Stay Safe Out There!

This is how I found myself last night...it appears as though Roxie and I are snuggled and safe while Lucy watches over us. The contented look on Roxie's face...is so precious to me...Lucy checked us both and then she fell asleep, too. They both smell so good...lavender and my perfume and Den's cologne...all mixed together on them...they seriously always smell heavenly.

I don't really think about the year ending...I just kind of like to blend into the new year...I like to cook tons of good luck foods...we are having greens and black eyed pea salad and a roast of pork and braised cabbage. We are eating 12 grapes each to help us be prosperous in the new year...and that's it...we are eating little bites of lobster salad, shrimp and lobster claws for lunch tomorrow...I can't eat any more good luck than that!

Have a safe and lovely time tonight!

Fondly...

Patty

 

 

 

 

 

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Tuesday Never Happened...Sort Of...

Ok...so I have no clue what happened to my blog yesterday...but I deleted it and drafts and anything connected to it...today is a new day...Lance...the CEO of Blogsy...the platform I use and love...really tried his best to help but I think it was totally me...I was trying to put things in the center and I think I tapped one too many times...my bad! When I looked at my drafts they kept doubling at a very rapid pace...so I just deleted anything that had to do with Tuesday...

I did write about my new Christmas oversized beanie that I wanted to wear. It has...much to my dismay...Santa Den...a real fur pompon which Roxie got a crush on and tried to drag away!

And I wrote about this book...it's different and unique and is about being able to step into "rifts" of time. It's about a sad broken family, too. It's quite captivating.

Today...and part of yesterday...Den and I binge watched Fargo...Season Two. Based on a true crime...supposedly...it was unbelievable. At first I did not want to watch it but then I could not stop watching it.

Wasn't she Spider-Man's girlfriend? She is in Fargo! Wasn't she in a vampire series, too?

So...today...this is what I am reading...

Description from Amazon...

"For fans of Kate Morton and Sarah Waters, here’s a magnetic debut novel of wrenching family secrets, forbidden love, and heartbreaking loss housed within the grand gothic manor of Black Rabbit Hall." I think that at least 99% of the books I read have wrenching family secrets!

Yum!

So...we are still in a very holiday mode...we are either working out and going out to dinner or not working out and going to lunch...hmmm...

Have an awesome Wednesday!

Fondly,

Patty

 

 

 

 

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A Plethora Of Books?

Just a quick assessment of books I have read over this past week...

I loved this book...Poppy was the character that I loved to...well...not love!

I loved this book! The four Plumb siblings...were messy, dysfunctional, funny and kind of sad at times but this book was everything I needed it to be!

Oh my...this book gets high ratings from almost every reader but it was not a good choice for me. I think I got Lucrezia Borgia confused with Lizzie Borden...teasing. One used poison...the other used an ax? I do not like this period in history. This was not a good choice for me.

Love these authors but this collaboration was lost on me. I now know that I don't like books written by more than one person. Seriously...readers also loved this book but I just didn't.

Ok...don't hate me...but...my sister, her daughter and I have this thing for really good vampire books. It must be genetic. My niece found this series... which has been around a while. I just started it...it's soooo good. Christmas always makes me want to read a vampire book...and this series has everything. I am finishing up Blood in minutes...it's crazy good. There are about 21 books in this series...yum! Long red hair, fair skin, a hulking muscular vampire Prince, hunters, a vampire city called The Shade...and a destiny that needs fulfilling for Sophia and Derek. It's like a vampy soap opera!

Plus I don't really count these books in books I read and review...I read these on my Kindle...at night...to help me have a peaceful night! Ha!

Reading this...it was first on my Paperwhite...from Edelweiss...I started it and it's really good.

Off to tidy and clean...toss in some laundry...roast two baked potatoes for lunch and make lasgana for dinner...fulfilling a promise to Den...but I am using no boil pasta so it's actually easy!

Have a lovely Monday!

Fondly,

Patty

 

 

 

 

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We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Scenes from the day... it's so warm we were wearing shorts!

My 2015 Santa!

Thinking about mind controlling Den to empty the dishwasher...it worked!

 

Hopefully you are having a wonderful day!

Fondly,

Patty

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

If only it would snow! We were out and about today without coats. Most of the people we ran into were in shorts and short sleeved tees! We opted to cancel our dinner reservation for tonight and instead have a Seven Fishes dinner at home. So we bought halibut, shrimp, scallops, calimari and cockles! I don't even know what cockles are but at least they are tiny. If you are counting that's only 5 fishes but I have to make a tuna aoli that goes on the toasts and I am counting the entire dish as the 7th fish...my bad! What I am making is really easy...everything goes into the same pan at varying times with a red sauce broth. We will have tuna toasts for dipping!

Here it is!

Dessert is mini fruit tarts from Wegman's! Not this many...we just bought two! And for tomorrow we bought four iced sugar cookies! Mittens and trees! Yum!

I haven't read a word today but I will read later...we went to lunch, I got my nails done, we delivered gifts, we wrapped presents and now we are done...totally done!

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

 

 

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It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Seriously? It rained all day long but it still feels and looks and smells very Christmassy...everywhere! My Pier One room spray plus the live tree do the trick!

I found this ribbon at Pottery Barn yesterday...it's thick and wide and plaid and bendable. It was on sale so I grabbed one bundle...I wanted to thread it through the already decorated tree...but...it's in strips! I love it! It can be tucked anywhere because it is so manageable. I used it all over and now I need and want more!

I pretty much tucked mine everywhere except for the tree...that's why I need more!

It's perfect because it doesn't drop needles and the kitties won't chew it!

We are supposed to have thunder here at midnight! Oh my!

