YUM!

OK, I’ll bite– she did all the work and you made a mess of the kitchen with flour and sprinkes. :-)

Carmel icing on a pumpkin cookie sounds like oral sex without the complications.

so smart to bake with your little girl,she will always remember the good times.How is your FinLaw doing?,dang got a new little notebook Eee ,hard to find the keys,evev with my little fingers
the Eee must be for ELVES Im convinced

but a MILLION times more calories….lol

And worth every one I would say.

Morning all — it is freezing ass cold outside here this morning. The dog may never forgive me. *g*

I find it really interesting the number of those cartoons revolving around Blagojevich trying to sell a chair.

Christy — would any of these recipes (found on a search for “pumpkin spice cookies” at Recipezaar, one of my favorite foodie sites) be close to yours?

She’s having so much fun with the baking. This is how I learned to cook when I was little — baking with my grandmas — so I’m just continuing the tradition, I suppose. My FIL is doing well — he’s certainly enjoying the cookies! Healthwise, he’s holding his own, which is good — but the holidays are tough having lost Mr. ReddHedd’s mom just a few months ago. You can’t just let go of a 53+ year marriage, but being able to play with his granddaughter is helping a bit, i think.

I have a recipe for pumpkin spice bread that I’m very fond of, but not cookies.

I went to my old firm’s holiday party last night. It was a lot of fun seeing people’s reaction. It felt good to get such a warm reception.

The Teresa Heinz Kerry one is close as a cookie, but no frosting. I’m sure the recipe card is just mis-filed in my ginormous recipe collection. But that’s not making me feel better because I haven’t been able to find it yet.

went to the Mennonite food store,got the worlds BEST butter cept for France,and Holland

Read this in the WaPo this morning, and it made me cry. Kept thinking about so many of the women I knew in college who had managed to scrabble their way through school. And about The Peanut, and how many little girls will never have her opportunities. You know all of this, but bringing it down to the individual story level brings it home so much better…

Good morning everyone. I admire your ambition, Christy. I haven’t baked a single cookie. We’re scheduled to bake tomorrow….but who knows? It may not happen. The plan is to do a 3 different kinds. What we call ’snowballs’ (a walnut buttery cookie coated with confectionary sugar), a cherry slmond and a chocolate cookie. My daughter wants to give them away as gifts to all her co-workers. I told her to go buy everyone a christmas candle. The balls in her court, she’s got the shopping list. I haven’t seen any supplies come in so I’m thinking she’ll opt for the candle.
BTW, I used to bake pecan tassies. They are the most time-consuming cookie out there but they are my absolute favorite.

I use to get the best cheddar from a Mennonite vendor at this market in Philly, along with butter and poultry that was a cut above the rest. Best cornish hens I’ve ever had. I really miss shopping there. High quality food at reasonable prices.

Tassies are incredibly time consuming, aren’t they? But they are my faves, too. My Aunt Helen used to make them every Christmas growing up, and they were the first thing I wanted when we got to my granny’s house every year. I used to make a beeline for them, so it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without them — reminds me of so many wonderful family memories through the years.

Funny how much memory can be invested in a tradition surrounding food. *g*

Have to do gifts for family for Xmas. I hate shopping, so am thinking of doing cooking. For adults, I may make up another batch of blackberry-cranberry jam, but for grown kids (mostly 20-somethings), perhaps cookies or brownies. The rule is they’re supposed to of modest cost, so it’s not as though they’re expecting diamond rings (gave my mother’s to my niece a couple of Xmas’s ago, as I never wore it and my son has no use for it) or mink coats.

“I regret she has this hard life,” said her mother, Ranjanben Patadia, 35. “But this is the destiny of girls. It was my destiny, too.”
Until women make the decision that it is ok for them to fight for their daughters’ rights to do something else with their lives, then it will continue to be the “destiny of girls” to be the ones to be sent to work while their brothers play and study and lay around watching television. Mothers have to understand that no one else will fight for their daughters – they must do it.

