Quilt Progress

Sis has been busy adding to the quilt while she is down here for the holiday. The design pattern is called patchwork. She is using squares, rectangles and triangles. Looking good, Sis!

Christmas Breakfast and Dinner

Oh my gosh, another blog entry about eating. It is the holidays after all! In the morning, I decided to make Stitt House quiche accompanied by seasoned roasted potatoes and endive tomato feta cheese salad for my family. For dinner, we all shared a great big roasted turkey dinner. For dessert, there was homemade tiramisu and fudge. Happy holidays, everyone!

The Eve to Christmas Eve Dinner

By now you may have surmised that my family is the eating-est family on this side of Florida. Hubs and I took our family out to a holiday celebratory dinner at Thirty Two East the night before Christmas Eve. My sis is a shutterbug and insisted on documenting all dishes served at our happy table. Afterwards, we took a evening stroll down Atlantic Avenue. Enjoy the pictures!

Place of Honor

My very good friend from college, Jessica, has come through big time. Last night, when she came over to join us for Christmas dinner, she produced two yards of fabric for Gi's quilt and a very lovely wish. This is the same woman who says that she can hardly boil water and does not have one crafty bone in her body. Looks like she's been faking us out all this time. Hugs and kisses to you, Auntie Jessie!

Celebrating Christmas Eve

Our most excellent neighbors, Paul and Thuy, invited us to their home for a delicious Christmas Eve dinner. There was a smorgasbord of Vietnamese and American dishes to delight in. It was an evening of good food, good conversations and good people. Hubs and I are fortunate and very thankful for the blessings in our lives.

Chinese???

BEFORE



AFTER

Hub's graphic designer co-worker had a little fun by digitally giving him "Chinese" hair. Close but no cigar, Javier.

Quilt Progress

The latest progress on the Gigi quilt...

Soft and Pink

Hugs and kisses to my wonderful co-worker, Mona, for this heart felt wish and oh-so-soft fabric square. Thank you!

LUA Party

Hubs and I enjoyed a lovely evening of festivities at the LUA holiday party. Great food, fun conversations, endless dancing and a giant gingerbread house---who could ask for more? Mama Lydia, enjoy the pictures---your son cleans up nicely. ;-)

Notarize, Certify and Authenticate!

Our phone rings around 5:30 p.m. today. I glance on the caller i.d. and see that the call is coming from Denver, Colorado. Of course, I, being the original doofus girl, thought it was a sales call so I haughtily turned away continuing to dice and chop tonight's dinner ingredients. The answering machine picks up and IT IS ANDREA FROM CCAI! Yes, I wished it was a "referral" call. But that is not to be in the D household. CCAA needs my parents' photocopied passport pages to be notarized, certified and authenticated also. Only then will the mighty CCAA be satisfied with my Chinese decendency. URGH!!! Why didn't the dossier gods tell me this seven months ago??? Perhaps they didn't know either. Ohhh, this brings back unpleasant memories of a college professor who smugly proclaimed on the first day of class, "I don't give out A's. You'll have to work very hard just for a B." I feel like that college student now, trying to meet all the course requirements and hoping, just hoping to get that elusive A. Not wanting to hang up without some words of hope from Andrea, I anxiously asked her if CCAA wanted this additional verification, did it mean that our dossier was at least being reviewed? "Yes, but it may also mean that your referral would be delayed ANOTHER month." Complete and utter silence on my end. After about ten seconds of uncomfortable speechlessness, I gritted my crooked teeth, conjured up a superficially cheerful voice and blurted out, "Oh, well, that's just what we will have to accept." Do I really accept it? NO! Will I be a good little monkey and do as my trainer (CCAA) says? YES! Gi, Mama's gonna get that A.

More Beautiful Squares

Big hugs and kisses to my neighbors, Patty and Wendy, and the DeCastro Family. Patty and Wendy, big dog lovers, chose two patterns with dog themes. The DeCastro Family decided to go Asian, giving Gi four Chinese silk squares with pretty designs. The squares are red too, the traditional color of good luck and fortune in Chinese culture! A BIG thank-you to all of you. We are definitely passed the 80 mark. Woo hoo!

A Portuguese Wish

Hugs and kisses to the Gary family. Along with a wonderful square, they enclosed a lovely poem in Portuguese for Gigi. Many thanks!

More Goodies

Our friends continue to be very generous with their great hand-me-downs. The latest contributer to Gigi-World is the Baxter family. Among many other things, they passed along a mommy rocker still in great condition. Then there's the mac-daddy Graco stroller, Jumperoo and a little rocking horse. The list goes on. Thank you for thinking of us!

Another Referral!

Another PBChina couple has received their referral this month. Congratulations to Belynda and Carlos on the referral of their daughter, Tatiana. What an adorable face! Probably a great personality to match. They are expecting to travel in January to bring their daughter home. What a great Christmas gift!!!

And in the Beginning...

My big sis has started on the design of Gi's quilt. She used Mama Lydia's quilt square as the central piece in the quilt. As I continue to receive more quilt squares I will send them up to her. I can't wait to see when it is finished. In the background are some of my bro-in-law's beautiful pottery. Keep those squares coming, family and friends!

One More

Hugs and kisses for Donna, my co-worker, who gave me a swimmingly cool quilt square. She has a home in Duck Key and thought this pattern represented her love of the Keys lifestyle. Thank you!

For Mama Lydia

Lydia,
I thought you might enjoy seeing the sun hat tree leaves change colors in the Florida "winter."

Thanksgiving in Tally

We spent a wonderfully slow-paced Thanksgiving holiday with my sis and bro-in-law who live up in Tallahassee. They are vegetarians and so we did not have our usual turkey and stuffing dinner. Instead, we traveled around the globe with Shrimp Mozambique, southern mustard green, Chinese tofu and a pan-fried Pompano fish. My bro-in-law made a fabulous apple pie. He is a professional potter so his pie crust is rolled and designed to perfection. We spent most days exploring the national park that is behind my sister's home, visiting the downtown street market and the LeMoyne Museum where my bro-in-law works as a pottery instructor and eating in local joints. One of our favorite eateries is the Catfish Pad, a dumpy hole-in-the-wall that serves up the best fried catfish and mullet. No real plates or glasses in this joint. Just paper goods, all disposable. We also saw various trees that have changed colors due to the winter coming. Who says you have to be in Vermont to see that? Note the beautiful Japanese maple.