. The hubby was out playing poker with the boys, the Christmas decorations were up, the house was clean... in short, there were no distractions. And I looked at the Under the Hoodie sweater and flinched and looked away. I almost gave up on the half-formed nugget of desire to pick the sticks up and create. Almost. But then I remembered my joy, when I first learned how to crochet, of the first dish cloth. So fun, so easy, so non-hanging around me like a fricking albatross.... and so I knit this:


I love it. Short, sweet, beautiful. A new technique, which I quickly mastered. The heady rush of accomplishment.

In short, the return of my knitting mojo. :-) I am so happy, I think I will go cast on another!