December 23

Today was cookie day.  Imagine rolling out, cutting and decorating cookies with a three little girls, four, three and one.  We were prepared--three children, three adults.  We made the cookies last night and baked half of them so we could keep up with the diverse attention spans.  The rolling went very well, both girls are very experienced with playdough. 

The dough is very tasty, I use almond and vanilla extract.

 

After deciding on the appropriate Christmas colors, pink and purple, the girls were very industrious.

 

The proud "artists"...

 

and the finished product--isn't Santa lucky!

December 22

 This is Larinda, my guru, and her daughter, Ayla.  When Carlee comes to play we meet for play dates.  Today we were delivering Christmas presents.  I made this little apron for Ayla so that some day we can cook together.

This is Dennis, Ayla's big brother.

Ayla is looking for the North Pole, she wants to see where Santa lives.

I love this photo, it took a few tries to get it right but Dennis is a patient guy.

December 21

These are my girls, one the child of my flesh, the other, a child of my heart.  We were out shopping today to get Jerica (on the left/birth child) ready to teach English in Mexico.  Sara (on the right/love child) came along

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shopping makes me a little weird.

December 20

 

The fog settled in last night, deep and thick.  This morning we awoke to fog and thick frost coating on everything. It was cold but gorgeous.  The fog did not lift until late this afternoon.

 

I went out with my camera and shot everything...except the heron winging his way above me, ducking into the cottonwoods before I could open my lens.

December 19

This is our beautiful friend, Diana, giving a guitar lesson to my honey and another good friend healing from cancer.  Aptly named, she is a goddess.  Grazie mille Di.

December 17

 My guru.

December 15

The Christmas tree from outside the front door...seriously cool.  Dig it.

December 14

A perfect moment.  I think this says it all. 

December 13

Having a greenhouse definitely has its advantages.

December 12

Home Sweet Abandoned Home

We spotted this wasps' nest after the leaves had turned and fallen. After hard frosts that forced the vacancy and made this structure intriguing and not dangerous. On our first encounter it was whole, perfect--each day takes its toll and the inner chambers become more and more visible. I try to imagine how many creatures and how long it took to create this masterpiece. Was it a one room starter home that grew with the family? Or a major housing project?

December 11

I started the morning with my husband, a cup of tea, banana bran chocolate chip muffins and CBS Sunday Morning...ahhhh.

Banana Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 banana, over ripe and squishy
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup bran
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Using a fork, squish up the banana until almost pulverized. Then combine the rest of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl with the banana and stir them up a bit. Put all of the dry ingredients into another bowl, stir to mix them and then add them to the wet ingredients. Stir the entire mixture just until all ingredients are moist--over mixing muffin batter will make it tough. Stir in a handful of chocolate chips. Drop batter into a greased muffin tin and bake for 15 to 18 min. Serve with butter and do not feel guilty about it, these tasty muffins use a fraction of the oil of a regular muffin.

December 10

The Perfect Day...
yoga
hashbrown with my sweetie at Stan's
selecting our Christmas tree
and getting it mounted straight and in the house
walk along the river
nap
two hours of blissful work in my studio!
sunshine all day
cold beer
salmon marinating in soy/rice vinegar/ginger/red pepper flake/garlic
sweet potatoes roasting in the oven...
life is so good,
I am so grateful.

December 9

Yes, this is yet another late posting because yesterday was Chocolate Day. Each year my sister Julie and I meet and spend the day getting caught up and making chocolates. We start early and end late. It is a labor intensive day, but a labor of love. I am in charge of truffles, this year we decided on Amaretto Almond, Espresso Dark, Tequila Salted and Tequila Hot Chili truffles.

While I am preparing the truffles, Julie makes killer peanut butter squares and almond toffee. Yesterday was extra special because Jerica was here to join in. Her patience and attention to detail were in great demand cutting the peanut butter squares.

After lunch Jules dips all the chocolates, a skill she picked up as a teenager. When all of the truffles have been dipped she makes peanut clusters, cashew clusters and chocolate skulls. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like a chocolate skull!

Julie, best sister, artist, adventurer and chocolate dipping queen.

Tequila Salted Dark Chocolate Truffles--amen.

December 8

Pumpkin Enchiladas in Mole Poblano with Black Beans

What was I thinking! December is such a full month there is no room for anything extra--I thought I could sneek in one photo each day, one little caption. And yet I am already behind.

Thursday a dear friend was in town from Oregon and so I prepared her favorite dish. She arrived early enough to walk along the river and then we took her to see another friend's beautiful new chicken coop--yes, I have total chicken coop envy. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and this perfect meal. We added to each others' reading and movie lists and before she left I had my sweet husband take a photo of us--whoops! My husband, perfect in so many ways, is not so good with the camera. I am of an age that if the photo is really unflattering I hop right on that little delete button and sadly not a single photo was spared. My friend is gorgeous but no body was cute in these photos...so I snapped a shot of our meal and submit it instead.

December 7

One day each week we are in charge of our granddaughter. She is four and brilliant, of course. We have been attending story time at our community library since she was just two. Lately she is really getting into it--she knows all the songs, can actually write some of the letters on her name tag and readily participates in the activities. It is an excellent program.

Today green was the color of the day, we practiced the letter "G" and did the reindeer pokey!

The children were to put their hands on their heads to make antlers, Carlee decided to use her braids.

I cherish these days.

December 6

My family often teases me about being the "black sheep" and the "odd man out". Many allusions have been made over my affinity to the "ugly duckling". But I never truly understood how odd I really was until I found these people. These amazing women are so accepting and welcoming--for me it was love at first sight--a perfect fit. I have found my tribe. These women are strong, loving, creative, positive and encouraging. They have become a family of mentors and best friends. Today my daughter and I got to join them for lunch--what a perfect day.

December Photo Project

I read about the December Photo Project on a friends blog. Participants are to take a photo each day in December and post them on their blogs, flicker accounts or facebook pages. We are all connected and can share each others photos. Brilliant!

December 5

My husband and I walk along the Snake River every day. We try to go early before the wind comes up. This morning the thermometer was registering -1, I think it exaggerates, but we saw the first signs of ice on the river. As we skirt the banks I can hear the slushy ice bumping around--it makes a whispering sound--shh, shh, shh.