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Thursday, December 25, 2008
A Very Picture-y Christmas
Oh, it was a very nice Christmas. Best in a long time, I think, overall.
The kids' first presents after their stockings were an homage to Weird Al, because that's just how we roll with the humor around here. Have you seen UHF, the movie Weird Al made in the late 80's? We hadn't until lately, either. This present will make NO SENSE AT ALL TO YOU if you have not seen this segment, so feel free to go watch it and come back. (I'm too uncool to embed.)
Are you back? OK.
Nothing says "I love you" like a spatula.
Close-up of one of the tags, made in Microsoft Word at some late hour on Christmas Eve.
While we're looking at pictures of the tree:
This is T's hemi engine ornament. He has big plans involving this ornament, my camera, his online Mopar friends, and the engine compartment of his car, once he has the engine compartment painted.
Also today:
My house was veryvery full of people again -- for probably the last time for a while. It's hectic but nice. Dinner went off without a hitch, largely thanks to the invaluable assistance of my mom. Seriously, I couldn't pay someone to be as big a help as she is.
Mom loved her shawl, by the way. I did blog about finishing the shawl, right? I didn't? OK, MORE PICTURES. I just realized that I forgot to get a picture of Mom wearing it. Maybe on Saturday, when we go to her house for my birthday party. Because oh yeah, today was also my 34th birthday, which is possibly the most boring number change ever. OK, shut up, Rachel. Shawl pictures:
I have to include a wide-enough picture to show the shape of the shawl, but I fully acknowledge that this is a terrible photo, photographically speaking. Hello, ugly white sheet that usually alternates being used for dressup or as a light tent, but has now been used to transform my bumpy bed into a blocking surface after the nice portable mat I was going to use turned out to be too small! Hello, shadowy dusty corners of my bedroom! Hello, pincushion! The Jane Austen book is there for scale, by the way. EVERYONE has Penguin Classics for comparison, right? This shawl turned out enormous -- more than six feet along its longest side. I LOVED MAKING IT. The pattern is linked here. I used Patons Classic Wool in New Denim. My ravelry page for this project is here. Knit this now. This means you.
Also, I met the young man who will be my nephew once my sister-in-law marries his father, an event which should be happening relatively soon, and I really liked him. He's so awesome with the kids, and the adults, and the dogs, and just everyone. He's 22. Welcome to the funny farm, Andrew! (I don't have a picture of him. Sorry.)
But wait! There's more! I saved the most interesting part of the day for last. (Even more interesting than the fact that we fed seventeen people without any major disasters.) First I have to start with backstory. Before we even moved into this house, we made the acquaintance of an enormous hound puppy named Festus, who belonged to our neighbors but who would show up here at least weekly, dragging his chain or having slipped his collar. FRIENDLIEST. DOG. EVER. Then, because his owners got tired of trying to keep him tied, they gave him away about six months ago. Fast-forward to this morning, when my parents called to ask if we needed them to bring anything else to help with dinner (besides Mom the Kitchen Miracle Worker, that is), and asked if we knew anyone who wanted a dog because this very friendly, enormous hound dog had been hanging around their area for a couple of weeks and they'd finally taken him in but couldn't keep him because of his enormous size. I said they could bring him over for the day, since they didn't know where they'd leave him while they were gone, and I said, funny, that dog sounds like Festus, with the "big" and the "friendly" and the "hound", AND IT WAS.
(Claire is wearing a rag/dress over her clothes because she had used it as her Mary costume in the Christmas pageant she put on with her cousins. "But of course her dress would be ragged and dirty. She had just been on a donkey for all those miles." Can't argue with that.)
Anybody know what kind of hound he is? He's about 25" or 28" tall at the shoulder, about six feet tall standing on his hind legs with his paws on your shoulders.
Anyway, we walked over to the house where Festus used to live and talked to his former owners. They don't want him back, and they didn't know the phone number of the people who ended up with him before, so we're going to post a Found Dog notice at the local market*, and if nobody responds we may put him up for adoption (his owners told us a long time ago he was a purebred something, but I don't remember purebred what) or we may keep him because did I mention FRIENDLY? and DOES NOT BARK AT MY HUSBAND? Even Scout is more mellow and less prone to freakouts when Festus is here.
*even though he was Found about fifteen miles away and we have a hunch he was dumped, since that happens rather a lot out there; people take their dogs "out to the country" and let them go figuring someone will take them in or they'll learn to fend for themselves, or at any rate they won't have to worry about them anymore and oh by the way it's possible that they're soulless and irresponsible jerks.
So that was our holiday. I hope yours was as nice.
Comments
Oh he's so handsome! He totally looks like a beagle but beagles aren't that big. Considering his size I'd say he's a Treeing Walker Coonhound.
Posted by: Jennifer at December 25, 2008 07:13 PM
1. Merry Christmas and happy birthday! I'm glad your day went so well. Mine was... better than expected, really, which is all I can ask.
2. Uh, I totally do want to knit that shawl now. Maybe even in that color. Hmmm. I was going to ask what size needle you used but I should probably just check Ravelry.
3. You mention a 20s guy and don't give a picture? But IS HE CUTE? Details!
4. I think you should keep Festus. Especially since it is Christmas and his name sounds like "festive."
5. I LOVE the Penguin for scale. Brilliant. I know exactly how big the shawl is now.
Posted by: Kat with a K at December 25, 2008 07:40 PM
Thanks for the peek into your happy day! :o)
The spatulas are hilarious! I've seen UHF, but I've forgotten the details. Before I read very far, I couldn't help but notice the tags, and I was thinking, "Wow. Is there *really* a store out there devoted to just spatulas?!" (Hey, it's early! (g))
I love that first photo of Festus. :o) I don't know much about hounds, so I'm not any help identifying him, but he looks and sounds very sweet. :o) And what a bonus, if he helps Scout relax, too!
Oh, and the shawl is lovely. It looks like it'd be so difficult to make, with all those lacy details.
Posted by: Michael at December 26, 2008 04:37 AM
I just stumbled over this review of your reading of AoGG for Librivox, and wanted to make sure to point it out to you in case you hadn't seen it already :-)
Posted by: Maria at December 27, 2008 03:12 PM
He sure looks like a beagle. On stilts!
Posted by: Dichroic at January 6, 2009 05:51 PM
Festus kinda looks like a blue tick hound. Maybe? We have one like him. And, by the way, our little jack russell/toy fox terrier, Jack, looks much like your other dog!
Posted by: thicket dweller at January 13, 2009 09:09 AM
