White cookies

My great-aunt Helen died last weekend. She was 97, and up until the last few months, lived mostly independently. Helen was never without a smile and a laugh, a lover of life, living the last 40 years on her own after her husband, Carl, passed away. My dad grew up having weekly dinners at her house, and since my dad's mom died when he was 20, he always really valued his relationship with aunt Helen.

She leaves a legacy of good humor, of joy, and most important, of the white cookies she'd give out in round tins every Christmas.

Each family received its own tin, and it was a generous family who would share their stash at the annual holiday gathering. Our was kept secreted away in an rarely frequented cupboard, eaten slowly and with a firm eye toward equality. She shared the recipe freely, surprised in her Scandinavian modesty that we liked them so much. We used to claim that the cookies we made were never the same and suspected her of hiding the secret ingredient or tip, but I made them last Christmas and everyone agreed they were the real thing (although a bit too big... she really does mean a teaspoon).

Great Aunt Helen’s White Cookies (Sand Cookies)
2 cups (1 cup butter, and 1 c margarine)
2 cups sugar
3 1/2 c flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
14 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 c. almonds (Helen doesn't use)

Beat shortenings and sugar until frothy with electric beater. Sift dry ingredients twice and add to sugar mixture, beating until airy. Take rounded teaspoons, roll into ball and flatten with fork. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake on a cookie sheet 25 min at 300. May need more flour if nuts are omitted.

Catch up

My goodness! Here we are in late May. Let's see: momentous moments:
1. Husband turned 30! Celebrated with takeout and dusk walk in the parks around our house.
2. We run our first ultramarathon! And survive. My desire to do the race stemmed from my belief that it sounded IMPOSSIBLE. Alas, it was not. Discovered 31 miles is not all that different, and that sometimes running hurts less than walking.
3. Garden round 7, and I think it's H house, 1, Garden, 0. We are finally figuring out how to manage the jungle and even to grow more vegetables than what seemed possible.
4. Husband expresses a desire to travel internationally! Plans to the homeland are in the works.
5. Come down with seasonal bout of spring fever. Cured by crossing the headwaters of the Mississippi and getting drunk at annual cabin lane Memorial Day cookout.

March/April/May books

March-April-May list
A Voyage Long and Strange - Tony Horwitz. A look at an era in American history most Americans (i.e. me) know little about, the time after Columbus and before the Mayflower.

My Little Red Book, a series of stories from women about their first period, by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff.

Tamara Drewe - Posy Simmonds. Fun graphic novel.

Enrique's Journey - Sonia Nazario.

Other books
The Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa
Here's the Story - Maureen McCormick
The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch
How Starbucks Saved My Life - Michael Gates Gill. Self-indulgent, sappy, racist at times.
Darling Jim - Christian Moerk
Never Tell a Lie - Hallie Ephron

Spring break

Our spring break has a lot less spring this year.


















And a lot more snow. Instead of running on the beach, we're running through snowdrifts. The skis have made another appearance, as have the snowshoes.







































Our vacation still has a few of the classic vacation standards--generous cocktail hour(s), lots of reading, lots of relaxing, and good food.

And this year, cats!
























They were so cute daintily sniffing at the snow, until Stilton decided to make a run for it.


















Too bad I was barefoot at the time.

Winter fun

Cabin weekends



































Broomball

















Winter camping

Jan/Feb books

Jan/Feb reads:
Burma Chronicles - Guy Delisle. Jamilti and other stories - Rutu Modan. Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet (Ivory Coast). These three are graphic novels for the non-graphic novel reader, and offer really interesting glimpses into three different cultures. Next time you're reaching for a travel memoir, try one of these instead--you won't be disappointed.

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen. I read this for my book club and liked it even more than I remembered. If you're reading Austen, I really liked the Headline publishers version I got from our local library... the bright cover and normal-sized print made Austen seem more accessible.

Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri. Lahiri never disappoints--she always delivers up interesting characters and thoughtful plots.

Confessions of a Teen Sleuth - Chelsea Cain. Clever, entertaining would-be memoir of the "real" Nancy Drew.

Ethan Frome and House of Mirth - Edith Wharton. Both of these are fabulous... the first a short, snowy winter read of missed opportunity, the second, a crushing, fall-into-disgrace novel that proves that not all books end happily.

