You mean to tell me that my grandchildren are dogs?!!?

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

I just love my new red sweater. It is so HOT. I can wear it inside lounging on the couch or for walks outside, or to just go out and dig in the mulch pile. It's beautiful and it makes me feel like top dog. I love being warm. I can't believe you made it with your own hands, it will be special to me always. Now Gibson and I match. You are awesome.

xxoo woof woof
Tica

Slice of Life

I was standing in the cold waiting for the bus yesterday afternoon and I had to call Dave because there was a toothless 80+ year old man out there wearing a real fur hat, just like the one Dave just bought. After I got off the phone, he came up to talk to me to ask why no one was wearing a hat, because it was really windy and cold. He picked his cane up and pointed up and down each street pointing at everyone walking without a hat and how he felt "crazy" for wearing one. I told him that he was doing well keeping warm and that I had just forgotten mine and was regretting it. I proceeded to tell him how his hat was all the fashion in NYC right now, and he told me he had purchased it for $1 at the Salvation Army. He was glad to hear that he wasn't crazy for wearing it, and I was sad that he felt crazy for being warm.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Cabs

1 1/2 hour car ride to New Haven, CT
2 hour train ride to NYC
30 minute cab ride to La Guardia
3 1/2 hour plane ride home
1/2 hour bus ride to car
1/2 hour car ride home

Sleeping in our own bed tonight, priceless.

Maloney Reunion

Rosemary, Mark, Me, Roxanne

My parents moved to Meriden, CT from Bangor, ME in 1983 and I was the new girl in 7th grade. In my entire class, there was one girl that was nice to me, and that girl was Rosemary Smith. The summer after 7th grade, I made it my mission to make Rosemary my best friend. I even remember the first time I called her for a play date, I was v. nervous. Luckily my plan worked and Rosemary and I hung out all through 8th grade. The summer before high school, we decided that we needed to join a team and since she had tennis courts in her complex, we played tennis every day that summer. That fall we not only made the tennis team, but we started out in varsity as 3rd doubles.

During 8th grade, we started at a brand new middle school. My family went on vacation for spring break and I came back to my computer class a day late and everyone had already chosen partners. I was forced to learn that TRS 80 with none other than Mark, UGH a boy, I was stuck with a boy. As it turns out, I was the luckiest girl in the world. Mark was and remains one of the most sincere, genuinely selfless men that I have ever met. Later on in high school the back seat of Mark's car was my "lovers lane". I believe one of my quotes in Mark's yearbook was "we'll be friends until we are 50". Still not sure what will happen after that.

Junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to be in the Maloney talent show. (The beginning of my Rock Star aspirations.) My friend Amy and I choose the song, Straight Up by Paula Abdul, a narrow win over Jon Bon Jovi's Bad Medecine. We then got together a bunch of band geeks to perform the song and my good friend Roxanne, a majorette, choreographed our routine. The three of us wore matching outfits and danced on stage, while Amy and I took turns singing. During the 2nd chorus of "Do do you love me??", the crowd screamed "NOOOOOOO", well the entire crowd except for my mom and my dad who got the entire thing on tape. We were practically booed offstage at the advent of my dad's first video camera. Prior to that, I cherish all the videos of me taking a nap or eating in front of the tv, but this was the cream of the crop. The only redeeming portion of this video is Roxanne does not sing, and she looks good dancing, and with her flawless skin and beautiful black hair, she still looks the same today.

We all graduated from Maloney High School in 1989. Monday afternoon, Dave got to meet half of the gang I hung out with.

To be continued...

Hats Off to Hats!

While in NYC both Dave and I got some new hats that we are quite excited about. We are spreading fashion Westward one step at a time. Walking down 5th Avenue our first night there, I stepped into a jewelry store that had EVERYTHING I've bought on Ebay including my new HOT belt and a large blue pin I purchased last year. While there, I got another HOT green belt and this faux fur hat and scarf set. It's not a hat, it's not a scarf, it's both, my new scat or harf.



