I have to say...

It sure is wonderful combining a few vacation days with the holidays! I have not had to set an alarm all week!  I have throughly enjoyed a week full of reorganizing, rethinking, relaxing, and playing of course! Happy New Year!

Pens, pencils, or paints...

I know some of you are still wondering... No, I did not get the house.  I pulled the pin on the purchase after learning more about the property.  It was a difficult decision, but in the long run I will be happier.

Guess this means back to the drawing board for me. I am excited to see what I can come up with this time!

Can you window shop on the internet?

I can and look what I found!

Too cute! 

Mostly Finished

I had a goal for this year's costume, my Margaret Hale dress,  to be completely finished including every hook and eye. {There is usually at least one safety pin involved, minimum, because I hate sewing in the hooks and eyes!)  Well, it did not come to pass, but I still had a really cool costume! Or at least I thought so! And maybe some other people did too because I won "Best Female Costume" at the SA dance.  I did not tell them that I did not finish the under sleeves, add the trim, sew on the clasps, and more... but no one needed to know that. You could not tell. What happened? you ask.  Well, I probably could have finished but for the excessive amount of hand sewing required.  I knew before I started it that the cartridge pleats had to be hand sewn thanks to previous experience with them, but wow. There was a ton of hand work on the bodice too!  Next time I am trying to make a costume in a hurry I should read ALL of the directions in advance.  Thanks Mom for your help on the bodice and thanks Amanda for your help on the bustle!  With their help and a shocking lack of sleep, it was mostly finished.  Now to find time to finish it.  Once it is done I will have to post a new picture, but until then here is the only photo I have {Lifted off FB. Thanks to the anonymous photographer! Silly, we are not even looking at your camera.}...

Yesterday...

Yesterday I found out that the third time is not the charm. I must say that setting 72 grommets was very therapeutic.

Let me add a translation:

This time my offer on a house {#3} was accepted by the seller, but the bank said that the seller did not qualify for a short sale... So, seller wants to get rid of a house. Qualified buyer makes offer, bank says no go. It is understandable since they would be loosing $$$$, but still frustrating and it was a good thing for me to punch and set so many grommets. I did not think I would be able to finish that step in one evening, and it was good to work out my frustration in such a productive manner!

Back to the drawing board... Maybe the next house is the one that won't have problems, won't have competitive offers that are accepted even though mine is higher(just barely), and the seller will be qualified. Fourth time is the charm?

Culinary Explorations

No, I have not made the vinegar pie yet, but I will. 

Instead I made another variation of a savory filled roll and sweet roll with cherry and lemon cream cheese filling. 

My idea for these stems from something I ate in Russia, пирожки (Pirozhki or Pirozhok singular).  In one of our visits to the country outside St Petersburg we found a little babushka selling these hot rolls filled with either meat and onions or cabbage and potatoes.  About a year ago, I decided to make a very Americanized version. Well two versions.  One with beef filling and one with chicken filling.  I used a very thick gravy, meat, potatoes and diced vegetables... they were good, but... I like this most recent version, too.  Note: This fed 6 adults and 7 children with some left overs, too.  Here is what I did:

First I made the filling:

Filling:
9 medium potatoes peeled, boiled and either whipped or mashed with butter and cream cheese (I used about 6 oz. of cream cheese).  Stir in: 3 chicken breasts, boiled, and cubed and 1 medium bag of frozen peas and carrots (or other frozen vegetable of your choice), cooked.  Season to taste. I used salt and pepper. I could have put a little more salt... 

For the dough I used a somewhat sweet roll dough recipe that I use for dinner rolls.  Much softer crust than what I had in Russia, but I like it.  I made a triple batch since I was making dough for both the savory and the sweet.  This will max out the bowl of a standard Kitchen-aid mixer... always more fun.

Basic Roll Dough (From the Better Homes and Gardens Plaid Cookbook)
Makes 2 to 3 dozen rolls

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cups milk, scalded
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg

Soften yeast in warm water (110 degrees). Combine milk, sugar, shortening, and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour; beat well.  Beat in yeast and egg.  Gradually add remaining flour to form soft dough.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise till double. 

