Here are some of the Birthday Party that will be talked about for many years. Paula Shull has thrown the gaunlet for a big party at Black Sheep Gathering for her birthday and plans are in the works.
I can't tell anyone enough how blessed I felt this night of my 52 year. The only thing that would have made it better if my mom could have been there.
On December 18th Elizabeth came to put the roast on. No one realized that Elizabeth had purchased enough meat to feed the whole town of Silverton (well not really but it was really big)
The Roast of Roasts
Now Elizabeth has a very special method of cooking this roast put the oven on for 1 hour at 350 and then tape the oven shut and after 1 hour turn the oven off. Keep the oven taped until 1/2 hour before the meat is to come out at which time you turn the oven on to 350 after that you remove tape and take roast out of the oven.
Elizabeth's Husband Chuck carving the roast
It was a little difficult to manage a paper plate with Prime Rib roast on it but somehow we managed. Becky had to serve on paper plates as a number of guests brought friends and family which was wonderful and a lovely addition to the party. Several people somehow made it to the party that didn't think they could, so though Becky expected 12, 20 people came, another testiment to the kind of friends I have! Great ones!
Don and Emma on the left Bill Shull in the middle and Jan (in purple what else) on the right
Cynthia on the left Paula Shull in the middle and Nancy on the right, all long time spinning friends. Cynthia made a DVD of my spinning life. I now have a photo history including the pictures of me sleeping and spinning.... I love it!
Jan on the left talking to Maria Rooney about sheep. Both of these ladies are sheep raisers and make me a part of their sheep community. I don't have sheep but with these two as my friends I really don't need to! Becky is walking through on the right in the apron Shelli from Knitterly gave her!
Here are some young people friends. Paul is holding Tristan while Adrianne talks babies with Emma (out of frame), while Kendal finds a chair. By the way his Rubarb Wine is the greatest, and potent.
There was plenty of spirits flowing at this party and all the while I knit on Emma's Christmas present, the Eyelet Cowl from the Vogue Knitting Holiday. I used Northwest Autumn in Super Wash Merino. I think it is every bit as nice in Super-Wash as it is in Merino/Angora/Cashmere, and is at a lower price point plus it is washable!
Here is the hat I have been knitting. This is some older yarn, it is from the orginal batch of Katie's Painted Hills, dyed by Katie. I found it in Mom's stash, she was going to knit Mark something but never did. I knit this hat three times, but the last one was a winner, it was a little big but fit enough for Emma and/or Don to take this picture. I'm not sure if Mark liked the hat, after all getting a hat for Christmas when your two isn't the greatest but I found a Lantern Moon Ladybug tape measure in my stash and felt that it was enough of a tool (Mark is tool crazy and has his own tool box with screws and nuts and such) that it might appeal to him-it did.
Jan was one of the guests that wasn't sure she could come because she is "Lambing". The lambs are being born as we read this. Lambs have been coming like crazy. These were born on Dec. 19th or 21 I can't remember I'm not sure Jan can either after all the late nights and early mornings of checking on ewes, stall maintance and midwifing for sheep. It will all be worth it in a month but right now Jan is a little sleep deprived. Moorit lambs
Some sheep information; if you breed a Moorit Sheep to a Moorit Sheep you will always get a Moorit lamb, WRONG, at least this lamb is the proof. A white ewe lamb was born to a double Moorit breeding. Jan is going to write up this genetic anomaly. Oh you don't know what a Moorit (by the way it's not a breed it's a color of a sheep) is? It's a naturally brown sheep. Jan has been breeding lovely brown sheep for years. All of them a lovely hue of Chocolate! This lamb was born on Christmas Eve, making it doubly special
So unusual was this birth that Mike, Becky, Cleo and I went for a ride to Beavercreek Or to see the white lamb on Christmas Day. Mike had been cleaning out the car for our family trip and Cleo just hopped in so off we went with her.
Christmas Eve was spent looking at houses on Becky's short list and then having a meal in a restaurant writing an offer on a house, even though there was tons of food at home just not cooked. Then on Christmas our drive to Beavercreek and then to give Don, Em and Mark's gift meant that Christmas dinner was much abbreviated, however great. Boxing Day was spent relaxing and making the food that we had put on hold. We cooked a chicken, a Prime Rib and leg of Lamb. WOW we meant to take all this food on our trip but forgot it in the rush to get into the car. I did manage to spin and ply a skein of Columbia Gorge-ous in Merino/Angora/Cashmere also spun but not yet plied a skien of Northwest Summer (Merino/Angora/Cashmere) and dyed two pounds of Erica's Sunstone in Merino/Angora/Cashmere. Becky and Steven skeined lot of yarn and labeled it. Now it needs to go into the computer, then it will be packed up and taken to California along with everything else to do business for Tanglewood Fiber Creations as I am moving it all down to Lakewood for a while to have one base of operation.
With the stress of Mom's death and all the teeth problems then being terribly ill in the spring, then some hassles with employees and finally the emergency operation and now all the physical therapy and follow up that I have to have by a doctor of which I don't have in St. Helens, means I have to live were I can get it together.... also two friends lost their husbands in as many months. I don't really want to get a call that my husband died and I haven't seen him in two months and he feels the same way about me. He had an allergic reaction to something two weeks ago and we had to rush him to the hospital, which brought it home to me again we have to spend more time together...
Now a week later we are on our family trip to Seattle WA. Sunday we drove up to Seattle. Monday we went on a tour of Theo Chocolates ummmmm
These are nibs
here is a close up of roasted dehulled cocoa beans
This is the pulverised nibs that is being mixed with the cocoa butter
The Family learning about Chocolate production
The Theo Chocolate samples
On Tuesday Becky had to fax things back and forth and now has an accepted offer on a house. It was all very exciting, we went to the movies and then went to Bilbao a tapas bar, we feasted and came back to the hotel room.
Today we went to the Burke Museum and then had a restful afternoon.
Tomorrow we don't really have plans but I'm sure we'll find something wonderful to do.
While I've been writing this Jan and Neil have been busy with more lambs here is the first of twin Moorit lambs born in the last few minutes
Jan celebrating another lamb waiting for the second lamb
here she is.... both are doing well and are now in a clean heated stall....
Nothing but nothing makes me feel young and joyful than watching new lambs. I wish you a Happy New Year.
I'm planning on being in Petaluma on Monday and then being back in Lakewood on Tuesday and moving into our booth at TNNA on Friday......
