Happy New Year!!
The last few days have gotten incredibly cold and clear, which for the Northwest means icy. Temperatures have been in the teens and twenties, and it’s making everything slippery. New Year’s Eve, Paul and I stayed in out of the cold. We didn’t exactly party hard: we had one margarita each along with our plates of enchiladas. We watched South Park, Family Guy, and Robot Chicken. I took a bath and finished a book while Paul napped on our bed.
We were both asleep by midnight, although I did wake up around that time because the neighbors were shooting off fireworks. And to me, it was a great night.
New Year’s Day, I tackled my most hated project: the un-Christmasing of the house. I took down all the garland, all the bows, all the cute little figurines. I put the Nutcrackers back in their boxes. I stripped the tree of its topper and ornaments, and enlisted the help of Paul to jam the thing back into its narrow box and put it back on its high shelf in the garage. I discovered that my cats had been taking soft little beanbag characters out of their display place in the downstairs bathroom and systematically removing their hats, hair, and heads. This devious work had been hidden under the Christmas tree skirt. I put all the pieces away, leaving them for my future self to deal with in Thanksgiving of 2011 when next I put out Christmas stuff.
Once the house was back to normal, Paul and I loaded up plates with the festive foods he’d made: Chex Mix, fresh cut veggies, ham and turkey, crackers, and cheese. We spent the afternoon relaxing and watching Food Network. There’s a show we’ve discovered called Worst Cooks in America. I love that show. It’s beyond entertaining. While we watched, I baked and decorated some cupcakes. I think I’ve finally figured out how to frost them the way I like: I cut out the middles, then using a star piping tip, I fill the hole and then just keep on piping to make a perfect little plop of icing. Beautiful! I only wished I’d discovered that sooner than I had, as I only had three cupcakes left at that point. But, point being, something finally clicked for me. And anyway, who doesn’t want a cupcake that’s stuffed with frosting?
Angela and her hubby invited us to their house for games and food, so Paul made another batch of his awesome Chex Mix and I loaded up the cupcakes. We ended up having a blast playing a game. There were eight people total, plus an undetermined amount of excited children who were continually being shooed upstairs away from the adults and our game.
Great New Year’s. I ate waaaay too much last night but Angela and I decided that the eating part of our resolutions could wait one day.