On hold

Christmas hasn't arrived at our home yet.

Presents are still under the tree.
Carols are unsung.
Roast is uncarved.
Heck, it's unroasted!

Mom works at the hospital and since she and Dad no longer have children at home she always takes all the holiday shifts and lets the others be at home with their families. That means they won't be here until January 4th, so Christmas and New Years will have to wait until they arrive.

This happens annually, you'd think I'd be used to it. But it still feels odd. Dad says that this is a good thing - we can buy our Christmas presents at the After Christmas sales and still be in time!

I try to tell people that we celebrate Orthodox Christmas, but no one gets it.

In keeping with my still-to-be-celebrated Christmas spirit, go here for some free music! (Don't worry, it's totally legit. It's through CNet.com.)
A Capella Christmas

The poor dogs finally got a full walk today. Before this they were having such a hard time getting through the snow and ice. The little guys would high center! (And most of our neighbors didn't bother to shovel their walks. grrrr...)
But with the blast of warm air we made it all the way around the block without their little paws freezing to the pavement. Yay!

While we were walking I saw a number of beautiful things - snow melting in strange shapes, thin layers of ice over leaves, weirdly melted tracks in the snow - but I knew I couldn't wait for the morning because it will have melted overnight. (Heck, it's 8:30 and it's still 48 degrees outside!)

As soon as we got home I grabbed the camera and ran back to where I'd seen all the good stuff. About 80 shots later I got home, so proud of myself for getting what I wanted before the light faded - and then found out that I didn't have a memory card in the camera!!

Much beating of head on wall ensued.

Well, not for long. I was determined to get SOMETHING, so I jammed the CF card in and got a few shots in my own yard. Ah well - sometimes you just have to take pictures with your mind and enjoy them that way.

In the meantime, here are a few for those of you not living through the big thaw.

My Beautiful Wickedness!!

Melting... Melting...
The thermometer reads 38 and everything is melting at an incredible rate!
Hurry up Christmas, or there won't be any white left!!

We got out this morning and shoveled the drive and the sidewalk before the snow turned to slush, and we're nicely sore now, inside and watching the snow drip off the trees.

There are 40 foot pines just above the dining room (aka The Computer Room - we never entertain) and every time one of the boughs drops its load of snow on the roof it sounds like we're in an aerial bombardment! It's driving the dogs nuts, but we're enjoying it (even if we do duck once and a while).

Ah - while we're at it - everyone else gets to post cute snow baby pictures. We'll here are our snow babies. (Totally spoiled of course.) They were able to walk on the ice layer for most of the time, but every once and a while they'd break through. They didn't like that too much. Mallory would stick his head in the resulting hole and sniff around to make sure it wasn't the work of evil prairie dogs.


Action Shot!!


I have no real desire to scrape the foot of snow off the top of my car and go driving. There are insane people out there! And we've got a two years supply of food and fuel here! haha! I laugh at the crowds and the slush!

(Yes, you can tell how old I am. When I as growing up it was a two years supply. Now it's down to something silly like six weeks.)

My sister just threw a bunch of meatballs and some yummy grape jelly in the crockpot. We've been told this is great to snack on, and we'll be doing the melted brie with apricots and walnuts later on - just because it was too luscious not to repeat.

We were planning on attending the candle light midnight service at the little Scottish Church out in Hillsboro, but instead I think we'll just turn out the lights, light a bunch of our own candles and read the Christmas story by the tree.

Merry Christmas to all of you!
May you be as warm and happy as we are.

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah!

I served my mission in New York and there I learned to love the Jewish people and their customs. It was there that I first celebrated Hanukkah.
At first I thought that this was just a nice way to give the Jewish kids some relief during this season - how would you like to be surrounded by all this Christmas stuff and be unable to participate? Yikes! But I quickly learned that I was wrong - the holidays may fall near one another, but each deserves its own place in our hearts.

Christ celebrated Hanukkah, the festival commemorating the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. It's a beautiful story, full of hope and faith.

If you've not heard it before here is the short version: The Syrian-Greeks had taken over Israel and had desecrated the temple in Jerusalem as a way of subjecating the Israelites. Finally an Israelite leader, Judas Maccabee, arose and was able to kick the Syrians out. The people rushed to the temple and began to clean and prepare it for worship.
One of the key elements of the original temple was a huge menorah (think of it as a candle holder) in the sanctuary. This menorah had seven arms and seven flames (not candles in those days, but oil lamps), and was kept burning at all times - an eternal flame. In the ransacked store rooms of the temple only one cruse of consecrated oil was found - just enough to light the menorah for one day. It took eight days to press and consecrate new oil! However, they lit the oil in faith and the tiny cruse lasted eight long days until new oil was prepared.

For Hanukkah we use a menorah with 9 arms. Eight candles or oil lamps for the eight days of the feast, and one lamp known as the shammas - this is the light that is used to light all the others.

What do I learn from Hannukah?
I learn of the great faith of a people who loved God and wanted to worship him.
But more, I am reminded of my savior. Christ is my shammas. He gives me of His light and His own is never diminished in the giving. He stays bright and steadfast at all times, drawing me to that which is pure and holy.

The next time you see a Hanukkah menorah look for the shammas - it is always set a little apart from the other lights - either higher in the center or on one side - and think of what the faith of the Israelites can teach us, and of our loving brother and Savior, the Light of the World.

During the eight days of the feast families gather every night to light the candles and celebrate. Gifts of money (gelt) may be given and many people give money to charity during this time. But mostly it's about food and family! (Yes some people now decorate Hanukkah bushes in blue and silver or white, but we won't go there. heh.)

Since the point of the story is the oil, you'll find LOTS of dishes the incorporate oil in Hanukkah celebrations - the more the merrier! Latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sufganiot (fried donuts filled with jam or cream cheese) are staples.
Here's a wonderful store house of recipes that can get you started.

