The Day Before Real Life Starts Again

Oh, how I remember the night before I had to go back to school after Christmas vacation. My stomach was all tied up in knots and I could barely sleep. The entire Sunday before the Monday my four sisters and I would play with our Christmas toys and anticipate going back to school the next day, wishing beyond hope that Sunday or January 1st hadn't arrived. I’m sure there was a lot of bickering as there always was. I’m also sure my mom couldn’t wait for Christmas vacation to be over so she would have a bit of time to breathe. I remember crying in bed while trying to go to sleep. Sleep was so hard to come by that night…… I remember this all as if it were yesterday.

But it isn’t yesterday. It is over 40 years later. Yesterday, I spent a wonderful day with my daughter doing absolutely nothing. We didn’t leave the house except for a quick walk up the hill in the whipping wind and blowing newly fallen snow.

Julia lay on the couch working on her finger knitting, watching her new favorite DVD Full House (she has a crush on John Stamos). I worked a bit on my computer fixing an upcoming pattern for you all (stay tuned later this week).


Late in the morning, I made chicken stock. I emptied the bags out of the freezer full of all kinds of odd chicken bones, chicken carcasses and leftover cooking liquids. I save all the leftover bones from any meal we have with chicken, toss them in a plastic bag and stow them in the freezer until there are enough to make a huge pot of chicken stock. Sometimes I have to fight the cats for the bones – it’s pretty even – the cats are sometimes quicker than moi. How’s that for frugal? I always feel good about making chicken stock because I am actually making a meal out of something many people would throw away.

When The Farmer came home from checking on the new lambs, our chicken soup was ready for lunch complete with homemade egg noodles. Did you ever make homemade egg noodles? Really easy, no special tools required except for a rolling pin. Follow an egg fettucine recipe……

Then I coerced Julia into modeling her Christmas gift of “slipper socks” from my book. “Oh, Mommy, please….” Me, “please….” Her, “Should I do it just like Margaret?" Margaret is the model on the couch from Color by Kristin. “Yes, thank you.” It wasn’t much of a stretch for her considering she was already laying on the couch working on her finger knitting.


We watched our new Christmas DVD Julie and Julia, baked a batch of chocolate shortbread cookies, and drank tea and hot cocoa. It was a perfect day.


(Pillow in the background of the photo above from Color by Kristin too.)

Now it is today, the day life gets back to “normal." I couldn't sleep last night, just like when I was a little kid -- except that I was worrying about lots of grown up things that I hadn't thought about in a couple of weeks. I think that is the great thing about the holidays. You can suspend your life and forget about all the real pressures that are out there all around you every day - paying bills, visiting doctors, getting to school or work on time, changing the bald tires, paying the mortgage and taxes, worrying about the world, and of course, eating whatever you want. And so it is a whole year now until next year at Christmas when we can sink into our own little holiday heaven.

I hope you all have a Happy 2010 ahead full of color and knitting and stitching and creating. From our farm to yours.......

p.s. Susan B. Anderson of the Itty Bitty Series of knitting books is having a giveaway over on her blog of TWO copies of Color by Kristin. Check it out! Thanks so much to Susan for all the kind words about my book. She is one of the most talented designers I know and super nice to boot!