Cookie Fun

They picked the day and time. I had the dough made and the set up ready. 

It was a little after 11:00 on Saturday morning, Dec. 21st, Solstice morning. For the first batch, Jill took the lead on rolling out the dough and cutting out the gingerbread animals. Jake manned the oven. Irene, Isaac, and Seila picked out their favorite cutters to use. Jake named me CEO, agreeing that Executives don't actually have to do the work. 

When the gingerbread was baked, it was time for the sugar cookies with sprinkles. 

Isaac and Seila were protecting us with their masks since they were just getting over some bug. 

These cookies are very delicately crafted, some times one sprinkle at a time. 

I had my iPhone music playing on our sound system, but I got busy and Jake took over with his phone, taking requests using Spotify. The selections were varied.

Notice some Scandinavian heritiage cookies? 

We snacked on cheese, crackers, and apple slices in place of lunch, and kept going, now on to decorating the gingerbread with frosting features. 

Tom took over KP duty. 

Here is our menagerie, with a few trucks, cars, and ferry boats in the mix. 

And then they were gone and it was quiet. 

The cookie tradition has been sustained for at least one more year. Everyone is happy about that.

Happy Solstice! Merry Christmas! May your memories be merry and bright. 

I'm Still Here

 I guess I've just been busy. It's been a week since I posted.

Today is December 19th, an anniversary of sorts. It was 56 years ago, on December 19th, 1968 that we announced our engagement on the last day of school before break at the elementary school where we both were teaching. We caused a stir, as we had been very discrete about our relationship. 

Now in this last week before Christmas we are checking more things off our list. 

The gifts are wrapped. They'll be transported to Jill's house Christmas morning. With the kids grown up we don't have to sneak them under the tree at midnight anymore. That was fun though. 

On Tuesday we drove in the rain to Olympia to have lunch with my sister Laurie. Family news was shared, good conversation was had, Laurie brought cookies for dessert, and she gifted me with these sweet little snow birds. 

Yesterday I received news of the death of a teacher friend dear to me. I worked with her only a short time but her friendship lingered. It was in her classroom that I worked as an aide in my first job back in the classroom after Jill and Jake were both old enough to go to school. That's about 44 years ago. 

Today I baked the cardamom bread. Now that it's cooled I'll wrap it for the freezer until it's time to eat it. It's a main feature of Christmas morning. 

It's 4:00 now on this dark, cloudy day. Tom has turned on the outside Christmas lights. It's time for me to go downstairs and park myself in my chair and work Wordle and catch up on Facebook before I cook dinner. 

Busy times, but mostly good times. 

Peas and Pickles and a Potting Bench, Parties Too ... and Cookies

 When I posted all of my Christmas tree vegetables, I left out the pea pod.

And then several of you asked if I had a pickle. I do! In fact I now have two of them.

The original pickle kept my grands hunting for it when they were young. Now it's too easy but I think they do still look for it.

The second pickle I added this year when I found it at the local nursery that I want to support. It's a Santa pickle. :-)

There Tom also found this potting bench ornament that he says looks just like his.

I hope you can tell I am just having fun with this. Fun is needed.

We attended several parties last weekend. Our annual "Becky's Brunch" was wonderful, even as we noticably missed several of our retired teacher friends who have passed on. 

Then on Saturday we attended our garden club potluck, visited with old friends and met new ones. Since mobility is an ussue for me now, I have been granted "emeritus" status, which means I don't have to have jobs. I can just go along for the ride. That's OK by me. 

While I walked a mile both Monday and Wednesday, working in the kitchen is much harder that striding along a sidewalk. But cookie baking is in progress. 

Cranberry Walnut Swirls and Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies. Not shown, Russian Tea Cakes.

I have three kinds done, two to go until the kids come over on the 21st and the 23rd for cookie cutter cookies and then fatigman and lefsa. I'm planning on them doing most of the work. 

I've got to stay on schedule. While I was typing this post, I just got invited to another small event. Is gift shopping done? I'd better check my list. The Christmas letter is printed. Gift wrapping? Eventually. It'll all happen.

Happy Holidaying to you. 

Vegetables?

 Vegetables on a Christmas tree?

Well, yes, here at our house there are vegetables on our Christmas tree.

This weekend we finally finished our decorating. We got both trees up and decorated. We started with the Travel Tree because if was smaller and therefore easier. So many memories of places near and far.

Then we got going, and going on the big tree. There are collected ornaments from our 55 years of married life, and especially when our kids were little. But then as empty nesters we started going on those field trips to Christmas shops, many of them in nurseries, and what caught my eye? Well, besides Santas, it was garden stuff, and especially vegetables. 

Broccoli

/Cabbage

Tomato. I know, it's really a fruit. 

Potato

Turnip

Carrot

Corn

Cauliflower

Asparagus

Green pepper

Red pepper, and an acorn

Celery

Avacado, Yes, another fruit. 

And new this year, because somebody realized you can't have a garden here without it, ZUCCHINI!

I may have missed a few. And there are fruits too.

And now that the decorating is done and the house work and laundry are done for another week, it is time to start baking.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Field Trip

 Three of us old teachers are still plodding along, keeping up the tradition started long ago when we would load up our minivan with fellow retired teachers to go on field trips. Field trips are what teachers do, you know. 

Our Christmas field trips were to wonderful Christmas shops. Too many of our teacher friends are gone now, and so are some of the best shops, but Tom, Jan, and I persist.  Since we all have Scandinavian heritage, we go to Ballard, the Nordic center of Seattle. 

I didn't take photos of the shops or of us shopping. I have a lot of those photos from the past. We spent the morning brousing, sometimes buying, and certainly eating our way through Larsen's Bakery, the Scandinavian Specialty Shop, and Swanson's Nursery. I did take a phot to use for my new header. 

We ended up for a late lunch, since we had indulged at the bakery, at the cafeteria of the National Nordic Museum, where we were greeted by an enourmous troll. The museum is dedicated to Nordic history, art, and culture. On this visit we only ate. 

This is Frankie Feetsplinter, one if five giant trolls in our area created by recycle artist Thomas Dambo.

It was nearing 4:00 and darkness was falling by the time we got back home and got Jan on her way before it got too dark for her. 

We had a very good day. Ya, sure, you betcha'.

The Santa Collection, and More

 Catherine, who lives in Normandy, asked to see my Santa collection. With the shortened time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, we have been busy getting decorations up, as well as taking care of other business.

But yes, the Santa collection was the first thing up, and now everything is done except the two trees. They will wait a bit.

So here, for Catherine, are the Santas.

Tom has been working on the outside lights and display. Now this is the view from our window. Since we live back off the street we decorate for our selves, except for the lights outlining the house. 

Garlands went up on the beams in the kitchen and dining room today. 

I forgot to take a photo of the garland in the dining room, but here are the decorations there. It's a Scandinavian theme. 

And in the powder room. 

Everything is pretty much as it has been for some years now. 

Tomorrow we will take a little field trip, with our friend Jan, to Ballard. We have three stops planned, a Scandinavian shop, a Scandinavian bakery, and a nursery with Christmas gift shop. We'll rest when we need to, eat along the way, and just have some fun.

Wreath making is happening here in Thursday with Jake and cousin Dan. I'll take time in the morning for an eye exam. That's an ongoing saga not much fun to talk about. 

I guess it's time to say "HAPPY HOLIDAYS!"