End of another Year and a Wedding Anniversary

My computer was at my son's for updating (he has high-speed) and needed some housekeeping and maintenance as it was slowing down--with dial-up internet , the last thing I need is a slow computer, so that's why I'm late with Christmas posting.

We had a lovely, busy Christmas, and I can't believe I forgot to take pictures!!! All but one family of kids came home on Christmas Eve, I went to church for "Midnight Mass" at 5 pm (since the priest has to drive 35 miles, we have the service early). Then picked up Daughter #1 and Granddaughter #1 from the Greyhound, which was 30 min. late because the driver forgot his travel mug at the donut shop and went back to get it.

On Christmas Day, I got up at about 6 am to put on the turkey. There were sleeping bodies everywhere, on every couch and spare bed--they had played board games till 2 am. The last family arrived at noon, I forgot to put on the potatoes to boil (which I had peeled at 7 am after the turkey was in the oven), but it was OK because I make a big roaster of stuffing outside the turkey, and a huge pan of sour cabbage rolls, and a huge pan of Nalysnyky (A Ukrainian dish of tiny crepes filled with cottage cheese, all bubbly in a sauce made with sweet cream fried in butter and lots of dill and onions) Everyone enjoyed the dinner.

One of the main topics of conversation was, of course, the wedding.

I had asked the kids if they thought I could make the wedding cake to save them some money, so I made sample frostings for Christmas. I baked devil's food cakes, filled them with cherry jam laced with cherry brandy, sprinkled some brandy on the cakes, then frosted one with chocolate ganache (which didn't glaze as smoothly as I would have liked--will have to practice to get the temperature just right for pouring), and which tasted very good, and the other with fondant icing, which went on beautifully, but didn't taste as good.

Then we divvied up the baking and made up their care packages of samples of about 20 different kinds of Christmas baking favorites. We visited and ate and ate and ate, then we nibbled some more.

Half the kids went home in the evening, the other half stayed over till the next day. On Saturday I got the church ready for Mass on Sunday. Then I took the girls who had come on the Greyhound back home to the city. Got home at about 8 pm. Relax, relax, knit on a lovely shawl for my cousin's wife, in Germany, who sent me another 3 balls of beautiful sock yarn for Christmas. I'm also swatching for my daughter's wedding shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia.

So my knitting priorities for early 2010 have already developed: 2 wedding shawls, one for Aug. and one for Sept., a gift shawl, a baby shawl for a baby due end of Feb., and a baby gift for a baby due any time now. And the kids would really like new sweaters for next Christmas, and now the granddaughters are asking for hand-knit socks for Christmas.

Tomorrow I need to start on the basement kitchen--the suspended ceiling, as the cabinets are ready and waiting to be installed. Need SIL the plumber to do some plumbing before the cabinets come in, and the electrician to run the line for the hood fan. After the Christmas decorations are packed away, I plan on painting the Kitchen, living room and hallway ceiling (all one surface with no breaks), but I need to smell the ceiling paint (which has to be oil-based)
to see if I might have to wait till summer for that part. Then it's back to painting walls and deciding on floor coverings for the other parts of the house: hardwood or carpet, did the pros and cons and it's pretty equal.

Tomorrow it's our 44th Wedding Anniversary. I wish I could have got better definition on the old picture, but it doesn't really matter, since you'll likely believe me if I say we look a little more weathered than in that picture

There was a blizzard that day, but we still drove around town beeping the horn. Our wedding dinner was at my parents' house, with only immediate family, since I didn't have the heart to burden my parents with the cost of a wedding, and I was supporting myself through university, and DH was saving for a house, so we couldn't afford one either. No regrets about that. My dress cost an atrocious $50, and the flowers about the same. I made the pillbox hat with a little veil, and bought satin shoes for $10.

Our wedding night was spent at my in-laws', who had the courtesy of giving us an hour before they came home from visiting with my parents. Our apartment had already been leased, but the previous tenants didn't have their stuff moved out because of the weather.

Until next time: Happy New Year: Good health, prosperity, love , and all that other good stuff.

On a positive note: The days are getting longer!!