May these next nights be filled with light for you and your family as we remember the faith and strength of good people everywhere, and the Light of the World, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Missed Opportunities

Do you ever feel that you have a huge list of things you wish you'd done? My list is now large enough to be bound so I can begin work on Volume Two.

When they forecast snow last week I immediately began setting up my photo sites. I found some nice burgundy roses still in bloom, and a good spray of dark orange rosehips, a bush with bird berries, a stand of cedars - all the things I knew I'd want to capture in the snow. The only thing I was missing was a good holly tree. There used to be one right across the street from us, but it was cut down this summer (booo!!) and so now I'm holly-less. Ah well, at least I had some other good subjects.

Then the snow hit, and dang it, I had NO desire to go outside. Too cold and wet and slubbery (I know that's a word somewhere.) So I missed all those pictures. *sobs* It was my choice, but you know what happens to those who hesitate. Yup, they are photo-less.

I did get out to take a few shots the next day when the sun came back. I love the sun on the snow, and even more, I love the shadows!



While driving to work Thursday the snow was falling in huge clumps of fluffy flakes with a little dusting of glitter stuff in between, and oh joy! the sun was out at the same time! The whole sky was sparkling! I almost cried - the snow settling on the stickery dried thorn blossom skeletons with the sun turning everything crisp and sparkly - it was the prefect picture. Sadly, my campus is camera restricted (all the top secret mojo we do) so I had nothing with me except my dunderheaded cell phone which takes awful pictures.

Sadness set in.

On Friday I was headed out to Cedar Hills and I happened to go by one of those stone and metallic ball fountains at a business center. Someone had forgotten to turn the water off and it was frozen in wonderful icy sheets! Still - no camera with me.

So, this morning, I looked out at the sifting snow, listened to the dearth of people on the road and said, "WHAT THE HECK! I'm not going to let this be another of those 'I wish I had' moments!"

I had a wonderful time poking around. Took about 80 shots and the only thing that could have made it better would have been some nice golden sunlight to throw everything into contrast and make those delicious shadows.




Tonight I had to drag out the tripod and try for some Christmas light shots. Most of our ground lights are already buried and are shining through. So much fun! I didn't wish for a white Christmas, but I was given the present anyway!


I hope you are warm and cozy, where ever you are, and enjoying the view out your window.

Terrifying Snow Monkeys

"Were there monkeys? Some terrifying Snow Monkeys?" *

OK, it doesn't work quite as well as the original, but it still makes me smile.

Spent all day keeping a multi billion dollar fab running from the warmth of my home, wearing my purple flowered PJs ** and sherpa slippers and sipping cocoa. Does it get any better than this?

I think it does, cause as soon as I cut free from the server I ran down to make some cards using my new Changito Monkey stamps. Now, I'm not the one you'd ever peg as "cutsey". Don't like little apple cheeked dolls with no mouths and button eyes. Shudder. But these guys... dang, they make me laugh!

So, here's the card! ***

Outside:


Then, inside:


It's raining here now, but should be snowing again tomorrow.
Happy snow to all of you!





* All you Firefly fans out there will just have to forgive me. I couldn't help myself!
** Sadly I don't have sexy footsies like Nancy. Nor her cute bod to go with them! ;)
*** Yes, I know, I bought a nice softbox. But I was too lazy to put it up, so you get to see my cluttered craft table in the background.

Let there be lots and lots of lights!

When I was little there was a huge juniper bush in front of our house. At Christmas we'd string those big glass colored lights through it and soon the snow would melt around the bulbs and we'd get a good coating of ice that would eventually cover the bush. After a few days the lights would seem to glow from within a giant snow globe! It's a great memory.

One thing I've learned recently is that LED lights, as pretty as they are, don't put out enough heat to melt snow, so there's no likelihood of recreating my childhood Christmases, even if Oregon weather would cooperate (which it is, at least this week!).

That's OK. There are still lots of pretty lights around. But some lights are more exciting than others, and when you mix lights and electronics, I reach Geek Nirvana!



You may have seen animated light shows before, but if you haven't seen this one you're missing out. I sent this URL to my family, and my sister (being the good researcher she is) looked up their web site. Turns out this is an incredibly talented family, and you may have seen some of their work. One brother made the stained glass windows for 10 LDS temples! There are several brothers - Richard does this light show (and is a web designer), Tom creates the stained glass windows, and Treavor is a blown glass artist and Will is a photographer. Their father, Floyd, was a photographer for National Geographic. What talent!

After you watch the light show, head over to their website and read their story. In 2007 they raised over $10,000 for the Make A Wish foundation from people viewing the light show. Also, be sure to check out the stained glass studio. There are pictures from the temples (this window is from the San Antonio, Texas Temple) and even a stained glass Christmas tree!

Brrrr...uuuuummmmm

Yes, it's cold out there.
So warm up with a little subtle British humor. (OK, maybe not so subtle.)

I love "Top Gear". It's a British television show dedicated to all things automotive. Here they do a road test of the new Ford Fiesta that had me laughing out loud! Apparently someone criticized one of their reviews, so they're out to do a very thorough job this time. Stay with it to the end. It just gets better and better!


Top Gear - Ford Fiesta

Enjoy!
And... stay warm. Brrrrrrrr

Odd and Ends

This weekend has been really odd. I'm all wired up about something, but I can't figure out what it is. I hate that feeling. It makes me wander around the house, cleaning and fixing anything I can get my hands on, just to try to make it stop. So, if you don't mind, I'll wrap up some loose ends here and maybe that will help.

Pirates of the Great Salt Lake

The "Pirates of the Great Salt Lake" movie turned out to be - well, not quite a dud, but certainly nothing I'd ever watch again. To be honest, I found the premise disturbing. Oh, I laughed at it in the trailers, but to actually watch the story unfold - creepy. Not to mention the killings. Didn't expect that one at all!

