I Found Some Coal in the House

As we were told when we were children, if you are not good all year, Santa will leave a lump of coal in your stocking and nothing under the tree.  I don't think I ever really worried about receiving a lump of coal in my stocking.  I always felt that someone would have to be really, REALLY bad for such a thing to happen.  And I never felt that I was really THAT bad during the year.

It brought back fond memories of those times as a child when I found these candies this year while out shopping for Christmas.

These little lumps of coal are actually chocolate Krackel. 

How positively life-like are these little lumps of coal?  I had to buy several bags of them.  They have gotten laughs at the office.  And quite a few people have asked me what they are.  I was rather shocked at that.  I thought everyone knew the "coal in the stocking" story.  But I guess not.  Actually, many of the people who have asked me what they are and the meaning of them are a good bit younger than yours truly.  Obviously parents today are not telling their children they will get a lump of coal for Christmas if they are not good all year.  Pity.

Our First Snow of 2015

We had our first snow of the season yesterday.  And, as is frequently the case, the forecast was not quite what we were expecting.  It was reported that we would receive a dusting to one inch of accumulation before the snow ended around noon on Tuesday.  We had already received two inches by the time we left the house at 8:00 AM.  So we knew then that this would turn into more than just a dusting to one inch of snow.  What we actually got was four to six inches of snow in the city and at least six inches points west of the city. Based on the forecast of a dusting to one inch, employers and school systems opened.  Some of the schools opened two hours late.  The roads were an absolute mess and this lead to all kinds of automobile accidents.  Some schools ended up closing for the day but others did not.  Pandemonium ensued.  The bottom line is, we do not do well in the snow here in the mid-Atlantic.  Other areas of the country have their weaknesses.  Ours is our inability to function on the roads or in any way during snow.  That's just the way it is.

Below are some pictures I took throughout the day.  I don't particularly like going out in the snow, but it is beautiful.

The new fallen snow on the greenery draped over the front entry railing.  Very Norman Rockwell.

Looking out to the street with the Commander in the driveway and Bug parked at the end of the sidewalk.

One of the little outdoor Christmas trees along the sidewalk at the front porch.

The stone Labrador all covered in snow.

The greenery on the mailbox post covered in snow.

The Commander or "Monster Truck" as I refer to it.  A cold wintry morn and nobody looks forward to cleaning off the car.

These red bells on the lamp post were a favorite of mine during our Christmas decorating.  I like them even more with the freshly fallen snow.  It would have been nice to have had this on Christmas day.

I really like this shot of the huge ornaments we hung in the tree in the front yard with a topping of snow.  Very festive.

Here, a shot of some of the accumulation of snow at the train station last night.  I don't think this is a true and accurate accounting.  This looks like about and inch of snow.  We got closer to four inches of snow in Cheverly and six inches in the city and points west.

The faux Christmas trees on either side of the front porch were magical last night.

I loved how the light shone through the snow.  The snow was beautiful but it caused headaches for those of us who were out in it.  I heard stories of it taking five hours to drive from downtown DC to Alexandria, VA.  For reference, that trip should take about twenty minutes without traffic and no longer than an hour in heavy rush hour traffic.

And that was our snowy Tuesday.

Our Bulbs Have Bloomed

The day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday" as it is commonly known, I spent, among other things, planting bulbs.  In particular, Amaryllis and Paper Whites.  Not being able to putz in the gardens or with the pots on the deck during the winter months makes me a little crazy.  So planting some indoor bulbs helps to keep my hands in the dirt.  I placed the pots with the bulbs in the window box in the kitchen which faces east.  That gave them plenty of morning light.  I watered the Paper Whites frequently.  The Amaryllis required fewer waterings; just enough to keep the soil moist but not wet. Below is a pictorial of my indoor bulb garden.  I hope you enjoy.

This picture was taken a couple of weeks after planting.  You can see that this bulb was very healthy.

The same with the other Amaryllis.  This one sent up two separate flowers.  In the foreground you can see the bud of the Paper White just about to open.

In the midst of all this, there is this cute little cachepot with chicks and hens and some other little tropical looking plans which was presented to me by my dear friend Lea for my birthday in early November.  That is getting regular drinks of water along with the other plants in this area.  And looking very healthy.

In this picture, taken a few days later, you see the Paper Whites just starting to open.  Lots of buds ready to open.

And, some days later, a beautiful display.  These were so incredible.

Finally, today, this Amaryllis has unfurled.  And it is quite a looker.

Another shot looking into the center of one of the blooms.

And on the other side of the window shelf, we have these wonderful Amaryllis just starting to bloom. These are just beautiful.  We missed having them in bloom for Christmas by a week and a half. Lesson learned.  Next year we will plant just prior to Thanksgiving rather than the day after.  That will mean gorgeous blooms for Christmas day and even through the new year.  I think I'll put these bulbs in brown paper bags after they are done blooming and place them in a cold, dark place for use again next year.

More Christmas Decoration

A few more pictures following yesterdays post of various shots around the house this year.

These wreaths came from IKEA.  I thought they were beautiful here on the kitchen windows.

Another shots with the morning sun shining through.

Another in the tree collection, this black and white pyramidial candle looked stunning on the mantel alongside the sparkling globe.

Very simple - three ornaments in a glass jar.  Couldn't be simpler to do and very pretty.

This was probably my least favorite of all the pictures.  This ornament tree just looks lost and uninspired.  I left it on this shelf and added another, smaller ornament tree in stainless steel.  Even with that, I was less than pleased.

The Christmas cactus was beautiful this year.  Tons of beautiful pink blooms.  Stunning.

And finally, the paperwhites.  They need to be watered regularly and in short order you will have the most beautiful blooms.

