It's Christmastime!

Certain things for some people signal the Christmas season is here.  It might be their first sip of egg nog or Black Friday shopping, but for me, it's the annual cookie exchange.  

We have our tree trimmed, the shopping is done and most of the gifts are wrapped, Christmas has been in full swing in our home, but now it really feels like it. 

This was the 7th annual cookie exchange hosted by my friend's daughter.  She has the gift of hospitality and she makes it so festive - with a lovely light appetizer table, tasty beverages, and festive Christmas music.

Mary was THRILLED to have a treat that was gluten free!  

The way cookie exchanges work is each person brings 6 dozen of the same cookie.  

Depending on how many guests there are will determine how many cookies from each platter you can take. You repeat going through the line taking the instructed amount until all the platters are empty and your personal tray is full.  😋

We brought these. "Frosted Peppermint Brownie Cookies".  I found the recipe on Pinterst, of course, and the kids say they are delicious!  

Malory's cookie exchange has just one rule - from scratch (no mixes, no plain chocolate chip, no "no bakes", no meringues, or bars.)  The result is such a beautiful assortment of cookies.

It was a festive and fun afternoon of fellowship!  I brought my camera along to get a few shots so I don't get too rusty.  😏 

How about you?  Is there any particular thing that makes it feel like Christmas to you?

. . . . .

Hannah has inspired me to take up my camera again  She mentioned to me that she is challenging herself to take a photo every day.  I told her how difficult I found the 365 challenge, but she suggested that maybe I found it hard because I had to take a photo of something specific, but she was just proposing taking a photo every day.  She paid me the biggest compliment too.  She said she saw such improvement in my photos while doing the challenge (or because of it.) 
So...maybe I'll try again, but no pressure!

In the bleak mid-winter

Recently Hannah played an offratory with a friend at church.  Both girls sang.  Emma played the piano, while Hannah played her ukulele. 

I love this song and thought you would enjoy. 

(Please forgive the awful video skills - it's a feature I am playing with on my camera, but do not know well. )

Thanksgiving 2017

I feel so thankful for so many things, and one of those things is you - who still read this blog despite it being so neglected!  

I hope you had a very blessed Thanksgiving!

One of the things we do in preparation is make a traditional Ukrainian dish called Varenyky.  It was a tradition that Eric grew up with and he has such fond memories associated with it.  

It's a recipe that was handed down by the Grammy's.  Four generations in the kitchen laughing and talking while making a delicious dish to fill thankful tummies.

Mixing by hand makes it extra fun for the kids.  Eric has made this for all the holidays each year with the kids since Sarah was little.

He has the recipe memorized, but we've written it down since for the children.  And now even, Caleb, who lives on his own in Portland, makes it!

It's a labor of love.  They take a long time to make, but they are well worth the wait!

And this is where the stories get told, and the fond memories made

and the good talks are had... and the lines of who we are as a family get drawn a little deeper for each one.

So Varenyky is made from a simple egg noodle dough and filled with mashed potatoes.  We make a double batch because leftovers are where it's at!   A double batch calls for a 10 lb. bag of potatoes.
Over the years, I've gotten smarter and I make the mashed potatoes the day before. 
The secret ingredient in my mashed potatoes is Boursin cheese. SO GOOD!

Eric, being the sweetest man alive also decided to try a gluten free version just for Mary and me.

"Two thumbs way up" 

Our actual Thanksgiving day we spent with friends.  It's been a tradition for eighteen years.  I decided though, that I would just enjoy the day and live in the moment instead of trying to capture it with a camera. 😌

I have so much to be thankful for.  Everything in my life (the messy and the beautiful) is all good.  There are blessings everywhere, if I just have eyes to see them. 

Hope your Thanksgiving was warm and wonderful. 

- Carol

Independence Day 2017

 Hi Friends,

I hope you had a lovely celebration of the 4th of July.  Our yearly celebration consists of spending some quality time (without cell phones) with family (us together) and friends.  Our church hosts the party and we all bring canopies and blankets and chairs and lots of food to share.

Each year there are games - water balloon toss,  three-legged races, and others.

Always included is an old fashioned cake walk too.  We made these cupcakes to enter for that.

Of course, face painting is a favorite!

Hannah often volunteers to do that.

Mary got a dinosaur.  Aren't you shocked that she didn't get a turtle?!  I was, but I guess there is a book of pictures that they choose from, and a turtle wasn't one of the choices.  I guess that speaks a little about her personality.

New this year, were pony rides.
A family in the church brought two and manned the area for most of the afternoon.  What sweet service to the children, who thoroughly enjoyed it!

 

The weather was sunny and almost 80! A most lovely day for fellowshipping outside.  Some years there has been rain, which does make it feel a little safer for fireworks, but definitely dampens the celebration (ha - pun intended.)