At this point I divided the dough up in uneven halves because I was using two different sized lightly greased bowls to let it rise until double.  I often put the dough on the stove top near the vent with the oven on to cut time in half.  Make sure you rotate your bowls if you do!  Once doubled, punch down and roll out.  I started with the larger of the two bowls.  I cut circles using a cup, even though the Russian version was a rectangle.  Place a large spoonful of filling in the center of each circle.  Carefully stretch dough around the filling and seal.  I use a well beaten egg to moisten one edge to get a good seal.  Roll in your hands to form a ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet sealed side down. Press down lightly with your palm to flatten a bit. Let rise again, about fifteen/twenty minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown. Brush rolls with butter right after pulling out of the oven.  Serve warm with chicken gravy.  (The Russians don't serve the gravy, but I liked it... since I did not add enough salt.)
 
Now for the sweet:
 
Next I used the remaining dough and made a sweeter variety filled with a cream cheese concoction and my Mom's most delicious homemade cherry jam.  (Yeah, it is more like cherry pie filling... so good!) For the cream cheese filling you need:
 
10 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp lemon extract (You can substitute vanilla here if you use a different flavor of preserves)
 
Combine the cream cheese and sugar and then add the egg and extract. 
 
Roll out dough as for the savory version and place a spoonful of the cream cheese filling and then the preserves.  Stretch dough over and seal as for the savory version.  Place on a greased cookie sheet seam down.  Bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown. Brush rolls with butter right after pulling out of the oven.  I intended to sprinkle with powdered sugar or icing, but we just ate them. All.  Maybe I will try icing next time.
 
Note: If there are leftovers, make sure they are completely cooled before refrigerating or your rolls will go soggy.

Oh, and I had too much of the cream cheese filling... so I made a peach cobbler {Paula Dean's recipe} and dropped by the spoonful on top before baking.  VERY good!

Should I be brave?

Several years ago I came across a recipe for Vinegar Pie.  I have always wondered what it would taste like, but I have not been brave enough to try it yet.  So what do you think? To try or not to try?

Vinegar Pie

2 tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground allspice
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 9” pie crust that had been briefly baked (about 3 minutes) at 450 degrees

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Sift together flour and spices then add to flour mixture, mix well. Beat in egg, vinegar and water. Pour into a double boiler and cook over boiling water until thick. Pour into the pie shell and bake about 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Pioneer Vinegar Pie

1 egg
1 heaping tablespoon flour
1 c sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat these ingredients together and add 1 tablespoon of sharp vinegar and a cup of cold water. Flavor with a little nutmeg and pour into an unbaked pie shell. Cover with second pie crust and flute edges. Bake for an hour.

Marcel the Shell...

Oh, to have this much time! 

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

Key Lime with Graham Cracker Gelato

I found this at http://www.epicurious.com/ and it sounds yummy!

Key Lime with Graham Cracker Gelato

Yield: Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients
Plain Base (see below)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, preferably Key lime
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers (see Note), frozen

Make the Plain Base and chill as directed.

Gently whisk the lime juice and zest into the base. Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Just after churning quickly stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

NOTE To crush graham crackers, place about 5 graham crackers in a large zip-top bag. Place on a work surface and roll over them with a rolling pin, heavy jar, or wine bottle. Alternatively, break them up a bit by hand, then process in a food processor into crumbs.

Plain Base

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.

Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled. Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Chocolate Nutella Cookies Recipe

I found this recipe on a blog called Simply Recipes.  I need to make these... Nutella always makes me think of Russia where we met for the first time.  Yum.

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of white sugar

1 cup of Nutella

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup of chocolate chips

1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each.

3 Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda (do not skip this step as sifting eliminates clumps of cocoa). Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.
4 Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of cough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Yum

I liked it!

You might like it, too.

Moonrise

I know I should be in bed, but I am not. Does sitting on it count for anything?

My mind does not want to turn off tonight. I keep thinking about this life and how we each face such different challenges, and how these challenges can be so overwhelming. There are days in each of our lives when it seems we are facing the insurmountable. {Do not worry. I am doing well right now! After all I had Crème Brulee tonight. Not much sweeter than that… except the company!} Do you ever see someone else struggling and wish you could just fix it for them? I do. I cannot, but I want to.

