Dear Robin,
This entire post is a letter to you.
Decided to take Johnnie for a much-needed walk this morning. Grabbed the mail and - oh joy - the key to the package compartment below was inside! Opened it to find a cunning little box. As we walked in the freezing cold, I opened my Christmas cards and saved the box for last. What a beautiful card and plaque. I'm going to put it on the wall of my bathroom, which is my own little room to use and decorate as I like. (Well, I decorate everything else too, but this room is the only one with coral-pink rugs and black cut velvet fringy scarves draped around.) I may have to mount those lovely wild feathers up on the wall too. What pretty handwriting you have.
As soon as we got around the block (I think of it like taking a swim with Katharine Hepburn like she would do every day - horribly cold, but worth it once you're in the warm) and got back inside I decided to have a breakfast tea and admire my gifts some more. Decided upon licorice tea in my old "Cup of Knowledge" which I never use, accompanied by egg salad, cheese, olives, carrot sticks, a torn wedge of pomegranate, and a few crackers with jam. Very nice little eccentric breakfast. The tea was interesting - every sip was first mysterious, then medicinal. Perhaps hotter with some honey is a better way to go. As there were no remaining leaves, I trusted the floating decoration from my melted sugar cube to rest on the right card printed on the cup, and it fell on the King of Hearts. I would know what that meant if I knew where the little guidebook was, but it's somewhere in all the boxes in the garage. Another admonition to organize, I believe - quite an insightful fortune, I would say.
There was something else I was going to tell you - oh! I'm not pregnant. We talk of it often, as everybody we know (and their brother) is with child right now. Let's see, is it four couples? Yes, plus 2 other couples with new little ones. Plus we are old, Father William. 31 and I have no intention of doing this after 34, so... hm. Just as Death cards mean new beginnings, I think dreaming of pregnancy means new stuff is on its way, which is true. It's the gestation which is interesting, as I have no due date.
Maybe I should go over the few fun days I've had lately, as I think I've been a little remiss here:
Thursday November 30 - my birthday:
Went to Bruce and Carla's to finish the puppet stage curtain. When they found out it was my birthday they exclaimed in astonishment and surprise (I think Carla called me a goob) and insisted upon doing something. Bruce took me to the very charming Tulips Bakery in the very charming St. Johns neighborhood and I chose a lovely big shortbread crusted with sanding sugar and filled with marionberry jam. We took our treats home and they stuck a candle in the cookie and sang to me. Then I finished sewing the curtain up which was a nice quick job and it fit absolutely perfectly on the stage. It looked beautiful and Bruce kept complimenting it. He's just full of compliments.
Then I took off for Angie's house back in Salem and we talked for a long while and played with Johnnie who was very happy to see Angie. When Nathan woke up from his nap they gave me a present (gigantic box of Lemonheads, picture frame) and sang Happy Birthday to me over a chocolate from-scratch cake Angie had made. Just what I like. Angie said "it's nothing fancy" and I said that it was perfect. I love their traditions - birthdays around the kitchen table, cakes right in the Pyrex dish.
Then back home for dinner with Dan - he'd given me gifts earlier in the morning (Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, Muppet Show Season 1). We went to a Japanese restaurant in downtown Hillsboro which is housed in the old public library building. Fun place, and absolutely scrumptious food which was served pub-style, each plate separately - I had miso soup, pot stickers, and shrimp tempura rolls. Wow. Oo, we gotta go back there soon.
I guess the other days are not so full of details. Fun days bazaaring in Portland looking at all the beautiful interesting things people make of junk. Bought a couple darling little felt things with pretty buttons - no idea what I'll do with them, but I love them. Saw hordes of Santas and elves from Santacon walking the Burnside Bridge and honked and waved.
On Monday shopped with Dan's mom and her niece - went to Woodburn to ogle the Le Creuset and down to Salem for my favorite shops like Negstad's and Ma Valise. Then spent Tuesday with Dad shopping our feet off at Washington Town Square. I strongly believe he's got my name this year - I dropped hints and he followed me around, gathering them up like mad.
All right, enough rambling on. Hopefully you have skimmed over what's not so interesting. It's probably pretty obvious much of this is strictly for my own archives - working to write to an audience would take up far too much time. Everyone is welcome here, of course, but dis here my junk, if you know what I'm saying.
OK, one last little thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj7IsjdnN1Y
My favorite thing to watch at the moment. Hope you can see it OK.
Alright, on to making Sierra's Christmas Memory game. Maybe if I get time I'll scan the cards so you can see the pretty images I found.
Thank you, Robin, so very much. You are such a darling. The merriest of Christmases to you.