So... blah.
If you want to watch it I suggest getting it from Netflix instead of paying $5 to Blockbuster like I did. Bad move on my part.

I really wish a good movie would come out sometime. Too much too wish for? I hope not. :(

The Tree

The tree has been up for a few days but we couldn't figure out what do put on the top.

For the past several years we've used our little "Bumbles" doll from the claymation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer cartoon. Remember how he puts the star on top of the tree? We'll he does that for us. However that didn't seem to be a big enough star this year.

Usually we have two trees: an elegant one with crystal icicles or golden angels or burgundy fruit - the Festival of Trees type tree - and a more rustic tree with wooden cranberry bead garlands and German straw ornaments or nutcrackers. It's this second tree the hosts Bumbles.

This year, because we have TOO much furniture in our living room, we went with just one tree (directly in front of the fireplace *sigh*). It's a more elegant tree so Bumbles didn't get the top billing. We couldn't stand to hurt his feelings, so he's still there (that's him, the cute white furry guy, climbing this year's tree) but we reserved the top for a truly magnificent star. Except that we couldn't find one!

We have six boxes of Christmas ornaments and can you believe we couldn't find one good tree topper? Finally we settled on a nice scroll carved and whitewashed wooden star and we're finally done. Ta Da!!

I think I'll have to ask my mother to quilt a fireplace cover showing logs aglow. Then I won't feel guilty about not using the fireplace.

Cards

Cards, cards, cards. It's December 13th and I've only managed to send cards out to my family. I don't think I'll ever get all of these cards made. Might have to cut my losses, send out store bought cards and start right now to make next years cards instead.

Here is a shot of one of the two styles I've been making. I thought the stained glass look turned out well, but I'm using my oncamera flash (grrrr! I hate those things!) so you can't tell.

(That's the one thing I have on my Christmas list - a nice flash - but it's the one thing I know I won't get. :( I'd be happy with an old, used 420EX! Ah well. I'll start saving up for it.)

In the meantime I bought a little softbox so hopefully my shots will look a bit more professional from now on.

hmmm....what else?
Ward Christmas Party

We were late. My fault, I've been felling punky and napped most of the afternoon, so I wasn't ready. We were only 30 minutes late (ok, maybe 40) but the program was already over! Who ever heard of a Mormon program of any kind, especially one with musical numbers, ending on time? hehe
Hats off to Naomi for being an amazing director.

I'm just sorry I missed it all. I was looking forward to the carols and seeing the baby Jesus. Worse yet, I wandered around afterward, saying Hi to people and looking at the nativity scenes, but I couldn't congratulate anyone on their performances, because I hadn't seen them and didn't know who did what! :(

Well, that's it. Rambled enough. Hopefully this will have cleared out the cobwebs in my brain and I can settle down and enjoy the snow tomorrow.

We ARE having snow tomorrow.
I command it.

Oh Christmas tree

Five years ago, if you'd told me that I'd own a fake tree, and like it, I would not have laughed in your face. I would have simply hauled off and slugged you. =) Fake trees are so NOT a part of my family's traditions. The smell of the fresh tree, the softness of the spruce needles, the sticky sap all over your fingers - I love it all!

However, I do not love re-cutting the bottom of the trunk over and over until it stands up straight, and I always forget to water the thing, and it makes me terribly sad (and not a little frightened) when the needles fall out. So, eventually I went to the dark side, and now I love my fake tree!

One new tradition that we've had to come up with is "fluffing". Yes, we all say it. The tree comes out of the box and immediately we're commanding each other to "fluff that side!".

Tonight we fluffed!
And lighted!
And ribboned!
And decked!

Now the inside of the house is nearly as festive as the outside, and I'm sooo much more calm. Seems I'm always on tenterhooks until the tree is up.

One of my problems is that I'm not really good at decorating the tree. I love the process - rediscovering favorite ornaments, munching on popcorn that I'm supposed to be stringing for garland, remembering past holidays. But arriving at the finished product can be a bit of a mystery to me.

I don't like gaudy trees, so I tend to be a bit spartan with the ornaments and sometimes it looks rather stark. I've tried all kinds of things to become a better decorator. I've even written algorithms to help me understand how many ornaments to use for different sized trees and placement schemes... not exactly artistic endeavors.

Ah well - the nice thing about a Christmas tree is that you almost can't do it wrong. (Thank heavens!!)

Here are a few fun things we like to do on the web this time of year.
The first is my old favorite - Make-A-Flake Snowflake Creator (Originally sponsored by an underwear company. Can't remember which one. Hanes?)
http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com

And this is a new and improved Snowflake program which we just ran across. It gives immediate gratification! See the results as you cut! :D
http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays

Elf Yourself (by OfficeMax) is always a hoot, especially since the whole family can get in on the act. Last year they even had a Scrooge Yourself. I'll have to look for that one again.
http://www.elfyourself.com


Macy's has some fun things this year, including turning yourself into Santa with their Be Claus program.
http://www.macysbelieve.com

Suspense!!

Today was supposed to be the DVD release of the much anticipated (at least by me) "Pirates of the Great Salt Lake" movie! But will it really happen?

They were supposed to release this movie on the ever-hallowed September 19th, "Talk Like A Pirate Day", but somehow that got the axe. (Or the plank. What's a good "bad" pirate slang idiom for getting the rug pulled out from under you? ... maybe keel hauling...)

Then they set the release date for today, December 9th, but neither Amazon or Walmart websites have it for sale. Boohooo!!!

I've been looking forward to this one: mindless, clean fun (but hopefully not as mindless as "Napolean Dynamite" I'm from Idaho and I took that one rather personally). However, I'm a bit leary also. The reviews are all good, the trailer is funny, but then the reviews and the trailer were good for last year's "Stalking Santa" and that was such a dud that I turned it off after 20 minutes and wished I had that time back in my life.

