Starting a new year---2011

Well, here we are---three days into a new year.  It has been quite eventful around here.  We had a quiet New years eve, with dinner at home and playing games.  New Year's day brought my 40th wedding anniversary with a celebration prepared my kids for a group of ten and what a feast it was.

This was the menu for the dinner.  We also had swiss fondue, and assorted crudites as well as some delicious red wines and coffee and dark chocolates.  They served it course by course---the Steak Diane was flamed with brandy---yummy!  doug and I had Steak Diane for dinner on our wedding night.  We were innocent 20 year olds and ate at the top of the Tower in Kansas City---the dinner in 1971 was $7.50---I can still remember  Doug saying, "it will be a long time before we spend $7.50 for dinner"---now you are lucky to get a hamburger for that!

Here are a few pictures from that night.

Easy does it!  This is a jeroboam---equivalent to 4 bottles of wine---not easy to pour!

My California kids left this morning to go back home---as always I shed a few tears!  They spent yesterday packing all their thrift store and flea market finds---4 boxes for the plane and 2 big and 2 small to ship home at the post office.  Last night we fed them their last supper---Jack Stack BBQ---my favorite in KC.

Here is my dog Fred---he is wishing everyone a very happy new year!

Today will be a busy day as we get ready for our trip to Texas.  I am heading downstairs to pull wool to hook a rug while I am there---it will be weird not to have my whole studio at my fingertips...it will be a good lesson and make me realize what my students go through when they have a  more limited selection to hook from.