This may seem somewhat random, even for me, but last Friday night I had the opportunity to watch the moonrise. It was so beautiful to watch it crest the horizon and travel in a graceful arc over Mount Rainier as the hours ticked by, really quite a spectacular experience. So when I was at J & S’s house again on Sunday night I decided to attempt to capture it “on film.” {Yes, it is a digital camera, not film. And yes I am still learning how to use it, so my picture does not do what I saw any justice.}

For some reason these two thoughts keep running through my mind and since it is late they started merging. These dark and overwhelming challenges are like the night. We cannot see the path we should follow in such darkness. But like the moon reflecting the light of the sun’s brightness into the night, so does the gospel provide a medium whereby the Son’s light can pierce through the darkness of difficult times. I am so thankful to know to whom I can turn for help, and I only wish I could share with or remind anyone who needs to know... that even in the darkest night, there is still hope.

Birthday Boy

Tonight I went to my nephew's 1st birthday party.  It was the best 1st birthday party that I have been to.  Most the time if you can get the kids open one present they are not interested in anything else, and they are afraid of the cake and/or the candle.  Not Garrett, he was hilarious.

He opened everything and clapped after each gift.  Once he had opened everything he went from one toy to the next and there was even some screaming for joy.

He is all boy.  He loved his new tools, blocks, cars and especially his new dump truck that he can ride.  I was standing beside him when it was time to go get cake so I asked him if he wanted a num num (Garrett speak for all food stuffs).  I have never seen him crawl faster.  He went tearing into the kitchen straight for his high chair. 

He LOVED it!

Peter has a new trick...

...and I am not sure how I feel about it.  I have read up lots about rabbits.  I kept reading that they like to hop up on furniture.  I have had Peter for over a year and he has never really hopped up on anything.  He is always underfoot.  That all changed the other morning.  I was kneeling beside my bed when all of the sudden the bed shook.  Yep, shook.  Peter hopped up on a box and then to my bed.  So I moved the box and now he jumps from the floor, about 30 inches.  It is pretty amazing to watch, but it is not my favorite place for him to be. Too bad, it is now his.

Yummy Goodness

Here is the latest from the kitchen:

Chocolates with a yummy peanut butter filling that Jenny W. and I made. Yum.

Chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.

I love my new pasta maker attachment for the KitchenAid! The soup was mostly homemade. I cheated and used canned chicken, a bag of peas and carrots, and chicken bouillon, but I did use some wonderful fresh bay, rosemary, and garlic in my stock. (Thanks Jenny for helping me get those tasty herbs!) Madilyn, Emma and Garrett loved the noodles!

Garrett ate until his little tummy was hard.  He is a serious eater!

I almost missed getting the noodle in this shot.  Emma has noodle eating down, slurp. 

Sorry Madilyn!  The picture of you did not turn out. 

Summer Happenings

I finally had an opportunity to use some vacation time. My parents were going to Utah to visit Angela and Eric, and Grandpa and Grandma M., so I joined them. Since it was the weekend of the fourth, I could not find a bunny-sitter. Yep, Peter and Benjamin got to go on their first road trip. Peter was very nervous at first, but he got used to the idea. Benjamin… well I do not think he thought much about anything. They had to stay at Grandpa’s house the whole time because I was afraid that the bunnies would not get along with Angela and Eric’s Redbone Coon Hounds, Gracie and Jackson. Peter and Benjamin loved being able to hop around Grandpa’s big yard even though they had to wear their leashes.


I, however, got to go over to Angela and Eric’s new home. It is such a charming home! I am glad I got to see it.

The amazing sunset over Cougar Stadium.

It has been forever since the last football game I attended there!

(I am so mad that I forgot my good camera at Grandpa’s.

My purse camera does not do it justice. Grrr!)