Judge for yourself watch the trailer below! And if you find a copy of this thing, run a flag up the pole for me.

Flames

Last night the sky caught fire near my house. What an awesome sight!

I've always said that if I built my dream house, the first thing I'd do when evaluating the property would be to insure there was year round access to sunsets. I love them.

Here's what I was able to capture last night (it looks even better at full size).


Sorry about the phone lines and poles. I yelled at them to move but they were too busy watching the sky to listen to me.

I think, when I get to Heaven, I'll apply for a job with the Sunset Department. This whole Ministering Angel thing has to have SOME benefits, doesn't it?

If Sunsets are full up, I'm definitely applying for the Lava Group.
Yup. That would be fun. I understand there will be a good number of other virgins to hang around with.

;-)

(Heheh... Holly never reads my posts, so I can get away with saying things like that! Don't tell her!)

Backgrounds and the first bit of Christmas cheer

Yes, it's true. I've been ignoring the Thanksgiving dishes (hey, we only had it yesterday!) and playing with Photoshop instead. Usually I'm tweaking my photos, but this time I thought I'd try my hand at blog backgrounds.

What do you think?
It's rather stark, but I like it. =)

My dad and I just finished putting up the outdoor Christmas lights! I'm so glad to see them glowing out there in the dark and rain.

The tree comes next!
Oi. That means I have to brave the boxes in the garage.
Maybe I'll fortify myself with a turkey and cranberry sandwich first.

PS. I really did the dishes yesterday. I may be a bachelorette, but I'm not THAT bad!

Thanksgiving, the Lazy Way

Our parents won't be in town until tomorrow (they're dining with another child today) so we are making this a lazy Turkey Day, and let me tell you, it's the best.

First rule - you must stay in your Pajamas for as long as humanly possible. I nearly ruined everything by automatically getting dressed this morning, but since I was able to jump back into my pj's before Holly woke up, only the dogs know that I messed up, so it doesn't count.

Second rule - start with pie. Yep, pie for breakfast. This year it's pumpkin as is fitting. Pumpkin, topped with a good dollop of real whipped cream, and a large glass of cold milk on the side.
While eating my pie I enjoyed reading Bittman's article on Pumpkin Pie.

"I believe in the theory that some people are cooks, while others are bakers. Some are truly, equally both, but that’s rare. Cooks are messier and improvise more, tasting and adjusting, winging it in spirit if not actually in practice. Bakers are more meticulous and methodical, measuring and weighing, careful not to overwork their dough."

I love that man. :) Given this definition, I'm certainly a cook, not a baker.

Third rule - no turkey. Lazy, remember? True, Bittman has two ways of making a no hassle turkey. The 45 minute bird and the braised bird, both of which we intend to try, but I just couldn't be bothered to fight my way through a store of last minute Thanksgiving shoppers to find a bird.
So, we're going to have a wonderful dish of braised brussel sprouts with bacon and shallots (sooo good!), James Beard's crispy stuffing with my own additions of cranberries, pine nuts and sausage, and - if we still have any carrots, which I doubt - a nice bowl of carrot ginger soup. It's one of my specialties. Odd, come to think of it, lots of my specialties have ginger in them. Hmmm... deep inner meaning time...

Fourth rule - consume all things dairy. As you've noticed, I already up a nice dent in my daily dairy quota with the whipped cream and milk - and that was just one piece of pie. I'm counting on hitting at least three pieces by midnight tonight. But to counter all the carbs (yummm... comfort food) I bought three lovely cheeses.
The first is a smoked, aged Gouda from an artisan farm in New York, the second is what appears to be a white cheddar with Jamaican jerk spices from Pike Street Marketplace in Seattle (I say appears because I don't think even they are sure), and finally our old standby a nice double creme Brie. (Does this sound snooty? They're all from Costco, my favorite cheese store!)

I'll be baking the Brie in our crock pot, topped with chopped hazelnuts, dried apricots and a brown sugar/balsamic vinegar glaze.

So far the Gouda is my favorite. It's rich and smoky and oh so smooth! But I have great hopes for the Brie...

We have crackers of all types (yipes) and good crusty loaves of bread and even a small jar of cracked seed mustard (although the cheese doesn't need it and Holly wouldn't eat it anyway!). The only thing we're missing is something to drink! We have mango juice but that just seems wrong. I need grape or cranberry with this much cheese.

Ah, the trials of a lazy Thanksgiving. I hope I'm up to the task. :)
I shall now snuggle up with some sleepy puppies, a good book and my nosh, thankful for a warm home, literacy and my family.

PS. I must note that our wonderful friends Evelyn and Rob invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner, but we had to decline. I'm oncall this weekend and I detest throwing down my napkin in front of all the other guests and bolting out the door because my pager goes off. But I did want to note their extraordinary thoughtfulness and kindness to us. They're gems!
(Note: Evelyn's cranberry gelatin is a killer! You have to talk her out of some of it one day.)

Just One More Day...

Just one more day.
Simply one freaking more day!
Surely I can hold on that long, can't I?

No, no, I'm not talking about jonesing for turkey. I'm talking about keeping my promise to not sing ANY Christmas carols until after Thanksgiving. I know it's a silly little thing, but I have to stick to my guns here.

This year everything started too soon. I expected the retailers to haul out the Christmas merchandise early - but the day after Halloween? Yikes!

Then, two weeks ago, the radio stations began playing Christmas songs.
That was simply too much to bear. I swore I wasn't buying anything Christmas related or singing any Christmas carols, or decorating in any way until the appropriate day, which is, of course, the day after Thanksgiving.

Geesh, Santa has to show up at the end of the Macy's day parade or it's not official. Don't these people know the rules?

Sadly, I blew it, and gave in to buy Christmas rubber stamps and paper early. But that's a necessity given the number of cards I'll have to make for my family!

As far as decorations and singing goes, I have, however, held true.

Except...

