HAPPY NEW YEAR'S

Ring in 2007, out with 2006...thank frickin' god!!!! Had fun last night. I think it was one of the best New Year's I've had in a very long time. I made a ton of food (see recipes below), 'cause April got stuck in Minessota when she was flying back from Michigan. I felt guilty and wanted to make the party easier on her. I made 2 types of baked brie (one with mango chutney and cashews, one with onions, dates and mushrooms), Moroccan salmon, hot nacho dip, spiced pretzels and then a champagne punch. Spent most of Sunday cooking then headed over to her place about 8:00. Here is some of the food:

Jimmy and Julie. And me on the side. I have more pictures on my Flickr's New Year's gallery.

Trying to get a shot of Emily and Julie...but Jimmy just HAD to be in the picture too! :) Emily is a roller doll. It was nice to have some of them there. Breaks up the usual crowd. Of course, I really hope we didn't scare them off!
Standing around waiting for the grill to heat up so we could melt our tin. On the window you can see my feather lights. I got them for my birthday a couple years ago...never thought I'd have a chance to use them...I mean really, how often does an occasion call for feather lights???
Ok, I suppose I should explain melting tin, right? :) It's a Finnish tradition (maybe other countries too). You melt some tin, pour it quickly into a bucket of cold water, and then you can forecast your coming year with the shape that it makes. You use your same tin year after year. The one I have I've used for four years now. I didn't get to do it last year, 'cause I was in Peru though. Liisa's been using the same tin since she was a small child. I love this tradition, and everyone who tries it at our New Year's parties it finds it fun too. Well, mostly anyway! :) You melt the tin in cast iron ladles and once it's completely molten you pour it in the water bucket.
April went first, since she was the hostess, and the youngest too. Hers turned out pretty cool. David and Lynne looking on...just to make sure she did it right! Poor Jamie. She finally decided she did want to do it...she was worried about getting a "bad" one. So instead, hers came out like a duck. Really truly it looks like a duck...and she's a Beaver's fan. Hee hee. There's a great picture on my Flickr gallery of Jamie and her duck! :)

This one is Sheila's. Look at it closely...it totally looks like an alien from the Alien movies with Sigourney Weaver! Not just an small alien head like others of us have, but a full on side view. Can you see it? Look closely. It is kinda hard to see in this picture...but if you ask Sheila to see it I'm sure she'll show you.

Watching some pre-midnight fireworks...or firecrackers I guess. That's Joy and her room-mates and Emily to the right. Oooh. Aaah. Oooo.

After midnight we did a white elephant gift exchange. I got that lovely talking wreath sitting in front of me. The bubble blowing gnome was Lynne's gift, but Sheila stole it from her. It blows bubbles out it's butt! Hilarious. I do think the "best" one was the cd case that April got from her brother this Christmas (immediate white elephant gift!). It's this fluorescent fuzzy...alien thingy that holds 25 cd's in it's tummy. I just have no idea what he was thinking when it bought it for her!

A New Year's hug from Jimmy. I got my neck lick earlier. It was very wet!

April and Sheila rockin' out in the kitchen. After cleaning up some stuff we needed just one more drink. Well, maybe we didn't need it, but you can't let champagne go to waste.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!