Dave's new pin head warmer came from Union Square Market. This russian style Cossack was all the rage for both men and women. It's so Fargo, we're going to need some pretty severe winters to break out this one. Otherwise, it's like sticking your head in an oven.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Cheers to you and your family. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

I HEART NYC

I have lived in NH, ME, CT, PA, IN, CO and even France, but there is no city I love more in this world than New York. Dave and I arrived here on Thursday afternoon and have been in a whirl wind of food and adventure. My friends Kevin and Kim from Seattle met us for dinner last night in the meat packing district. Tonight, after a full day of shopping, we met up with David's good friend Pete at Molly's Pub on 3rd. We just had an amazing cab ride back to our hotel with a Pakistani cab driver that I can't even appropriately describe. Verbose, thickly accented, snaggle toothed, and hard to understand. We probable understood every 5th word. The few things I took away were, "yeah baby boy, get out your camera" and "I will pray for your happiness to allah". When I sat up and looked through the glass to get a better look at him, his face was 5" from mine with a HUGE grin, missing teeth. I am distraught that his mouth was closed for this picture. He didn't want us to get out of the cab he was so happy to talk to us. I'm practicing his laugh right now.

Moments after...

Ok, this will be my last engagement post!

After David proposed, I was in such a state of gleeful shock that I needed a moment alone with him, so we sat in the guest bedroom, talked and called my parents. Since we still had a house full of people we weren't gone long, but we took a couple of blurry self portraits. I think his hands were still shaking :)

Needless to say we are still so giddy. The magical feeling has not worn off, and the two of us are just having a great time. We leave tomorrow for 2 days in NYC and then the rest of the week in CT. I will try to post in here when I can. Happy holidays to everyone!

And they lived happily ever after...

This picture came thanks to Jay. (I kinda stole it from his blog.) But this was the moment I said yes, Dave had not even put the ring on my finger yet. If you want to read about his side of it, you can go to Dave's site. He has the link to the short version of the Proposal video too.

My face muscles hurt from smiling so much, we are both so very giddy right now.

The future Mrs. Gannon

CLA + DHG = We are engaged!

My boyfriend, err, I mean fiance, my future husband, aka best man I've ever dated has asked me to marry him and I said YES!

Saturday night during our Holiday party, professional Carolers showed up at our door at 9:15p.m. to sing for everyone. They were dressed in Ye Olde garb and had amazing voices doing 3 part harmony. Everyone, including myself was completely oblivious and thought these carolers were so nice to be out going door to door in the hood in 7 degree snowy weather. One word to describe me: clueless. They started by singing Jingle Bells and I was just tickled and thought they were totally the hit of the party. Then they went into "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and during the second verse, the lyrics were changed to "Will You Marry Me Christy Allbee, Will You Marry Me Christy Allbee, Will You Marry Me Christy Allbee" and David got down on one knee in front of me with a ring. I was speechless, verclempt, and the happiest girl in the world. It was all caught on two videos. If you want to see them, let me know and I will email you the links.

Signed,
The Happiest Girl Ever

C is for Cookie and Christy

Cyn, Jeff, and Clare came over this week to make Sugar and basic Gingerbread cookies. The Gingerbread recipe I used had pepper(?!) in it, and though they are quite flavorful, I prefer a soft cookie to a crispy one, so I am not going to pass on the recipe. The sugar cookies and icing (ala Martha) are the best ever. I bought fancy dye at Williams-Sonoma and a new pastry bag. This item has mixed reviews. I need to try it again before I make up my mind about it. We used red, green, white and blue icing and the artistry of cookie decorating this year was MUCH better than last.

Actual memory, Christmas 2004: Me baking, baking, cutting, cooling pans, baking, cutting, cooling pans, David decorating them on the table (until 1am). I walk out of the kitchen to see his "masterpieces" and it looks like my beautiful Martha Stewart cookies were a craft project for a group of unruly 3 year olds. It was pricelessly hilarious. This year however, David got his art on and created some truly urban chic cookies.



That is until after a couple of glasses of bailey's he started his assembly line of french whores. Check out those jugs!

Eating like a Queen

Molly and April came over for dinner on Tuesday. I have been wanting to make a bunch of recipes from Michelle's blog and having the ladies over was a good excuse.
The Menu:
Goat cheese and arugula stuffed chicken (from Michelle) smothered in cranberry orange relish (from Martha)
roasted broccoli
Creamed sweet potatoes (Roast potatoes, mash with cream, margarine, maple syrup, honey, and cinnamon)

It turned out really well. That cranberry relish is delish, and could smother dirt pies and make them good. April brought a lovely bottle of Pinot Grigio that accented the meal quite nicely.

