SNOWMYGOD, the recap.

Spoiler alert:  we did fine. 

Ricky and I both were at home on Friday, which was key because then we wouldn't need to fight our way onto the last train out of town.  I could also make a crock pot roast to feed us all week.  It was nice to see the snow lightly falling during the day.

After dinner, we did a pre-emptive shoveling, but it didn't matter because we were covered in snow so badly at the end of it.  We also tried to walk and see what the water looked like, but the conditions were so bad that we had to turn around five minutes in.  It was so windy and white out that we couldn't see, and feared walking into a plow.

The next morning, we woke up to the most snow we'd ever seen in Salem.  At least 2 feet, possibly more.  It was to the top of my boots, whatever that may be.  I tried to walk and see how it looked, but nothing was plowed so again I turned around.

Ricky and I made egg sandwiches, then spent an hour shoveling.  We'd end up doing another pass at it once the snow stopped, and then cleaning up our cars on Sunday.  My arms are still sore from shoveling.

We took a walk to see the snow once it stopped and the plows had been through.  It was crazy how desolate the city looked.  since there are so many historic buildings in Salem, it also made us feel like we went back in time with the barren streets and no cars.

At night, the city began to wake up again and we walked to Howling Wolf to meet up with friends and get tacos.  It was nice to see people again.

Sunday things were getting back to normal.  One crazy thing was that there is nowhere to put this snow.  Most of the sidewalks are still covered in snow, not because people didn't try... but because there is nowhere to put it.  It'll be warmer this week, so hopefully the accumulation will melt a bit.

Here are some of my photos from the storm.

Our street on Friday night.  Not a lot of snow at this point, but a lot of snow is falling.

Derby Street, Friday night, in the middle of the white out conditions.  You can't see the harbor straight ahead of us, but you can see two people who had a similar plan of taking a snow storm walk.

Yard, Saturday morning.  I had shoveled this last night, but it was all for naught.  This is at least 2 ft of snow.

Custom House, completely covered in snow.

Salem Commons, looking like it's 1900.

Holiday Cheer, HC-Style

If you look outside, it doesn't look like December.  It doesn't even really feel like December inside from my apartment.  We have one pine tree candle, and we've purchased stockings to decorate, and we've even made a decent dent in the large canon of Christmas movies out there, but I'm just not in the Christmas spirit yet.  Today, though, I think that may change, as I'm returning to Holy Cross for the afternoon.

Ricky and even my coworkers sometimes tease me about my love for HC.  There's just something about that little academic paradise on a hill that sets my heart pitter patter, and it comes out even stronger in the wintertime.  Much like how Hogwarts always looked prettier at Christmas, Holy Cross feels and looks even prettier under a blanket of snow with greenery and advent wreaths.  Last night, HC hosted its annual tradition of Lessons and Carols.  I didn't steam it, but I'm sure it was merry with the choir singing and candles and greens everywhere.  I went a few times when I was in college, and it's a really nice experience.

This is a stressful time in the life of a Crusader, since classes are wrapping up and finals are going to be underway next week.  It was a lot of not sleeping for me and a lot of cramming to write all my papers and study literary themes or important plays.  We even had all of the student performances during the reading days, so those three days that I could have used as a jump start on papers were spent in the Pit, rehearsing one thing or another.  But it was still very nice, since it signified the end of a semester and visual proof of learning outcomes. 

There was definitely a social aspect to the end of the semester and finals.  Because no one had classes, big lunches used for discussing books and studying happened regularly.  Jess, Karin, Tim, sometimes Erin, and I would also spend hours in Hogan, buying cup after cup of coffee and writing papers on the couches.  At night, we'd all trek to Midnight Breakfast and stay for hours, soaking up all the free coffee they provided while eating egg sandwiches and hash browns.  This was the break we'd need, though often someone would have a book or a paper in hand to edit and hopefully not get coffee or maple syrup on.  It didn't matter what we were doing, we'd make sure we were there every night.  There was also a memorable time when our classmate Ed (now a monk!) was panicking about something and gave himself a bloody nose.