Other highlights, Hanging out with Grandpa M. I love my time with him! And it seems like every time I am there visiting, the comics in the paper are extra funny. (My favorite section of the newspaper.) I love a good laugh with Grandpa. Spending time with Grandma M. We always have fun in the kitchen. There are several recipes I need to get from her, those chocolate cookies and the wheat bread, yum! Seeing Wade and Kylee and eating amazing meat at Toucanos until I was sick. (Too bad we do not have those around here. Lucky Eric and Angela.) I loved the bacon wrapped fillet mignon, beef brisket, and the grilled pineapple. Why do I have to go to Utah to see you Kylee when you live about 8 minutes from my house? We have to work on that! And finally, going to Stadium of Fire. The music was only ok (except for Jenny Oaks Baker), but the fireworks were wonderful. It was fun to see Daniel M. Thanks Eric and Angela for getting me a ticket! So, fun.

Here again, dumb purse camera.

Only one problem with my trip, I wish I could have stayed longer!

Home, sick...

You know you have been at home sick for too many days when:

• you are actually sick of wearing pajamas
• you are running out of clean pajamas
• you have used up more tissue than you care to admit blowing your nose
• you have watched three versions of Jane Eyre {1of them has 11 episodes}, and you are still sick
• you wish you could be back at work even though you have not taken a vacation day YET this year

Bunny Love, Bunny Hate

Most of you, dear readers, know that I have decided to become the little old lady with the rabbits since I cannot ever live with cats.  My first rabbit, Peter, has been in my home for over a year now.  He is hilarious to say the least.  I know he is happy with me when he hops around my feet and I know he is mad when he shakes his head, growls, and hops away.  Most of the time, he likes me. 

Every night he sleeps "upstairs" in his condo right by my bed.  He wakes up earlier than I do, not surprising... he waits for me to get up.  He will hop downstairs and chew on the wires that form the door.  Then he hops back upstairs, stands on his hind feet, and cocks his head turning his eye toward me waiting to see if I will get up.  Sometimes I watch him do this several times, because I think it is funny.   I love my little creature of habbit.

Occasionally however, those habits are not so... lovely, especially when the habits dictate my behavior.  You see, Peter is used to having me to himself.  When I first introduced my second rabbit, Benjamin, to Peter he was very possessive.  Peter immediately hoped into my lap and Benjamin tried to, too.  The fur flew. Yes, fur.  They were biting each other and little bits of fur were all over my lap.  Benjamin at one month could hold his own surprisingly well.  They both got a healthy spraying of water, and they have been separated ever since.  I will try introductions again after Benjamin's "special visit" to the vet.  Things should go better then. 

Ever since the bite-fest I have been careful to take care of my bunnies in order, Peter first and then Benjamin.  One evening I thought "this is silly", so I changed the order... bad idea.  I also did not wash my hands after holding Benjamin, bad to worse.  Peter was very grumpy with me as I cleaned his cage.  So I thought I would let him run around when I was done.  I like to lie on the floor and let Peter hop on me to get my attention.  Peter was distressed because I smelled like Benjamin.  To make matters worse I reached my hands above my head to stretch not knowing that Peter was right above me.  You have to understand that rabbits do not see well right in front of them.  So what does a rabbit do when it has something it cannot see in front of its mouth that smells like the enemy? The answer is this: bite really hard.  The bleeding bunny bite was very distressing to my little nieces who were still living with me when it happened, and surprisingly distressing to me.  I hope the little girls have forgotten. I wish I could have hidden it from them!  I have not forgotten, but I have developed a new habit.  After holding Benjamin, I wash my hands before picking up Peter.  It is a good thing to discover that your everyday hand soap can protect me from the jealous rage of Peter.  Silly bunny.

Memorial Day

Tahoma National Cemetery
May 31, 2010

More Yard Art

This time I was exploring Jeremy & Stacey's new yard.

Culinary Explorations

I have an apron that I got when I was working in the sales department of the cruise line. They started a program for onboard culinary classes while I was there entitled Culinary Explorations and then they gave them out to the entire department... I think the culinary explorations embroidered on the apron is appropriate for me in the kitchen... here are a few of my most recent explorations in food:


• Pettit Fours
• Poured Fondant Icing
• Борщ{Borsht} (Made almost entirely of home grown vegetables courtesy of Mom, Wade, and Bro. Robinson.)
• Vegetable Broth
• Зелёные Щи {Green Shchi} (Made with the vegetable broth)
• Gum Paste Cake Decorations {Ballet Shoes}
• Egg Drop Soup

Next on my list to try: homemade noodles, rolled fondant, and chocolate buttercreams. Anyone know where I can get good candy flavoring?