Hippo Bathday!

My sweet sweet man turns 38 today. It's ok though, he still acts very youthful. We are having dinner with family and friends at the 17th Avenue Grill tonight and hopefully going to see the Blossoms of Light at the Botanic Gardens. Raise you glass in a toast to his special day!

Coincidence?

Blue eyeshadow, Check
Rosy red cheeks, Check
Blond Hair, Check

My dad is convinced, based on these 2 pictures that 1+1 = I am an Angel.

Sweet Precious Angel Face

My dad emailed me this picture of the Angel that they have been using on the top of the tree since I was born. It is no wonder I have delusions of grandeur having been told that this angel was me for so many years! (I was blond as a child.) She's weathered pretty well, but as seen from this picture, and according to my dad, is badly in need of a hair combing.

Faithfully, for 34+ years she gets taken out of her box, tops the tree, and lights up the room. She probably was less than $5, and she still works! I wish my DVD player could have lasted that long.

Devilishly Angelic aka The Ornament Post

As a child, this handmade angel was my absolute favorite. I think because she looked like Wonder Woman, my favorite show at the time. Some things are timeless, this Angel is the epitomy of all things 70's. Check out that hairdo.



I'm pretty sure that this ornament was my brother's first and last foray into the world of cross-stitch. (Let the mocking begin.) I remember it like it was 2 weeks ago, Christmas circa 1982, and all I wanted next to Malibu Barbie and Electronic Detective was a cross-stitch race car. Well maybe not, but it is now beloved and someday my children will get this ornament and hang it on their tree. HA, suckers.



75% of the ornaments on this tree were handmade by my mother. I have too many favorites of hers to show them all, but I was particularly fond of the year she delved into the beaded ornaments. These are so delicate and quite a treat.



Last but not least, my Nana made this beautiful crocheted angel years ago, and she has been at the top of my tree as the topper ever since. Traditionally, my parents have topped their tree with the same angel since 1971. Every year, they would tell me that the angel was me, and of course I believed them, and continue to believe. I've even tried to convince friends that the glow of my aura and halo is the purest of light. They are blinded alright, and believe my halo to be a ring of fire. Yet the dream still lives on in me.

My Avatar

I've created an Avatar through yahoo. It's kind of like a buddy icon. Her eyes are a little big but other than that, this is exactly what I see when I look in the mirror. HA! I put a spicy little number on her for the holidays. Where was this outfit this weekend at Loehman's when I was shopping for something to wear to our party next Saturday? I ended up getting a strapless, 1 piece gaucho with a sequined half sweater. Dave's not too keen on it. It's kind of crazy.

Me, DG, the tree, and a glass of Bailey's

I made a batch of my new favorite drinks this week for tree trimming night. Bailey's, Godiva chocolate liquor, vodka and a little soy milk to cream it up. Wow, Bailey's on ice is oh so nice. Afterwards we put it in hot chocolate and these were super yummy too.



For the past 9 years, my Aunt has purchased a James Avery ornament for me for Christmas. I've got quite a little collection going. Each one is silver and has not been polished since purchase. I started a couple that night with my new fancy polish cloth, rub rub, but it is quite a task.

Every one of my ornaments have sentimental meaning. When I moved out of the house in 1995, my mom boxed up a selection of ornaments for me ranging from childhood treasures, a cross-stitch race car my brother made, gold angels with my name on them, gold french horns from high school, crocheted angles from my Nana, and loads of handmade ones so that when I got my first tree, I could fill it and start my own traditions. This weekend I will have a fun ornament post.

