Happy New Year!

Every year, we do a big fondue dinner for our friends for New Year's Eve. We usually have anywhere from 12 to 20 people... this year we had 15, and Fiance's parents stuck around this year! (Usually they're out of town, but we have it at their house because they have a table big enough to hold all of us.)

Here's Georgie taking it all in during the cheese course:

(If you can't see him, he's behind my plate... he's a little dwarfed by the whole spread!)

Unfortunately, fiance (pictured above at the far end of the table giving deuces to the camera) got sick later in the night so I was too preoccupied with that to take photos of Georgie at midnight.

Here's another photo of Georgie with my friend Chris, though:

Happy New Year, Little Visitors!

New Year's Resolution / Christmas 2014

This was the first year I've ever been legitimately late taking care of Christmas presents. I mean, it all got done before December 24 (my family does Christmas Eve night) but still... I didn't like that one bit, being that far behind. (I do, however, appreciate that Amazon is not joking around with their shipping guarantees... everything got here on time or early, thank goodness.)

So for next year, I have a plan. I'm making one present per month (skipping March because of the wedding) and I've already started on the first one. Here is Georgie, being a big help:

As it turns out, he's an excellent cross-stitcher! Which is good, because we're going to be doing a lot of that. (And I'll still be doing a lot of that after he leaves.)

Christmas!

Well, I forgot to take photos at my family's Christmas on Christmas Eve (we don't usually take any photos, so my camera stayed in my purse) but I did take some Christmas evening with Fiance's family...

Waiting patiently at the table, behind the Buche de Noel (French chocolate cake or "Yule log")

Closeup with the beautiful Buche de Noel

We didn't eat the Buddha's hand, but it looks too cool to go unphotographed

Cheese, bread, wine, blood-orange-prosecco punch... this is an appetizer.

Frying latkes! (Yes, we had Hanukkah dinner on Christmas... it was a scheduling thing)

We hope everybody else had a wonderful Christmas!

Office Potluck

Just in time for the food photo challenge in the discussion thread, I needed to make something for the work potluck! There's another one tomorrow, but I get the day off, so I won't be making anything for that one. This is apple pie dip with cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips:

...after everyone had a go at it. If I don't get sick (fingers crossed, because I already feel like I'm on my way there) I'll be making this again to take to a party out of town on Saturday!

I adapted the recipe from here: http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/2011/09/apple-pie-party-dip-cinnamon-sugar-tortilla-chips/

(I used Vietnamese cinnamon, which is sweeter and stronger than regular cinnamon. I used flour tortillas instead of wheat. I had to add more cornstarch to thicken it - which is probably because I used slightly more than 2 cups of apple.) And the recipe doesn't specify a type of apple; I used Granny Smith (it's what my stepmom uses in apple pie, so it made sense to me).

MacArthur Mall

Since we had to park at MacArthur Mall (a huge, upscale mall in Norfolk) in order to go do my new employee orientation for my new job, we stopped really quickly to snap a photo with the winter globe that Santa sits inside:

It's the hap-happiest season of all!

JOB

GUESS WHAT?!? I was offered the full-time job I've been waiting for!!! Which is basically my current job (which I adore) except full-time (which means benefits and more time doing the job I love!) so YAY!!!!!!!! Here we are expressing our joy:

This also means I'll have WEEKENDS! I haven't had weekends in two years. I mean, during school breaks I have, but it's still a big deal. And it means Georgie and I can have more adventures!

And here's a bonus photo of Georgie with our jingle bell wreath on the front door, because it's cheery and makes me happy:

Thanksgivukkah

It's Thanksgiving... AND Hanukkah! So Happy Thanksgivukkah!

We had two meals like always: one with my family, one with Fiance's family.

Challah! With cranberry-orange butter. Fiance's mom makes a balla challah...

The spread chez my grandparents

On my grandparents' table

Fiance's parents' table (the plates are Paris-themed because we went there this summer)

Mighty turkey, fresh out of the oven!

So now we are stuffed full of food and we've slept in and it's time to test our abilities against the Black Friday crowd. I definitely was looking forward to the food more than to this shopping trip...

Happy Election Day!

I love voting! Consider: kids and teenagers complain all the time about how nobody asks for their opinion on the big things, and then suddenly, once you're 18 years old, you get asked once a year! And you get a STICKER for it! (Also I have strong opinions on some political things, but also... sticker!)

Lots of signs outside the polling place... including the only McAuliffe sign
I've seen in our entire neighborhood

Georgie shows off the "I Voted" sticker!

Now to kick back, eat pizza, and watch as the results roll in!