Preparation

I love to prepare things ahead of time but it doesn't always work.  Most of the main dishes are in the freezer, ready to go. Now if I just had 4 or 5 ovens. The kitchen is filled with crock pots, chafing dishes and a wok (Joe insisted) Probably won't use it. May use a roaster downstairs to keep things warm.
Today I'll slice the cheese for the tomato/basil/ appetizer but can't make that ahead. Fruit keeps better if you wash it on serving day so no fruit plate as yet. Relish tray may be one I can do ahead if I wrap it well.

Still have the house to clean. Did the bathrooms...now if we drive over to the park and use the facilities bathrooms may stay clean.
I can bake the filled peppers..they taste better the longer they sit. I can also make a strata ahead and serve it at room temp.
Or I could just keep writing and get nothing done.
Be back next year.

Braving The Elements

Joe and I decided to have a quiet Christmas. After breakfast we enjoyed watching Midnight Mass for the second time. While we sat in our cozy home, branches were  flying outside our windows. When the wind settled down we decided to go to Coulon Park to check out the lighting, and take a walk along Lake Washington. In spite of the wind and cold temperature, we enjoyed the walk in the fresh air. It was difficult to take photos of the decor along the path since I wore my down coat and had to un-zip it to find my camera every time I saw a possible shot.
My best shot was of a hamburger. Ivar's clam isn't too bad.

A Beautiful Experience

Joe and I arrived at St. James about 8:45 P.M. so Joe would find a seat.
  Walking from the parking lot I overheard a couple talking," This is so exciting! Look, there is the TV crew."
It was a great experience and after viewing the mass twice I have decided that all went well. The piece  I was concerned about was powerful, beautiful, inspiring..everything good.
My New Years resolution is to try to be less critical of myself and others, so I only have a few days to let it all out.
As I listened to the recording I was distracted by a second alto who was so enthusiastic that it sounded like a motor was being revved up. But this was only a few times. This particular person is a good musician and adds much to the choir.
When the camera was on me, my eyes looked worried.  I was actually quite happy. Fr.Ryan had the same look ...it must have something to do with age.
Thank God, the camera saved it's close-ups for the lovely young people.
Besides the  beauty of the church, the music, the homily, I was impressed by this comment.
"Love those you find difficult to love".      This may not be the exact quote but you get the idea.
Love those you find difficult to love. Sounds good to me.
Enjoy the season!

More Photos

We climbed to this view in Yosemite. The tree is no longer there.

This is the view from the park on Queen Anne Hill

Requiem For a Wonderful Man

Just got word that our niece, Claudia, lost her husband. He has been suffering for quite a while She seems to be doing as well as possible, still, it will be a  difficult time for her.
I received the news just after I read the e-mail from the music office that our recording of the Requiem is ready.
 May he rest in peace!

A Few Of My Favorite Photos

This photo of Snoqualmie Pass was taken many years ago with a Koni-Omega  camera.                                                                     

Plains, Washington.
The barn is no longer standing.

                                           Butchart Gardens  Victoria, B.C.

                                          Yellowstone

   Thought I'd share some  photos of places we've visited. Joe shot all of these.

Still Mixing it up

                                                      Almond Butter Cookies

Lemon Bars Extraordinaire

 I don't care if they come knocking at the door, the birds are not getting these cookies!

After several failed attempts at a lemon flavored cookie, I returned to a trustworthy recipe.

Our youngest son James can't eat chocolate, so I try to have an alternate cookie.
Why go through all this trouble? Because he is worth it. His comic blog gives me a laugh every morning.  Better than a vitamin and is certainly worthy of a lemon bar.
In fact some days his comic is a lemon!

The Grand Finale.......Artwork by Zoey

 

                                   

Our Grand-daughter Zoey was commissioned to add her artistry to our fireplace door.
Busy with school, martial arts, etc. it took  a while but  was worth the wait.
Thanks  Zoey.

Tiramisu And Pumpkin Roll Duke It Out

Several friends joined us  for dinner last night. Salad, wild salmon alfredo,  chicken tenders, roasted veggies, rolls, tidbits of this and that, were devoured upstairs.  Later, we visited downstairs, enjoyed the warm fire emanating from the environmentally friendly fireplace insert.
My pumpkin roll stayed in the freezer until Chinh and Michelle arrived. Even though I pleaded with him to arrive without desert, I knew he would bring tiramisu, and he did, and it was delicious, and now I have pumpkin roll for family gathering.  Love that sentence.
We enjoyed visiting with Chinh, Michele and their talented son, Kenny,  and June and Roger.  I loved listening to Kenny play the piano. He played "Mary did you know". I scared everyone by singing for a line or two.   He then played "Firefly". What a talented 12 year old.

The Mount St. Vincent Experience

St. James Choir is asked to sing at Mt. St. Vincent during the Christmas season. I find it very inspirational, not our singing...but the faces of the wonderful audience and the enthusiastic response when they join us in song.
One of the men sweetly kissed my hand....actually two men kissed my hand but one was my husband.
 It was very sweet.

