The Eve of Christmas Eve...

...and all through the house, I have one dog snoring on the couch, one dog snoring in my room, and one in the kitchen because she's not human yet! 

Watching the Dr. Who marathon, eagerly anticipating the upcoming Christmas special. 

So. So far, I've gotten the items for the Nephew's vegan dish. I've wrapped all the presents. I've given Kid #2 his birthday gift. I've practiced the two guitar pieces and the chant. 

And I made meatloaf for dinner. 

All the cards have gone out. All the social media is caught up for the yoga pages I manage. 

And I started a new pair of socks. I think this time, it's going to work! Not sure how the pattern is going to lay out yet; I'm only half way into the first repeat, and it was a horrendously long cuff in K1, P1 ribbing. Boooooooooorrrrring!!

Knitting...

So there's the sock. Remember, I frogged the last attempt, which was going to be a ripple pattern. Well, that didn't work out so well; I think my SSKs were wrong and I wasn't liking how it was looking, so I ripped it out. This time, I picked Petty Harbour, and I think this one will work. It'll look really nice in this solid yarn, and once I get a few more repeats done, it should photograph better. I'm going to try to do the pattern as written. Yeah, I know - shocking, right? I still did my 4 rows of knitting to start it out - which is also where I think I messed up with the ripple pattern, because it technically had no cuff. You just started in with the ripple. 

Anyway, I need the 4 - 6 rows of knitting so the sock goes over my foot and fits my "biker's calves" better. But that being said, I'm going to try to do the rest of it as written, and I think it's a new kind of heel. That's usually where I stick to the Doris Heel, which I can almost do in my sleep. But I need to branch out and really do something different. 

And I got squishy mail. Expressions Fiber Arts is really, really becoming an addiction... I got two of their Christmas collection, and I've also purchased some of their cashmere blend (yeah, I know: yarn diet, but there was a 40% off clearance sale). In actuality, I had 2 cashmere colors picked but in the time Kid #2 came home and chatted with me, one of them (one I really liked) went out of stock... so I picked another one and it'll work. I'm going to be making lots of shawls. The cashmere is only 300 yards or so, and I've purchased pairs of those. 

These are 400 yard skeins here, and this is the Christmas series. Those will be beautiful and I may repeat the Close to You or pick another small shawlette. I have a couple of books on shawls with sock yarn, so I'm going to root through them over the Christmas and New Years holidays (we have a long weekend for both of them) and see what I can find. All of the stuff from Expressions is too nice for feet. I still have a silk blend lace scarf that I had planned to finish...but you know how that goes. I can also work on that. It's sitting here in my bag. 

I have to remember to take breaks - because I've discovered a "hip thing." The chiropractor thinks it's a torqued hip and I've laid off the yoga for a week. And man, can I feel it!

But sitting and knitting is not cool. I have to remember to stand and walk around a bit more. 

Christmas decor...

Well, we haven't decorated a lot. We haven't decorated a lot in recent years, and this year, I think we're even more skimpy. 

Here's the "grand tour" of what we've done. We have the usual 4' tree on the table. First off, we really don't have room for the large tree. We have a crap-ton of ornaments, and we really need to work on the large wreaths I purchased 8 years ago - to permanently wire those with the ornaments and lights, and then use "command strips" to hang them on either side (inside) of the picture window so that we can enjoy them. 

Right now, we have a batch of "movable" musical ornaments around the beautiful tree skirt my friend "S" crocheted for me. They're all mostly wired in (one is battery-powered) and they're all in the "Frosty Friends" line. The tree, decorated by Hubby, is mostly "Frosty Friends." And this year, I don't think I fiddled with ONE SINGLE ORNAMENT. This is unusual for me. I'll futz with them for weeks. 

I did put up a Young Living ornament with essential oils and reeds; so it kind of smells Christmas-y in the house. As much as I can smell (thank you, lingering cold!). 

This, of course, is not the Young Living ornament. This is our traditional pierogie ornament. Both of the kids have one, and I believe I bought my mother one. I know I gave my brother one, too. 

