Sunday, January 10, 2010
one more time - part 2 - the eve recreation
Dinner time! Yes, it was now time for dinner. I had decided that I wanted Beef Bourguignon on the menu this year. There were two reasons...one was that it had been very cold here---well, cold for Los Angeles---and I had seen the movie "Julie & Julia" and Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon is featured prominently in the film and it looked so yummy in the movie----I just got a real yen for it!
And Will actually uses Julia's recipe, so it was incredibly delicious! And with so many people, we serve Buffet style---on New Years Eve. Along with our entree I wanted Grilled Veggies. For one, there are two Vegetarians who always come to New Years Eve and I had Fish for them, plus all the rest of the dishes were perfect for them as well as everyone else.....
Above, not such a great picture of the Veggies---we had Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Eggplant----I figured along with the Carrots, Onions and Mushrooms in the Beef dish---there were plenty of cooked Veggies...plus, we had a lovely Salad of Butter Lettuce (my favorite), Avocado, and Jicima, served with a light vinaigrette dressing.....yum!
Above, the lovely Angel Hair Pasta dish, with a little bit of teeny tiny cooked Eggplant in it.....Cappaleni is my very favorite of all the pastas--I don't know why exactly, it just is! We also had some lovely soft rolls and butter, which added delightfully to the rest of the dinner.....
Above....you can see the rolls and butter and the Salad Bowl, and the Pasta, with a little dish of Parmesan Cheese for the Angel Hair. Everything was absolutely scrumptious and many people came back for 'seconds', which, being Jewish, pleased me no end! It was a hearty meal, but light in it's own way, too.......
For the first time, this year, I decided to have some Gift Bags. I figured it might be fun, since all the 'ladies who lunch' like them so much, maybe the men would enjoy them, too---not really sure how that worked out. I can't say the men got as excited about these bags the way the 'ladies' do.....The bags themselves were very cute and here below is a picture of most of the contents......
That little Bear was so very cute and sweet....And there were these darling stack pens in different colors and stack pencils in different colors, too with some adorable snowman pads to use them on and a roll of Christmas Ball stamps---well, I figured they could all use those for next year.....Below a closer look at that dear little smiling Bear.......
There was a darling deck of playing cards in the shape of a Snowman, and as you can see over on the left....And that is a Chocolate Santa from See's Candy lying on the Bear's legs....There has to be a lot of chocolate in every bag of course, and these bags were no exception. Lots of Hershey's kisses covered in red and green, plus a Christmas Tree Lollipop, plus some other goodies, too.....then it was time for dessert and coffee....And, as usual, I had two delicious desserts!
The Exquisite Lemon Meringue Cake and The Very Decadent Dark Chocolate Cake from Sweet Lady Jane.....only Will knows where the Lemon Cake comes from and he won't tell....lol! It's his "secret" place. So if you want that cake you have to call him....!
The lovely Katy came back into the Dining Room, (She had eaten dinner in the Living Room....) to get herself some coffee...Meanwhile, the incredible Betty was having her Lemon Cake and coffee at the table......
Then.....it was time for 'The Game'.....so we all gathered in the Living Room and sat in a circle of sorts, and we began!
The photo above is pretty bad, but there you can see---starting from left to right---Dianne, Jacquie, Andrew Lesser and Mark Travis.......Then......
Mark, again, and Craig....and me, taking the pictures and then to my left.....
Earl, right next to me, and Gene Lesser next to Betty......And the others you will see next time....Because I'm concerned that I might lose this post, too....I am going to stop here and there will be a Part 3, when you will see the many wonderful goodies that were in the game.......Bear with me, please. And I apologize for losing my cool, and let me just say thank you for all the advice and condolences.....but there was no retrieving the original of this post---it was gone, gone, gone, into that big blogger garbage bag in cyberspace---never to be seen again.....But, in spite of that, yes, there will be.......More To Come..........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:06:00 AM
Friday, January 08, 2010
eve of the new year - part 2 ARRRRRRRGH!
I'll be honest with you...I don't have the....whatever.....to re-create this post again. Blogger screwed me Royally. Mercury Retrograde screwed me too, but then.....THAT'S What it does! This Post Disappeared Into No-Man's-Land.......!At some pount....I'll have to try to do this whole l-o-n-g frigging post again...BUT......Maybe I won't----ever!
Grrrrrrrrrr.
I had pictures.
I had text.
I got screwed, and I did NOT enjoy one millisecond of it!
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THIS POST????????????
INTO WHAT VAT OF DELETED BLOGGER POSTS WHICH WE WILL NEVER SEE, DID THIS POST GO?????
I Could Cry!
I HATE BLOGGER!
I HATE MERCURY RETROGRADE.....
And.....I don't know if there will be 'more to come'.....I truly don't, at this incredibly frustrating moment.....!