A special bonus for me was seeing our daughter Elizabeth  in the room.   I realize what a busy schedule she has, so it means that much more to me.      Thanks Liz.

I'm losing it.

I have never made so many failed cookie recipes in my life. .

We're having a few people over to dinner Sunday and I am attempting to satisfy the needs of a child who is allergic to nuts.

If I can sneak past Joe, I may feed the birds.

ROLL OUT THE PUMPKIN

Tried my hand at making Pumpkin Roll. 

I have no jelly roll pans so guessed my way along the cookie sheet.
Seems to be fine.

Thanksgiving Day With Family

Joe and I had a wonderful day. Liz had a delicious feast with a little help from family.

Pot-luck usually means that the host or hostess does most of the cooking. The rest of us just have fun bringing a dish or two.
We were able to decide a date for our Christmas gathering...Jan.1. Hopefully, everyone will be able to be here.

Didn't have much luck with photos but Joe got a good one of the "Cool" table.

Zoey decided to sing, and collect money for her run up Columbia stairs for leukemia.
The girl can sing and has much more nerve than I had at 13.
Wish we had recorded it...but then it probably would not have happened.

The Right Decision

On the way home from St. James I had planned to stop at Fred Meyer to buy a few staples.
Closer to home I decided to skip the store.
As I turned into the driveway two deer were staring at the intruder. Always a beautiful sight.
 While I was closing our  gate, a pileated woodpecker flew into the tree next to me. It was very exciting.

I then spotted a huge nest in one of the trees. Now that the leaves have changed position I look forward to seeing more nests.I feel so fortunate to be able to be so close to nature.

Impressed?

During a conversation with Zoey (Grand-daughter) I mentioned the students at Holy Rosary giving a thousand pounds of Trick or Treat candy to St. James for Soup Kitchen Etc.
For some reason I thought she would  be impressed.

Her comment.."I thought Halloween was the one day poor kids could get something to eat."

Although I am impressed with the project at Holy Rosary...part of me agrees with Zoey.

(Just to clarify things. Zoey is very generous. Several years ago she went on her own and  raised  money for Heifer Foundation. If you are not familiar with Heifer..they help Third World countries...give them a goat to raise etc.)

Just let her keep her candy day!

TRIPLE NUT BISCOTTI

This is an extremely healthy recipe created yesterday...so healthy that I felt the need to dip them in chocolate.

Holiday Cooking Headstart

                                      Ready to roll

Ready to eat.

Enjoyed seeing old friends at St. Stephen the Martyr mass last night.
Missed hearing the men this morning but did get a jump on some holiday cooking.

Lasagne Roll -ups pretty easy. Tried whole wheat noodles first...not sure others would enjoy so froze for Joe and his wife (me). Tried again with regular noodles.  Will bring to Liz's for Thanksgiving vegetarian fare.

No Need For Make-up Or Tiaras

Found this photo in a trunk that belonged to my Grandmother. The photo is not marked so assume it is from a cousin who was not a favorite.

Impressed with.......

I was impressed with the fact that Loren helped with treats in spite of his injury. Lisa called him the "One armed Swede".

Impressed with music today and so happy that Requiem is being recorded.

Still impressed with colors...below the hospital heading south ....so colorful.

Impressed with my husband who had a fire going ...so cozy and warm.

Encore of Colors

It seemed like a good idea to take a few more photos before the winds change the placement of the leaves.This is a portion of our Japaneses Maple. I found one branch that has reached it's peak. 

                                            

                                            Splendor On The Glass

MASS OF ALL SOULS

Happy Birthday Dad and Grandpa

                                                      John M.

                                                     Sami and Alex

                                              John H.

                                                  Zoey and Liz

We had dinner with  Liz and John and Zoey, the Sunday before Joe's birthday.

Liz made the best gnocchi, made even better by the sauce from her garden tomatoes.

Our son, John and his children, Sami and Alex stopped by after a soccer game.
Zoey loves her cousins and was in happy-land.

Photos not great but I'm posting a few.

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MacKenzie Acres

In 1957 Joe and I purchased the land where we now preside. Joe was out of work at the time, common in the sheet metal trade, and spent many hours  driving around with a real estate agent.  As soon as I viewed  the property I knew we should go for it.  You really couldn't see much of the land as it was covered with evergreens. That was a plus for me. We were very young and probably foolish in many ways, but we made a smart buy. We had our home built on the property in 1963.

Today I'm feeling especially good. while  I heard a noise near the bird feeder. A chickadee was caught inside flapping its wings in desperation. I lifted the lid of the feeder and it was free.

I thought about how fortunate we were to have so much nature as part of our family.
I listened to the tree frogs, birds and looked around to see if the deer were back in the field.
In the back yard I stumbled on the uneven ground engineered by the moles (it can't all be good).

We have seen coyote, raccoon, pheasant, opossum (hanging from a tree), heard a bobcat in the woods and a variety of winged creatures including bats and flying squirrels. We hear owls and occasionally have a sighting.
Lots of mushrooms are visible now. If only I was an expert.
I took a few photos of the color on our property.