Christmas 2023

The Christmas PJ tradition has gotten out of hand.  And it's possible that these jingle bell reindeer tracksuits were only hilarious to me.  And it's also like that they will never be worn again.  And that's very disappointing.

Christmas is all about baking

and baking

and baking

And also gingerbread houses

We enjoyed grandpa's visit

And Grandpa enjoyed Bear Bear

Being an adult means getting flashlights for Christmas

 

Hiking

My hiking hobby has its own blog, but I will add a few photos here.  The biggest thing to come from my new hobby was becoming very ill and weak and finally seeing enough doctors to learn I was super-duper anemic.  Fun.  I'll say my hiking partner has been very patient.  And this fall (2023) I am giving all my new red blood cells a test run.  Our third hike Fall 2023 was harder than anything I did last year.  It wasn't fun but I did it.  Blood Mountain here I come...probably...eventually.

Most hikes look more like this. 

...than this

And sometimes you end up like this.

But even on the easy trails, danger lurks.  Or should I say stings.

Sometimes you get rewarded with this...but usually it's just blisters.

Betsy AKA Liz is our navigator...wait is that what you call it?

Here we are at one of the larger trees in GA. 

And overlooking lovely downtown Chatsworth (insert hysterical laughter if you've been to Chatsworth)

From the top of Ft Mountain-one of my favorite places to hike.

Noontoola Creek

View from Lake Blue Ridge

So we go this way...then that way..

Sometimes I even get "D" to join me.

It's all fun and games until someone (me) breaks a wrist.

I'll have you know I finished my hike with this broken wrist-then I went to urgent care.

Working Backwards Christmas 2022

Just in time for Christmas I finished my new rug.  Obviously, I love it, although I realize it may not be to everyone's taste (as I've been told).  It was very special as well because I painted it while suffering from BPPV a form of vertigo and another unknown dizziness.  I really struggled to finish before our new table arrived.  When I work on a piece like this, I could continue to find mistakes and areas to correct and never stop. It is 100% hand drawn and painted.  

Then a few days before Christmas we made a precarious journey over the mountains to Franklin, NC to pick up our new handmade Walnut Dining Table.  The trestle legs were my "must have" and the "live edge" was "D's" 

At least when its foggy you can't see how far you will if you go off the mountain.  

All loaded up and ready to go.  And the day cleared, and we had beautiful weather for the trip home.

What will follow are like 10 pics of my table from every imageable angle.  As an adult I've never had a nice dining table.  We've cycled though hand-me-down and thrift store finds.  These days everyone things they can screw some metal legs on a slab and call it a handmade live edge table.  But I wanted something a little more.

It was a very nice Christmas indeed.  Look what I got.  More tacky yard art but this time its almost as tall as me.

I love it.

Christmas charcuterie-it's really the best way to graze all day and I don't have to cook.

We tried certified Waygu for Christmas eve.  That's a one and done for us.  We can appreciate it-but perhaps not truly enjoy it.