Stinkerific

Long past are the days of Pumpkin Pie and Autumn Harvest candles. We have moved full on into Holiday mode with scents such as Mistletoe from Yankee Candle and Dave's alltime favorite NOEL from Crabtree and Evelyn. He has several bottles of house spray and essential oils to use in candle burners. So we are driving around in the car last week with the heat blasting on us (high yesterday was 8 degrees) and Dave whips out some cotton circles from the center console (the kind you use to clean your face) and proceeds to place them in the heat vents. After he gets 2 in, I realize he has saturated them in NOEL. It is a very cute idea that I think he should submit to Real Simple magazine. I only suggest a few minutes in the vents however as it may cause a bit of eye burning :)

Whino

I've never been a wine connosieur. I know what I like, and after a glass, it all tastes the same. I can't smell the difference in grapes between ones that were tilled in a cranberry pasture vs. a cow patty. Nor does the taste of a peppery vs. raspberry stand out to be. When it comes to flavor, I ony know when I like it. Over the past several years, I've stuck to Merlots. But I have a problem with the Tanins, and I don't like the way they make my throat feel. I prefer a much smoother wine. Which brings me to my new favorite, one I had at dinner recently. The owner of my company picked this wine to drink and both he and the guy next to him, a prominent publisher in NYC both buy this by the case! It is St. Francis 2002 Old Vines Zinfandel from Sonoma Valley and it retails for $15.99 a bottle. I went and stocked up the other night. Here's hoping I get snowed in soon!

The LOO needs to be pretty too.

Doesn't look like much, but with the red towel on the toilet and our green Holiday tissue box, this is really cute in the bathroom. My mom made the tree over 8 years ago, and the candles were a gift from her from Ikea. The green candle cups are David's and add a nice accent.



And the stockings were hung from the Pottery Barn Mirror with care, in hopes that Andy Williams would soon be playing in the air. Did I mention DG's love of Andy? It's the most wonderful time of the year, and Andy needs to be prominently displayed. One of these stockings is the one I've been using since I was 1 year old and my parents next door neighbor made it for me.



We have a lot more decorations for the table that I'll use for our annual Holiday party on the 17th. Any appetizers you absolutely love? Email me the recipe.

We got our tree last night!! It's up and we will decorate it Wednesday night.

Emeril says "BAM - Nice Mantel!"

Dave's friend, Roxanne (the designer who picked the paint colors for the house) came over Saturday and looked through our Christmas decorations and helped us put a few things together. Here is the mantel she designed using all things we had! I just went out today and bought toile (on sale at Jo-Ann's) and wrapped it around lights for the final touch. The Rosemary tree in back is from a Whole Foods and serves a dual purpose as it can be used to cook with. We decided to stick with Red, Silver and White as a theme in the living room. We took the picture that was back there down and brought in David's Antique mirror which turned out to be the piece de resistance! This photo does not give the look justice, but it is quite pretty.

The cranberry and silver stems below were $1 each at a Michael's. Roxanne found this wine decanter in our pantry and filled it with clear beads to create this look.



This candle was a little too short for this vase ($2 at Michaels) so we added rice mixed with glitter and beads (left over from the craft project) to add some height.



Every room needs to be decorated. More to come...

Get on the Weiner Train

I am liked the Pied Piper for Weiners. I sing my Get on the Weiner Train song and those dogs follow me all over the house and when I finally stop moving and sit on the couch, they pounce and use me like a dog bed. Here's a pic we caught the other day when they weren't looking. I'm thinking Tica got the wrong end of the deal.

I Love My Weiners

It's Snowing! David posted pictures from the front yard this morning. I wanted a picture of him shoveling in his "I Love Snow" hat, but I was too lazy to get off the couch from under the dogs. They woke us up at 6:30 and would not go back to bed. Tica loves zipping around in the snow in the back yard.

I cancelled all plans today and am doing laundry, cleaning, and watching the food network. I haven't had one of these days in a long time. Fun for me!

Ying my weiner Yang

I have a number of weiner posts coming up.

The Two Degrees of Dick Cheney

Due to paranoia, my family questioning this post, job security and thoughts of Orwellian Big Brother, I am removing this post. I am so sure that Dick Cheney sat around yesterday reading all blog entries about him. My entry is probably on his desk right now, in a stack of paper 5 reams high, after someone did a search for "Degrees of Dick" and found my measly blog. They should try reading The Wonkette for real funny political satire. This is where I personally get all my Washington news.

If you missed this post because you only tune in once a week, I'd be happy to email the original to you. Then we can start a crazed chain letter.