Pandoro unveiled

I think we did pretty well to let this delicacy sit on the table to see every time we passed by - without getting into it.  But we weren't sure how long it would stay fresh, so it got opened tonight.

The pretty gold paper comes off.  Seems a shame to waste it.

 And the smell!  Even through the plastic.  

There is a packet of powdered sugar that you put inside the bag and shake it up.  The cake is so light, that part was easy.

And here it is - all ready to be sliced - or pulled off in chunks.   Either way works.

Soooo  good.

Not knowing for sure if I wanted to decorate the house for Christmas, I've been just getting out a few things a day and seeing if I stay in the mood.  If everyone was coming before Christmas, I would have no problem, but Elise gets here the 25th, Emily and Graysen the 27th, Kathy and Alan the 28th and Stephanie and Gray on Jan 2nd.  At least most of us will overlap, but I'm not sure if I want it all out that long.  I guess it will be more festive to have a tree and good-smelling candles, and Christmas carols playing, and wassail.  

So I put some placemats on the table one day.

Then yesterday I took down the Christmas mugs and some plates.

A friend in Meridian gave me this plate, and you can always find a cat you know in this picture if you look hard enough.

This set of plates was started in 1983 when I was working at the kindergarten for a teacher who became a good friend.  She died a few years ago, but I always think of Joanne when I get these out every year.  She said they reminded her of my children the way they were in 1983.

Through the years, another friend Jimmie has found more plates with different years for me, so I think about her too!  I usually just put them on plate stands and scatter them around on bookcases and tables. 

Mike has chemo tomorrow, so it will be a day away from home for us, the afternoon anyway.  I have my list of errands to run while he's tormenting the nurses.  He gets the Neulasta shot after this treatment and had to start taking Claritin beforehand.  The Neulasta is supposed to help replace some of the white blood cells the chemo destroys, and it puts an overload in the bone marrow, so some people have bone pain.  I don't think he had any last time, maybe because he started on the Claritin a few days before and after the shot, which surprisingly is supposed to help with that.  One nice bonus is that when he started the Claritin, his headaches started to get much better.  Makes us wonder if they're sinus headaches instead of chemo headaches.  Strange.  

Not much crafting going on lately.  I made Graysen a winter shirt and tried a sweatshirt this time.  It's a Rabbit Skin and seems really soft.  I got a 2T and washed it, so maybe it will come close to fitting her.  

I'm enjoying these shirts without applique.  Once you put them in the machine, there's no taking them out and trimming too close or not close enough and putting the hoop back into the machine hoping it will line up the way it should.

 

More sewing that I need to be doing is dressing this American Girl Bitty Baby that I found on Ebay.  I'm not ready to pay $70 for a doll for a 2-year-old, so I found this one in excellent condition there.  I think I paid $20 or so; I can't remember exactly.  But she came with no clothes.  I found the pink shirt at Target, and it's okay, but that's all I've seen - less than $20 to $30 an outfit!  

The little doll was Elise's, and Graysen will get to have that one too.  I hope she sticks with her love of baybees.  I bought a pattern (underneath the basket) but then tonight while cleaning out a closet, I found this.

A ""vintage" pattern, I guess, with much cuter clothes than the new one.  Bought in 1983 when the girls were 5 and 9 and never got used.  

I got busy and got together the pattern pieces for a gown first and pinned them to some soft blue-dotted flannel.  

When I went to take a picture just now, I found this.  Someone else thinks it's soft too.  I forgot that the ironing board is Murray's at night, and the sewing chair is Stella's.  I need to teach them to become productive.

I'm disappointed when I don't get a video from Snoqualmie every day, but I pulled this snuggly picture from Karen's Facebook page.  She is keeping Graysen for a few days until they get babysitting worked out.  Wish it were me!

I bet they didn't have much company at the park today.

And a couple of snow ones from Emily's page.

Obtaining a tree is an adventure.  Such a beautiful place.  They had snow last year when they found their tree.

She wasn't that happy about the snow last year either.