Last night, as I was preparing a Christmas feast for my friends, the weather forecast was calling for snow … and a lot of it!  Seeing as I had been having a tough go of it at work and have been totally stressed out, I decided to get my hair done!

Rockabilly!

Later that night we some friends over.  It is always a good time with these folks, let me tell ya!  I literally laugh till it hurts.  Brandon, Tory, Kristen, Matt, and my husband were all here (except in the photo – I think John and Matt were outside.)

Brandon, Tory, and Kristen

As dinner was wrapping up, the snow was already starting to fall.  The weather this weekend is supposed to be bad – up to 20 inches of snow!  And of course, it’s my weekend to work.  I don’t mind going in and I know someone has to be there … but when the boss sends a slightly snarky email out that we had better be there or else …. yeah.  He could just be a little more nice about it, more pro-active.   Luckily John is taking me to work, but I am still packing a bag – just in case.

Here is what I found when I woke up this morning ….

Out the front door.

Next door

So yeah – we’ve got a blizzard on our hands.  If you have to go out, make sure you are safe.  Keep a blanket and other items in your trunk – just in case.  Charge your cell phones.  And don’t drive like an idiot.

Friday Fill-In #155

1. No, we will NOT be putting the Christmas tree back up, due to a certain furry creature.
2. There is nothing like sitting and talking with friend and family at the old kitchen table.
3. I watched the steam rising from the hot cup of coffee (or tea) and thought: do I really have to be up today.
4. It really is going to be okay.
5. I’ll take my holiday cheer where and when I can get it.
6. It’s always a little more calm, at least from my point of view.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to cooking for friends, tomorrow my plans include traveling to work through 2 ft of snow and Sunday, I want to stay home, but I have to work!

Chan had this posted on her blog today.  I’m going my best to get in the Holiday spirit myself!

Have you started your Christmas shopping?

I’m pretty much done at this point.  I have a one or two little things left to get, but all in all, I just have to wrap everything!

Tell me about your special traditions.

My big thing is cooking and baking.  I do two dinners for the holidays; one for friends and one with my family.  I love to cook, gather those near and dear to me, and have a great meal.  My Mom and I also make fudge and potato candy, a tradition started by my Grandmother when she was alive.  She would make fudge and candy for everyone; family, the mailman, the lady’s at the doctor’s offices.  She was so full of the giving spirit, and I really try to hold onto that.

Are you a Black Friday shopper?

NO!  I have no desire to fight people for material possessions.  Now, Cyber Monday … that’s much better.

When do you put up your tree?

I used to put it up right after Thanksgiving, but with Cooley wanting to eat it, I usually wait as late as I can.  I’m going to put it up tomorrow.

Do you travel at Christmas or stay at home?

I usually stay at home, because most of my family is here.  But with good friends having moved away, I know I’m going to start doing more traveling in the month of December.

What is your funniest Christmas memory?

I don’t have one myself, so I’ll share one that my Grandpa used to tell me.  He and my Grandma T (Dad’s folks) lived outside of NYC for a long time.  So, one time my Grandpa and Uncle Alex (not really an uncle – a childhood friend), took the bus into the City one night.  Many libations later, they returned home with a giant Christmas tree … on the bus.  He told me that he never could remember how they got it home.

What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time?

A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart.  It is by far my favorite version.

Do you do your own Christmas baking?  What is your favorite treat?

I do, and it’s mostly fudge and potato candy, but this year I started doing cookies.  As for my favorite … all of it!

Fake or real tree?

I love a real tree, but I hate cleaning up cat vomit, so we go with the fake one.

What day does the actual panic set in to get it all done?

I really don’t have that.  I try to get as much done as I can as soon as I can.

Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?

No, mainly because for the last three years, I’ve been at work on Christmas Eve.  I like to wrap them a week or so early.

What is your favorite family fun moment at Christmas?

Dinner, with the whole family.

What Christmas craft do you like the best?

Knitting!  I was a good girl this year and got all of my Christmas knitting done early!

Christmas music – yes or no?  What is your favorite song?

I love fun, upbeat Christmas music, yet my favorite song is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.

When do you plan on finishing all of your shopping?

Tomorrow and Friday – then it’s all done!

• Project : Meret Beret
• Pattern : Meret by Wooly Wormhead
• Yarn : Cascade 220 Superwash

Just a little something fun … and it was a really quick knit.  I did this in one night (with the help of the new Star Trek movie and The Tao of Steve on dvd.)  I went with one extra repeat on the body of the hat and I tell ya, I didn’t think it was as slouchy as I thought it was gonna be.   If I make this again, I’ll add yet another repeat.  I also recommend blocking for this hat.  I sprayed it down with water and put it over a dinner plate, and that really brought out the pattern.    Still, a fun and quick knit!

This past weekend John and I headed north to see Corey in Wilkes-Barre.  Sadly, I couldn’t convince him to come back home with us, so I took lots of great pictures!

