just maryse

Hope You Had a Merry Little Christmas

well it's over. and i'm relieved. and the best part? since i didn't decorate, NO CLEAN UP!  i wasn't all scroogy, i just didn't have a big decorating extravaganza in me and since J doesn't care, i didn't bother.

thank you for all of the birthday greetings. yes, i celebrated another one. i'm getting to a point now that my birthday is meaningless.  the inlaws make a fuss. i have a niece with a birthday 2 days before mine so there's always cake. this years was chocolate and it was very good. and there were a few presents.

christmas was delightful. i was a little excited. i had mentioned wanting an ipad way back this summer but i wasn't sure that j had picked up on it. but he had. and so ever since i've had my ass planted on the couch playing with it.

j seemed pleased with what i got him. i tend to get him practical things because he hates getting them for himself. but i also surprised him with a DVD set of every West Wing episode. and angry bird pajamas (which confused him).

christmas eve was spent with friends and later family. and christmas day was with family. there were presents and crafts and food and general good cheer. j's family is wonderful for christmas celebrating. there's usually lots of laughs and very little family drama.  i'm sure they have their own family dysfunction but since it doesn't have anything to do with me, i'm kind of immune.  good times!

 

the only thing missing this year was snow. this lack of snow is getting worrisome. so i made my own.

 

 

Adventures in Parking

it took 8 days for me to sufficiently recover from my month long blogging adventure. not much has been going on since then. mostly just thinking about projects. i've got a few things up my sleeve with imminent deadlines, which means of course that i'm avoiding them.  and i've got a couple of long term projects which of course means that i can't stop thinking about them.  heh.

but that's not what i'm going to blog about today. today it's about last sunday's bazaar bizarre. it's become a yearly event. i get an early bird ticket and with a friend or two in tow (this year it was stacie) we head off to check out the crafty shopping. and like other years, it did not disappoint. i rarely buy a lot of stuff. my gift giving list does not include people who would get the whole handmade craft thing. but no matter, i still love looking at everything. 

but enough about the bazaar.  the big news is that WE GOT TO PARK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET!

the south end, one of my favorite neighborhoods of boston, is notoriously horrible for parking (like pretty much every neighborhood in boston). when i lived in town i would come down and do some shopping/hanging out on sundays and noticed that on certain blocks, cars would be parked along the median line. i figured it was for churchgoing folks. there are several churches in the area. but i was unsure what the actual rules were. and since i wasn't driving then, i didn't give it too much thought.

until last sunday. stacie and i drove down warren ave and stopped a woman who was parking in the middle of the street and asked her, what's the deal?  well apparently, on sunday, you can park in the middle of certain streets. it started out for church goers but you don't need to go to church, nor do you have to have a resident sticker. you won't get towed. you won't get a ticket.  YAY!

it's the little things.

 

NaBloPoMo Day 27

OMG IT'S GETTING CRAZY AROUND HERE!

DUELING SANTAS??

i did nothing this weekend. no-thing. you know it's been an unproductive weekend when i'm patting myself on the back for NOT STAYING IN MY PAJAMAS ALL WEEKEND AND FOR ACTUALLY PUTTING ON SWEATS. yes because sweats are fancy.

anyway, i had planned to put up the inflatable snow globe, but i didn't. because that would have required getting off of the couch.

this daily blogging thing by the way is kind of getting lame. i'm glad the month is almost over.

 

NaBloPoMo Day 26

thanksgiving is over. over the past 2 days, the neighbors have been putting up their christmas lights and decorations. so it's time for one of my favorite christmas songs.

 i heard it on the radio driving back from the store earlier this evening and i actually got a little excited!

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

i still have tons of stuff to do before we can properly celebrate:  gifts to wrap, provisions to buy, one last batch of cookies to bake.  but while i still have a moment, finishing up my morning coffee and avoiding the gym (I'M GOING! DO NOT WORRY!) i wanted to wish you all a merry christmas. 

it's not christmas around my house until the backhoe gets it's lights.

anyway, merry christmas everyone!  have a wonderful time and i hope santa brings you everything that you want.

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the crocheted ornament is from the november/december issue of crochet today.  i've raveled the details.  

It's Over ... What a Relief

christmas this year will be remembered as the year i felt like crap.  good times.  but despite the fact that i feel like my head is now in a vice (i've gone through various stages of ick over the course of the past two days, starting with the sore throat, then stuffy nose, then exhaustion with coughing, and now headache) it was a lovely time.  j surprised me with beautiful earrings (diamond studs).  see, we weren't supposed to get each other gifts but  he broke the rules.  (i did too, but a lands end down vest and chocolate isn't nearly as good).  in the yankee swap, i ended up with the gift i brought, which is fine with me since i bought it because i wanted it in the first place.

i'm glad it's over though, because i can't handle the pressure (ha!).  i was finishing up my father-in-law's gift until late last night.

the pompom may be my favorite part.

the pattern is from Holiday Knits, but instead of 15 row stripes in 2 different colors, i knit 3 row stripes in 5 different colors.  i've raveled the details here.

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day 251 -- sorry, no photos of christmas because i left the camera bag in the car and i was too lazy/tired to go get it. 

Twas the Night before Christmas ...

and i'm sick once again.  nice. 

have a great christmas eve everyone.

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day 250 -- i'll just have a shot of nyquil in my egg nog please.

Snow's Coming!

the local meteorologists are in a frenzy of excitement at the prospect of a decent sized snow storm coming our way on friday.  i have to admit that i'm pretty excited as well.  they're talking about a 12 inch dumping in my area and if it's got to snow then it might as well be enough to make it ok for me to take a snow day.  woo-hoo!

i got to make sure to buy bread and milk and eggs tonight.  it's funny what a craving we new englanders get for french toast in a snow storm.

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day 244 -- 2 more days 'til my birthday

It's Not X-mas Until the Backhoe Gets Lights

i went with white lights because, you know, i wanted to keep it classy.

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day 242 -- 4 more days 'til my birthday

A Hillbilly Christmas

there have been a few foreclosures in the neighborhood and one house on our street was abandoned some time this summer.  earlier this fall when the grass was a little out of control, a passer-by asked our neighbor if our house was abandoned.   with the inflatable snow globe on the front lawn, i'm hoping that kind of speculation will cease.  i mean really.  would you leave without your snow globe?

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day 240 -- 6 more days 'til my birthday