Making posole

The third annual batch of New Year's posole is a success! JP and I made posole again this year, after a successful first attempt two years ago and solo batches last year. Making this with my brother is a nice way to connect us to our roots and keep the silly stories and memories flowing. We only had to call Mom once this time! (Not counting that it was a FaceTime call, or that we also texted a few times also.)

Yummy.

Cookies and wookies

Nothing says 'Grandma's cookies' - a recipe that goes back at least 5 generations -like Yoda and Darth Vader.

"Grandma's cookies" are a heavenly treat, steeped in cinnamon sticks and anise seeds. This is a recipe derived from my mother's grandmother, and one that I grew up with. Now I make it with my children around Christmas, and the familiar smell of these cookies is being imprinted upon them too.

This year, somewhat unconventionally, we used Star Wars cookie cutters, brought to us by Aunt Ayme. Which has my husband and brother (visiting us for a few days with his family) saying things like, "cookie. You seek cookie." Or "eat you I will." while biting into the likenesses of Boba Fett and storm troopers. Deliciously entertaining.

making merry

The top three reasons to make merry this Christmas (pictured):

It’s Leo’s first Christmas, and he couldn’t be cuter.  And, actually, he’s becoming quite a handful himself.  What?  Not this sweet face…

He is into EVERYTHING.  He can climb stairs with ease – if the gate is not up, he will make it to the landing and start messing with my stone rooster up there.  Eep.  He likes to open drawers and empty them (napkins, bibs, bowls, toys).  He loves to lean on my laundry baskets full of clothes and start tossing all of the clothes out.  He loves taking every magnet off of the refrigerator.  My house has been ransacked repeatedly.  Serenity now.

He eats a TON.  We jokingly call him “fourthmeal”, referring to the fact that when Leo is at CityKids, he eats three meals and THEN comes home and has another with us.  What an appetite. 

He is finding his voice.  Leo yells when he’s hungry, when he’s frustrated, when he’s done eating, and when he loses a toy (or it gets taken by his overprotective – controlling? – big sister).  It adds to the mix of yelling that occurs between his siblings when they are playing or when they are arguing.  So there is constant cacophony.   I know, I said they are all three reasons to make merry.  And so…

Leo’s stocking is complete!  After finishing it, I decided that we’d all get some flare this Christmas.  Why not?  I got back into crocheting and since my sewing room/closet is the staging area for our new bathroom upstairs, crochet seems a perfect solution to my urge to create.  I’m amazed that all of this was found for free online: Christmas tree, poinsettia leaves (inspired by this picture), mittens, wreath, and holly leaf.  Half the fun is hunting down the patterns.  And there’s so much more…  Some day, I’ll give back, but for now I’m appreciative for all who freely share their patterns.

I also decided that with all the Douglas firs in our neighborhood, the kids and I would collect fallen leaves and I would make our first annual winter wreath.  It was super easy.  I have this branchy-wreath thing hanging on our door already, and it made a perfect backing.  Just needed some wire and cutters.  Voila!  I also used some holly berries from our neighbor’s tree that poke through our fence. 

   

Aside from the wreath and the stockings, I managed to put together a Christmas card holder that makes me happy every time I look at it – because it keeps filling up with sweet photos and thoughts from dear friends.  This I made by wrapping felt and ribbons on a cork board I’ve had since our college days at Texas A&M.  I made it frantically one morning while the kids were doing crafts and Leo was asleep.  The kids love it too. 

   

Best way to display cards ever.  I should look at this every time I’m grumpy.  It’s so darn heartwarming.

Now, make merry!

ornamental sentiments

Dean asked me recently what my favorite ornament is.  Wow, what a question.  I hadn’t really thought about it before, but when I did, all of my favorite ornaments are tied to a memory.  It was nice sharing them with him.  Here are my favorites:

Venetian Blue glass ornament from our trip to Venice in 2001 (a few weeks after September 11), for a friend’s wedding in Tuscany – I told Dean there were so many beautiful glass ornaments in the shop where we bought this that it was almost impossible to pick one;  the hollowed out and carved squash from Maui on our trip a year ago;

   

the clay Fetish Bear, bought in Taos because it was the name of our room at the Bed & Breakfast on our honeymoon there; a painted clay miniature bowl from Mexico (not really an ornament, but I couldn’t resist that year buying a bunch and giving some of them away as ornaments – it reminds me of all the little clay plates and bowls in Frida Kahlo’s kitchen);

   

the all-leather cowboy hat from a Christmas shop in San Antonio that I love visiting (my sister Rita also bought us our star tree-topper there) – plus it’s just so darn cool-looking; the pewter Faneuil Hall ornament that was purchased in Boston after Matthew and I were engaged there;

    

one of many woven straw ornaments from Panama (my birthplace) from my Granny’s collection – this type of ornament also adorned my family’s Christmas tree growing up, so it holds a dear memory for me; and finally, the olive wood Bethlehem ornament that I bought from a church craft sale here in Portland because all one-piece, and it’s just so simple.

   

By the way, his favorites are Winnie-the-Pooh, Humpty Dumpty, and Captain America (all Hallmark editions, given to him by my Aunt Carrie – she knows how to pick ‘em).  Fiona loves all of her Santas (also given by Aunt Carrie) – especially Santa in the boat and hot-air balloon. 

It was one of our best conversations in a while.  Aren’t ornaments the best?  I love unwrapping these ornaments every year, along with a flood of memories.

November Album: Fernhill Park

Christmas cards are addressed and stamped!  Hooray for Mail Merge and auto-fed envelopes - what a time-saver (if I can figure out the setup each year).  I will remember this year sitting on the floor next to the printer with my laptop, printing the envelopes in the dark in Leo’s room (which is our former-but-still-kinda office), while my phone played ocean waves to block out the printer noise as he slept in his crib.  So I’m finally getting around to posting the best of the pics from our photo shoot in October – many of which I used in our Christmas cards (though the outtakes are really growing on me). 

This album reminds me that fall in Portland is a beautiful time.  Now, in December, the air is much colder – it hit freezing several times last week, and we’ve already lost gloves and hats in the shuffle of getting out in the morning and heading to school and work.  When it’s not raining, we are still making an effort to catch some outside time – whether it’s a bike ride to the park or twenty minutes in the backyard (enough time for Fiona to step in dog poo before I can clean it up. every. time.).  When it is raining, we are baking – a lot – and sometimes staying in our fuzzy pants until 2.

Here’s to our lovely fall in Portland.