I may not try to POST again until Mercury goes forward once more.....because, what is the f*cking point?
SCREW!
OY!
OY!| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:43:00 AM
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
eve of the new year - part 1
New Years Eve was another memorable evening for me and, in fact, for everyone that was here for my Annual New Years Eve Party......Let me apologize--in front--because I'm not thrilled with a lot of the pictures...I think my camera somehow was on an odd setting of sorts and so, many of the pictures were poor....But, I will post them anyway....! The picture above is of the BEAUTIFUL Flowers that Van gave me....They were perfect! And below....Another reason to rejoice.....
The Amazing Betty! Everyone was thrilled that she was able to come....! Me, most especially. When I told her that, she said, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world!" I nave never known anyone like her, anywhere!
Dianne Travis was pretty happy, too---as was her dear husband Mark, who you will see in a minute. The packages over on the floor were for 'the game'....you may remember, we play this every year and it is so much fun!
There were some lovely goodies on the table for us to munch on....And that is Andrew Lesser sitting at the end of the table....His Mom, Jacquie Scott Lesser was sitting near me on the couch....
Jacquie's dear husband Gene, had to go back home because they all forgot the "gifts" for the game....Luckily, they don't live that far from me....maybe 12 minutes give or take.....
And above....Betty with Dianne and Mark Travis---they had not seen Betty since before her 'fall'...so they were really happy to see her.....Below.....Karen & Garrett Parks--Betty's older son and his lovely wife.
And, then their delightful daughter Maddy, who's best friend Annie came down from Marin County to spend a few days with Maddy. Annie had been here for New Years last year, too....So it was lovely to see her once again......
These two young ladies have been friends since baby-hood. when Karen was doing 'Christine" in "Phantom of The Opera" in San Fransisco and they----Garrett and Karen and Maddy----were living up there in Marin.....I love that time and distance has not dimmed the friendship of these two girls one bit....
Above, there is 'Uncle' Andy with the girls.....and below, his lovely dear wife, Katy......
All the Parks' arrived at the same time, having come from Betty's, where 'the boys', (They will always be 'the boys' to those of us who have known them since they were boys...lol...) were prepared to help Betty down the front or side steps at their house....As it turned out, she navigated those stairs all by herself! Superwoman at 90.....!
Above---taken from a strange angle----Craig Curtis, Earl Holliman and Gene Lesser, who had returned by this time with Gifts-In-Hand! The game is so much fun because everything is wrapped like a Christmas present and if you roll a "7" or an "11", you get to open a gift and you get to roll again.....but more about that, later, in part 2......
Above, Garrett helping his Mom with the batteries to her Hearing Aids. These 'boys' are so wonderful with their mother....it is really touching to see how they take care of her. But only if she needs it. Betty never wants to be treated like 'an old lady'....So, they wait till she asks, except of course, during the time right after she fell....Both Garrett and Karen and Andy and Katy were with her in the Hospital round the clock---taking shifts. I know their father would be so proud and touched by the loving care they all show Betty.......
Above, standing close by, Andy talking with Mark Travis, while Jacquie visited with Betty.....They had not seen each other for a number of months because Jacquie couldn't come to our Halloween Lunch.......
Below, across the room, surrounding the glass table were Andrew Lesser, Craig Curtis, Karen, Dianne & Earl, with Katy sitting on the floor with her back towards us....
Below, a closer look at dear Earl.....talking seriously to Katy---with Dianne behind them on the couch, gesturing quite animatedly as she talked with Karen.......I don't like posed pictures---I much prefer candid-in-the-moment shots as you all no doubt have gathered by now.....
And over near me where I was sitting was the now huge pile of 'presents', which we would open once the game began after dinner........
I'm afraid Betty's folded 'walker' was a lot more prominent than I had counted on....the damn flash! LOL.....But doesn't everything look inviting? Well, you'll see what a lot of it was in Part 2......And just one more group picture before I close......Here below........
It's not a great picture by any means, but it shows many of this dear group of people involved in talking with each other and as always, never running out of things to say.....There is Garrett...then Katy sitting on the floor, and Karen on the couch talking to Dianne and then Earl, still talking with Katy....And Andy, standing waaaay over on the right, and Jacquie on the floor and a washed-out Betty---Over exposed by the flash...But, they are all there in this one picture. And this was just before dinner was served....Part 2 will be coming along next time....... Meanwhile, remember......More To Come..........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 1:50:00 AM
Saturday, January 02, 2010
christmas 2009
This was a very special Christmas, a Christmas to be cherished, for so many reasons, but the biggest reason was that Betty was home from Rehab and that I was able to go to be there and share in the always wonderful warm feeling that permeates the Holiday there! This picture above was just a moment at the table after we had opened our 'snappers'.....And inside, once you snapped them open, they had a little paper hat, a little toy of some kind and a joke and a question.....That attractive man sitting surrounded by all those women, is Betty's younger son Andy.....He and her older son Garrett cooked lots of goodies, including the Turkey, which was utterly scrumptious and I might add, a joy to carve....It just about fell off the bone......