I know I discussed all of this last year, but the feelings of nostalgia came flooding back again.  Why?  My friend Tim has been teaching at HC all semester, and today is the last day of his fall semester.  He's celebrating with pizza (as only one can when you're finishing Milton) and then I am joining him for a later lunch somewhere in the city.  It's been exciting hearing him talk about being back in Worcester and starting on his career path, so spending time with Tim on the last day of classes seems appropriate.  It makes me remember all the winters in Worcester (or while I was in Worcester and he was studying in England) we've spent together.  The midnight breakfast, the coffees in Hogan, the Christmas party where he dressed up like Santa.  All of it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think this trip to Worcester will be the beginning of holiday cheer that I need.  A walk around to look at the greens, see the manger, drink too much coffee with Tim... that'll all bring me to that frame of mind that's ready for Christmas and the holidays in general.  I'm glad that I'm doing it a little older, a lot wiser, a few more grays and a ring on my left hand, and that I don't have to stretch my margins out to get a paragraph onto the 10th page all while trying not to spill in my books so I can try to sell them back to the bookstore.

MFT Day 17: Hunter Boots

Work has been a bit crazy, so I am (I fear) permanently behind a day.  I'll try to catch up, but if not... I'll just write #30 on March 1.  And so it goes.

With the weather on in the background, and the fear of snow coming over the weekend, I am writing about my hunter boots.  Walking to work was proving to be rough on my feet and socks, mainly because they kept getting wet all snowy winter and muddy spring.  Many students were wearing Hunter Boots, and looking adorable while doing so.  I asked one of them about it, and they came highly recommended.  The one rainy day well over a year ago, I trekked to The Tannery and picked myself up a purple pair.

This was an excellent decision. 

I love how simple they are, but that they look classically British.  I also like how they keep my feet dry.  Sadly, because they are only rubber, my feet aren't always super warm in the cold snow, but I just layer socks and then take off a pair at work. 

Last winter, when we had countless snow days, I joked that my snow day attire was as such:
--leggings
--big sweater/tunic and sweater
--Hunter Boots
--hat and mittens

This was so shovel out my car and around the apartment, walk to get coffee, and then walk to get a bottle of wine.  This look served me well.

A blogger I love reading, Elsie from A Beautiful Mess, recently blogged herself wearing her berry Hunter Boots, and I love the look of it.  I am tempted to get a black and white striped dress and pull it off on my own.

MFT Day 9: Navy blue nail polish

I promise that this won't devolve into me plugging products I like. 


Last night, after a long run, I decided that my poor sad wintery feet (read:  dry, cracked, and all around gross) needed some love.  I gave myself an impromptu pedicure while waiting for Ricky to come home from work.  I automatically went for my navy blue nail polish.  I felt better after pampering my poor feet.

For years, I've liked nail polish on my toes but tend to never put it on my hands.  I find it distracting, I often end up chipping it an hour in, and I have short stubby fingers so it never looks good.  I think if I had longer fingers and nails, I'd be more apt to give myself manicures, but alas.

I have a lot of pinks and some crazy colors, but wanted to about a year ago try out a dark color, ideally navy blue.  I went to Sephora and got a great color of navy blue.  I can't remember the name of it, but if you go... it's the shiny navy blue polish.  I may need to get more soon because a year later I've used up about half of the bottle!  There are tons of blue polishes, and they let you try everything out at Sephora (thank God because that shit is not cheap) so definitely try a few colors to see what works best for you.

I may have a blue pedicure for Jess and Erin's wedding, as a secret fun way to tie in some "something blue" for both looks.

MFT Day 8: Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm

Much like my friend Jess, I am a tad obsessed with chapstick.  I have to always have a chapstick on me, and if I don't I usually end up buying a new one to tie me over.  This may be slightly crazy, and it may also explain why I have 20 things of chapstick.  (I don't... it just feels that way)

Last year I made a discovery that may be life-changing, especially in the wintertime when my skin gets super dry.  Burt Bee's came out with tinted chapstick.  It's all natural, makes my lips less chapped, and has a hint of color.  This last detail I love, since sometimes lipstick feels like too much stuff on my lips but I also don't want to look like I'm super pasty and tired in the wintertime. 