Except I keep catching myself humming "Winter Wonderland".
Or leading the choir in a rendition of "Far Far Away on Judea's Plains" as I drive home from work.
Or raking leaves in time to "Let it Snow".

I've tried.
Really hard.
I just need to hold on for a few more hours!

Then I can let myself sing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" at the top of my lungs while putting up the lights on Friday. :)

We missed it!

Did you see the fireball?
Dang. I didn't either. But lots of people in Canada did!



When I was little a huge fireball flew across the sky over Idaho. I remember sitting on the neighbor's porch and looking up...wow! It was called the "Great Daylight Fireball of 1972" and started skimming the earth's atmosphere above Utah heading north. It finally exited the atmosphere over Canada.

I love meteors. :)

PS. *sigh* That rather dates me. I was little, ok?!?

Corb Lund and the Hurtin Albertans

I just have to share this one!
A really fun video by a band out of Canada.
This one is good for the whole family.

Tribute

I have to admit that I'm a Glenn Beck fan.
I've never heard his radio or TV shows, but I've read "An Inconvenient Book" which still cracks me up whenever I think about it.

His conversion story is very interesting and he has a dry sense of humor that I just eat up.

I ran across this video clip and thought I'd post it here in case someone else hasn't seen it. It's Glenn Beck's tribute to President Hinkley, delivered on his TV show. Enjoy!

Where's the bread already??

What happened to the No Knead Bread, you may ask?
Well, here it is!!



The whole episode turned out to be a Comedy of Errors. But to be fair, most of my cooking involves one mishap or another. (Don't worry, you'll read about it here, first.) So I'm not phased by it. Want to hear what happened?

I'd fully intended to start the bread on Thursday, as I wrote, but soon found out that I needed to get my ducks in order. You see, this bread takes a fantastically minimal amount of yeast - a quarter teaspoon. That's NOTHING when making regular bread.

Well - it's something.
And, it's a whole quarter teaspoon of something that I didn't have ready at hand.

Don't get me wrong, I have yeast. It's just in one of those huge bricks that I've got socked away in the back of the fridge as part of our food storage. You know - so I can continue to bake if there's a major outbreak of cholera in the area or if Mount Hood goes blewie.

I didn't want to break into my brick (let's not talk about rotating stock, ok? I'm in the middle of a rant right now…) so I decided to wait and get to the store where I could buy a couple of the little envelopes of yeast instead.

Shopping, sadly, did not happen until Saturday afternoon, but Saturday evening I started my dough using the teeny little amount of yeast.

Once I'd made the dough (which is dead easy) I dropped it into a big Tupperware bowl for the fermentation phase -and then reality hit. The recipe warns you to keep the dough in a warm room so that it can ferment properly, preferably 70 degrees or above.

Yikes! During the day we keep the heat in the house at 67 degrees, tops, and let it drop down quite a bit at night. How in the heck was I going to get the yeast to ferment?

I ended up wrapping the Tupperware in a set of my flannel winter sheets and keeping it in the upstairs guest room (possibly the warmest room in the house). I also cranked the heat a bit, but don't telly my sister. It seemed to work! Nice bubbles had appeared when I opened the Tupperware on Sunday morning.

Then, after church, I got to the next part of the recipe which is basically a light punch down and then a second rise for 2 hours. It really can't even be called a punch down. Turn the dough twice, let rest, then wrap in a floured cloth (not terry) and rise for two… wait… not terry cloth??

The only dish clothes I could find in the entire house are terry cloth. I have linen and cotton dish towels - somewhere - I know I do. But do you think I could find them? Nope.

I decided not to worry about it and put the Tupperware back in use, sans dish towel.

Two hours later I dumped the dough (which had NOT doubled as expected) into a 450 degree, preheated dutch oven, slammed down the lid and managed to transfer the whole mess to the oven without burning myself. The recipe state that you should just wiggle the pot a bit if the dough doesn't form a nice round, but it stayed put when I attempted the maneuver.

However... I'm happy to report… YUM!



After 30 minutes I took the lid off and I could already see the crust was going to be a success. It was gorgeous! 15 minutes after that I hauled the dutch oven out and there it was - my lovely, misshapen loaf!

Fortunately I got pictures before the cry of "MANGA! " rang out. My sister ate hers plain with butter and I had mine with some lovely apple butter that I made a few weeks ago. The dogs, of course, got several bites of the soft warm stuff. They're still nuzzing me, asking for more.

I'd say this was a success. It was dead easy, smelled and tasted fantastic and is already half gone. The top crust was all I could have asked for, although the bottom was a bit thicker than I'd like. Also the crumb was beautiful but much more moist than I'd expected. I was told this can happen when it's humid (which it is right now) so I'm not overly concerned.

Given the number of things I learned, next time it will be even better (and less nerve racking).

But before we try the No Knead Bread again I'll be doing Irish Soda Bread.
Stand by!

Minimalism - Bread

If you've never been introduced to Mark Bittman you're really missing out.
The man is a food critic and columnist with the New York Times. He calls himself and his column "The Minimalist". His cookbook series "How to Cook Anything" is a great gift idea for the beginning cook - heck, I like to read them myself!

I first saw him on his show "Bittman Takes on America's Chefs". Bittman would go to a restaurant and a famous chef would show us how to make one of his signature dishes. Then, with much ado and kibitzing, Bittman would take the challenge to make the same dish, but with ingredients that the typical home cook would have access to, and to prepare the food in a way that the average cook could actually copy at home. It was great fun!

He also has a three to five minute video clip each week that shows wonderful food, easily prepared. I love his stuff. Try this one!

Now, why am I telling you this? Because one of the things that Bittman espouses is a great way to make a delicious loaf of bread without the work. It's called "No Knead Bread" and it replaces kneading with 12 to 18 hours of fermenting time.

I've decided today is the day to put this bread to the test. I abhor white balloon bread and I'm tired of paying the price for a good loaf of ciabatta, so I'm taking the plunge.

