The typical grind

Well, all the festivities are finally over. I know this because our Christmas tree left a sea of needles as it was dragged to the back door...and down the steps...and on our patio...

I hate taking down the Christmas tree because then you know the celebration is officially over. I was enjoying the merriment of it all this year. Our house finally feels like it's ours. We spent Christmas morning by ourselves for the first time ever, just enjoying each other's company.

Oh well, now on to the Gift Card spending!

I rang in the New Year with my favorite cuz Kelley at her apartment in Butcher's Hill. It looks much nicer than it sounds, but certainly edges unhappier places. Her friends were quite welcoming and prepared an excellent yet random feast for us including leg of lamb and fingerling potatoes, a spicy tomato and shrimp pasta, and appetizers galore. At every family function it is imperative that the appetizers include crab dip. You don't need to inquire why--you should know why we're obsessed with crabs. We were able to watch the fireworks over the Harbor from her rooftop deck and I attempted to take pictures with the feature on my camera that specializes in firework scenes. I still needed a tripod because the shutter speed was about 6 seconds long. A lot of wiggling can happen in 6 seconds.

Hubby and I had an excellent meal to start the New Year off right--short ribs braised in stout, served with collard greens and black-eyed peas (these two sides bring prosperity for the coming year). Apparently every black-eyed pea you eat equals one dollar of earnings, and every green you eat equals one thousand. I'm good to go I think, or at least to the level I'm currently at :)

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year and Christmas.