First things first …. we headed out into the cold on Friday night for beer and sushi!!!

Hi, Corey!!!

John and Me

We always have sushi when we visit Corey!  After dinner we headed back to his place.  Beer, watching stand-up on YouTube, and finally crashing out.  I had a great time … it’s been a long time since I laughed that hard!

Saturday …. the big day!  We woke up early, all in the name of beer!  We headed about an hour south to Pottsville, to tour the Yuengling Brewery!!!

Brewery front

Mural on the front of the side building

We got there a little early, but there were so many cool things in the gift shop to look at.  They had all kinds of memorabilia and photographs, not to mention the coolest Christmas tree I’ve ever seen.

Merry Beer Christmas

Now … the awesome tour.  You can find out more about the history of the company HERE.  The tour guide was great; very funny and full of good information.  I have to tell you though … it was a quick tour and I don’t think anyone asked her any questions.  Truth be told … I think we all just wanted our free beer!

Start of the tour

Old kegging system

The brewery is literally built into the side of the mountain, as you can see in the next couple of photographs.  The was due to the fact that a natural cooling system was needed before modern refrigeration.

Old ladder going up to the spring

Still in the cave

Corey says, "Free Beer NOW!"

From here the tour continued back upstairs, and up many more flights of stairs to the main area of the brewhaus.

Spent Grain

The spent grain is what is left over after beer is brewed.  Local farmers come and use the grain on their farms.  That’s right – they were green before it was cool.

Our lovely tour guide.

That’s where it all happens … the brew kettle!  Sadly, there wasn’t any beer in the tank that day.  I did manage to get a cool picture of the inside though.

Inside the kettle

Stained Glass Ceiling

The stain glass ceiling was installed because the light and reflection that bounced off the walls and the brew kettle was so bright that it made working in the brewhaus very uncomfortable.

Happy Husband

Next up on the tour was the bottling warehouse.  Man … the sheer amount of beer that is produced blows my mind!  But before the beer is bottled, it has to be taxed.  That’s right … Uncle Sam has to get his share.

Not going in there ....

Shot of the whole room.

Super awesome bottling machine

Mmm ... bottles - soon to be filled with beer.

After this is was back outside into the cold, to head over to the Tap Room!!!!  That’s where we would get our free sample!

Look up

Oy!  Time for free samples!  The tiny tap-room had a very Old World feel to it.  The perfect place to kick back after walking around for almost an hour.

All I want for Christmas!

Cheers!

Beer and love ... what more could I ask for?

After we finished up our free samples and visited the gift shop again for some goodies to take home, we decided to get something to eat.  But before we could leave, we got stuck in the ice out on the street.  Yeah – all of Pottsville’s streets are extremely narrow and there was still winter muck left on the roads.  Once we were able to get out, we found a parking space that didn’t require parallel parking … and just happened to be across the street from a diner!

Mmm ... late lunch special!

So, after our bellies were full with beer and a late breakfast, we headed back to Corey’s.  Oh – I almost forgot!  We stopped by a yarn shop before heading back for naps.  Cozy Cabin is, like, the only yarn shop in Corey’s area, and with being so, I thought her selection would have been larger.  She’s got almost everything Cascade makes, which is great.  I picked up a couple skeins of Cascade 220 is a light blue.

So, now back to Corey’s for naps.  Well, at least I know I took a nap.  I think John and Corey watched football.  Later that evening we headed about an hour or so north, to Binghamton, to visit Marcus and Sharon, and to see their new baby, Peyton!  We went out to eat at a fantastic Italian place.  The food was great (except later my stomach decided to revolt and in that case, dinner was not so good.  But it tasted great going down!)  I tried to get a good shot of Sharon and the baby, but no luck (she looked angry in each shot, so I thought I’d spare her – since this will be on Facebook as well.)  But I did get one of Marcus.

Awww

So, after dinner we passed the baby around.   He’s a cute kid and a very good baby.

Sleepy baby

Nope - he's awake now

And finally …. John held a baby for the first time.  I told him that he couldn’t break him, but I’m not sure he believed me.  After all … my hubby needs the practice for when we eventually have a little one of our own.

Looks good on him, yes?

So, after we passed the baby around we finished up and headed back to Marcus and Sharon’s for a bit.  They have three Welsh Corgis … all spoiled rotten and pining for belly rubs.  It was so good to see everyone, since we had not seen Marcus or Sharon since our wedding last year.

Sadly, we had to leave on Sunday.  I tried to convince Corey to come back with us, but he didn’t take.  It sucks that all of our friends seem to be moving away, back to the North East!  Well, it just gives us a good excuse to take a weekend getaway, I suppose!

COREY!