Love
Kristen.
Decided to take Johnnie for a much-needed walk this morning. Grabbed the mail and - oh joy - the key to the package compartment below was inside! Opened it to find a cunning little box. As we walked in the freezing cold, I opened my Christmas cards and saved the box for last. What a beautiful card and plaque. I'm going to put it on the wall of my bathroom, which is my own little room to use and decorate as I like. (Well, I decorate everything else too, but this room is the only one with coral-pink rugs and black cut velvet fringy scarves draped around.) I may have to mount those lovely wild feathers up on the wall too. What pretty handwriting you have.
As soon as we got around the block (I think of it like taking a swim with Katharine Hepburn like she would do every day - horribly cold, but worth it once you're in the warm) and got back inside I decided to have a breakfast tea and admire my gifts some more. Decided upon licorice tea in my old "Cup of Knowledge" which I never use, accompanied by egg salad, cheese, olives, carrot sticks, a torn wedge of pomegranate, and a few crackers with jam. Very nice little eccentric breakfast. The tea was interesting - every sip was first mysterious, then medicinal. Perhaps hotter with some honey is a better way to go. As there were no remaining leaves, I trusted the floating decoration from my melted sugar cube to rest on the right card printed on the cup, and it fell on the King of Hearts. I would know what that meant if I knew where the little guidebook was, but it's somewhere in all the boxes in the garage. Another admonition to organize, I believe - quite an insightful fortune, I would say.
There was something else I was going to tell you - oh! I'm not pregnant. We talk of it often, as everybody we know (and their brother) is with child right now. Let's see, is it four couples? Yes, plus 2 other couples with new little ones. Plus we are old, Father William. 31 and I have no intention of doing this after 34, so... hm. Just as Death cards mean new beginnings, I think dreaming of pregnancy means new stuff is on its way, which is true. It's the gestation which is interesting, as I have no due date.
Maybe I should go over the few fun days I've had lately, as I think I've been a little remiss here:
Thursday November 30 - my birthday:
Went to Bruce and Carla's to finish the puppet stage curtain. When they found out it was my birthday they exclaimed in astonishment and surprise (I think Carla called me a goob) and insisted upon doing something. Bruce took me to the very charming Tulips Bakery in the very charming St. Johns neighborhood and I chose a lovely big shortbread crusted with sanding sugar and filled with marionberry jam. We took our treats home and they stuck a candle in the cookie and sang to me. Then I finished sewing the curtain up which was a nice quick job and it fit absolutely perfectly on the stage. It looked beautiful and Bruce kept complimenting it. He's just full of compliments.
Then I took off for Angie's house back in Salem and we talked for a long while and played with Johnnie who was very happy to see Angie. When Nathan woke up from his nap they gave me a present (gigantic box of Lemonheads, picture frame) and sang Happy Birthday to me over a chocolate from-scratch cake Angie had made. Just what I like. Angie said "it's nothing fancy" and I said that it was perfect. I love their traditions - birthdays around the kitchen table, cakes right in the Pyrex dish.
Then back home for dinner with Dan - he'd given me gifts earlier in the morning (Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, Muppet Show Season 1). We went to a Japanese restaurant in downtown Hillsboro which is housed in the old public library building. Fun place, and absolutely scrumptious food which was served pub-style, each plate separately - I had miso soup, pot stickers, and shrimp tempura rolls. Wow. Oo, we gotta go back there soon.
I guess the other days are not so full of details. Fun days bazaaring in Portland looking at all the beautiful interesting things people make of junk. Bought a couple darling little felt things with pretty buttons - no idea what I'll do with them, but I love them. Saw hordes of Santas and elves from Santacon walking the Burnside Bridge and honked and waved.
On Monday shopped with Dan's mom and her niece - went to Woodburn to ogle the Le Creuset and down to Salem for my favorite shops like Negstad's and Ma Valise. Then spent Tuesday with Dad shopping our feet off at Washington Town Square. I strongly believe he's got my name this year - I dropped hints and he followed me around, gathering them up like mad.
All right, enough rambling on. Hopefully you have skimmed over what's not so interesting. It's probably pretty obvious much of this is strictly for my own archives - working to write to an audience would take up far too much time. Everyone is welcome here, of course, but dis here my junk, if you know what I'm saying.
OK, one last little thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj7IsjdnN1Y
My favorite thing to watch at the moment. Hope you can see it OK.
Alright, on to making Sierra's Christmas Memory game. Maybe if I get time I'll scan the cards so you can see the pretty images I found.
Thank you, Robin, so very much. You are such a darling. The merriest of Christmases to you.
Love
Kristen.