No room for Mom...

It's official - the dogs have won as can be evidenced by their taking of the throne. Luckily, when I snapped this shot, mom was on her own type of 'throne' so wasn't too inconvenienced.

I'm planning on taking Mom out today (bundled up so she probably can't move) to get her nails done. Even though it's cold out, this is a very necessary thing! It's particularly windy here though, and she's fairly miserable when it's cold and windy. So, we'll see. I might become a manicurist myself. Would be easier.

We've spent the last two days making and experimenting with new recipes. John is the happy recipient and official tester of most of them. I made these cookies that I dubbed 'Crack cookies' for 2 reasons: 1. They're like crack cocaine - totally addictive and 2. You crack them into bite sized pieces. They're truly marvels, and I must stop the madness!

Mom, John and I bottled our first batch of wine yesterday - 30 bottles of red (Montepulciano). There was a definite learning curve in the bottling process; just ask my previously golden toned walls in the diningroom (good thing I have a dark wood floor....). Regardless, Namaste Cellars has officially bottled its first wine, and it was delightfully tasty, just as promised by the wine store that sold me the kit and starter concentrate. The 3 of us shared a bottle (even Mom loved it) and had to drink 'just a bit more' to even off the bottles - that's our story and we're sticking to it. I'm off today to get labels and design such. We had a lot of fun and are going to delve into a Chardonnay next, closely followed by a chocolate-raspberry port. Can't wait for that one!

Niece Monya and her family were going to come down yesterday but we put that off as, by the time the ice melted down here, it was sleeting up there (just north of Hagerstown).

Channukah brought some nice gifts around here. Mom scored 5 pairs of warm and cozy socks from John, along with a page-a-day calendar (that way, she will know what day it is). She also was the grateful recipient of many new warm, fleece nightgowns and robes. I got a beautiful ankle bracelet from John. We spent most of our time in ports last time on the cruise with me trying to score one. Couldn't find one I liked, but I positively LOVE the one he got me - it's gorgeous.

John received assorted items from me, including the wine making kit. I might have made a tactical error though in giving him a membership at my gym...he was a trainer in the Marines and worked my butt off yesterday at the gym. 2 hours and many sore muscles later, we were soaking it off in the hot tub but, evidently, not all of it soaked off as I'm sore as can be today. And, as I understand it, we're doing it all over again tonight - augh. Note to self: dumb gift.

Mom gave John a great book 'A gunkholer's guide to the Chesapeake' in preparation for our sailing trips this summer on his new boat, which should be delivered in March (we've decided that the official christening will be done in my driveway so that Mom can attend). Anyway, the book is great in that it documents (in great detail) the entire Chesapeake Bay, including isolated mooring spots, nice restaurants in quaint towns, how to approach the various spots in low and high tides, and, my favorite, places you can only see by boat. We're excited to plan our trip in June for my birthday - we're hoping to go out 4 or 5 days on the boat for a nice, relaxing vacation. I've already got the inaugural meal planned - lobster!