It's Hill-Billy Time!

Tahera's car would be past inspection starting 1/2008, so immediate action had to be taken. However, as it's still rockin the NYS plates, this is easier said than done. Where can the average Western NY expatriate find an inspection shop that's open on New Year's Eve within reasonable driving distance with spaces available? 3 words:

Babcock's Tire Shop. Oh yeah, and bring your banjo.

All Was Merry and Bright

Riz and I had a great mini-vacation in Horseheads. A recap of our Christmas break:


Faheem and Riz spend some quality techie time together.

Meanwhile, the girls are preparing for a Cajun-themed Christmas Eve Dinner

Sameena sets the table with a smile
We tried baking some Christmas cookies
But got a little ahead of ourselves and ended up with Valentine's Day treats instead

We stuffed the stockings,

finished up some last-minute wrapping,
and awoke at 4am Christmas Day to spread some cheer. ( This was Riz's 10th year delivering presents for Arctic League)
Back at home there were oodles of gifts waiting to be unwrapped
Lots of surprises
and lots of laughs
Happy Holidays everone!

Just Finished Assembling T's Gift.

Hope she doesn't check any blogs before unwrapping presents tomorrow!

You Shouldn't Judge a Present by its Wrapping...

but I do.
One of my favorite things about Christmas is the way the presents look beneath the tree. When I was younger I used to arrange and rearrange the boxes until they were neatly but casually stacked just like in the magazines. I also took wrapping very seriously. When my parents' co-workers and neighbors delivered presents stuffed in gift bags, I stuck them behind the tree. There was no room for bags in my perfect Christmas picture.

There's nothing quite like a beautifully wrapped package; carefully measured paper, crisp corners, and a certain je ne sais quoi that says " I thought about this". You can imagine my disappointment when for our first Christmas together, almost 10 years ago now, Rizwan presented me with an unwrapped gift from behind his back. Things are different now.

Over the years I and the rest of the family have evolved as wrappers. Even Rizwan will spend hours wrapping a single gift. This secretly pleases me and the results are pretty amazing.

Here's a sampling of some serious wrapping from last year:


Aziza's handywork featuring old black and white photos to personalize each gift.

My gifts. I was going for homey and warm with the plaid ribbon and initials made from string. I was accused of "going country".Rizwan's snowman masterpiece. So cute. We were all impressed.


To avoid upsetting the present police this year (Aziza) I've gone "chic and icey"

Hope you're busy cutting and folding, Ejazs ! I look forward to this year's creations!

This End Up

Last night we attended our first baby class, or, as Riz likes to say, the "this end up" class. It's a good thing we don't work together. We'd both be pink slipped.

It was just like being back in school. We had busy work before the class began, introductions, group presentations, and videos that ended just as you found a good napping position. We made the 3+ hours bearable by creating our own entertainment.

We laughed at the worksheet that asked us to 'circle all the dangers' in the nursery. Did anyone find the smoldering ashtray placed next to the unattended baby teetering on the end of a table?

We laughed out loud during the breast feeding presentation. It was totally Rizwan's fault for referencing Meet the Parents. I had no idea you could milk a cat, Focker.

We laughed again when Riz placed our "baby" in a back bend position to get his shirt on. We're horrible.

The class wasn't a total wash. I did learn a few things and it was good to have reaffirmed what I already knew. We left feeling pretty confident. I think we'll rock this baby thing.

New Baby Training Tonite!

Say hello to our little friend! (we'll tell you how it goes...)

Pics from the Aviary

What a Fantastic experience. We saw dozens and dozens of interesting little (and big) feathered friends, and managed to not get :&@* on once! Definitely recommend this as a fun family trip for anyone coming to western PA.

We're at the Aviary!

More pics to come!

willkommen

Now that you've seen the Pink Room, it's probably time we showed you the rest of the house. Like all homes, it's a work in progress which will probably be done when we're ready to move.

Come in!
The living room

We actually weren't going to look at this house. The fireplace pretty much sold me.

The family room
Rizwan's contribution

The kitchen. Is it ever big enough? Let's go upstairs!
Our guest bath
Another view

The (cat free) guest room
From another angle

This is our bedroom. Our neighbors were throwing out their old windows. I thought they'd eventually come in handy for something crafty. I used one of them to frame the joker card Brett gave me at the wedding.

Our bathroom. It's pretty small but it's great having it right off the dressing area of the bedroom which is so convenient.

The end!