at the library

evening stroll

Walk around Jamaica Pond tonite after dark:

empty attic

After living in our attic for the last nine months, Poppy & Gigi moved out today.  They left for Florida this morning.  Right now I'm looking at a long winter of doing all my own laundry and my own grocery shopping.  Not to mention my own menu planning and cooking.  School drop offs and pick ups.  Dry cleaning and dish cleaning. The list goes on. You know, all the things that millions of working mothers all over the world seem to manage without the help of their mom and dad.  I've been so spoiled and will be missing all the every day things that Poppy & Gigi did while they were here.  

But it is the not-so-every-day things we will all miss the most.  Saturday night pedicures with Gigi.  A bottomless can of chips and snacks always on hand in the attic.  Episodes of dinosaur train after bath snuggled on the couch.  Fast twisty swings in the garage with Poppy.  5 o'clock glasses of wine with Gigi (for me, not the kids).  'Emergency' trips to the grocery store for random missing ingredients in the kitchen.  Seeing the moon through the skylight in the 'apartment'.  Custom designed, hand sewn halloween costumes, not to mention buttons replaced, holes fixed, etc, etc!

The attic is empty now.  Except for the bed, the couch, and some plants for me to kill take care of.  

Oh, and some peanut shells I found under the couch.

before the tree comes down

a little fun today with bokeh (aka blur)
the kind that can only come from Christmas lights


here's our sad, saggy, neglected christmas tree.  some lights went out around the 21st and we never bothered to fix it.

now how about this? same tree, same shot, same camera settings, just with some strategic focusing. so pretty!

and better yet with a subject in the foreground

operation christmas prep

sadly this is the only photo I took today.  christmas prep is in full force here.  kids decided to set up camp in the kitchen where all the action was taking place.

under the tree tonite

ben, filled with anticipation, spending time near the tree.

do something with your photos

Like this awesome wall display of family photos that I hung at my friend's house today:

One of the last things my teacher at NESOP said to me as I was leaving the classroom was "Do something with your photos.  Don't just take thousands of pictures and leave them sitting on your computer"  I totally agree.  Make a calendar. Make a mug.  Just make a print.  Better yet. Frame it.

I extra love that I took all of the photos in this wall display.  So fun to see them looking all fancy on the wall!

37

Being almost 40 sounds yucky.  I found out I have arthritis in my foot this year (btw, wtf?)  I have to hold onto the railing when I go down the stairs in the morning because my muscles don't wake up the second I get out of bed anymore.  These days, it will take me until about 2pm plus drinking about 64oz of water plus drinking 3 cups of coffee to recover from a prior night of drinking too much.  And it's getting way more uncomfortable to do those backbend poses in yoga.  

But so many things are getting better with age.  

1. I am slowly learning to worry less.  If it's not going to be a big deal in 1 year than it's probably not a big deal right now.  

2. I am trying to have no regrets.  You can't change history so why waste time worrying about it?  

3. I am trying to find something good about everyone I meet.

4. I am figuring out how to be present more.  Definitely not always easy.  

5. I treat myself to something every day.  Usually wine & coffee.  

6. I am trying not to say no when an opportunity arises, just because I'm feeling lazy or I'm a little worried about how things will turn out. 

7. And of course, last but not least, I have finally found something in life to be passionate about.  This photography thing has changed me forever. No going back.

I think 4 and 7 might be two of the keys to a happy life. But who am I to say? I'm no old sage. I'm only 37.

In some cultures, birthdays are not necessarily related to a person's age, rather they are a celebration that acknowledges a period of growth or a milestone achieved, irrespective of the number of days since the last party.  Although it has been 365 days since my last official birthday, I do believe I am due for a 'period of growth' celebration, too!

There is no place I'd rather be.

Cookie Bake 2011

The annual Christmas Cookie Bake!  It all starts around 9am on a weekend morning before Christmas.

Well.... let me back up.

It really starts in November, soon after Thanksgiving.  Planning for the big cookie bake takes a lot of work.  Perusing cookbooks and magazines for the best recipes.  Making a list of possibilities.  Reviewing and editing. Making sure the final plate of cookies will have the appropriate mix of colors, flavors and textures.  Then the shopping.  Finding chocolate chips and sugar on sale.  Getting your coupons in order! Better yet if you can double them.  All part of the annual tradition.