A Few Pictures of Christmas

We take an extraordinary number of pictures for Welcome to Crest Avenue.  I usually write the story in my head as I am taking the pictures.  Some of the stories make it on the blog, some do not. Some of the pictures make it, some do not.  I am constantly going through pictures and archiving those which I feel are important and deleting those which are not.  We ended up with several pictures taken during our time spent decorating for Christmas.  Most of these pictures were very good, they just did not form into a story.  I thought I would share them with you today.

This picture actually got posted on Facebook.  We referred to it as a "Magic Bullet Cozy."  We got several responses.  A cute idea.

This shot is of one of several sizes of similar gift bags which came in a grouping which we found at CVS.  These were really cute.  I think we used all of them.  There was one large, two medium and four small bags.

This was our tree.

I loved this pretty gold star on top.  The fact that is lights up adds even more warmth to the tree.  You will notice the ornament hooks in a fanciful curl.  So much nicer than the standard hooks.  Details. You achieve perfection in the details.

Again here with the details.  The stockings match the tree skirt.  I loved the blackwatch plaid with the faux fur.  No real fur in this household.  We are adamantly opposed to ANY animal being raised solely for the purpose of being killed for their hide.  I cannot think of anything more gruesome.

A shot of the banister before Christmas decoration.

And a shot of the banister after Christmas decoration.

So, there you have a few pictures of how our house looked for the Christmas season.  I'll share a few more of these with you on tomorrow's post.

Baxter Got Gourmet Cookies for Christmas.

We couldn't very well have Christmas without getting something for little Baxter.  Since he already has more toys and sweaters and jackets and boots and dog gear than any other miniature wire-haired dachshund in the world, we opted for the gourmet cookie assortment for this years gift.

I found these at Petco just days before Christmas and I thought they would be perfect as his Christmas gift.  I will tell you that they were a big hit.  I do not know for certain, but I would venture that Petco has probably marked these down considerably on their after Christmas sale.  I'm sure your pooch would love them too!

It's Time to Start Preparing for New Year's Eve

It is almost here!!  It is hard to believe that Christmas 2014 is done and New Year's Eve is two days away.  But those are the facts.

We will have a small gathering on Wednesday evening which will be fun, fun, fun.  We picked up several of these mini bottles of club soda and diet tonic water for the evening.  There is more to come on our line-up.

Aqua Stone for Humidity

You may have seen the advertisements on tv for the Aqua Stone.  I was intrigued, so I thought it time to give this a try.  The concept could not be more simplistic.  Place a porous orb in a bowl of water and humidify the air.  That is pretty much how it works.  Check it out.

The "Elegant" Natural Room Humidifier.  I would have bought it just for that statement.  But there were other reasons why I wanted to give this a try.

Adding moisture to the air in the winter months is good for many things, not the least of which is the ability to cut down on static electricity.  Ouch!!!

Here is the base - a porcelain bowl in which you add water.

And the porous orb which sits in the porcelain base.

Here you see the underside of the orb.  Really an ingenious design.

The whole thing is kind of idiot proof.  There are no complicated instructions.  No fill line.  Just fill the bowl with water, but not too much so that it pours over the sides when you place the orb inside.

In with the orb and you are good to go.

I took this picture after it had been sitting in water for awhile.  I wanted to see if the picture would show the change in color after the water was fully absorbed, but it does not.  It is wet to the touch.  Or maybe not wet, but fully saturated.

Does the Aqua Stone work.  I believe it does.  It takes no electricity.  You do not have to worry about bacteria or fungi growing inside the tank like you would with a standard humidifier.  And it can be placed easily throughout the house.

Food and Toys for the Abandoned Animals

I make contributions in the form of food and other necessities to our local animal shelter from time to time throughout the year.  This past weekend I made just such a trip to the DC Animal Shelter.

Unfortunately, they do not just receive unwanted and homeless dogs, but they receive cats as well. So the first thing we picked up was this 36 can medley of 9 Lives Meaty Classics.

I spoke to Beau at the shelter before I started my shopping and he informed me that the shelter has a strict rule that the dogs only be fed Hill's Science Diet food.  A heads-up on this food - you cannot find it at Walmart or Target or any of the big chain grocery stores.  You must go to a pet store.  I know this because I tried all of the above before finally going to Petco.

I bought the biggest bag in stock at Petco, which was this 33 lb. bag.  There are many hungry mouths to be fed at the shelter.

The next item that all shelters can use is bath towels.  Now, they do not need to be PortHault (http://dporthaultparis.com/towels/).  But simple middle of the road towels that will stand up to everyday use.  These bath towels from Walmart were just perfect.  And in black.  Stains are camouflaged on black.

Next up, some play toys.  Actually, a friend ordered these large balls from www.chewy.com and discovered when they arrived that she ordered the wrong size for her dogs.  When we contacted Chewy and explained the situation and told them we wanted to return these and reorder the same thing in small, they were so kind and suggested we take these to our local animal shelter and they shipped out the new balls for my friend in the small size.  THAT, my friends, is how you do business!!  We love Chewy and we want everyone to know what a wonderful thing they did.  Please use the link above to go to their website.

Finally, the car loaded, off we went to the shelter.

I was hoping that I was not going to open the door to the sound of wailing pets who had been abandoned.  And I did not.  The operation seems to be very well run.  Lots of young people with caring eyes who were very appreciative of everything I dropped off.

I love that they have painted in HUGE letters on the front of the building facing heavily trafficked New York Avenue, "Adopt here!"  A little further down "dc loves dc animals."

And on the opposite side of the building is this sign, facing traffic traveling east on New York Avenue, with their hours.

If you find yourself in a situation where you can help out at your local animal shelter, please consider doing so.  They would be happy if you walked in with a $5 donation or a can of food.  Anything, no matter how small, is appreciated.  Our furry friends look to us to care for them.