What to do about Alice? by Barbara Kerley. Beautifully illustrated children's book about Alice Roosevelt.

Also read:
In pursuit of Alice Thrift and Into Love and Out Again- Elinor Lipman.
Paper Towns by John Green. Good, thinking-person's young adult novel.

Valentine's Day cards, rejected

- cards featuring dogs (initially cute, but what do dogs have to do with romantic love?)
- cards referring to our "old love"
- stalker cards ("I knew since the first moment I saw you that we'd be together forever...")
- cards "To the man I love"
- odd sex cards ("I'll do anything... except that one thing.")

Yoga at the cabin

Thanks, Mother Nature

"Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. Mediocrity is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life."

-advice from my lululemon yoga tote.

New Year tipsy (in February)

Some thinking I've enjoyed on New Year's Resolutions:
1. Make a detailed master plan, making scary projects seem manageable
2. Not make any goals, freeing you up to suddenly do something amazing, like write a novel
3. Simple goodness: Resolving for more candlelight

Stop procrastinating at work with better lists
Start procrastinating at work with new games

Get a new fresh desktop wallpapers -- Marimekko wallpapers here and here and also some from Nate Williams

New Year

You've got to love January. Once you get over the post-Christmas letdown and post-New Year's letdown and survive that hellish first day back at work, that is.

Because in January, you finally have time? get up the motivation? to do things like call the city and request another recycle bin. And replace dull eyebrow scissors. And it feels fantastic. Never have I been so excited to go to Target and Ikea. And you know what else is great? Green pepper, eaten raw. Like nirvana after the cheese platters and cookie trays of December.

2009 is another blank slate, a new training schedule up on the fridge, a year of possibilities. And I am ready for it.

Nov/Dec book list

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Highly recommended murder mystery tale, set in Sweden and sure to be followed by two sequels.

French Milk by Lucy Knisley. Graphic novel about a 22-year-old's stay in Paris with her mother. Beautifully done. Reminds you what it was like to be 22 again.

Dreams from my father by Barack Obama. A bit slow, but really interesting... good to know more about our next president.

Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Although I don't buy into this as a life-changing theory, Gladwell empowers you to use your common sense to think critically about problems and consider new solutions. Good for the workplace.

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things...Stories by Nick Hornby et al. Classic book of stories, would be fantastic for kids, not bad for adults, either.

Also read:
To Siberia - Pers Patterson

Handmade holidays

Gave:
- The best homemade gifts I gave (with my brother) were hardbound books of photos from our spring trips to my parents. We used the Mac program iPhoto and they turned out amazing--really good quality, attractive and clean template options, and bright color. My parents were thrilled, especially as they, like many people, don't order prints anymore and have all their photos on the computer.

- Candied orange peel (amazing! Like super flavorful gummy worms. I used KC's recipe from last year with a few modifications (boil a lot longer).

- Stuffed birds to crafty co-workers. A friend had sent me the free sewing pattern.


















I infusing some of the stuffing with a few drops of lavender oil (from a farm in Sequim, WA, purchased on our trip). In others I swapped the lavender for some dried catnip to give as a cat toy.


















I made biscotti (again), only because KC asked if I was going to make "my biscotti," as if it were my thing, which tickled me and made me want to make it. I tried to grow enough herbs and peppers to give as gifts but our week or two of neglect while on vacation did them in.

I also ran out of gift tags, but made some using paper samples and a rounded corner punch, and was pleased with the result.


















Received:
The best homemade gift by far was this tasty bottle of limoncello, luckily caught on photo before the contents had disappeared. (Lest you think we're greedy lushes, we have been sharing the Christmas cheer with in-laws and other guests).
























Merry Christmas!


Christmas eve at my parents.

Google stalking my husband

So Husband's been getting a bit of publicity lately, and I was having a hard time tracking it all down... searching for news clips, checking city magazines, etc. and I realized that there was a much better way to do this: set up a Google alert for his name. We use these at work all the time to track buzz (news, blogs, videos, etc.) about our institution... Google wraps up all the new hits and sends it to you in a nice tidy daily email.

And it's been effective--no more searching. But damn, does it feel creepy to get these alerts in your email. That's probably because it is creepy.

