Soup's On

My brother and his wife host our entire extended family for Christmas Eve dinner - anywhere from 30-50 people, depending on the year and who has come home from out of state.  I have always celebrated Christmas Eve with my cousins - originally at my Grandparents's farmhouse, then for many many years at my Aunt and Uncle's, and now, more recently, at my brother's house.  In days of old, we had lavash spreads with ham and turkey and meatballs and potatoes and rice and various salads and fruit trays.  Days and days were spent simply preparing food.  It was wonderful, don't get me wrong, but lately we've been trying something different.  The past few years have found fewer people in the kitchen during the evening and more of us sitting around playing games and visiting.  We've gone to a soup and salad dinner.  My sister-in-law  sets beautiful tables with white cloths, crystal glassware, silverware, plates and bowls.  My brother makes red chili.  My mom makes MN chicken wild rice soup.  And I bring a pot of split pea w/ham.  There's a green salad and breadsticks on each table and everyone can help themselves to the soup of their choice.  We have so many other holiday gatherings with all the wonderfully rich food - it feels good to have this comforting interlude.
I can never have too much soup.  So, even though we had all these wonderful selections only a few days ago, I've been craving my favorite recipe.  So, yesterday I made the Spiced Spinach Lentil Soup pictured above.  Here's the recipe:

Spiced Spinach Lentil Soup ½ pound ground Italian sausage ½ cup diced onion 1/3 cup barley 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup lentils 1 whole chicken breast (uncooked) ½ cup parsley, chopped 1 ca (15 oz.) garbanzo beans with juice ½ to 1 pound fresh or frozen spinach 1 jar (12 oz) mild or medium salsa Brown sausage, onion, barley and garlic in a skillet.  Transfer to a slow cooker or large stock pot.  Add the chicken stock, lentils, chicken breast and parsley.  Simmer for as long as you desire or until lentils are tender.  Remove chicken breast, discarding bone and cartilage.  Shred meat and return to soup.  Add beans, spinach and salsa; heat through. (Instead of canned stock and chicken breast… I boil a whole chicken with a sliced onion and a few bay leaves until meat falls easily away from the bone.  Pour chicken and liquid through strain, saving the liquid to use as stock.  Discard onion, bay leaves, chicken ski, bones, and cartilage.  Shred meat and continue with recipe. )

The Books We Opened

Every year, Santa brings us each socks, Tic-Tacs, a calendar and a new book (what more do you need, really?).  Here's a list of the books we each pulled from our stockings:
John - Hero by Mike Lupica
Kate - Son by Lois Lowry
Me - Mary Anne by Daphne DuMaurier
Mark - The Minnesota Book of Skills by Chris Niskanen

Mark also receieved a boxful of books from Kate - books that aren't on my bookshelves (yet!):
Hemingway on Fishing by Ernest Hemmingway
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Separation of Power by Vince Flynn

Full disclosure: I'm not addicted to exercising (huge understatement).  But I do love walking.  I could just walk and walk and walk.  I prefer to walk outside but...waiting under the tree for me was...the first two seasons of Downton Abbey!  Fourteen hours of viewing before January 6, when season 3 will air.  I've seen most of them already but need to immerse myself through them again and be ready for season 3.  Anyway...my point is not that'll be camped on the couch (well at least for all of it) but that I'll be on the treadmill for the next week.
I've also downloaded, however, audio versions of the three bookclub books that I need to read for...(yikes) January!  So, when I am walking outside, I'll be reading with my ears.

Today is the fourth day of Christmas and things are beginning to calm down.  Sometimes I feel like I made it through the holiday but kinda missed the whole point of the celebration.  Now is the time I'm more reflective.  Now is the time I feel like visiting, not necessarily partying, just visiting.  It's a journey.  I think often, during these 12 days, of the Biblical kings traveling through the night, following that one bright star, removed from all the hustle and bustle.  I will continue to focus and reflect so that on that 12th day of Christmas, I will arrive also.

December MN Beer of the Month

For December, our MN Beer of the Month selections are from Lake Superior Brewing Company:

I was told, by the guy at the register, that Old Man Winter Warmer is unique, as a beer, in that it improves with age.  You can keep in in your fridge for a few years, letting it "age".   Hmmm.  I only bought a 6 pack so, that's probably not gonna happen but...I'm curious. 

Taking the Time

We're only a short drive from Minneapolis (you can see the city there on the other side of the lake) and it's many lakes and parks.  We spent Christmas Eve morning walking around Lake Calhoun.  This side of the lake, at the beach, was catching a pretty good wind and the kids were cold.  Being the complacent kids that they are, they didn't complain about it at all, though. 
Right. 
There is still open water in the middle of the lake but the edges were walkable (and slippery!) 
Taking time for a walk is something I need to do more often.

