Almost There!!

I've been dwadling on the socks, because I'm trying to finish up a couple of Christmas things.....

Like the stocking I started for Ciara last year. The lettering is all puckered and I can't believe I ran out of red tweed in the middle of it, but she's absolutely delighted. I say take praise where praise is given...

And get a nice Irish stocking for the Irishman....

It's the Aran Stocking from Handknit Holidays. I'm so loving this book. I think Christmas Tree Ornament Balls are next.
Must-knit-faster!!

It's Beginning to TASTE A Lot Like Christmas!

Ciara and Cian's first time handling icing:

We spent this weekend getting into the Christmas spirit. The tree was trimmed, windows were lighted and decorated, presents were bought and hid and cookies upon cookies were baked. We even went ice skating in the town center - even though it's still 3 degrees above 0 Celsius, we bundled up and braved the crappy rental shoes and show-off kids flying past. It was Cian's and Dave's first time and they both gliding around in no time! Here's a crappy but cute picture from my cell phone :)Lastly, there's a running joke between Erica and me about my fear of knitting with the luxury sock yarn in my posession. I let it marinate and coat my feet with the 6 Euro stuff I buy in the shop on the corner. Still pretty colours and great yarns, but not all of the luxury stuff that I've been dying to get. Friday, I received my 2.25 circulars and wanted to cast on immediately. I looked around and my eyes fell on my new merino sock yarn from Fleece Artist. So, here is photographic evidence of my willingness to wrap my feet in luxury fibers.

I'm almost finished with the ribbing - can't turn back now!!

View Out The Back Window

Here's the last view out of Mum's house until this summer. I flew home this past Saturday/Sunday and am very busy catching up on my Christmas decorating.

A Lobster Party

My step-dad, David, gets up every morning before 6 to have his coffee, boy-gossip and business transactions down at Tim Horton's. Earlier this week, he ordered 26 pounds of lobster during such a visit (I suspect it was before the coffee properly kicked in) and we had us a lobster party.

Preparations.....
Here's a photo of what I like to call the Little Yummies (is it weird to name your dinner?)Here's their new home in a propane-powered cook pot
And their remains will be worshiped and devoured in Mum's rompus room. It cracks me up to see all newspaper, paper towels, hand-wipeys, Chinet plates and then wine glasses in the middle of it all.

The Feast!
The blonde on the left is Patsy and sitting to her right is Chester and they'll teach you all you need to know about cracking claws (wrap the claws with two paper towels so as not to hurt your hands) sucking meat out of the legs and eating the tamale (a brown gooey delicacy from the body cavity - but I think it looks like mud) before it gets cold. Chester was finished with his third lobster before I was half-way through the tail of my first. And Elaine (back left) wore her special lobster-cracking-apron. This was not a dinner for lightweights.
I'd say "Wish You Were Here" but I was having enough trouble with the competition that did show up ;)

Cool Moon Rising

Got a cool picture of the moon rising over the lake.
I had to take about 10 pictures before I was happy with the result, God bless digital cameras!

A Saturday At The Fish Camp

My sister Louise came from Bar Habor, Maine to visit on the weekend and we spent Saturday afternoon out at the Fish Camp.

Mum's getting the fire started. Note the new tradition of building fires in drum from an old washing machine. It's a great way to recycle, it keeps the fire contained and the holes let air in to feed the flames (AND you can fit a grate from an old barbeque across the top). Dem Maritimers can be crazy at times, but oh-so-clever ;)

Roasting hot dogs and beans (oh how I've missed baked beans in molasses with pork!)

Toasting Dessert (I feel no guilt whatsoever for stuffing myself full of S'mores, since I know I probably won't see them again for a while - who am I kidding?! I never feel guilty when stuffing my face with roasted marshmallows, melted chocolate and graham crackers. The graham crackers are kind of healthy, aren't they?)

Mum and Louise went for a walk and Dave and I took a little nap on the mattresses inside. There was s'more S'more roasting as it started to get dark.

And then we played some Mexican Rummy before heading out to dinner at The Bavaria Restaurant, where a big surprise was waiting for Mum. More on that later...

We Got Snow!

Just in time for Mum's Birthday!
It's snowing buckets and buckets - here's a photo taken 1 hour after the above picture.
Mum and I are wrapping ourselves up in mittens, scarves, etc and going for a snowy-birthday walk :)Update photo from the walk. Check out Mum's outfit, hat and scarf knit by me and thrum mitts done by her - we are one knitting family!

Wakin' Up

Step-father had me up at 6 this morning to go to Tim's (Tim Horton's Doughnut shop) to get coffee and make eyes at the fisherman. I would have made eyes (coquettish and all) if my eyes had been open. But the coffee kicked in once we got home and I did manage a picture of the sun coming up over the lake.