It's a bit expensive, but totally worth it.  Right now I have a tube of hibiscus and I just finished using my tube of rose, so I may replace that one soon (read:  this lunch break).

MFT Day 7: Clementines

I had half of this written yesterday, but never got to finishing it until just now.  I blame this to a busy day at work and How I Met Your Mother finally being new again.

One things I love in the wintertime is that clementines are fresh and abundant.  I think you can get them year-round in some supermarkets, but they're not as good as this time of year, their sweet spot if you will.  So tiny and cute, they are such great snacks when it's cold and gray out.

We got a bag of clementines on Sunday, and a lot of that bad is already gone.  I've been packing some in my bag for work, and devouring them well before 11am. 

I inevitably will try to stretch out clementine season longer than it is, and then get disappointed by dry, bitter fruits, but for now I am reveling in these delightful tiny little gems.  So bright, and sweet, and juicy.

MFT Day 3: mustard yellow sweaters (ideally from J Crew)

Photo credit:  What Would a Nerd Wear.  CHECK IT OUT!!

I'm a sucker for mustard yellow.  There have been times when my ongoing online J Crew shopping cart is filled with only two things:  Navy blue shirts and mustard yellow sweaters.  If I could, I would live in both.  It's a sometimes weird color, but one that I adore.  And I feel like it adds a muted pop of color during the dreary winter months.  I know other stores have mustard yellow sweaters, but there's just something about a mustard yellow sweater in the J Crew variety.  (I truly thing their strongest suits are sweaters and cords)

I recently made myself a cowl in mustard yellow, along with thrifted my very own J Crew cardigan in mustard cashmere.  There's also one at the thrift store around the corner from where I work that I've been eying and will probably snatch up today. 

I know I'm not alone on this, because when you google "J Crew mustard yellow sweater" you get hundreds of different results.  In doing so, I also found a blog called What Would a Nerd Wear that I'm in love with and will now be following.  I think we may be clothing kindred spirits.  (that's where the picture for this post are from)

Christmas traditions

As Ricky and I get older and celebrate more holidays together, we've decided to create our own Christmas traditions that are ours.  One that I've enjoyed two years in a row is to travel into Cambridge on a weekend and see It's a Wonderful Life at the Brattle Theatre, then walk around Harvard Square to Christmas shop, eat snacks, and enjoy treats.  Today we went into the city and did just that.

There's something I really love about The Brattle.  I think because it's a small, no frills, independent theatre that plays both large hits and old classics.  I've seen lots of movies here, and it's great seeing movies that I was unable to see on the big screen.  It also feels great supporting a small, independent theatre, something I fear is disappearing in this day and age.

After the movie, we got our standard lunch at Cafe Crema (mmmm) and a dessert at Burdicks, and walked around only slight.  It was waaaaay too cold to do our normal loop.  I saw recently that a Burdicks is opening down the street from where I work, so perhaps there will be more chocolate penguins and teas in my future.

I think it's great that the longer we're together, we're establishing our own traditions for holidays and memories.  Our trip to see It's A Wonderful Life is something I'll look forward to every year for a long time.  It's a nice wintertime date day.

Winter Break Goals

It's like "mini resolutions".

One of the joys of working in education is that I have lots and lots of holidays off.  I also have the week between Christmas and New Years off, as the college closes.  This is, especially after years in the private sector, completely magical.  The whole school is off, and there's no pressure to check email or catch up.  I love it.

Many of my friends, however, do not have this time off, so I find myself with a week almost completely to myself.  This is okay with me, though, as I'm using it as a week to catch up on things.  A mini-GSD week, as it were.  I made a checklist, which I will update as that week progresses:

Grown Up Friend Date with Patti.  My friend/old roommate is a teacher, so we both have a week to ourselves.  We've resolved to grab lunch and catch up.

Clean my closet.  It's become a catch all for all my crap, and now I can't see the bottom of the floor or the crap I've thrown in there.  Time to tackle.

