Why

am I doing this? It's 2 days until Christmas.

Just finishing up

my Christmas letter.

 It involves this pile of mulch.

And these people

So what does a truckload of mulch have to do with Christmas? Not much. But I'm going to make it work.

All is calm

Even though my island looks like this

I have managed to empty and sort 3 different containers of stashed clutter.

Sam and I were thrilled to be able to finally put out this vintage nativity that belonged to his Grandma and was given to us a couple years ago by Sam's mom

Amber inquired as to why the baby Jesus was tied into the manger. I explained that the decree from Caesar Augustus included a child restraint clause for any and all donkey transporation.

Lately the Holy Family has taken on a new look. Name that movie

I should go shovel them out--but for one thing it keeps snowing and for another, I like the way it looks. 

The bird feeder is a busy place. Here is one of our regular guests.

Maybe,

I'm not blogger material. I want to blog.  I blog in my head all the time. I even have scraps of paper covered with notes about stuff I should blog about. But then the stuff I want to blog about keeps me so busy that I don't have time to blog about it.
It's hard to write about cooking, when there's a meal to be made.
Or to write about Mom when she's asking  "Is there anything new on the computer?"
Or to write about grandchildren when they're here to play with and hold.
Or to write about writing when there's writing to be done.

angst [æŋst (German) aŋst]

n

1. an acute but nonspecific sense of anxiety or remorse

2. (Philosophy) (in Existentialist philosophy) the dread caused by man's awareness that his future is not determined but must be freely chosen

[German]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

Here are a few photos from a fun morning with Phoebe and MaryJean. As you can see, we had a very special guest.

It's snowing again.
I may or may not go Christmas shopping this year.
I haven't written the last "Treble" post.
I ate potato chips in the middle of the night last night.
I cried when I saw Harrison smile for the first time.
Sitting here in my kitchen, listening to Christmas carols, having one last  cup of coffee

I may or may not keep blogging.

Claudine's Dip

In the process of shuffling papers around on my desk and diligently emptying my in-basket, I've come across a recipe from Claudine at the Huntley Cafe. It's for a dip/spread she served at a wine-tasting party. With the holidays coming up, it seems like a good time to share it.

Chicken/Crab Dip
2 scallions thinly sliced
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz can crab or chicken
1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c finely chopped red pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
Scallions for garnish
Chill a few hours before using

It's the great pumpkin seed

As mentioned in a previous post, I've been cooking up some pumpkins. Sam's feeding  a few to the chickens and there are more stored away in the basement  When I was putting away the last of the fall decorations on Sunday, I decided to crack a couple open and see what happened. It was a three generation group effort as Olivia scooped the seeds out, I cooked them and Mom harvested the finished product. We now have 4 pints of pumpkin in the freezer and hope to do some baking with it in the coming weeks.

One of the pumpkins was a special variety from our friend and professional gardener, Barb. (Hi Barb!) The seeds were hull-less (?) . Sam loves roasted pumpkin seeds so I decided to try roasting some. Since I ran out of time and energy, I had left them in the frig. Tonight I pulled them out, did a final rinse and put them on a cookie sheet.

I tossed them with olive oil and some smoky sea salt I had bought at the co-op and roasted them at 350 for about 15 minutes. And they are so yummy--especially the dark ones!

I'm not sure if I will ever do this again--but it was fun and something I'd always wanted to try.

While we're in the kitchen, l feel a need to introduce the newest member of the family (as we are known for our propensity to assign human characteristics to inanimate objects).  After installing our new backsplash, the shiny chrome fixtures had to go, so I went fixture shopping. (Completely off-topic, but how does one's career path end in a plumbing showroom?? )
It was finally installed last week. I came home excited (yes, I mean it, I was totally looking forward to this moment) to see the new faucets. What I saw literally stopped me in my tracks as I gasped, "SWEET JESUS!"

I've named it Igor. It's getting better. At least I don't jump every time I see it. It's going to be ok.
I think.

In other news--Viewer Discretion Advised--And don't say I didn't warn you

 These get a little graphic

Zac's big buck deserves its own post.

No fewer than 5 cameras, cellphones and blackberries captured this event. We called ourselves the redneck paparazzi. And agreed that we needed to cover up the Barbie jeep in the back of the pickup. As everyone rushed back into the house to publish and disseminate the photos via text and facebook, Sam quietly hosed down the garage for the third time in 8 hours.