Tired of Spinning

One of our favorite antique store finds is this 19th century engraving of a woman sitting by her loom, staring out the window, with the caption "Tired of Spinning."  The perfect sentiment for beleaguered publicists escaping to the country.  This seems to say it all.

Christmas goose

Having a brother-in-law who is a chef (Jeremy Walchalter of Cobblestone Foods) is lovely all year round, but especially when you decide to do a traditional goose for Christmas lunch.  

Notice the new Sur la Table roasting pan: a Christmas gift for Jon from Andy.  

And notice Jon taking note of Jeremy's carving skills.

A life lesson

Jeremy shows Max how to peel chestnuts, while Roger silently judges his technique.

Grandparents

Grandpa Barry and Grandma Louise smothering young Max.

Bloody Mary bar

Jon put together this Bloody Mary bar for Christmas Day.  Thank you Pamela for the amazing McClure's Bloody Mary mix, from Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain.  It's a must-try: it has this amazing garlicky-pickle flavor unlike any other mix we've ever tried.

A visit from Santa

Max doesn't seem the quite grasp the concept of Santa Claus yet, but he sure enjoys opening presents.  He also doesn't grasp the idea that most Jews don't celebrate Christmas.

"I don't like peel!"

Linsey was overjoyed by her authentic English peel -- one of her many stocking stuffers.  Jon is posing as the infamous "I don't like peel" lady.

Frienemies. Adorable frienemies.

Max came up for Christmas, and now that he's walking we were all concerned that Roger would go into attack mode (they are around the same size).  They actually got along really well for the most part.

Until Roger kicked Max right out of his bed.

Christmas Eve dinner

Jon put together a simple and light meal of roasted veggies and Barefoot's individual bay scallop gratins.  It was a hit.

Stockings

Andy was very proud of the stocking holder he made "from scratch" (a custom cut 4x4, some white paint, and a few hooks, all from Home Depot).  Of course, he miscounted the number of stockings the first time around, and only had six evenly-spaced hooks.  But second time's a charm.  

Notice how Roger's stocking is literally overflowing with gifts.  He's so easy to shop for.

Kellie's bachelorette bash

The big event for Kellie's bachelorette party was a trip to the ... you guessed it: pumpkin patch in Rhinebeck. 

Chad gets most of the credit for this impressive display:

The big 3-0

For Andy's 30th birthday, Jenny flew in from L.A., Rick brought champagne, and we christened the new kitchen.  These photos represent the most glamorous portion of the day -- things got considerably, er, less picturesque later in the evening.  

Rick gave Andy a copy of the amazing tome More is More: Tony Duquette.

Farewell old kitchen

These are the last known photos of the old kitchen, with its adorable red counters, built in cabinets, and wavy hex tile floor.  What it lacked in usability it made up for in cuteness.  We will miss it dearly.

We are keeping the mud room sink, even though we have no use for it.