Christmas comes in many parts... part 1

I know I'm going backwards in time, but please forgive me, there is just so many things to catch up on before I can close the 2008 chapter and move into 2009 with a clear mind!! In the next few days I will probably be sprinkling the blog with a bit of 'things I meant to blog about and didn't' but we'll get to that later.

Before the trip to NYC, before the hundepension, but shortly after the packing of the cats, we had our own little Christmas at home. Oh sure, we could've waited to open our packages from the DK side of the family until we got back from the US - but what fun is that! We couldn't take the packages with us, it just wasn't practical to do so and besides - there were a few big boxes that were simply calling my name, begging to be opened!!

I hate to write wish lists because I can simply never remember the things I've seen that I would like to have but didn't buy at the time, etc. But this year, I put a little google gadget on my homepage and attempted to add things to it as I thought of them. It was pretty empty, however, when family started asking for the list but I did the best that I could to fill it out a bit and alas, the wish list was a success. :)

My in-laws, Anny and Bruno (don't you love that name, Bruno??, it just demands to be said with gusto!), gave me electric salt and pepper grinders, a new pair of gloves, and one other item that I decided a few weeks ago that I had to have...

In DK, most homes have one of these...



Now I don't really understand the popularity of this type of toaster, nor can I see any practical reason for it, unless perhaps you have a desire to have just one side of your bread toasted. I'm more of a toast both sides kind of girl. I also tend to be a bit of a wreck in the kitchen unless I'm really focusing on the task at hand (Thanksgiving, for example). We do own something similar to the model shown above and we also own a toaster oven, however.. said toaster oven now has a bit of discoloration around the door and from each vent as I managed to make black hockey pucks out of 2 pieces of bread a few weeks ago. It wasn't my fault - really! - the timer didn't go off, I was working at the other end of the house, and by the time I managed to remember I had put some bread in the oven, there was smoke pouring out of every crevice of the pretty white toaster oven - all because it didn't go "DING" when it should have and therefore, didn't shut itself off. Apparently you're supposed to turn it past 5 and then back or something for the timer to activate properly - whatever! I decided then and there that I had use for a toast both sides, pop-up when done, shut itself off, kind of toaster, and yes, I got one for Christmas - yippee!!!

Some girls hate getting kitchen stuff for Christmas - I'm the opposite, I hate the kitchen itself, but I LOVE kitchen gadgets and I love getting new gadgets for Christmas. I think somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I am convinced that if I finally find just the right magical kitchen gadget, I will suddenly be the world's most amazing chef, without actually doing any work. Hey - it's a goal!

So, on that note, Ole got me a breadmaker and while it can't solve all my kitchen woahs, it does magically turn a few carefully measured scoops of stuff into a magically delicious loaf of bread in just 3 hours and I didn't have to lift a spoon. :)

While the cats are away...

Prior to our big adventure to the states, we had to send the cats and dogs to their vacation homes. There is a hundepension (aka dog kennel) just a couple of miles from our house and so we arranged for Lexi and Zoe to spend the holidays there. We would have loved to have had them with us, but it simply isn't possible to do so when you're spending Christmas 4000 miles from home! But, before we took the dogs to their temporary housing, we had to deliver the cats elsewhere.

We were extremely lucky because Ole's parents offered to take the cats during our trip. So, we packed up a litter box, a bag of litter, a litter scoop, their food, food bowls and water bowl, and finally - Mr. Pete and Coal, and loaded all of it into the car for the trip to Struer. I snapped a few shots of Coal and Mr. Pete in their travel crates - from the moment we put them in their boxes, they howled like it was the end of the world. Lexi was extremely curious about the whole thing!...





I wish I could've gotten the picture, but the camera was not where I needed it at the time.. Lexi put herself down on her belly in front of Coal's box and put herself nose to nose with him. I think she was trying to tell him that it would all be okay!

Mr. Pete, who NEVER meows (well, except for the one time that we decided he needed a bath, but that's another story for another time), cried in his box from the moment he was put into it and until the moment we arrived in Struer - poor thing must have had one hell of a sore throat!!

We unloaded them at Ole's parents and today we picked them up again. Rumor has it they pretty much hid out in the closet any time someone entered the room they were staying in, but that's no surprise. Coal has an intense fear of strangers and does not like his world interrupted. Mr. Pete is generally friendly but he's also a bit nervous about new places and new faces.

Lexi and Zoe shared a kennel at the hundepension and they were bouncing off the walls when we picked them up Tuesday evening. Who knows what adventures they may have had during our week away - all we know for sure is that the two blankets we left for them were in many, many pieces when we arrived. Hopefully the whole experience wasn't too traumatic!!

Everyone is now safe and sound and home again. :)

The weather outside was frightful...

... but the city was sooo delightful!

I love NYC but boy, oh boy, I'm not so sure the city likes us! We were in NYC a few years ago for Christmas and on that trip, the temperatire hovered around 5'F. We were in NYC again before and after our wedding, and the temperature was approximately 100'F. On this trip... oh, about 20'F. I wonder if we'll ever experience NY with 'normal' temperatures!!

We didn't do too much while in NYC itself as it was exceedingly cold on the only complete day that we did have there, but we had fun despite the cold. We walked from our hotel on 48th and 8th down to the Manhattan Mall and then over to Macy's to see the Christmas windows and enjoy the big Christmas sales. With the economy in such turmoil, the stores were doing everything possible to sell, sell, sell, which meant tons of bargains everywhere - hurray!!