This year, we sent our very youngest helper (Lillian) out christmas shopping with our least helpful helper (Daddy).  Although I was sad that not every family member would be present, I think it was a brilliant decision and the key to our success.  It's a nice idea in theory to have everyone around for cookie baking, but it's not all all fun & games, you know.  The kitchen gets really hot.  Extra bodies make it hotter.  Timing is crucial.  One distraction and the cookies are burnt.  Then Gigi starts swearing.  It's just not a place for young ones, really.

That said, we did let Ben stay this time.  This was the first year he was old enough to really help out.

dough balls waiting for the oven

yum

chocolate crackles with peppermint kisses

hot out of the oven

I didn't eat any.

Really. I didn't.

Five hours and three hundred sixty odd cookies later... Team gordon/soulia is ready for a drink.

I thought I wanted a decorating set for Christmas, but I think I take it back, Santa.  These antiques are actually pretty cool and seem to work just fine.

Thanks, Laura.

Ben has officially proved himself helpful and worthy of participating in the tradition.  Not sure how many years we have before he refuses to hang out with us so we must savor every moment!

double whammy

Two big events on the same day!

Ben's first holiday performance with his new school and Poppy turns 73.  What a busy night.


"He sees you when you're sleeping...."    can you find ben?  I'll give you a hint. Red vest.

"He knows when you're awake...."

Full media coverage:

and back at the ranch.  cupcakes and candles for Poppy.

yes, that's steel reserve.  the presents are so awesome when you turn 73.

You didn't think you were going to blow those out by yourself, did you?

home cookin' fun friday

Today on What's Cookin':

Homemade Pretzels

Finally, things have calmed down around here (aka holiday shopping 90% done) and I had some time to myself while Lillian napped today.  I've been wanting to try out this recipe for a while now and I have to say these are the BEST thing that has come out of my kitchen in months.  They are already almost gone and I can't wait to make them again.

See recipe for exact measurements:

Here's what you're going to need.  This actually calls for 2/3 CUP of baking soda, so make sure you have enough on hand before you start.   

Chef's Note: Take your water's temperature.  It has to be warm enough to activate the yeast.  (between 105 and 115)

Place the water, sugar and salt in to the bowl of the mixer and combine.  

Then sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for 5 minutes.  

The mixture will begin to foam. Apologies for terrible light in my kitchen

Add 2T melted butter and 4.5 cups flour to the bowl.  Mix on low until combined.

- Chef's Note:  Fluff your flour before you measure it.  Never pack flour into a measuring cup or you'll have the incorrect amount.  Fluff the flour, then spoon it into the cup and level with a knife

At this point you can go ahead and thank your lucky stars for the invention of an electric mixer.  Set to mixer on medium speed to knead the dough for 5 minutes. 

Chef's Note: Do NOT leave your electric stand mixer unattended while it kneads the dough.  Mine literally almost jumped itself right off the counter.  That would not have been good for the kitchen floor. Or the mixer.

Go ahead, have some ice cream while you wait.  I did.

Once the dough is smooth, take it out the bowl.  Clean the bowl and oil it.  I got right in there with my hand to make sure there was oil everywhere. 

Cover with saran wrap and leave somewhere warm for the next 50 minutes. 

Now run (RUN!) to the couch and watch something trashy while the dough rises and your kid(s) are still sleeping. 

Once the dough is finished rising, dump it out onto a lightly oiled surface and cut into smaller pieces. The recipe suggests only 8, but that would make for some huge pretzels. I ended up with about 20 pieces.  Preheat oven.  Also, start boiling 10 cups of water with 2/3 cup of baking soda.  Also, make your egg wash.  (One egg yolk mixed with a little water).  Also, get your salt ready ( use the big and crunchy kind ).  Also, roll up your sleeves.  The next 15 minutes are going to be intense.

Make your pretzels:

Drop pretzels, one at a time, into boiling water for 30 seconds.  This is a bet of a frenzied assembly line.  Once I got into a rhythm, it was OK, but it might have been nice to have help at this point.

Brush egg wash on pretzels and sprinkle with salt.

We like a lot of salt around here:

Place in oven for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

If at all possible, have everyone gather 'round to eat these as soon as they come out the oven.  Ten times better than when they are cold.


Buy some fancy mustard to serve on the side.  SO GOOD.

hmm is this considered serving alcohol to a minor?