Interesting, the things you see out your window

When one is home from work there is time in the day to look out the window. Today is a beautiful early winter day. I sat down for a little lunch. Thus coincidentally was at the same time the local narcotics anonymous meeting was getting ready to start, which was good, I'm a people watcher and some fascinating folks roll up to this meeting. At my first sip of tea I was quite surprised to see thus thunder around the corner ....

More Christmas Cheer

...and downstairs the elves were making sparkling cider and trophy cup cakes!!!

Christmas Cheer

I work for PEMCO insurance and the motto around here is..."we're alot like you...a little different".  This ethos is backed up a bazillion percent by the executive team who at this time of year don appropraite seasonal attire, buy boxes and boxes of see's candies and march around the company with tickle me elmo style laughing doll spreading joy.

Here's me with (left to right) Stan (CEO), Steve (CFO), Fee (fabulous), Sue (Chief People Officer), Jeff (CIO)...note Stan's florish with the cape, he was rocking the cape and I think he might make it a regular fashion accompaniment for his day to day wardrobe.  In the background in lavender is Vivian, the call center director.

the chocolates are a double layer of delicious See's Candies.  See's, if you are reading this I make a plea to you PLEASE put in a chocolate menu so we know what we are throwing down the old biscuit shoot.  We have to resort to shanking each of your confections to understand what the interior of said confection is.  Some of us can barely wait as is evidenced in this picture: (left to right: unnamed friend's hand shanking the chocolates, Carrie and Kirsten)

and still more shanking going on as we speak

Theos

Sunday was a dreary day but we spiced it up with a trip to Theo's Chocolate Factory.

and here is the chocolate tour posse

it was very cozy inside....a roaring fire to sit next to while we waited for the tour to begin

and lots of chocolate to "look at"

I think the best was the dark chocolate with fig and fennel - weird, and strangely delicimo!  Course, going into a food making factory meant we got complimentary hair nets.  When these were given to Geneva she was like "what...are....these....for"

putting on your noggin silly! But perhaps not like this...

Like this!

I think I look rather fetching as does Gen (bloody hell - check out my wrinkles!)

and before we knew it it was tour time

I had no idea there was so much involved in making chocolate.  Really my only education was based on Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory - and I am delighted beyond belief to confirm that there is no super scary river ride in this tour and sad to report....NO UMPALOOMPAS - those their suits were in plain view.  Maybe they have Sundays off for religious reasons?

Look how intently our merry band was listening...even post sugar high

and of course, the real reason of the tour was not education.  Who needs an education when you have CHOCOLATE

When we were done with the tour we ended back in the store (co-incidence? I think NOT).  There was an opportunity to add a pin to the world map to indicate where all the visitors were from.  They had run out of pins so I stole a pin from Australia (who care about that place anyhoo) and used it to indicate my glorious nation.  Amazing how many people had visited from the antipodes.

So yes, it was well worth going - a 2 month wait to go on the tour and the $6 entry fee was well worth it!

Friday Night Fun

Snowflake Lane in Bellevue is a very good time.  This year we had the kids with us and as an added bonus Tadpole and Ronnie and about 750,000 of our closest friends.  This was the most crowded i have ever seen snowflake lane!  Basically they have people dressed up as nutcrackers and they drum to christmas music while they blow fake snow onto the crowd.  That really makes it sound unexciting but really its wonderful.  This year I also made fake beards for us...

 

and here is me and my sweetie.  Normally I am against a beard on him, but he really rocks it! And FYI, this is the only kind of beard I ever want...

Here is Gennie and I - as you can see, Gen is THRILLED about the nutcracks

somehow Dot and I were bathed in a pink light, I dont know what thats about but....here tis

and the boys and I

NUTCRACKERS - were all around us

they have the whole street lit on both sides

and then they make it snow!

this happens to be right next to a huge shopping mall so of course we popped over to check it out and Dot and I wrote letters to Santa

and mailed them off

We ended the evening at Cheesecake Factory for slices of cheesecake, I would have pictures to share...but the battery was exhausted as was I.

Christmas Decorations

I love to decorate for any time of the year, but Christmas is by far my favorite.  Here's a little tour of our decorations this year at Castle Allen

The tree with a little added glitter:

you can't see it in the above photo but around the tree on the window sill is a train.......

and speaking of trees, thank you Miss Kirsten for this beautiful handmade tree:

when you walk in the door this is the little vignette:

I did a little joozing on the white ikea tree that I used for thanksgiving and got these beautiful mercury glass ornaments from TJ Maxx to rock a vintagey look...plus, what you can't see is little tiny fairy lights amoungst the tinsel, which looks quite festive when you walk in

this is one of my most favorite things that Mr Big has gifted to me.  Its so perfectly my taste.  Every year we pack it will all kinds of goodies, though with the kids not here with us this year it wont be QUITE so exciting to open each door.

I'm a candle fan - but Im kind of a shocker for leaving them burning all the time AKA Firerisk.  In line with this I am embracing the flameless candles this year, they arent as lovely but not bad.  Target had a 3 pack for only $19 and the sparkly ornaments were a grand total of $1 from the same place

This is actually Mr Bigs doing...wasnt he so clever to think about ornaments in a vessel?

Tony was purchased from a vintage flea market and spruced up with a spray of my favorite color, pistachio and he was seasoned with a santa letter box (what better carrier than a green deer?) and acutremont..

I took all these pics on the I-Phone so they are a bit grainy, specially the following one... but isnt this pretty with the white supersized vases and the silver beads

 this is in the kitchen - its ironic in some ways because when you look out this window there are a bunch of old churches and little old houses that you see (just like on this shelf)

Mike and Tracey brought us a poinsetta.  They are such nice friends, they always purchase us a live plant.  Only problem is I am a plants worst nightmare and they always die at my hand.  Im a serial non-waterer.  Sigh.  Its not that I dont love plants - really, I do, plants are our friends, but I just forget they need water to survive.  Maybe I should be a cactus person instead?  Anyhoo, for now - look how pretty!

I came up this genuis idea of filling a cloche with stuff via one of my blog buds ... I cant remember which one so I can't lavish kudos on that personage but voila...the hilarious result was that someone thought this was a stack of truffles (rather than mini pinecones and acorns) fortunatly their eagle eye (Laura Olson) was operating and just as she was about to lift the lid (and send a bazillion cones rolling) she noticed that it was not the aforementioned.  Lucky break Olson, lucky break

As you might know, Im more of a classic and traditional style maven rather than being attracted to the silly more cartoony....but when I saw this two snowmaned dancing and singing and more amazingness some years ago, it joined our Christmas delights (and is relegated to the den because it dosent match)

 Merry Christmas to one and all!