I did buy the kids two new ornaments, but honestly, I kept the one for Kid #1 - because I have most of his ornaments anyway; he hasn't really settled down, and I don't want a lifetime's worth of ornaments to be left behind somewhere. I know - it's probably silly, and there's no telling what he'll do with them when I'm gone. Maybe, by that time, he'll be settled down and married. Maybe his future wife will want them. Who knows? So what I bought Kid #1 is a "Welder" ornament. And Kid #2 has a red mixer. He's already bummed because when I started the collection of ornaments, Kid #1 got cars, and he got angels.... Hey - there wasn't a whole lot to pick from when he was born!! I probably should have done Santa or something like that. But I didn't. I have no idea why... 

The other thing, aside from the 2017 Kid's Ornaments, is that I dolled up a little plaque that I bought last year in the "Dollar Aisle" in the Target. I think that I'll add more "snow" to it. Since we're supposed to get snow tomorrow, we'll have a "White Christmas" but just in case, I have a "Let it Snow" plaque that I can display on a shelf to fake it if I need to!

So I used just plain glue, and "wrote" on the snowflake and the "snow" word. A little "diamond dust" glitter, and that's all I needed. I put "fake snow" on the top left and bottom right corners, added glue, and a little more diamond dust, and I have "drifts." It's cute. 

I see the other decorations that friends have posted, and yeah - I do wish we'd have done more. But it is what it is. Maybe next year. 

Because seriously, this year it seems like it snuck up on everyone. Everyone I've talked to has said, "What? It's Christmas???" Like we all know it comes around in December, but this year, it seems like time flew even faster than anyone wanted it to fly. 

The Last Baking...

I have to bring something to a Christmas Eve party. So this is the LAST thing I've baked (aside from the meatloaf, but that was dinner, so it doesn't count!). These are Cheddar Meltaways. Kind of a cracker, but not. Kind of a shortbread, but not. Better with sharp cheddar, but all I had was mild. It'll do. 

You mix butter, flour, salt, pepper, paprika and shredded cheddar together. You pray because it seems like it will NEVER come together. But it does. Then you refrigerate it for 2 hour or more. 

Then you take it out and let it rest for a bit (just so you don't break your cookie portioner or bend your spoon!) and then - heat the oven to 350 or so, make these into balls, and put them on a parchment lined sheet. 

Bake them for about 12 minutes. You do not want them to brown. Let them sit for about a minute on the sheet, then take 'em off. One batch made about 45 of them. So I froze them, and when it's time, I'll set them out on a plate, they'll come to room temp. If I was having this party at home, I'd heat them in the oven for about 3 minutes, just to get that "melty" texture back. But at room temperature, they're really good. 

Kid #2 brought over a smaller selection of his cookies, so we have PLENTY of those! Choir members get a bag each, and then we're giving a bag to our substitute priest who's saying the Christmas Vigil service. 

Speaking of church...

Here are the "new" doors. Well, not new. Actually the second set, since the original church burned down to the limestone walls in 1909 or so... These are the "new" from then doors. We had our contractor do a little maintenance on them. They're white oak, and while they last forever, they were showing wear. 

The ironwork is stamped, but the flowers are hand-made. Yes, most Episcopal churches have red doors, but we have these. I'm not sure why - I'll have to ask one of the old-timers. 

We're still working on getting a permanent vicar, and we're getting closer. In the meantime, I'm working as the administrator, and we're working with substitute priests. 

It's been interesting working with the process, and a learning experience, for sure. A lesson in diplomacy for me. And a lesson in patience. 

Yoga stuff...

So, I finally got my Baxter Bell book. But I haven't had a moment to read it. I can't wait to dig in, and I know I'll be using a lot of the information in here. 

Once I get back to teaching. Once the "hip thing" fixes itself. I'm going to do some Yin this weekend to see if I can get things stretched a bit and feeling ok. I do teach again on Thursday, so we'll see. 

It also looks like I'm going to be teaching on Saturdays for a while. I don't like having to find teachers, but it is what it is. I have to balance how much I teach, so that the studio has diversity in the staff. I don't know if I'll be able to find a good fit, but I've really only had a few who haven't worked out. It is what it is, and you have to, as a studio owner, have a sense of "healthy detachment." 

I care about my students and my teachers, but it took me a while to realize that my teachers may love the studio, but they have stuff going on and won't always be as dedicated as I am. I mean - really. I own the place. There's a level of attachment there that's necessary of course. But then as a teacher, you have more freedom, in a way. You have less responsibility, but that's only an observation I've made; since I started teaching, I'd been managing the studio, so I really have "lived" this studio for years. 

