of moss and leaves

So very proud of my home state.
Last night, Maryland became the first state to approve an equal marriage law by popular vote.

Maine and Washington state also approved equal marriage laws.

Recently, I've been reading about Bryndzové Halušky, a Slovakian national dish.  I figured that any recipe consisting entirely of potatoes, cheese, and bacon could not possibly be a bad thing. 
It's quite salty, but absolutely delicious.



Hobbes was very curious about it, but stopped short of taking a bite.
He looked at me as if to say, "Mama, you know I'm not supposed to eat bacon..." 

I've been in such a cheesy mood lately.
One day, all I could think about was crackers with Brie spread.  YUM!



Things have been going along quietly at home. 
Our cats are as naughty as ever.
Three-year-old Maggie sleeps a lot during the day but charms us with her chirps and trills.  21-month-old Hobbes is still a live wire.  He leaps off furniture and stalks food with a passion.  But his early-morning snuggle sessions are delightful.  Both cats enjoy sunrises and watching the birds every morning.



They've also discovered the tree frogs that frequent out sitting room window.  The frogs (and hummingbird) often look in the windows to see what we're doing.

We had a very quiet, uneventful weekend. 
The weather was cold and we got a little snow (which melted by the end of the day).  I think Mother Nature delivers these little dustings to remind us that there is beauty even in the dead of winter.



I holed up in my room and worked on my needlepoint (while under the blankets!).  Hobbes joined me quite a bit of the time; two chilled creatures sharing the warmth and watching the wind outside.



By Sunday evening, I had finished the background of the piece, after four weeks of stitching.
I'm a bit in love with this design. 
Stormy and I have been giggling like 8-year-olds for the past few days.  I've been stitching the background from right to left ('cause my brain is wired strangely) and when telling him where I was in stitching the design, I'd say "Unicorn bum!" in a silly Potter Puppet Pals voice.  It's helped me keep my sense of humour when the intricacy of the pattern was getting to me.
 




Last night, I filled in the last four flowers and completed the thin blue border around the piece.  It's looking much more "finished", even in this state of completion.  Next stop: spotted unicorn!

One of my favourite Christmas presents was from my 8-year-old niece, who drew a picture of my cat Hobbes.

I've spent this week watching BBC's 2010 series of Sherlock and then on Saturday stormsongk and I watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  Whee!  Can't wait for Sherlock series 2 to air on New Years Day.

This weekend was the Yule feast with our chosen family.
A bunch of us and a load of food crammed into my sister's tiny 1-bedroom apartment.
Crowded and sometimes loud, but fun.

During the weekend, I started a new cross stitch pattern (yay Etsy!) - a wreath of holly, ivy, and mistletoe.  On Sunday morning, I had some trouble sleeping, so I got up and started stitching.
Hobbes curled up next to me and purred for three hours.

Between lack of internet at home and general busy-ness, I've been neglecing this meme. The weekend was a quiet one.
Spent quite a bit of time watching DVDs on my laptop, playing with the cats, and mowing the yard.

Bought my sweetie a dozen roses for $2.

And I finally transplanted some of our self-seeded baby lettuces into a planter by the door so stormsongk can remember to pick them when  he makes sandwiches. :)