Mildred's Cousins

For my cold feet...and the soft spot in my heart!

Edit: Thanks to my mom for coming up with the perfect names...Louise & Roberta

From Our Family to Yours...

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a Happy 2008!

Our annual "self" portrait courtesy of Jason's photography skills

We lost our space in the living room for a tree, so we put up these Charlie Brown Christmas trees to highlight our favorite ornaments.

Lucy really wants to help get the wood for the fire...

but in the meantime she'll settle for a leaf that she brought in from the deck. Further proof she is a dog at heart

Don't mess with my presents!

Don't mess with my wrapping paper either!

We had a lovely holiday that started on Christmas Eve with the 2nd annual Charlie Brown Dinner. We invited several of Jason's co-workers and our neighbors who didn't have other plans on the evening. We enjoyed an amazing plethora of food and goodies and wine. It's so nice to have friends to share the holidays with when we can't be near our friends...we're so lucky! On Christmas Day, Jason and I just took it easy with a long walk in the sunny afternoon and watched the newest Santa Clause movie and our annual viewing of "Love Actually".

Contrary to what this blog may show, I have been knitting. The problem is that I can't show pictures of it because they're all gifts to give to family and friends who view this blog. The second problem is that since the sun has been so rare in its appearance around here that I haven't gotten any good pictures lately either. For the meantime, I"ll appease you with this...

a lovely cake of delicious yarn that I'm using for something extra special!

Let the Holidays Begin

Yesterday was just another day....

in New York City!!

I have the most wonderful friends in the world! Cassie asked me if I wanted to take a day trip up to NYC to see the Christmas sites of the city and enjoy a show by the Rockettes! Having never been to NYC before, how could I refuse. So, on Saturday morning we woke up bright and early...well it wasn't quite bright yet, but it was early...and headed up to the city. We took a short drive up to Trenton and then hopped on a NJ train into the city.

Our first stop was...

Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes! I wish I could have taken pictures of the show because words just cannot describe it. The Rockettes were quite possibly the most talented performers I have ever seen. Such precision, grace, and beauty all wrapped up into an incredible performance! If you EVER have the chance to see them, pay the money. It would be worth every dime to enjoy the most famous Christmas show ever! For now, though, you can check out their site and see some clips! A BIG thanks goes out to Cassie's parents for the tickets!

Cassie's face after the show says it all!

Myself flanked by the Shular Sisters! You may not be able to tell, but we were very cold.

What is a trip to NYC without a stop at...


Rockefeller Plaza! The pictures don't show how beautiful the tree really is. I believe that this was the first year that they added blue lights to the tree. Now, I am very opposed to the majority of displays that I have seen with blue lights. But they really added an amazing dimension to the tree. I will say that I was surprised at how small the skating rink is. I believe that my parent's house would fit inside of it with just a little room to spare. We had no desire to spend the time waiting in line to skate, so off we were to hit several more brief stops. I didn't take many other pictures, but we did hit Saks and Grand Central Station on our way to lunch. I did capture a great picture of...


the Chrysler Building! I was amazed at how much it really does shine amongst all the buildings in the city. After a wonderful lunch at El Rio Grande off Park Avenue (Another BIG thanks to the Holzberg's for lunch) , Cassie and I made a quick stop to...


Time Square. We walked around the block, checked out a few Starbucks where the lines were WAY too long, and then headed back to Penn Station to catch a train home. It was an amazing first trip to NYC and I left with a few impressions:

1) The air in the city REALLY smells like roasted chestnuts

2) You have to be willing to push your way through a bunch of people when no one is moving

3) I can walk dozens of blocks in heeled boots and live to talk about it

4) Incoming trains are posted at the LAST minute meaning that everyone bolts for the same skinny escalator down to the tracks at the same time. You better book it!

5) I can run through a train station in heeled boots and live to talk about it

6) New Jersey is an ugly state

7) I need another trip to NYC to capture the rest of the Christmas spirit that it has to offer! Check back after the 14th as Jason and I head up with some friends to do just that.

In the meantime...enjoy the holiday spirit that is all around!