Growing up

My secondary New Year's resolution last year (after "do less") was "let myself be a grown up." This one is a little hard to explain quickly, but in short: there was something about being the youngest in both my immediate and extended family (at least in my generation) that I was letting carry too much weight in how I presented myself; and I wanted to remind myself that that role was self-imposed.

Anyway, I was reminded of that resolution recently at work, when I started scrutinizing my emails and not liking what I found. These may have more to do with female social patterns than feeling inferior, but nevertheless, I am working on:

Eliminating or at least reducing qualifiers, such as "just" in "I just wanted to check..."
Not feeling the need to use !s

Omitting the omnipresent "Thanks," when it's really not needed.

To compensate and extend a bit of warmth, I've added what I hope is the neutral "Hi," i.e., instead of "George," "Hi George."

Sew

After a bit of exploration, I've decided sewing and embroidery are for me. Sayonara, knitting. Crocheting, you can stuff it.

After getting a sewing machine in June 07 and completing classes early this year, I'm starting to try my hand at a few things.

I made the most basic, most beginner of all quilts, a simple lap quilt.
























Emboldened, I then made a tree skirt, which turned out to be a bit small for those duties but which filled in nicely as a "table topper." (My great-grandma made the ceramic tree; she was crafty, but my grandma, let me tell you, made a living off of her craftiness. She still reigns supreme over her town's annual fair.)
























Husband finally let us get a real tree. Tree do not photograph well, but I made series of bird and button garlands to help cover for our lack of ornaments.


















Lastly, here's a bit of the embroidery--I'm too enamored with these veggies not to include them.


















I also did a camping series. Not sure when I'll need camping-themed napkins; but if the occasion arises, I'm ready.

Brr

That's my breath. Inside my house.


















We arrived home last night to a broken furnace. Good thing we arrived home late, because after chucking the leftovers in the fridge and putting a few things away, we dove under the covers with the cats and slept away the cold.

But today it feels pretty damn cold (the aluminum casing on the MacBook now seems like a poor design choice). But the repairman's here, and he had the replacement part in his van, so hopefully, soon, heat!

Identity

When my grandparents introduced me to their friends at my grandpa's 80th birthday party, I was "their granddaughter, the runner." My brother was "their grandson, who worked as a bartender in the Virgin Islands." I guess it's better to be something in the present tense, so when I give up running someday, I'll have to replace it with something equally exciting (their granddaughter, the trapeze artist) so I don't become "their granddaughter, who used to run."

Speaking of which, aerial work is apparently an amazing workout...all core strength, says my yoga teacher. So, you know... it could happen.

What are you introduced as?

Wedding season

As I sat with a group of girls affixing tiny sparkles and stitching twine on wedding programs this week, one asked, "So, did you do anything homemade for your wedding?"

Thinking of invites and programs, which I designed with the help of a graphic designer friend but didn't decorate, I declined... then gulped as the memories flooded back.

Oh my goodness, the things people did for me.

1. I made my friend MG, who has the most gorgeous handwriting ever, write all my place cards.
2. My friend EC conceived of and then constructed a forest of tiny topiary trees, color-coded to indicate meal choice, to affix the place cards to.
3. My mother-in-law took on both the favors and the centerpieces, which included folding 175 origami boxes to hold the candies.

And there's so much more I can't even begin to describe it all. Here's just the tiniest smidgen of what my parents did: we left the morning after the wedding for our honeymoon (in first class, thanks to their upgrade) and arrived home (picked up by my parents, of course, who brought my car along since I'd left it at their house) to find all our wedding presents stacked neatly in our second-floor apartment, tuxes returned, and wedding dress shipped off to one of those wedding dress preservation companies.

Is six years too late to send out another batch of thank-yous?
I didn't think so.

Winter arrives

Winter arrived last Sunday, a day that started cautiously sunny but quickly whipped up a cold wind and a sleety, snowy precip. After a quick run and a few timely chores (disconnecting and draining the hose, uprooting and drying the pepper plants) we dove into the house and spent the day reading and being cozy. Husband retired for a nap around 4, and when he still hadn't risen at 6:15 I started calling up gently to him from my perch in front of fire. When that didn't work I progressed to the stairs. He came down a few minutes later wearing his robe.

"You going to take a shower?" I asked, confused, as he'd taken one that morning.
"I was thinking about it," he said defensively.

He stood there aimlessly for awhile, looking at the fire and me and the cats, before confessing that he had thought it was Monday morning.