Christmas-ing with Kay!

Today I took off work and grabbed Kay to spend the day together in Phoenixville. We ate at Tai Me Up, which is fast becoming a favourite of mine!, then to The Colonial Theatre to see Die Hard on the big screen. Kayla had only seen bits and pieces and I was so happy when she said she loved it. Her fave scene was towards the end when Hans is on the roof and McClane finds him. In an instant Hans morphs into a wimpy American and Kay was really impressed by how fluid Alan Rickman was in flipping from Hans to Bill Clay to Hans. (I love the scene in the bathroom where John is telling Officer Powell what he wants his wife, Holly, to know if he doesn't make it out of there alive.) After the show we put on Johnny Mathis Christmas tunes and drove through the backroads of Chester County looking at, and judging, people's holiday house lights. We ended the evening with Kay's fave Mathis song, the one I played for her all those years ago and left a lasting impression. It's so incredible to have one of the kids in my life actually like something that I introduced to them. She's the bestest.

Our fave home in Media, PA!

December FaceTime with Natalia in Honolulu

Earlier this week I FaceTimed with Natalia. I was braving the 23 degree weather in multiple layers, my feet in a Happy Heat pillow stuffed with a microwaveable heating pad, a heating pad on my lower back, a shawl around my shoulders, a hat, scarf, and a blanket on my legs. Natalia? Yeah, she was in a bikini. 

Early Bday for Bishop!

This New Year's Eve Bishop turns sixty. In honour of the big day, I bought him sixty gifties. Most of them were silly, like Post-It notes, toothpaste, cookies, and an oven mitt, but I did score him a few solid goodies and he seemed to like everything. Go me! Yesterday we both had the day off work and he came over to hang out, bring me his homemade soup (Bishop's love language is food) and that's when I forced him to open all of the gifts well in advance of his big bday. 

(He spotted Buddy the Elf and declared, "that is the only film I can tolerate that man in." Ha!)

The List:

1978 Incredible Hulk lunchbox

Toni Morrison Field Notes notebook

Kate Gabrielle pin - Go Hug a Landmine

BlueQ Swedish dish towel - Normalize Losing Your Shit

BlueQ kitchen towel - Multi-Task Master

Preserve toothbrush - light green

Happy Tooth toothpaste

Cocofloss - Gelato Affogato

BlueQ oven mitt - DJ Stove Top

BlueQ socks - I'll Take One Order Of Woods, Two Large Lakes...

Betty White stamps

Ooly ninja erasers

Ooly comic book pencils

Bahamadia albums on cd - BB Queen and Kollage

Young Black Teenagers on cd

John Wick's car - matchbox size, of course

Browndages

Browndages - Young Icons

DarnBooks green floppy disk notebook

vintage holiday Borders travel mug

Ooly blue pencil sharpener

BlueQ Grumpy Old Man gum

Basquiat magnetic bookmarker

Hurraw! coconut lip balm

The Bitch paperback by Jackie Collins

John Lewis hardcover edition of Carry On

yin-yang bookmark

lined Post-It notes

Nubian Heritage - Raw Shea Butter bar soap

mason jar with his 60 best qualities on coloured paper

BlueQ pencil case - Welcome to the Shit Show

black Sharpie marker

two-pack black Sharpie pens

vintage Halston necktie

Ooly multi-pen

Does this handkerchief smell like chloroform? handkerchief

W.A.S.T.E. muted horn pin

Ooly and a homemade Time Travel fortune teller

Fishs Eddy heart like trinket tray

BlueQ handy tote - Packin' Snacks 

BlueQ shopper tote - I Have A Bit Of A Plant Problem

Trader Joe’s burlap tote

Stanley handle travel bottle with initials

Grape Nehi

Peach Nehi

Orange Nehi

Lush bath bomb - Mystery Machine

Lush bath bomb - Scooby Doo

Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies

Jiggie cassette tape puzzle (with handwritten mix on the back)

Everyone lotion

Woody's Jawnament

1940s recipe cards

Trader Joe’s organic Pink Lady apples

Jennie's Coconut Bites

Snickers

PayDay

Herr's potato chips

Uncle Eddie's Vegan oatmeal raisin cookies

Ritz crackers  

M&M is at it again!

Lucy's Elf on a Shelf got her again! M&M and friends crashed out on her when she was asleep, had their photo taken and uploaded it to be her iPad's background. Genius!

Baking Machine

This holiday, at least so far, I baked nine batches of cookies. The chocolate chip ones turned out spectacularly and I think I need to make at least three more batches since I still need to deliver cooks to Aunt Berne, Melanie, and Lauryn. 

Books & Cooks Tour 2025!!

I was so freakin' happy that Jax wanted to continue our silly tradition. This year we delivered my homemade vegan cookies and books to Xavier & Mary, Dave, Stacey, & Lucy, MeMom & Pop, Bishop, Uncle Alan & Ann Marie, and Kayla & Kenny. I drove while Jackson played DJ and we kicked back to Nirvana, Deftones, Pearl Jam, Rush, Incubus, Sam Cooke, and Ozzy. Oh, and I made him listen to Taylor Swift's All Too Well (the ten minute version, of course) and he stated, "I like her as a person. But I hate her music." All I could think was, "Uh-huh. I used to think that very same thing...." One day I'll turn him to the bright side and he'll appreciate her greatness. Anyway...we had a grand time together. The highlight for me was just before I dropped him off last night to my in-laws. He wanted to listen to Smells Like Teen Spirit one more time, saying he misses playing that glorious song. He put it on and I ordered him to drum along to it on his legs and got a personal performance while driving down 295. That kid is so crazy talented. Here's the best photos from this year's tour.

Snowfall and Cookie Dough

'tis the damn season - Taylor Swift

Cookie Road - The Julie Ruin

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - The Civil Wars

Christmas Starts Tonight - Olly Murs & The Ordinary Boys - Olly Murs

The Christmas Song - Carpenters   

Snow - RHCP

Christmas in Herald Square - Tony Bennett

Cold Cold Ground - Tom Waits

Wonderful Christmastime - The Shins

Christmas Is Going To The Dogs - The Eels

Winter Wonderland/Let It Snow - Midler & Mathis

Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald

Every Christmas Eve/Giving - Johnny Mathis

Winter Weather/Winter Wonderland - Mel Tormé

Frozen Pines - Lord Huron

Winter Light - Linda Ronstadt