I had been thinking about doing a “Christmas by the numbers” post—you know, something like this: 6 – Number of family gatherings this holiday 706 – Miles to travel roundtrip But, as I thought about it a bit more, I knew I’d have to add: 12,450 – Calories likely consumed between Christmas and New Year’s [...]
Archive for December, 2009
16 Dec
Friendship bread follow-up
Last Friday, I wrapped up a very high-maintenance relationship with my Amish Friendship Bread. Over the course of the 10 days prior, Bryan monitored the process like he might tend an experiment, noting on day six that the mix was fermenting. Oddly, this made him a bit more comfortable with the whole process, but I [...]
15 Dec
Olivia’s birth sampler
My mom makes a cross-stitched birth sampler for all of her grandchildren, aiming to have them complete by their first birthday. She was a bit behind on Olivia’s, finishing it up the day before her second birthday. This was to my benefit, as I was able to see and photograph her at work. I have [...]
14 Dec
Ava Fix(ing dinner)
Ava has been requesting spaghetti and meatballs for about two years now. Last weekend, we finally put her to work with this recipe from Gourmet. After she combined the ingredients and formed the balls, I browned them on the stove. After a simmering in sauce for a couple of hours, they were ready. Guess who [...]
11 Dec
Trimming the tree
This year, we broke a longstanding family tradition of purchasing our Christmas tree from a retail parking lot. While this has served us well in past years, last Christmas, we brought one home to discover it had been spray painted a lovely shade of aqua. So, at my friend Dawn’s suggestion, we hit up a [...]
9 Dec
Olivia Fix
I bought a soft grey cardigan this weekend. Olivia swiped it from my shopping bag and claimed it as her own. She’s been toting it around like a (fourth) blanket. I just might have to get another one for me!
8 Dec
Wintery weather
Finally, sleet gave way to snow tonight. We will likely see just a few inches, but I am hoping for more. Maybe not quite as much as the foot predicted for our friends in Madison, but still, just a bit more.
8 Dec
Malted milk chocolate cheesecake
The day before Thanksgiving, Ava helped me make this Malted Milk Chocolate Cheesecake. Well, not this one, per se, but the first one of two. The first one–fresh out of the oven–slid off it’s perch in the back of the Pilot as we drove out of the driveway that afternoon. It was sandwiched sideways between [...]