Need to Breathe played on the loud speaker, while the cotton candy machine whipped up cones of whispy blue sugar puffs, and the smell of charcoal and lighter fluid filled the air.
Long tables were filled with side dishes - salads: pasta salads, potato salads, green salads, fruit salads, chips of every sort, as well as bowls of cubed watermelon and fresh cherries.
The dessert table was equally filled with all sorts of goodies.

We had little mishap.  I had made some "safe" chicken drumsticks for our family to eat.  We baked them at home and then put then in the crock pot to stay warm until eating time.  Well....someone put our crock pot out on the buffet table so - everyone got to enjoy.  Good thing Hannah wasn't hungry because they went quick!  Oh well, I'll plan that a little differently next time.

Several men coordinate a terrific firework show as well, but Eric and I and the younger children usually head home before that starts.
It doesn't get dark here in Washington until about 10 pm. and we have a long drive home (almost an hour).  Instead we get home somewhere around 8:00- 9:00 pm and get the little girls all cleaned up and in jammies, then Eric sets off a few fireworks that we watch from my bedroom window so don't get eaten alive by the mosquitoes.
Eric chose a fabulous "mortar cake" of 36 shots that made an absolutely wonderful display.  It finished off a wonderful Independence Day celebration.

Before we headed to the church festivities, Eric and I went to the theater to see Wonder Woman.  😀
It was the perfect choice for a patriotic day!

- Carol

St. Patrick's Day 2017

Top o' the mornin' to ya, Friends,

So you probably already know we love all things Ireland. 💚 It all started a few years back when Hannah became fascinated with St. Patrick's life story, which then led her to discover all the beautiful things about Ireland.  Irish music (Celtic Thunder and Keith Harkin, mostly) were played frequently in our home.  It also inspired her to make a traditional Irish feast for us all for a St. Patrick's Day celebration.  

You can read about past St. Patrick's Day celebrations at our home here, here, here, here, and here.

Our celebration this year was a little different.  The extent of our Irish feast was this clover shaped aged cheddar and some festive napkins.  (That wasn't all we ate, but that was all that was Irish...and I think Ford Farms is actually in England, but shhhh.) 

There were two reasons - 1) Hannah's health.  She didn't really have the energy or inspiration.  You can read about a recent health update from her blog. 

Even though she wasn't planning on making a feast, even if she wanted to, we couldn't have because... we spent all day at the church, helping to decorate and finalize all the details for the big event the next day - the wedding that I was coordinating.

The bride planned a beach themed wedding.  Shells, aqua blue and white tulle, twinkle lights were all used to decorate.  All the bridesmaids were going to wear a shade of blue or green for an ombre effect.

These fun white light balls were hung with billowy tulle scalloped all long both headers.

Little white lights and tulle just make things look magical!  Don't you think?

Matt, Hannah and Dan were brainstorming ideas for setting up a "photo booth" to look festive.

My part didn't really happen until the end of the day when the actual rehearsal was taking place.  All the details of the ceremony to be gone over, plus the details of how the sanctuary was to be transformed into the reception area.

Olivia wanted both her parents to walk her down the isle.  They are a close family with seven beautiful daughters.  Olivia is their first to be married.

And then the moment things feel "real" or maybe a little surreal.  😢😀

It was a different kind of St. Patrick's Day, but so very memorable.

. . . . .

Honestly,  I felt so honored that they asked me to coordinate.  The two families did all the planning (menu choices, decorations, etc.), and I just made sure the details came together on their special day.

The responsibilities were divided between another gal, who was completely in charge of the food side of the day, (overseeing, three cooks for four appetizers for 400 people! cake cutters for eight sheet cakes from Costco, and twenty-five servers for the appetizers, cake, and sparkling cider), and me in charge of the wedding/reception details.

What a blessing it was to work with someone so relaxed, but so on top of all the details!  She was amazing!

Several times I felt just like Franck Egglehoffer, from the 1991 version of Father of the Bride.  I was just missing the headset. 😉
BUT seriously, I had an a-mazing "chair crew" of eight men who completely transformed the church with 400 chairs to a cleared room in about 10 minutes!  I'm not kidding. They hustled and worked so well together!  I keep using !!, but it's because it went so smoothly.  It sort of gave me goose bumps watching them work through all the details that we planned, practiced, and timed - and it went perfectly! Again with the (!) But seriously.

All the special moments like the cutting of the cake, the toasts (her father's made everyone cry!), special songs (sung by the bride to the groom, also her six sisters, who were the bridesmaids to the newly married couple), and the bouquet toss all took place center stage so everyone could see.

All this to say, it was a beautiful day - raindrops and all.
And now, I gladly hang up my clipboard for good.  😀



- Carol