Monday, December 26, 2005

Thank you, Santa


Well, Santa has been and gone. Just to give you an idea of how amazingly different my husband and I are here's a sampling from Santa's bag: the DVD of "A Gathering Storm" about Winston Churchill before WWII and a book on the Enlightenment for him and "Decorating with Funky Shui" (thanks for the recommendation, Samantha, it really is fun - loved the Pez dispenser collections) and the DVDs "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" for me. Really sums it up right there.

My Gilmore Girls season 5 is ordered - whoohoo. I got a rain check for the new book by Nancy Crow - it's not out yet. The other big gift of the year was a French language program so I can parlay voos me some fransays. So far I've learned that "un homme" sounds an awful lot like "a gnome."

On the 24th, I spent much of the morning going from store to store searching for Carr's biscuits (ie crackers), a staple of our Christmas Eve snacking tradition. Not to be found anywhere. Hubby and I then watched "A Christmas Story" -- you'll shoot your eye out -- or at least my sweetie did - I fell asleep sometime after the triple dog dare. Then we watched "Elf" for the first time - the first couple minutes explaining the three jobs elves can have is absolutely priceless.

I spent much of Christmas day laboriously making biscotti with pistachios, anise, and fennel seeds. It's truly heavenly but an amazing amount of work. I sooo now appreciate my friend who used to make it not only for me but my hubby too. Not that I didn't appreciate it then, but now I realllllly appreciate it.

Spent some of today quilting fans on the Noel sampler. I now have three of the borders done - I'm in the home stretch. I watched "Being Julia" while quilting. I enjoyed it well enough, but wouldn't need to see it again. On the subject of movies, a friend who just got back from the states watched the new "Pride and Prejudice" five times. Wow, can't wait to see that one.

Oh, and the pic is of some of my Santa collection. Two carved cyprus knees, a couple of other carved pieces, a handpainted gourd, and the metal guy I just bought in London this year. I love the faces on all these guys - none of them are overly cutesy or big-eyed.

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday or at least time off from work.

7 comments:

Quilts And Pieces said...

Tonya I am so totally jealous of you! Those santa's are to die for. You always have a surprise of things that are just too cute! I am in love with those carved santas! I wish I had a a place to set them out and could find things like that! I must not look in the right places! :)

Those are adorable!

I saw the new pride and prejudice and loved it - but I"ve never read the book or seen the old ones to have anything to compare to. I was thinking that over New Years to rent the one you have I think you said it was the A&E one and watch it.

My husband got the entire first season of Leave it to Beaver and Andy Griffith Show - so we have been watching these oldies with the kids! It has been really funny!

Nancy said...

Love the Santas. I added a new one to my Christmas things collection this year but he's not as cool as your carved ones.

And we also watched A Christmas Story yesterday. :-) That's been one of our Christmas Day traditions for the last 5 or 6 years now. For the last few years TNT usually shows it for 24 hour straight starting early evening on Christmas Eve. This year just to be sure I bought the DVD but still watched it on TNT since they did show it again.

Bonnie K. Hunter said...

Love the santa collection! My favorite is the one kind of in the back....the big long face...great!

HOME ALONE is one of our christmas traditions as well as "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas"....

Wish I could sit by you, munch biscotti and quilt fans...sounds like we are both in the same tv/movie watching fan quilting mode of thinking!

Bonnie

Hunter said...

It sounds like you had so much fun Tonya.

We watched the original War of the Worlds today with Gene Barry. We had tacos for Christmas dinner, which is one of our traditions. We had a lovely visit with our son by phone on Christmas morning.

Your santas are wonderful. I love the eyes on the one on the right in the back.

Thanks for sharing.
Darilyn

Anonymous said...

Love the santas! I'm proud to think I influenced your gifts- I do adore that book :-) Elf, which I finally condescended to watch last year, has fast become a favorite of mine.

So glad Santa treated you well! And amazed that you made biscotti- not because I don't think you could, but because *I* couldn't!!

Finn said...

And a jolly ho-ho-ho time was had by all..*G* How did those kitties fare in the prezzies department?? Lots of catnip mice??
The Father Christmas figures are really neat! A great collection to go with those awesome "bobs" of yours..*VBG*

I've now joined the ranks of the 21st century, having gotten a DVD player for Christmas..lucky me!! Goooood son #1..*G*

Tonya Ricucci said...

Thanks for the compliments. Ya'all might be horrified to find out how much I paid for some of them. But I'd rather pay a craftsperson a decent wage to get really cool one-of-a-kind Santa that I really love. Two came from Houston Quilt Fest, one from the MAQS gift shop in Paducah, one was made by a co-worker...

Kitties had a wretched christmas - Santa brought them nothing. They're already spoiled rotten with too many toys they don't play with. So I was a grinch. Trust me, they're fine without anything more.