My new little addition....

Yesterday and today I have been busy organizing my scrapbooking room (formerly Lyndsay's room) to make room for my 2 new additions.....a laptop (Lyndsay's old one) and a brand spankin' new HP Photosmart All-in-One! I love having the ability to journal, print pictures and scrapbook all in the same room. It is my little oasis...a place to unwind, print pictures, read email, scrapbook and relax....my little room, complete for now.

Typical Boston December...

Thursday of this week was spent on our feet in Boston, walking the streets, jumping on and off the "T", browsing the amazing selection in Downtown Crossing, reminiscing about the year Lyndsay spent here in 2005-2006. We (Jim, Lyndsay, Taylor and I) were joined by Karen, Kali and Elena, and later, Jim's cousin, Father Don. We got soaked as it was raining/sleeting most of the day, but our moods were light, because this was, after all, BOSTON; one of our favorite cities. Here are some highlights of our day....

Jumping on the "T" at Riverside for the ride into downtown Boston....

Walking around snowy, wet, freezing Boston and taking pictures.......

Visiting our must stop-the Holocaust Memorial-eerie and even more hearbreaking in the misty weather.....

Dinner at Al Dente in the North End...look at Don's bowl of minestrone!

Strolling around Quincy Market and listening to the violinist in the Rotunda....

Lunch at Know Fat.....yum!

Strolling the North End with a stop at Mike's Pastry for hermits....

Twas the Night Before Christmas......

The last few days have been everything I had hoped for...a wonderful 2 days spent in NH visiting Mary, Anna and Claire at their new Exeter home;

Opening gifts with the cousins and Dabi in NH;

A walk into downtown Exeter and a photo shoot at the town gazebo;

The hysterical interpretation of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" narrated & directed by Taylor and starring Anna, Claire, Molly and Rebecca;

a Christmas Eve with just "us" having our favorite appetizers and playing The Name Game, laughing until our stomachs hurt;

and a busy, fun-filled, gift-opening, family visiting,

eating fest of a Christmas Day.

A few days of counting blessings, and distributing gifts to those we love. Today, Boxing Day, offers us a time to begin again a HEALTHY eating pattern (please!), clean up ribbon and boxes, pay bills (ouch!) and play with our new presents. Lyndsay is off to the dentist, Joe preparing for an evening of snowboarding, Taylor is off to visit friends.....and for me maybe a trip to Costco this afternoon to have a look-see at their printers. :)

I hope all of our friends and family had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to a happy New Year.

The Name Game

After a delicious SNSC dinner of baked brie with apricot glaze (appetizer); gorgonzola, pear and pecan salad; seafood lasagna, tiramisu; and Mexican coffees, we hunkered down for one of our favorite new games..THE NAME GAME. It is a game our friends the Gage's taught us; it was invented by their nephew (Dartmouth grad!) one night during a lull in a family get together.
Here's how it works....Every person writes down any 10 names...friends, family, famous persons, celebrities, etc. Any name is "game". Once they are all thrown into a hat, teams are randomly chosen. (2 teams divided evenly) Taking turns, one team member has 2 make their team guess as many names as possible that they choose out of the "basket" in a minute. They are not allowed to use any part of that name, and you are allowed one "pass" per turn. It is SO fun, and can be quite strategic depending on your luck on teams, especially if you write down a friend that only a teamate may know. It's a little bit part charades, a little bit of Taboo, a little bit Outburst. A lot of fun.

SNSC Prep

It has nearly been a year since Jim and I started our Saturday Night Supper Club (SNSC). Inspired by Food Network and a particularly fun NY Eve last year, we were interested in a supper club where we could talk, cook, eat, talk, eat, etc. Rather than just having friends over for dinner, we actually prepare the courses in each other's homes. We are assigned a course to bring; hosts prepare the main dish/beverages, one other couple brings the salad course, one the appetizer course, and one the dessert course. The Smith-Horns, the Cocuzzo's, the Maychek's and us have so much fun, and we generally spend hours and hours at each other's homes on our SNSC evening. We watch each couple prepare the course, enjoying libations, and chatting. We all learn from each other, and we are not afraid to try something new or make mistakes.
Tonight Jim and I are hosting, and what you see in the picture above is my "Emeril" prep ahead of time. I always chuckle at how good Emeril looks only because of the sous chefs who prepare his ingredients for him, down to the salt and pepper. As opposed to Rachel Ray who does all her own chopping, etc. Well, with lots to do to get ready, I did my prep ahead of time. The plate holds chopped onions, garlic and roasted peppers for the seafood lasagna, the bowls hold butter, olive oil, garlic and parsley for the garlic bread.
Next up is the prep for the Pomegranate Martini's.....mmmmm mmmm.

"This is the bestest day of my life!!".......

This is what one of the preschoolers (4 y.o.
little Frankie) said at the end of our day today.

Was it because Christmas is very near?

Was it because his other preschool friends were handing out presents to him?

Was it because we had lots of fun snacks to eat?

Was it because we made gingerbread houses all morning, with enough candy to build skyscrapers?

Or mostly because MOM and DAD were there sharing in his joy?

Whatever the reason, it is hard to not feel like a kid again anticipating all the joys of Christmas when you are surrounded by 10 preschoolers who BELIEVE.

It is a precious to see; one of the many things I am thankful for this Christmas season.

Pictured above are some of the gifts I received from my little students...and the joy on their face when you open up a present made by their little hands....is priceless.