I got a new desk chair for Christmas with all kinds of fancy levers and ergo-approved stuff. 
So today I'm taking the time to test drive this chair.
30 minutes following a tutorial on how to combine all ipods/iphones to the same Apple ID without having to share the same text message/facetime IDs
60 minutes of pinning on Pinterest
30 minutes of paying bills and balancing bank accounts
60 minutes of reading all the latest posts on my favorite blogs
It's kinda like when I'm wrapping homemade caramels; one in the bowl, 2 in my mouth, 1 in the bowl...

One of my favorite things to do is...go to the movies.  Mark and John both have plans so Kate and I are taking the time to go to the movies today.  We're gonna see Les Miserables, eat popcorn and chocolate and soda... fully enjoy the big screen experience.

Every Time A Bell Rings...

It's Christmas Eve and...I'm ready.  I feel like I must be forgetting something, like I shouldn't feel so relaxed, like I shouldn't have time to post.  We're even going out for a family walk in a few minutes.  The kids sing in the Youth Choir at church this afternoon.  After our evening festivities, Mark and I will watch It's a Wonderful Life as we wrap presents for tomorrow morning.  I have our Marie Callendars Dutch Apple Pie in the freezer, ready for breakfast tomorrow morning.  We decided a few years ago that this would be a nice Christmas morning tradition - and, really, what's the difference between pie and doughnuts or pancakes?  It's all sugar.  (and so easy to pop in the oven while we check out what Santa has brought.)
These angels ornaments are two of the three we'll give this year to our three goddaughters.  We've given them a different angel ornament each year, sometimes from a vacation (a hula angel from Hawaii, a moose angel from Maine).  The above angel is from Colorado Springs.  The bottom one is from a local shop.

Everyone is Giving, Giving, Giving

Our next-door neighbors brought down this fun gift package - drinks and snacks.  It was great to pull all these treats out of the bag and just sit back, snack.  And so thoughtful for them to give.

Last year, a friend in one of my book clubs had reserved that month's book at the library.  She was leaving on vacation, wanting to bring the book to read on the plane - but, unfortunately, the book hadn't come in yet.  I'd finished that title early and so borrowed my copy to her.  While on her vacation, she bought me a souvenir bookmark, filed it into one of her other books for safe-keeping and only just ran across it a few weeks ago.  So, she gave me the bookmark at our last meeting.  I've mentioned before, I like gifts that come late - it extends the celebration - and this was such a nice gesture - a much appreciated Thank-You.

And then,....I was at Target yesterday and when my purchases were totaled, the cashier gave me a gift card, saying that a woman had bought it, told the cashier to wait a few customers and then give it to the next person - which turned out to be me.  It was $5 - a little gesture - but so made my day.

Listening to a Christmas music radio station this morning in the car and the announcer was talking about a local band, Rocket Club, who would be playing in Minneapolis tonight.  The band had been in the studio earlier this morning and sang a few Christmas songs which the announcer then played on the air.  The first one was Little Toy Trains - one of my very favorites (although I say that about a lot of them so...).  This song always makes me choke up.  It isn't a sad song at all but there's just something about the sequence of notes that match the string of words to create a heartstring tugger for me.  Maybe it is also the place it takes me back to when I hear it.  Our basement, when I was growing up, had a big rec room occupied mostly by a pool table.  Against one wall was an old fashioned bar and a stereo closet (which also held the 8mm home movie films and projector).  My Dad ran wires through the walls and the through the floor so that we could have speakers upstairs where we could hear the music that was playing downstairs.  There was something magical about that.  We had an old (well, maybe not old at that time) country Christmas album that had Little Toy Trains on it and I remember being in the living room upstairs listening to this song about little toy trains and little toy tracks and a man dressed in white and red, knowing that the music was spinning around and around on the record player downstairs, traveling through the walls and under the floor.  These are the sugarplums that dance in my head.

Serious Withdrawal

I'm so deprived of crafting time that I'm tying Kate's hair in bows!    In the last fourteen years, I've kept this household on track, given the kids the right stuff in the right place at the right times, volunteered at school, and helped friends with odd jobs but haven't worked regularly outside the house in...a real long time.  Although always busy at home, I had the luxury of doing things like grocery shopping during the day when the crowds are minimal and the kids are at school.  During this holiday season, I've been working outside of the house.  And now, doing the shopping in the evenings, everything is different and takes twice as long.  Anyway, in the process, I've lost any spare moments in which to work creatively on projects.

I recently read an article in the November 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living titled, this is your brain on crafts by Lisa Borgnes-Giramonti.  The article expounds the benefits of crafting, studied by neuroscientists, psychologists and physical therapists.  Apparently, when we craft, our nucleus accumbens (the pleasure center of our brain) becomes stimulated, a signal is sent to release dopamine (the happiness juice), our beathing becomes more regular, blood pressure goes down...all the good stuff happens.  And we like it.  And we want more.  And more.  And when we don't get it...we start tying our kids hair in bows! (actually it turned out really cute - and she liked it - cool.)

