Christmas, Ornaments and... Coffee?

Merry Christmas everybody! I hope you got what you were asking for.

It's funny. None of my family woke up today until like, 10 in the morning. My mom was planning to make coffee cake, which is my FAVORITE and ONLY beloved breakfast food (I do not count crepes... they're more of a snack food...) that I will actually eat DURING the morning hours.

I don't like all the sugar. I LOVE sweet things. As in, I will drown coffee in sugar because it's not sweet enough. That's how much I love sweets. But breakfast foods have just too much sugar in them.

Anyways there's an ornament on our Christmas tree that my mom got back in the day. I guess it was one of those short-run, one-year-only types of ornaments, 'cause I can't find ANY MORE of them online.

I've tried etsy, E-bay and I will try Amazon next. I hope Amazon has it. It's a cute little Victorian house that's a brown ceramic with some white ceramic on top to make it look like snow's fallen. The only problem with it is the fact that it's REALLY heavy. I think it's about half a pound or so. Which, for an ornament, is just a bit ridiculous.

But my mom loves it and so for her birthday (which is in June) or mothers' day, or some other random holiday I thought I'd get a couple more for her since she loves them so much.

But nope. They're nowhere to be found. I'm going to try Amazon once and see but so far NOTHING looks even remotely similar.

Nope.

Anyways my brother's girlfriend "Coraline" got an espresso maker from us this year as her Christmas present. So we decided to whip it out and try making something with it.

The first cup we used decaf coffee grounds, non-fat milk and tried it. The milk was cold and the espresso was really weak.

The second cup we tried non-decaf coffee which we ground extra fine in a little grinder, the non-fat milk and whipped it up again. It was better but the milk was weak.

Third time's the charm.

Anyways that's all we've done this morning and afternoon. Coraline's taking a nap, Alejandro is playing on his computer.... some game or whatever, and based on what I can hear, my mom's cleaning something in the Kitchen and my dad's playing his tank game.

All in all... Our Christmas festivities were all pretty limited to yesterday... When we opened our presents. But it was fun to hang out and fail at making coffee. Now we just need to play Eurorails and Jenga and then we're all good.

OOooooh. I found the ornaments. They're here... Gingerbread House Ornaments. I think they look adorable. Heee hee. The one we have is the "Townhouse" version. I think I like the Queen Anne Revival one best.

Tea and Crumpets and Trees... Again

Ho hum.

I feel a bit sick today. As in feverish. That might be because I'm wearing two layers of everything... but that's beside the point. I only just started feeling it ten minutes ago... when I've been wearing this for about three hours already. Inside. Under my comforter. In a room with little to no ventilation. You'd think that I'd have started feeling sick or warm before but nope...

And my toes are cold.

But that's beside the point.

So today I didn't have work so I just chilled around my house for the morning (which is a long way of saying I slept in until 11) and hung out with 'Der Boifriend' for another couple hours.

We had tea and cocoa at his friend's place we'd seen yesterday (description here -->Coffee and Cocoa and... Trees?) and afterwards he had work. His name forever shall be 'La Photographia' because I asked and he answered that.

So I kept working on the scarf that I made for 'Der Boifriend'. Here's the picture of what I have so far. The pattern is random, in regards to the color choices. They were the remnants from a Doctor Who scarf that my mom is/was making me for Christmas. I'm not sure if she's finished... she said she was but then again she bought two skeins of some colors and didn't use them... Last I saw she just needed the tassles and then to stretch the scarf to the full 12 foot length... I'm so excited!!! >U<

The pattern of the yarn itself is called "honeycomb" and is a Tunisian style of crocheting. It's in between crocheting and knitting and I like it. It's very easy to follow and comprehend.

I just realized that that smiley is the first one I have used so far. Perhaps I should use more... I usually talk with them. They're great for showing emotions! But I shall restrain the annoying usage of them for now... I'll work them in slowly and only do a few.

So yeah. His scarf. It looks like this so far (folded up and such but it is about five feet now.)

I have to finish the length (which is when I run out of both yellow, grey and white...) and then weave the excess on the sides into the scarf so that they don't show.

Boifriend you better be pleased with this or else.

OH! Here's the picture of the scarf...

(The picture will be belated because my ridiculous camera ran out of battery as I was taking it... It needs to charge now...)

Anyways then afterwards we were supposed to go to Kron again at the local college but it was a no-go. Apparently, there was a threatened rain storm or something.

All I saw were some meaningless light grey clouds. Not those angry black ones that roll in from the coast, hit the breeze from the Inland Empire and then turn into a massive hail storm.Which usually happens during the summer but that's another issue entirely.

So instead he and I went to the coffee shop again. I had Chai tea and he had a Mayan hot cocoa. It was spiced but I didn't notice it until the end. I kept stealing sips from his 'cause Chai tea is smooth in flavor and needs something else entirely to spice it up again.

His friend brought us whipped cream that was eggnog flavored while we were chatting. In little espresso cups with spoons that were sticking out of the top like a little flag or something. I thought it looked comical. They were on the verge of toppling over too.

