New Years Day

Caleb, Caleb's friend Phoebe, Luke and Don

Today we are trying to remain "festive" even though my husband has "offically" started the beginnings of the "remodel" on our kitchen. Blah!

It will be nice when it's finished. He's started to rip out the laundry room area. It's been a bit messy however....nothing like what's about to come though.

They PROMISE me that this project will go fast and since my son Caleb is one of the very, "Top Notch" Cabinet installers for my husband's company.....so I believe that it will go very fast.
My husband amongst many other hats....is a "Master Carpenter" as well.
So I know I am in GOOD hands.

In the next few weeks as my husband finishes the laundry area, and gets the new cabinets installed, they will then move into the kitchen.
The new cabinets are in and waiting in the warehouse.
We will be putting in brand new "Cambira" (natural quartz) counter tops along with all new kitchen appliances. All these things are set to move into where the "old" things have been.
It's time.

It's also been a day for impressive "Bowl Games"....GOOD JOB MIZZOU!

I hope our "Tigers" do as well next Monday......we are all excited here but it's scary too. There's been way tooo many "thrills" this season. HA!

For a late lunch we had the "traditional" Louisiana fare for New Years Day......
"Pork Loin, cooked cabbage, and black eyed peas and rice and gravy"....amongst some other things I made...cheese biscuits and asparagus.....for dessert.....yummy...."Key Lime Pie."
Thank you "Mrs. Smith" for that.

We "forgot" to open our "English Crackers" for Christmas Day so we did them today!
That was fun! We laughed at the very cheesy jokes too.
Look at these "Grand" prizes we got inside of our crackers....amazing how they can shove all that stuff into them.

Paper Hats, and prizes and jokes.
Caleb putting together a "toy train" he got out of his cracker.

It's cooled down a bit from yesterdays high temps...so we were able to light a fire in our fireplace to warm us today as well. Ther is going to be a "hard freeze" tonight and supposed to get down to 29 degrees so we will have to cover our plants up real well in a bit.


Miss Priss is with friends at a movie, Gabe's in Connecticut. He went to Boston this past weekend so I will post his photos from that trip when he sends them.
HE LOVEEEED Boston, even much more than New York City.
He said it was a lot "calmer" there. HA!

The "Sugar Bowl" just came on......I think I will go get into my Pajama's and watch it from the couch and be cozy, right beside the fire. Ummmmm......
Cheers!

I SO didn't "fix up today" can you tell?
Oh well....there's always tomorrow.

English "Christmas Crackers"......

Have you gotten your "Christmas Crackers?"
If you haven't you better hurry because they sell out FAST.

I always buy mine early but even this year I had a hard time finding them. So I grabbed the only box I could find and they were smaller in size than the ones I usually buy.
Which mean that there's not as much cheap, junk in them.

Not a huge loss I suppose. HA!

Years ago I started buying them because we had company in from England and I wanted this person to feel "at home" and able to have a few "familiar" traditions.

My kids had a FIT and hated wearing the goofy "paper crown" hat inside of them.....but now....they like to do it.
And read the jokes and see the junky gifts. HA!

So I have to continue to purchase them.

Apparently so do others here in town....because they become sparse and limited after we get closer to Christmas.

Here's a bit of history for you regarding "Christmas Crackers".....
I like history and it helps us to understand cultures and other things better.

"Christmas crackers were invented by Thomas Smith, a London pastry cook in 1846. It was during a visit to Paris, where he came across the bob-bon, a sugar almond wrapped in tissue paper (with a twist on either side of the centrally placed sweet).
Smith included a romantic message inside his early crackers which he marketed in Britannia's "Kiss Mottos". However the product enjoyed only limited success until Smith devised a way to make the cracker "pop" when pulled apart."

I've only but in a bit of what "Crackers" are all about...the real joy is just opening them.....

And wearing those crazy hats. That is fun I have to say. And the cheesy jokes.
I haven't a CLUE as to "who" these people are.....but they look like they are having fun. HA!
Crackers will do that for you.
I think they look Irish though for several reasons...maybe they were hitting a "wee bit of the 'Bushmill's'" too?
The lady looks a bit...out of it.
At least they are happy....and have great "Hats" on.