First sentences

Most years, I do a post of the first sentence of the first post for every month throughout the past year. Here they are for 2011.

• January:

  This year, my resolutions are to send my son to school with a packed lunch at least 3 times a week, and to be a better house-keeper.

  I wasn't perfect on this front, but I did pretty well. Keeping these as my resolutions for 2012.


• February:

  Here's the birthday boy, playing Epic Mickey (one of his birthday presents)

  Muffin Man's birthday is on the first of February, so the first post tends to be about that.


• March:

  Over ten inches off!

  Mystery Mommy gets a haircut, a story in pictures.


• April:

  I'm wearing this in aubergine.

  Still one of my favorite things to wear.


• May:

  Muffin Man's science class is talking about habitats, the environment, the food chain, and all that kind of stuff.

  I should have posted the picture myself. Mr. Spock's blog is gone.


• June:

  This jacket from Nordstrom, it's by Halogen and it breaks my rule about pockets near the rack of doom.

  Outfit blogging, with pictures.


• July:

  Please keep my Grandma in your thoughts.

  She's recovered well and is back home. Celebrated her 93rd birthday the other day!


• August:

  We've switched things around at Chez Mystere.

  A picture and description of my bedroom.
• 
  
• September:

  So, 11 days ago, I got a Droid X2 to replace my Droid Eris, which died an ignoble death (dropped from a height onto uneven pavement. Smash).

  I still don't know how to plug ICE phone numbers into an iPhone. Do you?


• October:

  Yesterday morning, after breakfast, I hauled out of the fridge several pounds of beef cubes, a sheaf of golden beets, a bunch of young carrots, a bag of red potatoes, a package of chopped crimini mushrooms, a leek, a large onion, and a quarter of a stick of butter.

  And now I'm hungry.


• November:

  We didn't know when Muffin Man asked to be the Cone Head Zombie from Plants vs. Zombies this year that it would be so topical!

  I'm pretty proud of that costume.


• December: There are no words on that first post. It's just a video of The Roches singing "Star of Wonder" as the first song of 25 for the December Holidays. Here they are again.

Happy New Year!!

Christmas memory

The first Christmas after my parents separated, my sister and I spent Christmas Eve at my Dad's place, a rail-road apartment on 11th? 12th? Street in Park Slope.

We shared a bedroom there, and my dad had painted a bright and cheerful rainbow on the wall above my bed. My sister's side of the room had this magical built-in cupboard, with drawers underneath.

So, it's the night before Christmas. The first Christmas we weren't a whole family. I couldn't sleep. BigSister couldn't sleep. We were whispering and speculating and wondering if Santa knew where we would be. Did we remember to give him this address? Would it confuse him that we were going to be switching houses? We just. couldn't. sleep.

So BigSister said, "you know, when EldestCousin babysat for me a while ago, I asked him to tuck me in and he didn't know how. Here! Let me show you what he did!"

And she bounced up out of bed, and came over to my side of the room and pulled the covers up to my chin and then went "TUCK!TUCK!TUCK!" and tucked the blankets in around my body like you would tuck a flat sheet under a mattress.

And then she went back to her bed. And I bounced up (after detangling myself) and I went over to HER side of the room and I pulled the covers up to her chin and went "TUCK!TUCK!TUCK!" and tucked the blankets in around her body like you would tuck a flat sheet under a mattress.

And then I went back to my bed and she bounced up (after detangling herself) and....well, lather, rinse, repeat about seven times. We were HOWLING with laughter. And it became a Christmas tradition that we continued for years.

The moral of the story is that even the most difficult holidays can bring fun memories, and build new traditions. I don't remember what I got for Christmas that year, but I remember that night with my sister.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 25: Finale

'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime, when all the birds had fled...




Yes, that's Muffin Man singing the first verse. I couldn't be more proud.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - a brief detour

My intended twenty-fifth song is still on the camera, so here is a bonus song: Julia Murney singing about what happens to the gifts AFTER Christmas

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 24

My favorite version of this one:

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 23

Because even Godless Unitarians want a week's vacation.




Roy Zimmerman. Yes.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 22

The Indigo Girls bring a country feel to the Festival of Lights.
 

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 21

Once upon a time, I could name all the artists in this video...that time is long gone.

Trees

Muffin Man did the lion's share of trimming the trees this year.

I participated by stringing the lights and topping the taller of the two trees with the star with his hand print angel from '03. His hands were so tiny!

Also in this picture, but hard to see, are Spottie and Runner.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 20

You knew I had to, right?

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - parts 18 and 19

Because I missed yesterday, here are two! First, Tom Lehrer makes his second appearance on my list with "A Christmas Carol" (lipsynched by Benjamin M. W. in a red & black Santa hat)



Next, we have Brenda Lee singing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Static picture, alas.



Tune in tomorrow for another Hanukkah entry!

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 17

My friend Glenn pointed me to this version, which I heard for the first time last week.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 16

And yet another gift idea



Peter and Paul used to have hair. I was shocked to see it.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 15

More gift ideas

Chocolate Dropkins

Chocolate Dropkins are a tradition in my family. My earliest Christmas memories include making bread dough figures for the tree, and these chocolates for treats.

The chocolates are dead simple to make, you take one box of unsweetened chocolate and melt it in a double-boiler. When it's all melted, you cool it slightly and mix in one can of sweetened condensed milk. Let it cool to rolling temperature (should not be liquidy, should feel like play doh.)

This is almost to the right temperature, but was still a little goopy.

Once the consistency is right, you roll the chocolate into small balls, and coat in colored sugar, nuts, powdered cocoa, or coconut. This year I used white and gold sugar. The gold looked better than the white.

Ooh! Pretty!

What looked best, though, was a mixture of gold and white, which really made the chocolates look Christmas-y. The hardest part of making these chocolates is waiting for the mixture to reach the right temperature.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 14

Here's a great gift idea!

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 13

Jazzing it up a bit

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 12

On the 12th day of this project, the Muppets gave to me...

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 11

This one is courtesy of my friend Dave.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 10

The Roches again, this time with a medley.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 9

I love rounds, don't you?

Virginia Tech

Washington Post is reporting two dead at Virginia Tech, shooter still at large.

My thoughts are in Blacksburg.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 8

One of many.


Bonus piece, a song suggested by YouTube when I brought this one up.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 7

They made a new one, too. I like this one better.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 6

Here's one I heard for the first time this past Thursday. Written and sung by an Australian.

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 5

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 4

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 3

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 2

Twenty-five songs for the December Holidays - part 1