Yard Art

...the good kind, that is.

Redbud Blossoms

Crab Apple Blossoms

Camellia

Rhododendon

Camellia

Roses

Cut roses in the evening sun...

Flowers and Frogs

Yummy cream cheese mints for our YW activity... too bad they are gone!

Three trips...

You would think that three trips to the store would get you all four ingredients to make a casserole for Sunday dinner... Nope, still had to improvise. Silly me!  My mind must be elsewhere.  Let me know if you see it!

Hair Cut

Yep, I finally cut my hair.  I think it was time... after all February 2009 was a long time ago.  I cut off about 4 1/2 inches all by myself.  I was sad to lose the length, but I wanted to get rid of all of the layers and the horrible "V".  Now I have happy, layer free hair! 

Oh, and this is the stuff that helped me avoid cutting my hair for such a long time.

It really worked for me!

Two Little Girls...

Here are two little girls, with cute little curls...

As Madilyn put it, we put "curling sponges" in her hair, and Emma's too.  Sometimes the first time you try something new, it can be scary and they were both very brave! Madilyn let me brush the tangles out, and Emma let me use the blow dryer on her hair. Plus they did not utter one complaint about the curlers being uncomfortable to sleep in. Maybe that is because I told them they looked like they had pink crowns on. They were both so excited to have curls that I was worried what would happen if it did not work. But no worries, their hair look so cute for church and the curls lasted all day.

It reminded me of when I did this with my sister.  What happy memories! 

Hmm...

You may wonder about me,

but I really like these.

I use them all of the time at work. 

Maybe that is why I like them.

Nope.  I just like them.

Lament for a Lost Favorite

Charcoal Grey was so uncommonly comfortable, so unreasonably adored. Times spent with Charcoal Grey, as with anything, were not all happy, not all sad, but treasured. The loss was public to my undying shame. My response, once I realize you’d left me, was so distressing to my niece that I was prayed for three times in that affectionate little dear’s prayer over the evening dinner. You laugh. I know I am silly to still feel a loss I should have relinquished after the passing of so much time. I reason with myself that, yes, Charcoal Grey can be replaced both in form and in function, yet I cannot reason with attachment. I will never again be the same without Charcoal Grey.

Birthday Cupcakes ~ Birthday Cake

Madilyn got to take these cute cupcakes to school on her birthday.
(Created by Stacey and me.)

This was her birthday cake for our family party tonight.

(Created by Stacey, Mom, and me.)

Birthdays are so much fun!  I know my brother and his family want to find a new home, but I am having so much fun with my new "roommates".

Easter Eggs...

I know Easter was quite some time ago, but I still wanted to share... This year we used goblets, because they were the right size and shape. {Daring, I know, for little hands!} I thought the goblets were pretty filled with dye.

Letters to Philip

Last night the little girls wrote letters to Philip, and I told them I would mail them with mine.  They were so cute I had to scan them and share. For your reading pleasure:

Emma's:

Madilyn's:

("dear philip

are house burned down

6 apartments burned down

we stole your room")

Study in Contrast

Yesterday, the apartment building where my brother, his wife, and their little children lived caught on fire. The cause of the blaze is still unknown. Six units were engulfed in flames and there was damage to others. This has been a difficult experience for their family to be so abruptly uprooted! But, oh, what absolute devastation their neighbors must be feeling. I went to the apartments tonight. This is what I saw:

Study One - One Side of the Wall = A Blessing


Study Two - The Other Side of the Wall = Loss

How can it be possible to have a heart so full of gratitude that my brother and his family were so blessed as to lose so little in this tragic fire, and yet be so full of sorrow for the losses and struggles of their neighbors who lived on the other side of the wall, neighbors who lost everything in this fire while their baby is in the hospital with heart problems?

In response to HM's comment:

There is an account set up accepting donations for the family at Key Bank. The account is called the Jerry Orona Donation Account.

King5 Video {Here is a link to the news story about this family.}