The one thing standing in my way - you bake this bread, in the oven, in a preheated heavy covered casserole. The steam that is held inside the casserole is the key to the amazing crust that the loaf develops. However, all I have are dutch ovens, and I'm not sure I want to sacrifice my nicely seasoned surface for a loaf bread. *grumble* Decisions, decisions...

I'll let you know how it comes out.
In the meantime, watch this for more information.

Blissful Ignorance

It's now 12:45 pm on the day after Election Day, and I am still blissfully ignorant of the outcome of ANYTHING.

Last night my sister and I turned off our computers and sat down to watch a BBC drama (rather heartrending I might add). Then I headed for bed and read "Breaking Dawn" for a few hours.

I've avoided papers, radios, televison, gossiping coworkers and sky writers. (Heh, it's raining, I'm at least safe from sky writers.)

How long can I avoid the inevitable? I don't know.
Somehow I feel like crouching down and hiding for a week.
If only I could sign up for a two week sleep study!

Am I mad? Yes, indeed.
Will any specific outcome make me happy enough to rejoin the human race?
Nope. Not a one.
Have I ever felt this (irrational) way before.
No. I'm either getting older or I've finally had it with the stupidity.
Maybe both.

You'll know when I finally hear the answer. I'm sure there will be a shriek of some kind.

Update: It's not 6 pm and I'm home from work. I've enjoyed my day as an ostrich with my head stuck in the sand, even though I had to go to some lengths to maintain my innocence. (There are some rather loud people in the bullpen across the hallway and whenever they'd show up I'd put my headphones on and play something loud - preferably Beethoven.)
But all good avoidances must come to an end, and I'm poised to rip the bandage off! Here I go!

Foooooood

What is it about Fast Sunday that makes me want to cook?
Yeah, I know - it's probably the whole hunger thing. But honestly, I don't want to eat, I want to COOK.

Yesterday my sister got Creme Brulee out of the deal. Yup, I tried the crock pot version.

I'd found some ramekins sitting in the sideboard and since I couldn't find any other baking dish that would fit in my 4 quart slow cooker I used these guys.
They fit. Kinda.

I put one on the bottom, shoved to one side, and the other sort of scrunched in on the other side. (Can you scrunch ceramic?) I ended up with one ramekin about a inch higher than the other, but they both fit and I could put water in the crockpot with no problem.

When I whipped up the custard I realized that my little ramekins weren't quite big enough to hold a full batch, so I did a three quarters version. A bit too much egg and a bit too little sugar went in. I love it when cooking is an adventure! =)

Two and a half hours later the custards looked done!
Then I found out the problem behind my plan. I now had two very hot ceramic ramekins, submerged half way up their sides in near boiling water - and the weight of the custard had forced the top ramekin down, effectively wedging these little darlings in place.

Grrrrrrrr.....

Archimedes and two long handled spoons later - voila!
Two nice custards and no steam burns. I love it when a plan comes together.

The dessert was very yummy, even if the custard was a bit soft. Holly likes it that way, I like mine more firm, but this time she won.

Only problem is, my broiler didn't do a very good job of carmalizing the sugar topping. I'll have to put "Butane Kitchen Torch" on my "Gimee Gimmee" Christmas list. hehe

If you'd like to try your hand at this wonderful recipe, go here:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/crockpot-crme-brulee-recipe.html

Scared the living daylights out of me

I had the most frightening thing happen to me this morning. I'm still all wide eyed and jumpy.

Our two dogs sleep on my bed at night, and every morning (or at least every morning that I'm not in a tearing hurry because I overslept) I give them a good puppy massage and head rub for their wake up call. (Hey, they're only 24 inches long - doesn't take too long.)

This morning the male had flopped over on his back while I was scratching the female's ears, and suddenly he started hacking.

I rolled him over and patted his back a bit while he tried to cough up whatever was in his throat. But within a few seconds it became apparent that it wasn't his throat but his windpipe. He got pretty agitated and huddled against me, still hacking something terrible. I was just starting to wonder if I needed to do something when he jumped down from the bed and tried to throw up, but that wasn't working either.

I'd just gotten to his side when he suddenly went limp and collapsed!

I was terrified! I know human first aid, but had no idea how to do the Heimlich on a terrier, or what I'd rupture if I tried! It all happened so very, very fast! He's only a fraction of the size of a human adult, so I guess it takes a shorter time to choke out, but even so..!

I'm the oldest of seven children and I don't remember anything like that ever happening with any of us. I can't imagine what goes through a mother or father's mind if their baby has problems breathing. SCARY!

Fortunately, whatever was blocking his airway slid to the side when he passed out and he woke up. That was the longest 10 seconds of my life!

He and I sat on the floor while he gulped down air and looked pathetic and I hugged him and tried to calm him down. It had scared him, too.

I didn't want to leave him this morning, although Holly was taking good care of him and I keep calling home just to be sure everyone is still alive and kicking. I can't get the image of his poor little inert body out of my mind. :(

Moral: Learn pet first aid and pray you'll never need to use it.

One of those question thingees

A good friend sent this to me (Hi Aleathea!!) and I thought, what the heck, I'll just post the answers here. So.. everything you didn't need to know about me:

What time did you get up this morning - 2:30am, 5:45am, 7:15am (the dogs were restless)

Diamonds or pearls - Pearls

What was the last film you saw at the cinema - *shudders* Mama Mia. I have since repented, although I'm still singing ABBA songs in my head.

What is your favorite TV show - Not really into TV. SG1 stopped being good four years ago. Lost was fun the first year. Fringe is getting to be gross. We watch Antiques Roadshow, The Big Bang Theory (when it's not raunchy) and cooking programs. Pretty much leave the TV off otherwise.

What do you usually have for breakfast - Cheese omelette or oatmeal

What is your middle name - Heather (heh. Trick Question)

What food do you dislike - Aspic. Don't ask.