So...tomorrow we are zipping to Weggieman's to grab a few things...I am getting my nails done...we are going to dinner and I am making one batch of sugar cookies...cut outs...and I need to wrap presents, too. But it's all very relaxing...seriously...

Still reading this...it definitely has Beatriz Williams touch...I am really enjoying it...it dips into the past...that 40's era...and there is that "forgotten" room...then and now!

Off to listen to the rain fall...harder and harder!

Patty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

It is raining and pouring so hard here but it's still hot! It's supposed to be in the high 70's on Christmas morning. The only cool weather thing today was that while we were driving in the rain you could fool yourself into thinking that it was about to snow...it was all misty and foggy!

Every store here is on overload! We drove to KOP to attack Nordstrom's for a few things...it was fun for a bit and then people were starting to get sort of crazed and whiny. I needed to pick up something for our mail lady and my niece and I wanted a new red MAC lipstick and we always go to Pottery Barn and buy ornaments on sale. But we really couldn't wait to get out of there. We wanted to stop at Trader Joe's on the way home but it was so crowded we could not get into the parking lot! So...then...we thought we'd grab a Panera's turkey sandwich...yet another bad idea! It was packed! So we tried a new noodle shop next door but the windows were so steamy from soup sippers and standing room only that we walked out and headed back to Panera's. The roads are a throbbing mess!

We are home now and exhausted! Showered...jammied...wiped out. Plus the one thing I needed at Trader Joe's...yep...that one thing...I forgot to buy! Well...maybe three things!

Just started this book...kind of good!

Dinner is going to be frozen starters from Trader Joe's...it's a festival of flavors! Yum!

Off to stare at the TV in a mindless manner...I don't want to think or read anything right now.

Patty

 

 

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Oh What Fun It Is...

It is seriously fun to just enjoy this lovely week before Christmas...today we relaxed and read in bed...yes in bed...for a while...with coffee and later Cheerios and berries!

We went kitty shopping and I needed to pop into TJ Maxx for more Jammie bottoms. I scored 4 pair at $9.99 a pair! This is my one and only bargain...sigh!

I bought some festive red hand towels and dish towels, too...and literally spent pennies!

Then off we went to The Whip! Lunch! We had grass fed hamburgers and salads with Stilton Dressing...

We have a friend who works there who made us take home a Sticky Toffee Pudding. Den is heating it up now!

The Whip's tree...we love The Whip at any time!

This weekend I read these books...

This one? OMG...it reminded me and others of an old Alfred Hitchcock thriller...it was amazing.

This was a fun sarcastic witty YA.

This one was old Hollywood and two roommates and the hat from Scarlett O'Hara...loved it!

 

Reading this now...I will be done momentarily. I love this YA magical mystical character driven book. I read another book by this author and I loved it, too! Her words...her thoughts...just capture me and I want to read and read and not let go. Wink...the magical girl...Midnight...the lost boy...and Poppy...cruel, selfish mean spirited evil Poppy! This book is so good!

Have a beautiful Monday!

Patty

 

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Just A Pop In...

Tree and house are done! Every last bough and bow and Santa and Snowman and Tree is placed and settled only to be moved by Roxie and Lucy weaving in and out of things...everything is inspected by these two except for the big live tree! Lucy sits and cries when she sees a tiny fake bit of greenery! We have to take it down and allow her to "inspect" it...we have been doing this for years!

Just a few of my holiday settings! You can see how much fun it is to weave in and out and knock everything over!

 

 

Tonight we are watching football/reading/jigsaw puzzling and having Amish Oven Fried Chicken for dinner...Den is making smashed potatoes...yum! If you have never tried Amish Oven Fried Chicken...you really should! No egg...a little flour or Panko and seasonings...pop everything in a bag to coat and bake in a mixture of olive oil and melted butter...but not too much!

Happy Sunday!

Patty

 

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Patty And Den's Festivus!

I think we love the holidays so much because we get to stay in our own house. For most of our lives when we lived all over the country...we mostly trekked to Ohio or Colorado for the holidays...but now we really like to not travel on the holidays. When our parents were the focal point and there was snow and skating and skiing and nieces and nephews and pets and sharing bathrooms...and food everywhere...that was where we wanted to be. But now it's fun to stay at our home. We were always torn...we hated leaving our house but could not wait to get to our parents. Now that we are both orphans...we stay put with our own traditions.

Festivus!

Den is working today so Festivus officially starts tonight with dinner here...it's a typical PA restaurant...I think it used to be an old dairy or part of an old dairy.

Bar and entry...

Inside dining room...

It's cool on the inside...fireplaces and soft lights...and great foods. It's now owned by a new owner with a Southern flair...Den plans on having shrimp and grits...I want fried green tomatoes! I will pop in tomorrow and let you know how it was!

Good news!

Our tree is actually staying in the stand and as predicted...the girls are totally ignoring it. It does not interest them...

No lights...

Just lights...we are decorating over the week end! And it is fuller but I do love it...our plan is to sit tight here and decorate over the week end because it is crazy on the roads...

So...Festivus...Day 1...begins! Next week's activities are planned...I am finished shopping...so it's just wrapping stuff and getting cards out and little gifts of cash for our mail lady and garbage and recycling dudes...and something for Lauren our stylist and My...my nail guru...maybe I do have a little more to do...and we still need to see the lights at Longwood...but it will all get done...

Longwood Gardens is crazy busy because of this...the annual Christmas lights. It's beautiful. Dinner reservations at the restaurant inside Longwood is sold out a year in advance!

Some photos plus I put in a link to the video...

Off to do stuff! Oh...this book is really good...the chiller/thriller that I needed...

Happy Friday!

Patty

 

 

 

 

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