So I have never tasted eggnog before. I've heard it's slimy and has alcohol in it... and as I don't like the taste of alcohol I have yet to try it. So 'Der Boifriend' tried it for me and told me to try it.

IT WAS DELICIOUS.

Nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, apple juice and other things were all woven into the rich foam and it gently reminded you of the flavor of the holiday season. All we needed was it liquified into a drink and then to be standing in front of a giant Christmas tree covered in gently twinkling lights and classy ornaments, with songs softly playing and a fire crackling merrily off to the side.

Which reminds me. We have decided for our Christmas Tree gag to use a small tree instead of a huge one. This was decided for a couple reasons.

A: We wanted to give my parents a good present as well, and since the cost of a tree would be just shy of the cost of a present we voted for a cheaper option.
B: My parents keep telling me "I don't know" or "Maybe" when I ask them if we're getting a tree. What happens if they were going out on the date and when they returned decided to buy a tree and then we had one already? Our living room isn't big enough for two trees... It can barely fit one.
C: 'Der Boifriend' had an idea. We would get a tiny one that the grocery stores sell, decorate it with my tree's decorations, and write a note saying "A real tree wouldn't fit into 'Der Boifriend's' car... So we got you this instead."
D: We also considered the fact that both my dad, brother and I wouldn't clean up after the tree. You have to keep it watered and vacuum up the fallen needles...and since there's almost no chance we'll do it for my mom she'd have to do it. And that's one of the main reasons why she didn't want a tree this year.

So it's decided. Now... I just need to abuse the coupon policy at my work and get some mini lights for the mini tree... and send my parents on a date later on in December.

But not too late 'cause I have a final to study for. I think the test is on the 18th or something like that... I should check.

Deer Lawd... I had to change my work schedule calendar to December because it's just a couple days away! EGADS.

Coffee and Cocoa and... Trees

So today I went with 'Der Boifriend' to his old friend's workplace... which happened to be a great coffee shop. I actually love it there.

Everything's dim and warm looking. The pendant lights hanging from the ceiling are awesome and twist slightly as they fall. On the tip they have little tassels like on curtains in old, rich people's houses. The whole place was active but quiet. And not an awkward quiet. It was a good kind of quiet, where everybody's happy and drinking or eating a croissant and reading the newspaper. There were some hipsters there (you can tell by the women.... if they wear a hat... hipster. If they wear a headband... just a popular crowd person) but it wasn't so annoyingly so that it was not a place anyone can go.

And their cocoa was AWESOME. The boyfriend got that. It was rich and smooth and probably made with bittersweet chocolate, like the chunks in chocolate chip cookies. It's great! And if you're one of those people who like milk chocolate... there's a reason why bittersweet and dark chocolates are better.

You don't get tired of the sweetness.

It's just enough that it sedates your sweet tooth (mine for five seconds but who cares...?) and it still gives you the full flavor of the bold, dark richness of the chocolate. And what with the whipped cream and foam and stuff that they layer on top of it... You wouldn't notice that the chocolate was bittersweet.

Oh oh ohoh...! My favorite part of cocoa and teas are the last, final dregs. With cocoa you get the full punch of chocolatey goodness and with tea, the last finishing note of the drink washes over your tongue and leaves it feeling refreshed and (in the case of the tea I had today) warm.

And actually, the had a mint tea, and if you take a couple sips of the tea and then one of the cocoa it's THE BEST. Kind of like drinking a peppermint patty or York or something like that. DELISH!

So we were sitting there hoping that his friend would go off work and we were just talking about stuff. Turns out just before his friend could sit down and chat with us 'Der Boifriend"s mum called and wanted him home.

Phooey.

And so he dropped me off... I had dinner with the family, and afterwards my mom and I were talking while watching TV and I remembered something.

This would be the first year in about 30 years that our family wouldn't have a Christmas tree... including the years when my brother and I weren't born.

Anywhoozle I asked her if she planned on getting one this year and she was vague and said "Maybe..." and all of those parent-y crap that basically means that it's a NO but they haven't finalized it yet. But it was fine.

You know why?

'Der Boifriend' and I had hatched a plan to force my parents out to a dinner and a movie and whilst they were away on their merry date we would buy a tree, proceed to drop it off at my house, and hopefully put lights, ornaments, and everything on it. And when they came back (which we were planning on forcing them to a whole afternoon's event because it sounded like it'd take a TON of time) it would be all perfect and waiting for them.

I like this plan.

The only problem is... I can't drive. Well... I refuse to drive NORMAL cars. I have been... for lack of a better word PRESSURED into learning how to drive and THEN getting a Moped or a Vespa.

And I approve of this plan too.

As I approve of many things random and fun sounding.

So... I've decided that if we do that... (Der Boifriend and I) it'll be our Christmas present to the two of them. What with all the work and the amount of planning it makes up for the small-ish price tag. Per person per giftee it's about ten bucks or maybe 15 depending on the tree but hey... WE GET A TREE.