Clean computer room.  Not as bad as the closet.  This is the room where we put things that we don't want Lewis to eat.  But it needs some order of semblance.

Get materials for Jess' ring pillows.  I'm in a wedding in March, and I've been asked to make two ring pillows for it:  one is pink, and the other is the color of The Boston Bruins.  (I'll probably be leaving out gold or just have it as an accent)

Knit something with quince yarn.  I have a ball of this, that's been sitting in my stash since I purchased it in July of 2010.  I want to wear it.  Probably as a cowl.

Organize stash.  With all the Christmas knitting, there are balls of yarn everywhere.  And it's chaos.  I need to make it not be chaos.


Make shepherd's pie for Ricky for dinner.  I love a recipe I found for this that has ground turkey, lots of veggies, and no tomatoes.  I think it'll be a dinner one of the nights, since it is a bit time consuming.

Find shoes for Jess' wedding.  I need a pair of pewter heels.  I've been a giant failure to date in finding a pair that I like and don't hurt my feet.  This is the week to find those shoes.

Donate things to good will.  This will free up some closet floor space.

Fix sewing machine tension.  It's been wanky for a year now, time to fix it so I can use it!

Make ring pillows.  Photos will be posted of this, I am sure.

Another secret project for Jess' wedding and also for Erin's wedding.  Secrets secrets.

Now that Thanksgiving's over...

...it's officially time for two things in my book.

Listening to Christmas music on WODS.  (I realize that I posted that carol earlier in the week, but that was inspired by a conversation I had recently)


(I wish they'd play this)

Drinking Hood Egg Nog.

(Side note, when I tried to find a picture of Hood Egg Nog, the first one I clicked on was from this blog last year.  I am nothing if not consistent)

I bought my first carton of egg nog last night, and today when running errands we listened to carols.  It's nice to start getting into the swing of things!

A&J King was selling egg nog cheesecakes, which I can't wait to try.  They looked incredible this afternoon.  I'm also tempted to try and make my own egg nog and see how it shapes up.  Mmmmm

Plymouth, VT

It's pretty.

Winter gear 2011

Last Monday was a snow day for Ricky, so we were able to trek all over Salem and enjoy the views. I absolutely love Salem in the winter, because I feel like I've been brought back to the 40's and 50's by the lack of cars and people, and all the beautiful brick buildings stand out against the white.

Ricky took a few pictures of me sporting my winter gear. Last winter I was getitng one last year out of an old coat and didn't really have snow boots. I was also in the process of knitting up substantial commuting accessories.

Side note, apparently side streets don't like being plowed in Salem. That's about as well plowed as it got. WTF!?

The coat is from J Crew, but I bought it off of ebay because I'm too poor to get a full priced J Crew coat. I must say, I've gotten more compliments for this coat than anything else I've worn, hands down. It fits like a dream, is super warm, and I love that it's green. Compliments my hair, too. My last J Crew coat lasted about 4 years, so I'm quite pleased with the quality of product.

Like every twentysomething in Boston, I got Hunter boots. I got mine in March because I was tired of walking to work with wet feet all spring. Pricey, but worth it. What's great about these boots is that with use and age, they "bloom" and I love the weathered look of them. I'm not quite at blooming stage yet, but hopefully by this time next year.

The mittens you'll remember from an earlier post. They're my wonderful Bird in Hand mittens. they're so warm because they're fair isle. A smart knitting choice, indeed.

The hat I made a few years ago during a blizzard, and the scarf I made during another blizzard while watching the entire box set of Freaks and Geeks. (side note, definitely need to do that again)

It was very warm, and I can see myself using the coat and wellies for a long time, especially since they're good for all seasons. I recently went to Vermont, and they came in handy there as well.

Frog Pond Skaters

Last weekend, Ricky and I spent some time soaking up Christmasy things in Boston. It's nice being there without having to be at work, and to enjoy it at a leisurely pace. Anyways, at the end of our day, we found ourselves at the Frog Pond in the Commons, watching the ice skaters. Neither of us are particularly good at skating, nor did we want to leave our bags unattended. But it was still very relaxing and nice watching everyone else.

