Happy New Year's Eve's Eve!

Hello there! I have not posted in a while because after the sweater finishing - I just had to leave the state and relax. Well, not exactly - but I did leave the state and I did relax. We went to H's parents and ate like crazy and generally had a wonderful time.

The week before we left Susan came to visit me - well she came to visit her brother, but I stole her away for a few days. It was so great to have my friend nearby again!! Hip Hip Hooray for soul-friends! I just wish I could have been a better host by cooking more and I really wish I would have had more than one day to take vacation from work and play.

It was my 1st Christmas away from home (I have missed all other holidays but always made it home for Christmas before) and I thought it might be weird... but my in-laws are so great and all of H's friends were home there wasn't too much time to feel lonely!

H even played me some songs from his beginner piano books from when he was a kid. hee hee hee. It was so cute I could hardly stand it. Here is a picture. I don't have many Christmas pictures - Teresa his sister was taking most of the group shots and I always think - oh it would be silly to take more than one... but then I have to wait for her to send me some photos.


Anyway - it flurried a few days - but no white Christmas was in the cards for us. We ate some Dim Sum in Cincinnati on Christmas day. We also went to Cincinati another day with Eric (one of H's friends) and popped into a vinyl record store called Everybody's records and a comic books shop before stopping to have lunch at an Irish Pub. Over the week's span I also caught two movies - Sweeny Todd and Walk Hard. I loved Sweeny Todd - I was impressed by everyone in it, Walk Hard was a lowbrow comedy and it had its moments, but I suggest renting not going to the theater for that one.

Oh and of course I knitted: I finished the mittens for the "subway mittens" pattern in the last interweave knits magazine... I still have to make the pocket for the metro card, but since I had not brought it with me, I didn't want to guess at its size. And I have to buy a button.

And I finished 1.5 socks. So I have that going for me as well.

Today has been an excellent day - our flight was one time, arrived early, and we got home before lunch. We took a nap, and now I am cooking some veggie lasagna in my slowcooker. Yes you heard that right - lasagna in the slowcooker. I have not tried this before but I have great hopes it will turn out great. The recipe is from "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slowcooker" by Robin Robertson if you are interested you can read more about it on Amazon here.

And I made some "one bowl chocolate cake" from the BHG cookbook. I add a handful or two of chocolate chips to it rather than adding icing. And I use vanilla soy milk instead of regular milk. Oh and I mix it by hand instead of with a mixer. But that is all I change - hahaha.

Well I hope this blog post makes up for the time I have completely ignored this blog over my vacation!