This is what I found the other night as I came in for my Yin class. 

A "surprise Santa" left it for me. I suspect it was one of my students, but you know what? 

I don't want to know who it is unless he or she wants to come forward. 

The reason I suspect that is that on one side, it says "peace & all good," and that's what I end virtually every class with. You wouldn't know that if you weren't my student. 

It's beautiful. The pots are filled with dirt and blue/white/grey marbles, and there are solar lights in there. Hubby put it on the front porch, but the local squirrels were eyeballing it as a potential hiding place for nuts, so he brought it into the basement. 

I'm not sure I want to leave it outside at the studio. I mean, so far, nobody's nicked a potted plant, but there's really no way to secure this thing, and I don't want it taking a walk. I hate to have to think that way, but we're kind of in a hole, and someone could walk off with it without being seen. Don't you hate to have to think that someone will take something? 

Random Picture...

So Tippi and Quinn got into their Christmas antlers. And for once, Tippi was ok with them, and Quinn wasn't jazzed. Usually, Quinn is pretty happy with a hat. For some reason, this time around, not so much. 

I don't bother with Raisa because she hates hats and gives me a stink-eye that makes me glad she still sleeps in a crate!

Of course, Quinn got the antlers with bells, so perhaps she didn't appreciate the music? Never know. But she was happy to get her little venison treat afterward. 

Merry Christmas to each of you! And whatever you celebrate - be there. Turn off the social media. Set your phone down. Be. Be present. Be mindful. Be there. Because it's that important!

Both Brain & Heart...

...are full...

(l-r) Baxter Bell, me, Melina Meza - Yoga for Healthy Aging Training

I've finished my 30-hour intensive; as soon as I finish my final exam (to be emailed to us on Monday or so), I'll get a certification and can market myself as a certified "Yoga for Healthy Aging" teacher. It's a great way to create a longer health span - the time you spend "healthy" in your life, instead of the time you spend sick or affected by some chronic issue. 

And in this week, I not only have half a notebook of notes, picture upon picture of sequences (easier than writing it all down while doing it), and some excellent notes for future reading, but I HAVE SOCKS...

Knitting...

I finished the blue self-patterning pair. I was kind of a "hit" at the training because (huzzah!) I wore hand-knit socks EVERY day of the training. Of course, you can't practice yoga in socks, unless you're doing everything on the floor. But the weather has finally "found" fall, and the studio was cold. Which was fine with me. Rather cold than warmer. 

The blue pair are another "fraternal" set. I'm going to be jazzed if I get a matching set, but so far, unless it's a variegated yarn or solid, nada. 

Everyone was amazed that I was knitting during lunch. Hey, that's my meditation...and I was so close to finishing that I really was motivated to get them done. 

The St. Charles socks are moving along; I'm at the cuff ribbing. The size 0 needles are...interesting. We'll see how this goes. I think it'll be fine, but I'm a bit worried they'll be too big. But I think casting on 64 would make them too small. So I went with 72. I've done several in that size before. 

This is the next yarn up, but you know...I'm not sure. Well, I know it's sock yarn, but I can't find the label. And looking at it, I'm wondering now. Would it make a beautiful shawl? It's soft enough. But then it's neutral enough for a very nice pair of socks. I have to figure out what I did with the label. If it stripes, maybe it's destined for socks. But if it pools and puddles? I could live with a shawl in this yarn. 

Or I could do the shawl and give it to someone. I wouldn't have a problem doing that. 

It did come out of the "12 bags, a pair a month" tote. I haven't been in that closet lately to see how many more bags I have... But "too many" might just cover it. And that's not counting the bag of sock yarn in my office. 

Speaking of which, I've done a little planning.

The Office...

As I sat in a moment of "potty break" in the training, I started thinking about the office area (a/k/a The Dumping Ground). I've started to clear out the crap. Kid #2 has finally, I think, removed all of his stuff, from his recent change of house. 

And I was thinking. I need space for my yoga mat and preferably also the meditation set-up. But we have an oak rocker in the basement that's just sitting and doing nothing. I could get cushions for it, move an Ott light from the dining room (don't ask) and stick that near the window. Then, remove my computer from the front room, putting it back on the desk, where it belongs. Move the file drawers back UNDER the desk, eliminating a hiding spot for Quinn where she gets tangled up in wires, and giving me a touch more floor space... I'd probably get more done that way... 

