December 20, 2010

Christmas Magic

All last week when I was finishing the book, I kept thinking about my to-do list for Christmas and saying "I'll worry about that the weekend of the 18th."  I flew home Friday the 17th, fell into bed, and woke up the morning of the 18th and thought about what a huge mistake that was, because there was little or no chance that I could accomplish everything that I wanted to that weekend and I shouldn't have wasted time sleeping.  Still, I am a hopeful sort, and so I made my wee list and decided to give it a go. The list?

1. Take Hank out on our annual shopping trip to buy his mum something,  and have lunch with him.  (Without once saying anything like "EAT FASTER")
2. Assemble and decorate a gingerbread house with Hank and Sam (aka Nanook of the North, home for a visit!)
3. Bake and decorate the entire seasons worth of gingerbread cookies. (Without threatening consequences for making a mess, or invading on the proceedings in an overly controlling manner.)
4. Bake all the spritz cookies (the kind you make with a cookie press ) and decorate them with Megan, because they are her favourites.
5. Finish a pair of medium men's socks, even thought I only actually had only about a three-quarters of a single sock done when I got up Saturday morning.

I drank two cups of coffee and started.  What happened next is a miracle. 
Ready?

1. Hank and I did go shopping, and we did have lunch, including a croissant that Hank is here demonstrating is as big as his head.  (Note to my sister, his mother, that he also has a very nutritious bowl of soup which he did eat some of.  Enough to count.)

(Please note that the croissant also doubles as very excellent demon horns.  We did.  Very festive.)

2. Assemble and decorate a gingerbread house?

Done! (Thanks to Joe for propping up some shoddy architecture with a snowman cookie when the roof started to slide and the 10 year old boy started to look disappointed. Nice save.)

3. Bake and decorate the seasons worth of gingerbread.

Done!  I baked, the kids decorated and every one of them was done that afternoon.  (Including the mystical ginger-fish.  Don't ask.  It's better not to wonder that miracles of a child's mind. Just know that there's nothing wrong with his imagination, and Sam hasn't outgrown much.)

4. Spritz cookies with Meg?

Done - and not just done.  Done with impressive precision and beauty.  Meg's a committed cookie genius.


5.  That left the socks.  To finish, I needed to knit an entire men's sock (and a toe) in one day. Here's where I was at 9:30 yesterday morning.

That's Lorna's Laces sock in Pullman.  Love this colourway.

Now watch this.  (My favourite thing about this series is watching the light change as the day goes on.)







Finished at 8:30pm. You know what I have to say to that my friends?  SHAZAM!!
Now don't get in my way.  Today I'm knitting a whole sweater.  Just a small one.   Totally possible.

PS.  I'd like to point out that all the time when people tell me my goals are unreachable?  It's weekends like this that let me think it's all possible. A thousand defeats and one victory, and the optimist in me is reassured and confident.

Posted by Stephanie at December 20, 2010 2:58 PM