At the Manhattan Mall, we were both happy and sad to see that one of our favorite stores, Steve & Barry's, was going out of business. Sad because Ole's entire family fell in love with the store when they were in New York for our wedding. Why? Well, if you've never been there, the store's mantra was "3 for $20!" - yes, three items of clothing for $20. When you're used to DK pricing, or even ANY pricing for that matter, 3 for $20 is a wonderful thing. And we're not talking junk clothes either - the store resembled an Old Navy and had awesome jeans, sweatshirts, etc. The prices were awesome, but perhaps their pricing also explains why they are now going out of business!

Happy, however, because the prices were even lower for the big sell-out and we took full advantage; we are now the proud owners of several college sweatshirts. It didn't matter to us what state was strewn across the front - it mattered only that we were purchasing big heavyweight sweatshirts for... wait for it...

$3.99

Yeppers - what a steal!

We had dinner at the Olive Garden (one of my favs!) in Times Square, looking down on the yellow sea of taxis and spent some hours just relaxing in our room. We didn't do all the 'normal' Christmas things in NYC but for us, it was just perfect. Here are a few pics from our adventure - including a rather frightening self-portrait!!

Christmas in NYC - the arrival

We made it! And, the trip was rather non-eventful, which is a good thing. We managed to wake ourselves up in the middle of the night (3AM), which at this time of year feels pretty much the same as waking up at 8AM, so not a big deal. We got down to Billund airport with no fuss, got ourselves checked in and actually got on the first plane, on time! The reason this is an accomplishment is simply because the last time that the two of us attempted to go to the states, together, was a complete and total disaster. You may refer back to Thanksgiving 2006 for the full account of that trip!!

I did get a nice surprise in Amsterdam and found out that big DK sticker in my passport has it's advantages! Because I have that sticker in my US passport, I am now able to go to the EU passport line rather than the ALL passport line - woohoo! If you haven't been there, the EU line is much, much faster, so today I am thankful for my pretty sticker in an entirely new way.

We sat in Amsterdam for a short while, awaiting the boarding of the US flight. The way they do these checkin procedures for the US Flights mean that you are stuck in a small space with far too many people for far too long. I fear that in a few years, the check-in will actually take longer than the flight itself.

The flight to New York left about 30 minutes late, but that wasn't a big deal. The big deal came when we reached the shores of the US and had to land that big bird at Newark. I have landed hundreds of times in that airport but I never experienced the landing we had yesterday. Holy air-sickness, batman! Every turn we made on approach had a nice air bubble drop to go with it so the plane was bouncing all over the place. The stewards were running up and down the aisles handing out air-sickness bags, passengers were running for the restrooms at a time when getting out of your seat is NOT a good idea, etc. I was never so thankful as when those wheels touched that tarmac. There was actual applause by some (those who still had the energy left to applaud!) and a big sigh of relief from the rest of us. Just before we hit the ground I had to laugh at the flight attendant who suddenly made the announcement.. "If you are in the restroom, you must stay there at this time for the landing - do not attempt to return to your seat." Those poor people!

On the flipside of my DK sticker, being married to me has it's advantages for Ole, as he can now proceed through immigration in the US, with me, in the US citizen line. Again, much, MUCH faster, and needless to say, he thinks that is very cool.

We grabbed our rental car and headed into NYC. When I lived in nearby Weehawken, NJ, for 10 years, the toll at the Lincoln tunnel was $4. It is now a whopping $8. I'm still in shock over that one!

We had booked the whole trip through expedia and we are thrilled by the hotel we chose. We are at the Hilton Garden Inn on 8th Ave and this place rocks. Very clean, very huge rooms (by NYC standards) and an awesome internet connection - woohoo! What more could a girl want!

So, today, we will explore this city - it's a wee bit cold out there, but we'll figure out a way to survive.

Big Three

A friend shared this with me this morning - be sure to read the fine print! :)

Patti, Pizza, Packaging, a PC and a Plethora of Pups

 
So yep, this is what I had for dinner last night. It's no Stouffer's French Bread Pizza mind you, but it wasn't horrible, and not nearly as awful as the local pizzaria's death by pizza (it's that bad). Fifteen minutes from freezer to plate - that's my kind of cooking! Snuggled myself onto the couch, pizza in hand, and watched some TV with the pups.












One thing I love about product packaging in Europe is all the languages that must be squeezed onto the box. There's not much room left for these companies to do any kind of fancy promotion on the package - the entire box must be covered in instructions unless they choose to make separate boxes for each country, which I would guess could get kind of expensive. Sorry about the shaky picture - it's not easy to hold the camera steady enough to capture that detail!

Finished eating, let the dogs drag me around the block again, played some games on the old PC and finally, snuggled in to bed. I must admit, I slept quite well after having woken up sooooo early!!

Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down..

Anyone remember that song? Yes, I am old, but so are you if you can remember that song.

So, I'm alone. Well, as alone as one can be in a house with 2 dogs and 2 cats, but as far as those who walk upright, I'm alone. And, I'm tired...

Woke up at 4:30 this morning to say goodbye to Ole - he and his boss are off to Poland for the next few days. Long drive - bah, better him than me!

It's just me and the 4-legged creatures, 2 of whom are incredibly confused about why their daddy has not yet come home from work! See, in their book, I'm the boring one - the one who is here all day and as a result, am not nearly as exciting as that other one who leaves for soooooo long every day and then takes them to all sorts of fun, smelly places when he comes through the door!

I did take them out for a walk - which is a rather funny site and would look much more appropriate if I had my feet on some sort of sled. They're strong - and they pull - at least if I was on a sled it would look like they were pulling with some sort of purpose!

Long story short.. I now have to feed myself. Since the only time that I normally cook is Thanksgiving Day, or when I find some exciting new thing I want to try, feeding myself is something I consider a bore, and a chore. There must be something oven-ready hidden in that freezer somewhere!