Neighborhood Treats

Careful, this stuff is addicting. Our neighborhood exchanges Christmas time treats and I make caramel corn, which is always well received. My addiction began many years ago at the Lloyd Center Karmelkorn Shoppe. While my mom and sister shopped, Dad and I would go to our "secret place"--the Karmelkorn Shoppe--and get the medium-sized box, then watch the ice skaters from the bridge over the ice rink. We would polish off the entire box and get rid of any evidence prior to rejoining the rest of the family. Our secret. Wonderful memories. My next significant experience with caramel corn occurred when I was student teaching at Stephenson Elementary School. One of the teachers brought a huge bowl of homemade caramel corn to the teacher workday/Christmas party, along with a stack of recipe cards because "everyone always asks." Now I could make the stuff myself, which was timely because the Karmelkorn Shoppe at the Lloyd Center was long gone. A quick google search now produces the same recipe (ah, the internet age) and I've discovered that adding a couple handfuls of pecans is the right thing to do.

Let It Snow

It's still snowing and I am still loving it. And I'm on vacation for two weeks. Can life get any better?

It was just a few months ago that goats were clearing this path through the blackberry vines.

Finished in the Nick of Time

I started this scarf forever ago and just finished it this week. I fell in love when I first saw the pattern for the Northern Lights Wrap in the Lion Brand Yarn catalog, but the kit was just under $100 (cheaper now!) and I couldn't justify paying that much for a scarf. Then I got the email from Smiley's Yarns announcing that Moonlight Mohair was on their Midnight Madness sale for 99 cents a skein. The pattern is a simple stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. I slipped the last stitch on every row to tighten up the edge and that worked nicely. The yarn is Moonlight Mohair Northern Lights and Trellis Ocean, and is knit holding the two strands of yarn together on size 11 needles. The pattern calls for fringe, but I'm not a big fringe fan--too much zipper catching and nose tickling. The scarf is wonderfully soft, fuzzy, sparkly, warm and cozy.

Sugar Cookies: Iced vs. Frosted

I've always wanted to try icing sugar cookies. I want cookies that look like the ones on the cover of Family Circle or Good Housekeeping. When the boys were young, they loved to frost cookies and douse them with sprinkles. LOTS of sprinkles. They had a grand time but produced less than picture perfect results. Their interest in baking cookies with their mother has waned, however, so this year I set out to make The Perfect Sugar Cookie.

OK, well, at least I got that out of my system and can move on. First of all, "painting" icing on a cookie is time consuming. Especially considering that teenage boys can polish off a batch of cookies in a very short period of time. Second, icing just does not taste as good as frosting. Third, I admit ... I like sprinkles. And fourth, according to Ben, the iced sugar cookies look "fake". With Ben's encouragement, I abandoned the icing and whipped up some buttercream frosting. Ben says these are "real" cookies ... and I agree.

Warm and Cozy at Home

Is there anything better than a snow day ten days before Christmas? Although the College is open today (first day of finals!), I stayed home due to icy roads. I'm curled up on the couch, alternately knitting and reading my new book A Field Guide to Cookies (thanks, Sarah!). The camera is safely back from Seattle and I've already ventured out for a few shots.

Snow, Snow, Snow

It's snowing! In Portland! Not unheard of, but still cause for celebration. Peter just texted me from Seattle, wondering if school has been canceled tomorrow. A bit premature, but I understand. In my youth, I always prayed for a snow day even though I was often disappointed. Ben is miserable with the flu and disappointed because he is missing the robotics tournament AND can't even go outside to play in the snow.

This confluence of events--an out-of-town robotics tournament, the Third Annual Cookie Exchange, and snow--has convinced me that this household needs another camera. Of course, the camera went with the boys to the robotics tournament, so Anna graciously agreed to take pictures at the cookie exchange. But snow! At Christmas! Such a photo opportunity, and me stuck with my cell phone camera. Completely inadequate. And now that I think about it, the camera was my Christmas present, although I always have to go hunting for it when I want to use it. Hmmmm ... maybe I'll send a last minute note to Santa.

FSA in LV

Visiting the Las Vegas strip twice in one year is my definition of excessive. Actually, Las Vegas is my definition of excessive: Too much noise, too much light, too much smoke, and way too many people. Still, there were redeeming factors ... spending time with wonderful people like Anna and Sarah, seeing old friends and making new ones, and having time in the evenings to knit and read. The Federal Student Aid conference was just OK. I had anticipated lots of new information as a result of reauthorization, but it seems the feds are still making up the rules. And Secretary Margaret Spellings just makes me mad. Angry. Frustrated. Me, and a couple thousand other people. This Republican regime can't end quickly enough for me.