Coming to an end

Well, 2009 is ending, the hours are slipping away quickly on this snowy day. I wish I was in better spirits, but because I have been sick all week, I am feeling pretty down in the dumps! I can barely breathe through my nose, my throat is sore, my stomach is weak, I feel all bloated & swollen, my head is just POUNDING!!!

I am trying to get off work shortly and head home, hoping I can take a nice nap and wake up brand new!! (I hope!)
We have plans to go to Shane & Jackies which we have done every New Year's Eve for the past 3 years. So hopefully we can make it out, we are having Lobster this year! Ummmm. Its Joe's treat. Wait, but whats even more exciting is.... Joe is bringing a............DATE! (To the readers who do not personally know Joe....what's not to like! He's one of the good guys. He just doesn't seem to meet woman or have the time for dating. I literally mention him to every 'single' girl I know. So this new years eve date will be a first!)

I am shooting to head out of the office within the next 15 minutes or so, head home, try for that nap & see where it takes me.

Wishing Everyone a Safe & Happy New Year's Eve!!

Blizzard of 2009

We had a white Christmas because of the 20 inches of Snow we got last Sunday. Check out the pics from our first snow storm in our new home. I included some after shots of the 2 front decks I shoveled. (Mike was out plowing from 6:00am to 5:00pm that day...) The least I could do was shovel! & It wasnt easy, let me tell you!! The hardest part was where to start with all that snow! Stella & Gloria were not happy about it at all!

Christmas Season

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was very nice, we got to celebrate Christmas Eve dinner with Mom & Dad and John & Sarah which was a real treat since both John & Sarah had to work Christmas Day. We had the usual seven types of seafood for Good Luck in the New Year dinner. The menu consisted of, Steamers, Stuffed Clams, Cheese & Crackers with pickled eggplant, Raw Clams,  and Cold Octopus Salad. For dinner we had fried Blackfish, Broiled Scallops, Crab Cakes and an old recipe Dad made that he hadn't had since he was about 12 years old, Squid & Peas in a tomato base over rice. DELICIOUS!! And, also as usual, we always eat too much!!! We sat in front of the fire and opened some presents, John & Sarah put their odd sense of humor into their gifts ( Toilet Paper ) for me because everytime I happen to be at their house and I am also on our last roll of paper and since I hate going to the store for just one thing, I grab one of theirs on my way out. & For Mike, they gave him the pinch pot John made in art class as a kid, since the other joke is that Mom and Dad have all Johns artwork on display but not enough of mine around their house, John figured I might as well have a pc of his artwork on display in my own home to make things even! What a little shit, they ended up taking that back!! They did get us a beautiful dish set. (Pic Below.) We had a very nice time!! Mom & Dad got us the matching bar stools to go with the set I bought a few months ago, for the other side of the bar in our kitchen. (Pic Below.)

For Christmas Day, we went to Mikes Parents house which was very nice as this is the first year we had Christmas dinner over there, because we usually go to Grams and do dessert at his parents. We had a great Turkey dinner. Dawn & Mike and the kids were there this year and Kathleen & Ryan and Bernie & Maureen, Grandma Gillis & Aunt Kathy.....Aunt Kathy LOVED the blue french teapot we got her!! Katie & Jack are getting so big, its amazing how much older they look and act since just the last time we saw them! & Jack looks so cute in his new glasses, I wish I took a picture. We walked over to Grams after dinner and got to have some dessert with Gram and Mom & Dad. Gram made her famous Carrot Cake, this one was definitely the best! Then we headed back to the Cartwrights for a nite cap.

We got back to our house at a fairly decent hour but ended up making martinis and staying up all night. Mike couldnt sleep so he got up around 5:30 and then woke me at about 9:30 with a delicious breakfast of fresh eggs & home fries, toast and clementines & the movie Family Man. Its about 11:30am now so he is taking a nap! Which gives me the time to finally update my blog, oh & read my Vanity Fair, Kathleen got me a year subscription!

Its snowing!!!

Surprised to see the exclamation point! Aren't you, considering I have pretty much hated snow my whole life and swore when I moved to California I would NEVER go back to the East Coast. Well, that was me at 21, I suppose my thoughts have changed. I found it so beautiful out my window this morning to see 4 inches of fluffy white snow on the ground! Driving conditions were not very good and luckily Mike was able to bring me to work in our new truck that runs great in the snow. Anyhow, with the warmth of the wood stove and the cozy house and of course having the wonderful Michael in my life....snow...it doesnt really phase me. Also, it helps that I just bought a long, puffy, black, down feather coat that is probably the warmest thing I have ever worn! Wishing everyone a great day in the snow. Be safe on the roads!

My Sunday

My Sunday is Monday today. I am taking a personal day from work to re-group, clear my head and just take a day to anything I want, which so far has been drinking ALOT of coffee and watching Mr, Hollands Opus with tears streaming down my face through its entirety.

Yesterday Mike and I went up to Norwhich CT to this 1752 Red Saltbox colonial home with a big barn in back that they open to the public only twice a year. In it, there are antiques of all kinds and grave stone castings from 1700's tombstones done by a local artist. When we met a woman off craigslist up in Griswold Ct earlier this year, she invited us into her lovely home, and she had a few of these castings on display. She contacted me on Saturday to let me know that the artist was opening her home for this weekend only. Below are some pics of few items we purchased. We had a nice little drive and a great day! We are heading to the Library now for more movies and books. We have had the woodstove going all weekend and it is toasty warm and comfortable in our house.

I am back

Very happy to be home from 2 weeks on the Seas! I have not had time for rest or relaxation unfortunately and its straight back to the grind at the office. I am hoping to take some time off in the next week or two... Afterall I only worked 195 hours in 13 days!!!! It was very cold and windy when our plane landed in New York, very cold!!! Which makes me realize I probably should have spent some time enjoying the sunny skies, however it was all work & no play!

I got to experience the warmth from our first woodstove. I love it! And the smell of the burning stove has always been one of my favorites. Here are some pics to show how I am not the only one who is enjoying the stove!!