Let It Snow!

Ahhhh...finally.  My kitchen tree has a wonderfully thick blanket of snow - and it's still coming down.  The kids were sledding today and even Rocco went out to play with the neighbor dog - leaping through drifts as they chased each other 'round the pines.  Everyone is in good moods (and more than a little hopeful for a snowday-no school tomorrow!)

What Child Is This?

This is me at 2 or 3 years old (Mom or Dad?).  See the beautiful green tree?  Oh wait, it's white.  Growing up, we always went out to a tree farm, in the snow, and sawed down our Christmas tree.  Dad let us help drag it through the snow as Mom filmed it on a huge 8mm mving picture camera.  We brought the tree home, let the snow thaw off it and put in in the living room where we sprayed "snow" on it.  My Mom also sprayed snow drifts in the panes of our living room windows.  It was so beautiful and magical.  All white and silver and tinsely.

We also had an actual silver aluminum tree that stood in the basement with colorful lights on it.  The fancy decorations went on the upstairs living room tree while the homemade or non-breakable ornaments were sanctioned for the basement tree.  The living room was rarely used during the rest of the year but during the Christmas season, my brothers and I would lay under the tree, looking up at the sparkling lights.  In fact, later,  when we had paper routes, we would get up at 3:30 in the morning to deliver papers in the snow, turning the tree lights on before we left.  It was such a comfort to come back into the warm house, lay under the tree and stare at the lights; visions of Christmas, cousins, and presents dancing in our heads.

When our children were babies, I'd sing them to sleep (I do not have a nice singing voice but...infants are very non-discriminate!)  For Kate, I sang What Child is This.  John preferred Little Drummer Boy.  Even when it wasn't the season, these were songs they quieted for, stared at me during, and listened to.  And then they slept.  Magical.

Book Sale

Today, I withstood temptation.  Mostly.  Our church is having a holiday sale this weekend: baked goods, homemade jellies, jams, sweaters and scarves...  I am helping to run the used book booth.  This morning I went in to set up, price books and get them on display.  There are hundreds of books!  My family was placing bets on how many books I would buy before I even put them on a shelf.  I only bought two, thank you very much!  And I donated eight so...I'd say I can do some more shopping when I go to work my shift tomorrow!  With hardcovers only $1 and paperbacks a mere 50 cents, how can I go wrong?!

I also donated my very favorite "book" movie - 84 Charing Cross Lane.  I only donated the VHS copy because I have a DVD copy also and decided I probably didn't need to keep both.  I love movies with bookstores or libraries in them.  Fred Astaire finds Audrey Hepburn working in a bookstore in the movie Funny Face .  And, of course, You've Got Mail.  What other "book" movies are out there?

A Little Regression

Kate has been, for a few years, a complete and utter Star Wars nerd (don't worry - she loves that term - I'm not being mean)  Until this year.  Now, she's traded Han and Luke for Hawkeye and Thor.  A few weekends ago, she had some girlfriends over for a 12 hour (10am -10pm!) Avengers movie marathon; Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers,.... 
I said:  You guys cannot just sit on the couch for 12 hours and watch these movies.  You'll have to go for a walk or something.
She said: A walk? Mom. Really.
So...I went to the craft store, looking for something to at least engage their hands while they stare aimlessy at the boob tube (Kate wants to know WHY we call it that - the boob tube?  I have no idea) and I found these Avengers coloring books and little notebooks.  I set them out on the table with snacks and the girls spent time coloring and chatting and drawing and writing and chatting and laughing.  And it was wonderful noise - beautiful noise - that laughter.  These are thirteen year old girls being...kids!  They are girls and they are teens but they are also kids, just plain old crayon coloring, outside/spy-playing, laughing, laughing, laughing kids.  And it was the best day.
Sometimes a little regression is a good thing.

Christmas Cards

December already - yikes, that went fast!  Last weekend while we were hiking, I set the timer on my camera and set it on an icy rock so we could get a family picture.  One of my brothers gave me, years ago, one of those gorilla tripods that will grip onto anything.  I think they're an amazing idea.  Except.  I never never remember to pack it with me.  So, an icy rock served fine.  The photo turned out okay - well enough to use for our Christmas cards.  When I ordered the prints, I was "awarded" six free photo calendars using any photo from my set so...we got six Rocco calendars.  Cute, huh?  Now, I've written our letter and updated my address book and am trying to get them all in envelopes so I can mail them on Monday.

When Kate was first born, we started getting so many beautiful holiday cards from friends and family with photos and letters.  I couldn't bear to throw them out after the season, so I started collecting them in an old photo album.  I added a bunch of pocket sheet protectors and bought stacks of holiday paper.  I mount each photo and/or letter on a page so we can look through them over the years.  We have three albums very full now and they are so fun to look through.