We've had a lovely day. The morning started with Jack and Megan delivering some cinnamon buns to a friend while I got her hamster out and into its ball and wrapped with tissue paper. I threw a blanket over her cage and Megan came in to find the paper ball rolling all around! The one hiccup was the dogs - mostly Oso who once he saw the hamster was absolutely obsessed with it. On the plus that meant he wasn't paying attention to his own neuroses.
We then sat around opening gifts while Oso drooled beneath the now very high hamster cage.
After a day of chilling, watching a movie, playing games etc. I prepared a decadent dinner of Prime Rib with Thyme Au Jus, Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Onions, Scalloped Potatoes, Caesar Salad, and Jack made bread rolls!. Everything was scrumptious and the Brussels sprouts were the absolute best I've ever had!
Kitchen is cleaned. And we have a night in front of the fire planned.
Jack made me my own little space - for crafts and sewing and the like. It allows me to work on things and be able to stop mid-project and not have to clean it all up. I can just shut the door. I can't tell you how excited I am by this. Tonight I made Oso a Xmas scarf for his collar - you know with a loop so that its his collar actually goes through it and it just looks like he's wearing a scarf.
I need to hang a few pictures and get some organization going for everything I do - but wow - its so cool having a space like this!
Its weird watching Survivor final when I didn't watch the season. I was working on my laptop at the same time so I wasn't really paying attention. Still the person I wanted to win didn't but since I'd only invested 30 mins prior, I really didn't care.
We celebrated a Victorian Christmas today at Ardenwood Farm. It really was a wonderful day. We got there after an early lunch. We got there just as the train was loading so we all boarded and headed to the back of the park where the monarchs winter. They had already left the trees, but we did get to see a few flying around. We walked over to the main barn yard where the out door kitchen was making lots of yummy delights. We did all the arts and crafts, did a little shopping and saw the victorian Santa before heading over to the tennis courts and watching a puppet show with marionettes. It was a great show that lasted about 10 minutes too long. I figure it was just me, but when Megan came up from siting in the front her first words were - wow that was long!
The only sad time came at the beginning when we found out Tucker had passed away recently.
I've been of the opinion lately that Evangelicals had nothing to offer us. I see nothing but negative impacts from their teachings and it was starting to skew my opinion of all religious folks. This bothered me tremendously because I've always prided myself on being open and as accepting as possible. But between the current administration of our country and people like James Dobson and Sarah Palin, I was definately struggling to remain open minded.
Today on the radio I heard a part of the show Fresh Air. I will download it so that I can hear the rest, but on it was Conservative Christian Richard Cizik, a lobbyist in Washington He said things like ... When you look at Gods Creation you have to become an environmentalist - if your not its like your a fan of Shakespeare but you burn all his scripts. ... and he discussed gay marriages he said that evangelicals need to worry about fixing heterosexual marriages and stop worrying so much about gay marriage. While he isn't entirely for the idea of gay marriage it was certainly the most open minded thing i've ever heard from an evangelical.
Of course convincing people is his job but it was a breath of .... wait for it .... "Fresh Air!"