Marshmallow World

Back in November I got a new iPhone as an early Christmas present.  I love it, of course, but I have yet to put any music on it.  Which is weird, considering my need for a soundtrack to my daily life, but I still  have an empty iTunes library.  Pandora to the rescue.  Pandora is just about the greatest thing ever and it is fulfilling my life soundtrack needs and filling my days with all the best Christmas music.  I am very picky about my holiday music, I think that Christmas should sound like a 50's holiday cocktail party.  I need Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Nancy Wilson, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald... That is Christmas to me.  I do like some of the modern Christmas offerings, (Elton John, Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder... and since I grew up in the 80's I am obligated to love Last Christmas by Wham!.  I know, not a good song, but I just can't help it) but mostly I think they are horrible and they do not put me in a Christmassy mood.  (to be fair, there is also old stuff that I dislike, no matter who is singing it.  My all-time least favorite holiday song? The Little Drummer Boy followed closely by Silver Bells) Pandora made me a 'Swingin' Christmas' station and that fulfilled every holiday cocktail party fantasy I have ever had.  My favorite thing Pandora gave me was Christmas with the Rat Pack.  All the best songs in the same place. Merry Christmas to me.  

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Happy Birthday Steve! 

Steve with puppy Steve

  

A coffee, a morning walk,

and a little baby Frenchie.

It's good to be Steve. 

'Tis The Season

This year I am completely in love with December.  Even more than I normally am. (and that is a lot)  This holiday season is going to be spectacular.  The Christmas music is already playing, the tree is up waiting for me to smother it in ornaments, (it's been standing there naked for a week while I figure out what I want to do with it.  I feel like it's mocking me, it really needs to get decorated) and my clicking finger is itching to do all the on-line present shopping. December is much more than just Christmas around here, it's also Steve's birthday, our 21st anniversary, the kids and Steve having weeks of vacation, and us having lots of time to do all kinds of things together.  Oh, the plans I've made. Stay tuned, it's going to be good.

Thankful

A couple of peculiar things happened on Thanksgiving this year - I cooked the entire meal all by myself, and I didn't take a single picture of anything all day.  

Since there is no photographic evidence of the holiday, let's just pretend that it looked like this

Preparing the meal wasn't too difficult, I used some of my sister Sabrina's recipes, kept the menu simple, and since I was only cooking for 6 people it wasn't stressful at all.  I cooked a turkey breast in the slow-cooker and that was amazing, everything ended up on the table warm and at the same time so I felt pretty great about the whole thing.  We had Steve's dad and his wife join us and it was an intimate, lovely meal.  Every year we have much to be thankful for, but this year I think we all felt an extra bit of thankfulness for each other and that we have had yet another year together. 

Jersey Girl

Dagny has wanted a Giants jersey for forever.  Last year I promised that if they won the World Series I would buy her one. They didn't win last year, but they did this year, so I had to pony up. It was a promise I enjoyed keeping.  We took Dagny to the Dugout Store in Walnut Creek and let her pick her jersey and have it customized.   She had them put CHAMPS 12 on the back. Pretty clever, don't you think?   

Doctor Who Costumes

The price Dagny pays for me putting together her costumes is letting me take lots of pictures of said costumes.  A small price for such amazing costumes and one I am pretty sure she enjoys paying.  This year she talked her friends into dressing up with her and then she talked them into a photo shoot.  That's my girl.   

Amy Pond

Amy and Rory

 The Pond's

River Song, Amy, The 11th Doctor, Rory

Amy's Boys

Doctor Who at High School

Count Rugen

“As you know, the concept of the suction pump is centuries old. Really that’s all this is except that instead of sucking water, we’re sucking time. We’ve just sucked one hour of your life away. We might one day go as high as five, but we really don’t know what that would do to you. So, let’s just start with what we have. What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. How do you feel?”