What is your favorite CD at moment - The Veronicas. (Yeah, so shoot me.)

What kind of car do you drive - Audi A6

Favorite sandwich - Turkey and avocado on a croissant with sprouts

What characteristic do you despise - Narcissism

Favorite item of clothing - Fuzzy Pajamas

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go - erg... can I get back to you? I want it all.

Favorite brand of clothing - I hate branded clothing. I rip off the tags. If they want me to advertise for them they'll have to pay me, not charge me.

Where would you retire to - Montana

What was your most recent memorable birthday - 8th. I caught a 2 pound rainbow trout and my Daddy baptized me! (Not at the same time or in the same place.)

Favorite sport to watch - Football

When is your birthday - Bastille Day

Are you a morning person or a night person - Night! Please, please night. It must be night! (I hate to get up in the morning.)

What is your shoe size - Dory

Pets - Two sweet but spoiled Cairn Terriers (think Toto).

What did you want to be when you were little - Astronaut / Fighter Pilot

What is your favorite candy - Toffee

What is your favorite flower - Heather (another trick question). Oh, ok. Peach colored roses or glads.

What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to - October 31st - Halloween!

What are you listening to right now - Nothing. Not big on filling my head with music 24x7.

What was the last thing you ate - Sour cream coffee cake and apple cider at our office Halloween party.

Do you wish on stars - Every night

If you were a crayon, what color would you be - Purple

How is the weather right now - Gorgeous! Cool, bright and totally autumn.

The first person you spoke to on the phone today - Statistician (at work)

Favorite soft drink - Ginger Beer (oh, I wish you could still get it).

Favorite restaurant - Thai

Real hair color - of course! (brown)

What was your favorite toy as a child - Teddy Bear

Hugs or kisses - I'll take anything I can get.

Chocolate or Vanilla - Vanilla

Coffee or tea - Peppermint/Chamomile tea (our house blend)

When was the last time you cried - reading a book the other night

What is under your bed - Dust bunnies the size of Cleveland!

What did you do last night - Made Halloween cards

What are you afraid of - If I tell you, you'll have power over me...

Salty or sweet - salty

How many keys on your key ring - Three

How many years at your current job - 13

How many towns have you lived in - urmm.. 8? When I was 2 we moved several times and I can't keep that straight.

Dessert by Default

Today was the perfect day for an autumn dessert.

Although it was warm, the leaves were blowing and it LOOKED chilly, so I was ready to cuddle up with a bowl of something soothing.

I've been drooling over Stephanie's Crockpot Crème Brulee for two weeks now, and this seemed the time to do it. On the last trip to the store I'd actually bought cream, and the egg supply in the house is high, so I grabbed all the ingredients and started plotting.

Fortunately I looked for a baking dish first (which is highly unusual for me). You see, the dish has to fit inside the crockpot insert, and then is given a nice water bath. Problem was - none of my baking dishes fit inside my 4 quart slow cooker!

Despair!

I finally pulled out the ramekins that I purchased years ago (when I was convinced I'd be entertaining scads of people on a weekly basis) and tried them. Well… one fit. Just one.

Dejection!

If that wasn't enough to convince me to purchase a larger crockpot, I don't know what will.

In the meantime, I was dessert-less.
However, I did have apples… oh yes… I have apples! Yum!

I've been making apple crisps for most of my adult (and even adolescent) life, so I hardly ever use a recipe anymore. Just throw the things together. You know how it is - just put that brain in neutral and cook!

So I started slicing apples and then I threw together the flour and spices (which smelled heavenly) and sugar, and tossed the apples… Whoa… wait a minute…

About that time I realized my hands were making apple pie, not apple crisp. Doh! Worse, I also found that the only rolled oats in the house are in the big twenty pound bag I just bought for food storage.

*sigh*
I really need more sleep.

Although apple pie sounded good, I didn’t want to make crust, so - time to punt.

Last week I purchased a box of store bought ginger snaps. Don't ask me why - I hate those rock hard versions of my favorite cookie. But I was auditioning a pumpkin pie/cream cheese dip recipe for a Halloween party and I needed SOMETHING to dip in it. The pumpkin dip turned out to be, frankly, blechy - so I was stuck with almost a full box of these tooth chipping cookies.

Out came the cookies, artfully arranged on top of my lovely apples, dotted with butter, and the whole thing is in the oven now, baking away.

I've got fork in hand.
I'll let you know how it turns out.

UPDATE:
I checked on the pudding (for lack of a better name shall we use the English designation? I always wanted to do that.) The cookies looked, if anything, even harder. So I pulled it out, grabbed a spoon and mixed the topping (cookies) into the apples.

15 minutes later the cookies had melted into a warm, gooey gingerbread and dessert was ready!
My sister Holly said it was very good, and she's not as gahgah for ginger as I am.
I'd post a picture but...um... it's gone.

Verdict - any dessert is a good dessert. :)

Bring back the camera!

People may complain about the late, wet spring or the early chill this fall - but combine them both and you have fall leaves in Oregon that rival New Hampshire!

My parents were visiting for the week, so we thumbed our noses at gas prices and took several long winding drives in the country. On the first drive we looped south around Mount Hood then headed north through the Hood River apple country. Such a great drive! The mountain was in top form with a beautiful lenticular cloud (Hood is famous for that). Later in the afternoon the cloud started to blow apart and I got a few spectacular shots from the east side.

There are many varieties of maples and alder around Hood and they were all in spectacular color. I was amazed - it's not been this beautiful in the 15 odd years that I've lived here.

Just before we hit the Columbia River we stopped at a lovely orchard and to my surprise we found Empire apples.

I don't think I can adequately describe my passion for Empires. Some people swear by Honeycrisps, and my mother has an overt fondness for Jonagolds, but I lust after Empires. A good hard CRUNCH, sweet/tart juices and a deep flavor that brings to your mouth all that is beautiful about autumn. I first had an Empire when I was in graduate school, and I've been lost ever since.