And a little rug under the rocker. The music stand and guitars. And I thought I could make all of that work. It's a small bedroom, and Hubby did me a huge favor by lining the walls with bookshelves. Though it does make some inverted yoga poses a bit of a challenge. But I really need to cull through things. Perhaps put the fiction books down in the basement on the bookshelves that used to line the hallway. We moved them to gain more space in the hall and hang up a bunch of needlework and photos that I'd done. Which I like, but then I had to put the bookshelves somewhere. And in the basement they went. 

It's a work in progress and I'm going to be fiddling with it for a while. I just need to get back to having a dedicated space to write, plan my yoga sequences, and have a "she-room" since we don't have room for me to have a "she-shed." Now THAT would be ideal...Hmmmmmmm. 

Baking Again...

Not like I had nothing else to do, but in a moment of weakness (or maybe ego?), I volunteered to do the cake for our vicar's retirement. Tomorrow. Which means, yes, after a solid 30-hour intensive yoga training, I headed to the church office where I'm the Administrator, and put in another 4 hours getting things in shape for Sunday (I'd already done the church bulletins on Tuesday for the vicar's review), and drafted and mailed a newsletter. And so I made a cake. 

We're holding a luncheon for the vicar. I'm on the Bishop's Committee and we have a present for her. The congregation is also getting her something - no idea what... but we do know how to put on a feed. I was watching one of the gals dress up the tables. Of course, it's all a fall theme. 

So of course, my cake is pink and green. See, I have this theory. Retirement is a change. I love autumn. I do. I just think that it's depressing as a colorway for a "retirement" cake. "Autumn of one's life" and all that. I kind of like the "jazziness" of pink and green. This is tinted burgundy, and so there's probably more "rose" than "pink" in it. And I had some edible glitter gel, so I put some "squiggles" on the cake. Anyway, my point with the colors was that I wanted it to be more like, "Wow - retirement opens up possibilities! You have a Third Act (or maybe Fourth Act?) Who knows WHAT could happen?" I wanted it positive and joyful. And to me, pink & green exemplify joyful colors. I do have orange, but I thought orange and green were too Halloween... 

I was messing around with the Russian frosting tips again, but I got the frosting too soft. It's going to be a work in progress to get the texture right. On my mom's birthday cupcakes it was too thick. This was too thin. I have to figure out what's "just right."

Here's the thing. I'm about done making wedding cakes. Most halls or banquet venues have stopped allowing "mom-made cakes" and you have to have their nasty stuff. (Sorry - I am a consummate cake snob.) When my nephew got married, I was going to help my mom make his cake, but he wasn't allowed, unless we were "licensed and bonded." Crap - we're RELATED. Not like we're gonna skip out of town!

And my friend Doris had asked me to make her granddaughter's wedding cake. We just had this phone conversation because I told her there was no way I was going to get my kitchen inspected randomly by the local health department, and I wasn't going to spend all the money to get certified as a commercial kitchen. It wasn't worth it. It's probably all for the best. 

But it's nice to know my church will let me bake for them any time I want to! That being said, this recipe looks like a good one to try for the next coffee hour. Though Heaven knows we don't need more sweets. I love baking cookies and it's nice that, with the braces, I can't eat half of what I'll be baking this Christmas. 

It's really time for a sugar detox. Hubby got me the stuff for smoothies, and even though it's colder outside, I really do need to get my sugar addiction under control. Because it's wayyyyyyyyyyyyy off the scales. 

Random Picture...

So our church is almost 200 years old. And it's haunted. I went in today to drop off the bulletins and some other stuff, and said hi to God and the ghosts. I had to turn up the heat because we'd just had the organ tuned and it was too cold. 

Well, my phone was acting up and kept shutting off. And it's nearly November, so it gets darker early and I was having trouble seeing the thermostat, but too lazy to turn on lights. 

I was all, "Ok guys... quit spazzing my phone out..." and I finally wrapped everything up and got packed up for home. The light was beautiful. It's a lovely building. 

As I took this, my phone took another dive. But THIS time, I saw the message on the screen... 

"Battery critically low." 

Some days, it's not the ghosts. It's the battery.