Holiday Moments

Merry Christmas!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

Hello friends.

He put on an excellent concert. He started just after 8 and played till midnight with one 20 minute break.  I cannot remember the last time I went to a concert in a huge stadium and it was our first time at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  We were in the cheap seats in the back.

Leonard Cohen definitely knows how to put on a great show.  He knows how to play to his strengths with his voice which has changed but is still beautiful and with the wonderful musicians and singers he surrounds himself with.  Also, he was utterly charming.

I would highly recommend going to see him if you get the chance.

• 
  
• First Set
  Dance Me to the End of Love
  The Future
  Bird on the Wire
  Everybody Knows
  Who by Fire
  Darkness
  Ain't No Cure for Love
  Amen
  Come Healing
  In My Secret Life
  A Thousand Kisses Deep
  (recitation)
  Anthem 
• 
  
• Second Set 
• Tower of Song
  Suzanne
  Chelsea Hotel #2
  Waiting for the Miracle
  Show Me the Place
  Lover Lover Lover
  Democracy
  Alexandra Leaving (performed by Sharon Robinson)
  I'm Your Man
  Hallelujah 
  Take This Waltz 
  
  Encore:So Long, Marianne
  Going Home
  First We Take Manhattan 
  
  1. Encore 2:
  Famous Blue Raincoat
  If It Be Your Will  (performed by the Webb Sisters)
  Closing Time 

Weekend Moments

The cheese CSA continues in its deliriousness   There were lots of secret projects happening.  Pad Thai, coffees, and the last of the gingerbread cookies.  Some wax carving experimentation.  Also, I am obsessed with our Christmas tree.  I love looking at it.

Tree Topper

I had been unable to find any tree toppers that I liked so I decided to make a big felt star to go on top of our tree.  I cut out two big yellow stars.

I made a pipe cleaner frame to keep it upright and to attach it to the tree.

I stuffed and sewed around the edge so that the star would be plush.

And put it on top of the tree.

Ornament Making

I am a big fan of handmade, obviously.  I love making things and I love being surrounded by handmade things. In addition to my 2012 Nutcracker ornament we have been making some felt ornaments to decorate our tree.  We have a bunch of origami ornaments from previous years and two years ago I made a bunch of narwhal ornaments that I gave out at Christmas time.

Felt ornaments are pretty easy to put together.  In our usually overachieving craft style Ben and I made some intricate designs with a lot of hand stitching but you could just as easily keep it simple with an easy pattern and some glue.

This Ursa Major (Big Bear) design originally started as a jewelry idea which I never made.  I like how it came out as an ornament.

I like adding to the handmade ornaments every year and having a tree covered in things from all our years together.  

 

Mr. Norrell wanted to help too.

I think the dala horse may be my favorite.

Weekend Moments

Holiday brunch, huge spread of food, workings and projects, finishing and packing orders, reading and reading, egg breakfast, cheese lunch, green dinner, ornaments and tree

Gingerbread Cookies!

We made Kate's Gingerbread cookies (minus the anise) this weekend and they came out great.

When we got married one of the things we asked for was fun cookie cutters; which was the best idea ever.  Cutting out the cookies is of course the best part and I love our collection of animals, dinosaurs, Star Wars and initials.  I get to eat all the C's.

We made Mark Bittman's vanilla icing in various colors with food coloring to top them off.  The icing is difficult to control making many of the cookies look like they had been made by children.

But still very tasty!