I took some photos of it, and this was my favorite shot:

I love that everyone is blurry minus that one couple in the lower right hand corner. I also love the lighting. I took this without flash, because when the flash was on, the pictures were turning out horrible.

Just a little something to get you into the spirit.

End of November

And end of blogging daily. I hope some of the blog posts were interesting. I think I may take a day or two off, but I do have some ideas for holiday-themed posts for the month of December.

In the meantime, I watched Rudolph tonight on CBS. It definitely put me in the holiday spirit.

Symphony seen, Christmas season can begin

Today Ricky and I went to the Cape Ann Symphony with several friends this afternoon. I feel like now Christmastime is official and can be kicked off. A very nice concert with a variety of music. Full house. Good cheer.

Post-Thanksgiving

Ricky and I got our eat one the day after Thanksgiving at George's, which was tasty and filling and amazing. Now I'm paying rent, feeding my fish, and being a blob. It's pretty good.

Also, bring on the Christmas music now!

Christmas crafts

Today Ricky and I were discussing how we want the place to look for our first Christmas living together. This included how the tree would look, ornaments, and stockings. We decided to each fill the other one's stocking. I'm also going to get Alva a stocking and give him something in it. (him not dying so far is enough to put him on Santa's good list, as far as I'm concerned).

After some browsing of Martha Stewart Living, I know I want felt stockings. There's something charming and homey about them. I also like the simplistic look of blocks of colors. With this in mind, I did some light internet browsing to try and find some pre-made ones. They're either wicked expensive or don't exist. Hm.

Looks like I'm in the market to make stockings. I figure I'll get lots of felt, bric-a-brac and other classic trims, and some interesting buttons. Has anyone made a stocking before? I'm also nervous since my sewing machine is still acting up, but I'm pretty sure it'd be minimal sewing or even hand sewing.

Who's made stockings before? Any encouragement?

There's a chill in the air, an egg in the nog

So noggy...

Every November for as long as I can remember, I get pumped for the re-emergence of my favorite holiday drink. That would be Hood's Golden Egg Nog. I'm a purist when it comes to my nog. I love Hood and I only get Golden. No pumpkin or vanilla. Just the Golden.

When I was little, that much richness was too much for my little stomach, so my mom would dilute it with milk. I remember being super pumped for the day when I could stomach straight nog.

This may be the little kid within, but I like mine straight. Rum gives it a different flavor that I'm not too crazy about.

Puelo's makes a pretty decent egg nog, especially since it's all natural and made only in Salem, but another part of me loves the classic Hood version. Straight from the carton with some shaved nutmeg on top? The best.

This post didn't have much substance, more to say I'm excited for the next month or so of enjoying Egg Nog.

Crate and Barrel ornament dream team

This year we're getting a Christmas tree. I took a hiatus from trees last year because... well... I had literally nowhere to put a tree. I did get a tiny tree for my table, but you can't put ornaments on it... and it's fabric. But Ricky insists on getting a tree this year, filling it with cute ornaments, and enjoying the smell of pine in our apartment. I can do that.

The only issue with this is that I have about 5 ornaments and Ricky has a total of 0. Which means we have... 5 ornaments to cover a full-size tree. That's pretty sad. So lately, I've been on the hunt for nice-looking ornaments to fill out the collection.

Crate and Barrel, per usual, has adorable ornaments that I want. And they're not free. Damn you, C&B!

First up, Herringbone dogs. Two of which have little hats. And a scarf. Gahhh I can't handle the cuteness. If I find myself with some extra money, I will probably get these. Because... well, I think cute dogs in hats is explanation enough.

Next up... cute little baby stockings with poinsettia on them?? In pretty colors? So they're simple and pretty all at once?! You slay me, C&B!

Ricky and I are also debating having an ornament-making party, where our local friends come over and we make ornaments and drink egg nog and listen to good music. It should be a festively good time. If and when we do have a tree filled with ornaments, I'll post photos.

Love this man

Me and Ricky at Christmas... our first Christmas together, and the first one spent together with my family. (photo credits, Ashley)