ringing in

happy new year, whocares!
here's to another year of good talk; tasty food; early breakfasts; growing families; creative pursuits; hard work; needles and thread; yogurt; pens and paper; tending dogs, cats and children; reading, writing and research; canning your own produce; and homesteading on the plains. cheers!

merry christmas!

whether you are buried in snow or kayaking on the beach, merry christmas, one and all. at my house, we are among the buried. but we're happy. though the presents are at others' houses, the food's at our house! hehehe. hohoho.

ode to a peanut blossom

a word of appreciation for that humblest of holiday drop cookie, the peanut butter cookie with chocolate star, also called the peanut blossom. done right, they're pretty nice. no fireworks, really, no fanfare. but still. yum. this is my single holiday cookie this year. cookies take commitment, man. more than i've got at the moment. just yesterday lindsay and i were bemoaning the effort of sugar cookies. we agreed that we like things simple. well, these are simple. here's a tasty recipe.

The Ante Has Been Upped

I was just browsing a friend's wedding pictures on facebook and noticed a special guest who had me laughing so hard I was crying.  Caron, I do believe the ante has been upped.  Consider the gauntlet thrown.

Please Give a Shout-out

There are still many of you I have not heard back from about the holiday party. (Thanks for those of you at Brooke's party last night for clearing-up some of the mystery for me).

*Please let me know as soon as possible. If there are only a handful this year, I will re-locate back to our home.

I love you ladies.

Happy Birthday!

Always one to stir the pot that Brooke.


May you have a good day, dear friend.

freaky friday feast

so, i was talking to some of you all and a consensus was reached: holiday craziness or no, we should try to get one last breakfast in before we leave the year 2009!

if you're up for braving the cold and snow, come on over to my house this friday (12/18) anytime after 8:00am to partake in one more tasty 2009 breakfast!  as always, bring whatever you'd like to share. 

hope to see you then!

connect

last night we were laying in bed talking about one of our kids. here's the conversation:

c: "maybe i don't talk to the kids enough. you know, more than orders & stuff."

silence. husband staring at me oddly.

j: "ok-AY. but you're with them all day. you talk to them all day."

c: "yeah, stupid idea. it's just...she has this insatiable need for communication and..."

silence. i'm wondering how in the world i just uttered those words & was waiting for him to say..

j: "just like her mother?"

c: "turn the light off."

so telling.

fearless

nebraska public television is airing a julia child retrospective this afternoon. i'm watching it. she's making a boulliabaisse. into the stock pot goes an eel, mussels, and clams. she just whacked the living hell out of a hake, trying to behead it. the head, of course, goes into the pot with everything else. then she proceeds to merrily snip flippers and fins from assorted unfortunate fish and throw them in too, eyeballs staring up from the broth. "bring it to a rolling boil," she says, "and then use your slotted spoon to skim away the scum." all of this is interspersed with comments about the ease and convenience of throwing the dish together. i, so easily deterred by complicated preparations and unfamiliar ingredients, am deeply impressed. this woman is balls. to. the. wall.

to the great white north!

in about two hours, i'm headed home! flying. like santa clause. but enclosed. and with 200 other people. can't wait to see you all. this is brooke's walter, from a few christmases ago. as i was looking for christmas pictures to accompany this, walty seemed best (especially since he is a mere figment at most of our events at brooke's. and he's great and white himself). anyway, it'll be great to see you all. so long for now, south carolina.

thanks alicia!

your invitations are beautiful, as usual. cheryl and i were discussing how much fun it is to go to a real christmas party. thanks for herding the cats again this year!

Wes is so good.

Nate and I saw this tonight on a date and LOVED IT. Wes Anderson is such a rockstar.

Almost Gillian Welch

so.  the dave rawlings machine is playing at the waiting room on thursday, december 10, at 9pm. tickets are a slightly steep $17. (click on title for link).

i've seen him (and gillian) there as the dave rawlings machine before.  it's a good time.  not quite like seeing them as "gillian welch" but still fun and, at least last time, they threw in a couple of their "gillian welch" songs for good measure.  i figure you gotta take the opportunity to see/hear this pair however they come.

anyone in?

cheers

a bowl of breakfast yum yum cheers to you this fine morning. oh la. forgot how tasty & fiber-y this mix-up really is!