Away for awhile

window at "the nest"

I will be away for awhile.  I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all my online friends Happy Holidays though.  

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 12/15/15

Our family grows and it can be hectic finding a time that works for everyone to get together.  One of the "traditions" we have started is to get together with one branch of the family mid month to exchange our presents.  

My daughter fixed brunch for everyone and set the table with her pretty holiday dishes.  You'll notice a couple things out of line, a couple of toddlers were anxious to get started.

We had a delicious French toast casserole, bacon, fruit and juice along with tea for our brunch.  Daughter isn't a coffee drinker, can you believe that?

It was a lovely if somewhat hectic time.  4 of the guests were less than 3 years old.  This way of celebrating the holidays with family works well for us. I don't think it is so overwhelming for the little ones either.

Now it is time to take my cup of coffee and head over to Elizabeth's to see what others have been doing.  Join me if you can, there are always interesting things going on there.

Lunch with friends

This is the time of year the calendar gets very full, lots of scheduled meetings with friends.  I'm always happy to see them and wonder why we wait until the holidays to do this.

A few of us met recently met for lunch at Riva Cucina in Berkeley.  It was a new spot for me and very nice.  It was cozy and warm on a rainy day.

photo from their FB page

Riva Cucina bills themselves as serving Northern Italian cuisine using sustainably sourced ingredients from nearby farms and waters.

I had the Panino Con Pollo.  Grilled Petaluma Farms free range chicken breast, avocado, wild arugula, roasted pancetta and aioli.  

You can find the lunch menu here.  I recommend it if you are in the area.

Do you find yourself getting together with friends more often during the holiday season?  

Man Socks - (knitting)

One more gift from my holiday knitting projects is finished.  I'm calling them Man Socks since they are for a size 13 shoe.  Most women couldn't wear them.

When I chose the gray yarn I thought it might be a little boring to knit with but in fact I think it shows off the stitches better than some of the brighter colors I have used in the past.

I have one more knitted gift to put the finishing touches on and I'm done.  

Have you finished your Christmas shopping?

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 12/8/15

Good morning!  Tuesday Tea time over at Elizabeth's place.

found on net, don't know who to attribute it to

I'm afraid that's all I've got for you this morning.  I'm buried somewhere under mail, insurance paperwork, county rules and regulations, phone calls, finishing touches on some knitting and wrapping paper.  

I'll be by to check on everyone though.  A tea party always cheers me up.

Second on the 2nd - 12/2/15

Elizabeth at the Altered Book Lover blog hosts a posting party on the second of every month.  She asks us to go through our files and bring up a post from the past for a second time.  Why don't you join us and show something you like from your archives.

I make these snowflakes every year.  They are easy and inexpensive and provide a lot of decoration for little time an money.

I checked the links and they still work.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

Making Snowflakes

I know I said I wasn't going to get into Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving.  I did go through some project ideas thinking about what I might like to make this year though.  These snowflakes are on the top of my list.

copy paper snowflake

I made quite a few of these last year. They are made out of regular copy paper, are fairly large and since they are so easy to make I just recycled last years supply instead of trying to figure out how to store them. These are easy. They are cheap. They are fun. Want to make some?

 For written directions click here.

To watch a video click here.  You might want to turn your volume down.

Have fun!

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 12/1/15

Here we are on the first day of December.  That signals holiday shopping time for me.  I do pick up a few things as I see them during the year and this year I've knitted quite a few gifts.  December 1st means I need to get serious though as some things have to go in the mail.

Lets do some window shopping to get started.

This is a gift bag that was in the window of a book/paper store.  I think any of us posting here would like to receive a present in this bag.

Clothes seem to be staying in the black/gray/white range

How about a pair of boots?  I'm sure someone would like the brown ones with all the embroidery.

Last, but not least, here's a beautiful hand thrown pottery teapot.  That should please anyone in the Tea Tuesday group.

Be sure to visit the Tea party going on over on Elizabeth's blog.  Bring your drink of the morning and tell us what you are doing on the first day of December.