John and I are off to visit Corey in PA!!!  We’re both so excited about this … Corey is more like family than just a friend, and we don’t get to see him enough!  So, this weekend there will be friends, food, a tour of the Yuengling Brewery, and possibly a stop to see Marcus, Sharon, and their new baby!!!

Have a great weekend!

Oh man …. I am so glad that it’s almost Friday.  Words can not even begin to express how happy I am to have a tried and true long weekend!  Tomorrow evening we’ll be in Wilkes-Barre, PA – visiting Corey!

Friday Fill-In #154

1. Good times: anywhere I have my friends and/or family, husband and some really great yarn.
2. Tomorrow I really need to clean my home.
3. Sleigh bells ring are you listening.
4. To get a little, you always have to give a little.
5. Once more with feeling.
6. When will the chaos and madness at work ever end?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to hanging out with Corey and my husband, tomorrow my plans include a trip to the Yuengling Brewery in PA and Sunday, I want to possibly get to see Marcus, Sharon, and their new baby and have a good drive home after a very relaxing weekend!

It’s been awhile since I wrote a blog post in which I share my thoughts and recent adventures.  Most of the time it is knitting or my cats, which is fine.  I enjoy sharing what I create with yarn and it’s the one way I can really ‘talk’ with most of my online friends.

But today, I just want to talk, if that is okay with you all.

Most of you know that last month I wrote a novel.  I still can’t believe it.   I am still in shock and awe that I was able to crank out 50,000 and then some words in less than 30 days.  I’m still so eager to hear what everyone who has read my first draft thinks of it, ( I know everyone is busy but I would really love someone to read and review!)   I’ve gotten very little feedback, but what I have received has been very helpful.  I don’t have a specific writing process.  I usually don’t do character sketches or outlines.  The ideas just flow out of my head in this unstoppable force and flow freely, no specific theme or reason.  The gate just seems to open and there is no stopping it.  For this, I will always be thankful.

I wrote a lot in middle/high school – mostly teenage angst poetry and chaotic thoughts of a depressed and manic mind.  The older I got, the more I thought about the reason behind my writing.  Was it the ravings of a crazy mind?  Or was I truly meant to write, to create?  I started taking medication because I couldn’t function in my everyday life, and with this I thought that I had to give up on writing.  I thought that I wasn’t allowed to have one with the other.  Fast forward about five or so years.  I am happy to say that I am able to function without the medication with true success and – hey look at that – I’m writing again.

It is also no strange coincidence to me that my muse came back into my life this year.  I like to think that everyone has that one person in their life that is their switch, the one thing that can trigger the ideas to run like a river.  Many years ago I pushed my muse away because I didn’t want to take him through the fire with me.  I didn’t want to burn that bridge as I set out on a journey to find myself and my purpose in life.  Reconnection is nice and I have to say that I am sorry that I pushed such a good friend away.  Maybe he’ll forgive me one day, if he hasn’t already.

And now, as I re-read my first novel and edit, I’m also starting my second.  This one is a little different – it’s more of a mystery than fantasy/sci-fi. And there are darker elements to it.  Murder, sex, and dark offences.  No wonder I’m starting to realize that I may only truly fit in, in my own imagination. LOL  My husband asked me the other night why I write about such things and I honestly can’t say for sure.  There is no rhyme or reason – this shit just spills forth out of my mind.  I could be doing anything and I get some monumental idea that I need to write down or I’ll lose it.  I promise it all makes sense in the end.

So, I’m going (along with my hubby of course) to see a good friend this weekend and I think I’ll need to take my laptop, because I have a feeling inspiration is going to spark!

After adding a couple other projects, I am happy to say that my Christmas knitting is done!!!!  At this point, if I decide to do anymore (which I don’t see happening,) it will be something easy like a hat.  I was a good girl this year and started projects early.  Hopefully I can carry that frame of mind into the new year for Christmas Knitting 2010!

We can all rest easy now.

No mania today … I’m trying to relax.  I left most of the mania at work, where it needs to stay.  It should not follow me home.

Manic Monday #191

If you could bring one character to life from your favorite book, who would it be?

Ooooo …. great question.  I’m going to have to go with Hrothbert of Bainbridge,  aka Bob, from The Dresden Files series.  He’s one of my favorite literary characters by far.  That, and Terrance Mann played him in the short-lived TV series. (SO yummy!)  Never mind the fact that Bob is the ghost of his former self, trapped forever in his skull because he did some terrible things with black magic.
Which cartoon character do you resemble the most?

Seeing as the cartoons I watch are on ‘Adult Swim’; picking from those shows, I’m going to go with Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (aka Dr. Girlfriend) from The Venture Brothers.  She’s sexy, doesn’t take anyones’ shit, and has a great taste for vintage-esq clothing.  My voice isn’t as deep as her’s though.

What vegetable do you most resemble?

Seriously?  I’m not even sure how to answer that one.  But if my job causes me to have anymore stress, I’m going to be a ‘vegetable’ real quick.