Happy New Year!

We've had great holidays so far, and I hope that you have too. Our house is full of dogs, so it's hard to do otherwise. Well, actually there is only 2, but one is quite large, and the place is quite small. Noodle's best friend, Ody, an older and wiser Labradoodle, is staying with us for a few weeks. Noodle couldn't be happier. I think that Ody mostly is too. Noodle wants to play all the time, and although Ody will play his fair share, more everyday actually, he is also always looking for an opportunity to sneak onto the couch and have a nap. Noodle's response to this is "Great, another place to wrestle". During play, Noodle will try to make up for his small size by body surfing on Ody, often walking down on him from head to tail. I totally encourage this walking on his back paws, so he can one day become the next Pudsey. He also uses furniture or people to prop himself up and better get at his fine prize, Ody's soft ears. Hours of fun. Only on very few occasions is the house completely quiet, and the dogs resting. Must type very quietly...

When I think of past Christmases, I have many fond memories of family, food, laughs and in the more recent years, snowy mountains, snowboarding and snowshoeing. But when it comes to New Year's Eve, I always think of celebrating at Madame T's, my good friend's mom. Every year, we would spend New Year's Eve in her family with our closest group of friends, and Madame T. would welcome us at the door with a glass of champagne with frozen cranberries in it. You may think that a glass of champagne is already festive and classy, but the frozen cranberries really do it up. Try it. Madame T is an impeccable hostess, and her parties are always perfect. Drinks and foods are delicious, conversation flows and everyone has a great time. Her daughter, even if we tease her mercifully for one small faux pas, has learned from the best, and perpetuates the tradition of great gatherings.

A while back, I found ice cube trays shaped like stars, and decided to style up my drink, reminiscing of Madame T, by adding frozen cranberries and mint to my ice stars. I was only drinking sparkling water at the time (it was before noon), but immediately felt more festive.  I like the look of the cranberry ones the best, but as the ice melts the mint adds a little taste, which would be great with Mojitos or lemonade. 

I take today's opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! If you are curious what Bark and Purl sent to a few family and friends, stay tuned for January posts. In the mean time, cheers!