I am feeling a little claustrophobic, being stuck inside. I go out once in awhile, but honestly? I don’t find playing in the snow with the children and husband to be all that relaxing. I love them dearly, I would die for them, but I don’t want to die because of them, know what I’m saying?

Probably not.

Let’s just say, I’m a fraidy cat. Also, I don’t like to be cold. The three of them (plus Miss Honey Butt’s Daughter, who has moved in for the week) are risk-takers and daredevilish and “pfffffffffft pffffffffffft pffffffffffffffft thump thump thump…” (that’s the sound of me, sucking my breath in, heart pounding).

Also, it seems like one of us always ends up with a nosebleed or a head injury. We had to walk to Plaid Pantry ‘pacifically to buy 1) more butter for baking and 2) another box of band-aids.

Still looking for peace. Still trying to avoid chaos. (ha ha ha arggggggggggggggghhh…) Still trying to get the house clean, just in case we do end up having Christmas Day over here, as planned. It’s not going that well, what with the wet mittens and boots and snow gear strung from one end of the house to the other.

I haven’t been able to do the last-minute shopping, and I’ve been so busy the last couple of months that it is all last-minute shopping. (Not the way I usually operate — I’m a planner. Who am I kidding. I’m an OCD over-planner.)

Go look at Byron Beck’s new blog — he’s living it up with Anthony and Storm so I don’t have to. Not that I wouldn’t love to live it up with them but you know. That would involve leaving the house.

Anyway.

These are the closing lines from “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” You’ll like them. (Thank you, L. This is beautiful.)

Peace.

wm

“Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the light in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steadily falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept.”
-Dylan Thomas

ps — i’m eating half an acorn squash with butter, salt and pepper and mango chutney. The girls put their hair into matching pigtails and are baking chocolate crinkles (this recipe calls for oil, not butter, so it’s a good one for those times you don’t feel like walking to Plaid). Pittsburgh Pens and Buffalo Sabres game is tied up 2-2. Have achieved zen. No chaos, except on the ice. It’s a wonderful life.

We have more than a foot of snow here in scenic North Portland, Oregon, where every yard looks like a picture postcard. I cannot speak for the rest of town, as we are unable to go anywhere to see for ourselves. From what I’m seeing on TV, it looks pretty out of hand…

Just kidding. That’s from a couple of years ago. It says Seattle and Queen Anne Hill in comments but I believe it was actually in Portland — isn’t that Civic Stadium there on the right? I taped it, too, cuz they kept playing it in a loop for about two weeks.

Let’s be careful out there.

and it’s… still snowing.

and a wonderful life.

xoxx

wm

IT SNOWED HERE! Real snow, not this little “half-inch of powder and Portland shuts down” kinda snow.

Real snow.

A whole foot of it.

Oh, wait. Now it’s raining.

We’re screwed.

So far I have baked the following: Russian Tea Cakes, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Crinkles, Rainbow Cookies.

And so far, we have not run out of vodka… wooooooooooooooooooo!

It’s a wonderful life.

xxox

wm

ps I had mimosas at Pause for lunch can you tell? Wacky Girl and her darling friend-from-across-the-street had Chocolate Decadence. We had fun walking there and back, wooooooooooot! Santa will be here in four little days.

Due to ever-increasing visitor loads, the server that hosts this blog (and a few others) is no longer able to keep up. Coincidentally, our router is failing. And we’re dealing with snow and ice in Portland, which could easily lead to prolonged power outages.

A new, more powerful server is on order for the new year, and a new router should be installed in the next two days. Meanwhile, don’t be surprised if we’re offline from time to time in the next couple weeks!

“To be nobody but myself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.” -ee cummings, poet (1894-1962)

Just read the best book with the kids — “Snowflake Bentley,” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrations (woodcuts painted with watercolors) by Mary Azarian (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998).
Of course I can’t put an Amazon pic for you, because my husband just reformatted my HTML or something and I just deleted an old post, trying to edit this post. Yeah, I’m not exactly sure what happened, either. But here are some links in case you want to learn more about this amazing guy who was born 100 years before I was. You will find the books here and here. His parents bought him a microscope camera and off he went. Cool man, inspiring photos, and the kids’ book about him was just incredible.

Just the thought of concentrating on one thing — like snowflakes — for my entire life — one thing and nothing else, no distractions, no chaos, just total focus — can you imagine that? I cannot.

It’s a snow day over here today. Lots of snow. Lots of chaos. Very. Little. Focus.

Got it!

* snowy icky warming freezing raining freezing slipping sliding icy ick.

* we have enough vodka do not fear.

* possibly not enough to last through the weekend, seeing as how this is only… (have no idea what day.) (not too close to the weekend, though.)

* kids happy. Simpsons Christmas, backgammon, Mysterious Benedict Society’s Perilous Journey.

* next batch of chocolate crinkles just coming out of the oven, gotta go.

wet freezy kisses,
wm

It’s Portland, Ore. So that means we get snow, rain and freezing temps which equal freezing rain.

Yep, land of milk and honey. You should all move here! Do it!

Seriously.

My kids just spent an hour outside, happy as hell, and came inside dripping wet.

It’s… a wonderful life.

xxox

wm

My mom bakes the best cookies ever — chocolate chip, chocolate crinkle, chocolate drop cookies. Pretty much anything from the chocolate food group.

Refrigerator cookies, snickerdoodles, molasses cookies, the other molasses cookies, both delicious, etc. But these are the deluxe cookies:

RAINBOW WALNUT SLICES

1 cup margarine
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups sifted flour
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
red and green food coloring
¼ cup quartered candied red cherries
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
¼ cup quartered green cherries
1 ounce square unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger (optional

350° 8 to 10 minutes

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Sift flour with salt and baking powder, blend into creamed mixture.
Divide dough into thirds.
Tint one portion pink, blend in red cherries and ½ cup walnuts.
Pack in even layer in waxed paper lined loaf pan (8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½).
Tint second portion light green and mix in ½ cup walnuts and green cherries.
Blend melted chocolate into remaining dough and mix in walnuts and ginger.
Pack chocolate portion evenly over pink layer and top with green.
Cover pan and chill in freezer.
To bake, remove loaf of dough from pan and slice thin.
Cut slices in halves and place on cookie sheet one inch apart.

APRICOT PASTRIES

2 cups dried apricots
2 cups water
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
½ cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
1 slightly beaten egg
½ teaspoon vanilla

OVEN 350 degrees

Simmer apricots in water until tender. Cool. Sift together flour, sugar, and salt; cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Scald milk; cool to warm; add yeast and let soften. Add egg and vanilla. Add to flour mixture; mix well.

Divide dough in four parts. On a surface well dusted with confectioners’ sugar, roll one part at a time to 10-inch square. Cut each in sixteen 2 ½-inch squares; place heaping teaspoon of apricots in center of each. Pinch two opposite corners together.

Place two inches apart on greased cooky sheet. Let stand 10 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove at once from pan; roll in confectioners’ sugar. Cool on rack.

Makes 64 pastries.

“You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you.”

— Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”

It’s snowing here in Portland, Oregon, folks. Snow day tomorrow? Fingers crossed.

Here is the Spicy Hot Potato Soup recipe from Planet Nomad. We would be eating this one up today, had we not left the potatoes in the ground, where they are now frozen. It is what it is. (Which seems to be the theme of the week.)

Have a happy Sunday.

love,

wm

“Who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe.”
— John Milton, poet (1608-1674)