Find an Empire. Indulge!

Sadly I only bought a dozen apples, and my family seems to agree with my passion because the Empires are gone already. Time to either pout or drive back to Hood River…

On Saturday we went west instead of east and meandered down through Yamhill county. More golds then reds out there, but still such beautiful vistas.

We made food our driving force once more and headed for our absolute favorite place to get hazelnuts - the Schmidt farm, south of McMinnville. This time I simply gave in and bought 50 pounds. Yes, 50 pounds of hazelnuts! (There were only 48.5 pounds left by the time we got home.)

As usual the Schmidt's farm looked lovely and they kindly let me wander around taking pictures. You might recognize a few on my cards later this fall.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, be sure to get out this week and see the leaves before they are gone!

The Origins of Hobbies

I didn't mean to become a crafty,card making, rubberstamp-happy embosser! Truly I didn't.
It all started like this...

About a year ago I was despairing because of my lack of talents.
Now, don't get me wrong - I've been blessed the same as everyone else - everyone has some little talent. But my talents aren't the ones that are generally lauded. In short, I don't play an instrument and I don't sing.

To be honest, I do play with a number of musical instruments, but I'm too busy - make that too lazy - to practice, so no glory there. Furthermore there are nations (and probably planetary systems) which have strict laws against me ever attempting to sing within their boundaries.
Therefore, as far as anyone is concerned, I am talentless.

Just as I was planning on a good ice cream nosh to drown my talentless despair, a friend at work asked me if I'd like to buy his camera. A really nice camera. A REALLY nice camera.

If you're lucky you too have a friend like this - he always owns the latest and greatest of everything. And once he buys the latest, if you're in the right place at the right time, you may get a killer deal on a fabulous toy as he sells you his old one. And so I became the owner of a well cared for Canon EOS 10D. Lovely camera - I can't tell you how much fun it is!

Starting that weekend I became a photoholic. I was out and about the neighborhood, taking pictures of everything. Pretty soon it became apparent that I needed a really good lens. My friend had given me a so-so Sigma as part of the package, and he'd warned me that it wasn't a very good lens. He was right. Thusmy quest to sink several paychecks into Canon "L" series glass began. *sigh*

Suddenly I had not only a lighter wallet and a camera bag full of wonderfully expensive hardware, but I also began to have some really rather nice pictures. I was so proud!!


Now - what do you do when you find you have a bit of a budding talent? Hiding it under a bushel is forbidden, no? So I tried to think of ways to show off my fabulous pictures without making it look like I was showing off.

TaDa! The perfect idea hit me - make personalized cards!
In truth, I'm not a very good correspondent. Email is my best friend, it's the only way my poor mother ever hears from me. But I have been known to give out Thank You notes and Birthday cards… so I trotted down to the craft store and bought some cream colored cards and envelopes and a glue stick.

My first attempts looked pretty good, but I was hoping for something with a bit more panache. What I'd really wanted was a card with an embossed edge, to set off my lovely pictures, and since I couldn’t find any to buy I thought I'd make my own.

Years ago (way back in high school) I'd dabbled in calligraphy and had done a bit of embossing at the same time, using those nicely made brass stencils, but for the life of me I couldn't find a brass stencil in any store! Finally I found some on eBay.
However … the same people who were selling the stencil also were selling a nice selection of stamping inks for a really good price, and there's be no shipping charge since I was already paying for the stencil…

Yes, you see the pattern - now I have inks, but no stamps. Well, the craft store had some of those new clear gel stamps for very cheap, so I grabbed a pack. Yep. You see it coming.

Suffice it to say that I now own rubber and clear stamps, embossing powder, a heat gun, glue dots, foam standoffs, envelope patterns and fancy paper in every imaginable shape and form. But I can't claim this as a talent!

There are so many ladies in my church who are amazing scrapbookers/cardmakers, and I can tell you that I certainly don't play in the same league. So I'd decided to just have some fun and making a few cards.

The sad thing is -
I haven't touched my camera in a month.

What's in a Name?

I've been asked about the name of this blog - why "Creaky Cogs"?

Last year I stumbled over a rather odd but fascinating movement (movement? fan circle? don't know the word for this), called "Steampunk".

Yes, Steampunk is a stupid name. I'm not fond of it myself. However, it's just too dang fun to pass up because of the name. Steampunk is what would happen if the Information Age had take place during the Industrial Revolution.

Think Jules Verne!
Think Victorian clothing and brass goggles!
Think zepplins, rich leather, polished brass and robots run by steam engines.
Fun, no?

There are a growing number of fictional works based on Steampunk themes. Most are young adult books, but well worth a good afternooon reading in a hammock.
I suggest starting with "Larklight" by Philip Reeve.

Here are some links to great costumes and devices (including wonderful weaponry, of course!)



DonnaRicci's gorgeous Neo-Victorian SteamPunk ensemble



DataMancer's Oh So Cool Steampunk laptop


Weta Corporations's Aether Guns

Guess what I'll be dressing up like for Halloween?
Maybe Christmas, also - caroling in Victorian costumes with steam powered muffs to keep our hands warm??

Back to topic: So, Creaky Cogs refers to the fun interaction between the electronic world I'm immersed in daily and the imaginary world I'd love to escape to.
It can also be taken as a comment on my brain action... especially on cold mornings.

Enjoy!

Toe in the Water

Can you believe I've never blogged before?
It's sad but true - I just have had no time or inclination. I even have a professional blog at work, but it's windswept and empty.

However, my mother is a wonderful textile artist (read "quilter") and I think she'd have a blast blogging her latest projects for friends and family.

What does this mean? Means I need to get up to speed on blogs NOW, so I can get her started.
Thus, Creaky Cogs is born. :)