Here above is the beautiful Karen Culliver Parks, Garrett's wife and Maddy's mother---about to pull her 'snapper'....You really have to pull hard and it makes a very loud noise. Karen had gotten the house all ready for Christmas, decorating and making it look so beautiful and festive.....Below, my darling visitor Rabies, (You all remember him...) whom I brought with me to Betty's.....
Here he is with his snapper...well, not really his....but I thought it would be fun to see him trying to open one of these.....Everybody kind of fell in love with him, and truthfully, what's not to love......Below, here he is with Betty......
He absolutely loved her! And, why not? Again, what's not to love....? Rabies visited with a number of other people too....like Betty's cousin Carol who had flown down from San Jose just to be here for this special day......
Carol grows Cymbidium Orchids and she had brought a gorgeous bunch of them to Betty for Christmas.....this was one of them....And Rabies seemed to like these flowers very very much.....
Above, Betty's almost-fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Maddy, (Karen & Garrett's daughter), I believe it was love at first sight between these two....A kiss was forthcoming......
There were eleven of us at the table.....Betty has nurses here at home for now and that is extremely helpful, given that she only got home the Wednesday before Christmas. She gets about the house with a 'walker' and she also has a small wheelchair.....And she is doing just great!
Here's Betty sitting in that little wheelchair with her dear old friend, Ginny Brown sitting next to her. Ginny was opening her stocking. How Betty managed the stockings this year, I will never know, except that she got a lot of stuff by catalogue in the fall, and then her younger son Andy and his dear wife Katy, filled in with a lot of fun goodies......
Above, Carol, Karen--with the adorable Ruby on her lap, Maddy and her daddy, Garrett....People were reading there jokes and asking the 'questions' which all turned out to be pretty funny....!
There were a lot of laughs, as always. This is such a sweet group of people---so loving and caring and there is a comfort level that exists because everyone is either close family, or 'like' close family....
Right next to me was Katy Melody, Andy's wonderful wife.....She is just a terrific woman in every way....She made four Pies and a Ginger Bread Cake...Her Pecan Pie was the very BEST I have ever ever tasted, and I've tasted quite a few over these many years......
Above, another picture of our side of the table---you can see dear Myrna Garwyn just next to Katy....Myrna made two of the dinner dishes that were just spectacular....(Below, a better picture of Myrna with Rabies.....)
I love the look on her face...lol......One of the dishes that Myrna made was a Chestnut Soup that was stunningly scrumptious....yum yum yum.....and she also made a sweet potato dish that could not have been topped! We all ate and ate and then, ate some more. After dinner we all went into the living room and I got to open my stocking.....As always there were fun things as well as some practical stuff, too and some Chocolate--What a surprise---Me, Chocolate? (lol)
Andy and Katy sitting near The Creche which was sitting on the piano as it always does, and of course, the Christmas Tree over there on the right.Maddy had decorated her room in such a charming beautiful way....I took some pictures of it--none of the pictures really do it justice...But, here are a few.
Everything on the shelves was Christmas related....I loved those little pastel lights all around her bed....And that dear Santa Claus, too...!
She had put little white lights at the top of her two windows and had hung a 'stocking' on each window....It was all so artfully done...Maddy has a real sense of style.......
She had wrapped this big beautiful Theatrical Trunk that had been Betty's or maybe Larry's---they had played all over the country together and separately too---in Christmas paper and she had put her special tree that she decorated herself, next to it.....
It was all absolutely charming and really beautiful. And by the way, Maddy had made a Vegetable dish for dinner that was superb...! Later, Maddy and her daddy played a duet together on the piano and everyone enjoyed it tremendously......
We all were very very impressed and riveted as they shared this little concert with us---it was from 'The Nutcgracker' and it was a pure delight! Below, Myrna, Betty and Carol applauding the performance. Look at sweet little Ruby over next to Betty.......
Ruby just loves Betty so much. She was happy to have her home...And the feeling is mutual.....I love this picture below.....Betty's hand on a completely relaxed and sleepily happy Ruby, as we all listened to the special performance by Maddy and Garrett.......
And two more very dear pictures----these of Karen and Maddy together while we were still at the table, I liked them both so much that I just decided to post them both......
And so Christmas 2009 has come and gone and we all have some really truly lovely memories to cherish of that special day. These are the kinds of days and events that lift one's spirit and the memories stay in your heart forever....A Very Special Christmas, indeed.....!More To Come...........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:08:00 AM
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