One of the things I loved about grad school in Philly was being able to get over to the Reading Terminal Market once in a while and look around the stalls there. Couldn’t afford to get very much, but I could occasionally get one or two things if I’d been frugal for the week. And it was lovely to have some good cheese or a pastry and then drool over something from Fantes as a “some day” sort of thing.

Reposting a comment from last night, as we all need happy news these days.

So I had a happy making story today, and want to share.

The person who cuts my hair is a 70 year old straight Jewish man. He’s been doing it for about 15 years. He also is a very talented photographer. He’s had shows in galleries in NYC and Shelter Island, where he has a house. A few of his photos have been bought by museums.

Anyhow, he’s now getting a book published by Penguin! It will come out next October and they’ll promote it for the holidays. Title: The Flag. It’s one of the many themes he noticed when going over his 50 year collection. And someone at Abrams is interested in another book, portraits, though Penguin will have the right of first refusal on a second book.

Here’s his webstite. I didn’t see any flag photos, but if you scroll down a bit, on the right there’s a link to an article showcasing his photos in the forthcoming B&W Magazine.

I am sooo happy for him. He’s such a nice man and deserves all his success.
http://victorfriedman.com/

I’m sure forgiveness is just around the corner; at roughly the same point when it is time for the pooch to be fed.

That was the part that just broke my heart. I have a friend who had to deal with this with her family back in the day — trying to not have an arranged marriage — and it was such a rough thing to get through because familial duty is such a part of so many of the cultures in which the girls are expected to be…less.

I understand that struggle to have it all and how tough it is — I make that trade-off every day between The Peanut and work and trying to find any balance at all. But to have everything be about you sacrificing everything important to you for everyone else simply because you are a girl? And to know that as your value? Just made me cry.

Bravo, eCAHN!!! You are right; we need all the positive stories we can find these days. By the way, not to flog my chili diary, but the bowl with the avocado in it in the photograph was made by that couple you and I have chatted about at Mud and Fire.

That’s so awesome! You have to love that kind of news where someone’s real love turns into something others value as well. :) Good for him!

G’morning. Got a late start today because I was (drumroll) baking cookies last night. Christy, made your itty bitty lemon pecan butter cookies. Oh, yum! And my kitchen smelled divine. Today, I head to my daughter’s for our day-long cookie-thon, with which my youngest grand helps. That sentence reminds me of two T-shirts I saw recently. (1) I am the grammarian about whom your mother warned you; and (2) National Sarcasm Society: Like we need your input?

One of the things that infuriates me is that in so many places, it is the mothers who are the strongest at perpetuating this. If moms are not going to support their daughters, who will? Our family doctor and his wife are supporting a school in a village in Ghana started by a woman for girls to be not only educated, but learn real job skills. We’ve sent him a bit of money and I am saving some more to send for the end of the year.

Very nice. I said before that I don’t find much use for pottery, but seeing it in use gets my imagination going. I like to support local artists.

BTW, I asked Victor if he would mine if I shared his success with my friends, online & otherwise, and his answer was: please do!

Good morning all. It’s been a while!

Haven’t baked anything this year. Last year I was making chocolate truffles—4 flavors, mint, raspberry, almond and just chocolate, I made fresh croissants and filled some with chocolate, did a few more things too. This year, not so much. I had to stay off wheat and dairy for a couple of months. Now it seems wheat is not the problem and I’m hesitant to do dairy. EVERY good cookie or treat has butter or cream in it somewhere. So, not doing it. Quel drag. But at least I can bake my challah again. Not very Christmassy, but glad to be able to eat it again.

hahahahaa..love the tee shirts, Barbara!!

My favorite T-shirt to date:
Top Ten Reasons for Procrastingating
1.

Oooh. Chocolate truffles. And flavored!

RevDeb – just knead in some nuts, raisins and fruit cake mix – that will make it Christmasy enough!!

0 degrees, but sunny and beautiful. We had 10-12 inches of snow, but no ice.
I have a pumpkin spice cookie recipe from Fanny Farmer with a caramel butter glaze? Have not made it in a while but wrote great recipe next to it.

Pumpkin cookies makes about 50
1/2 C veg. shortening 1/4t salt
1 C brown sugar 1t cinnamon
1 egg 1t nutmeg
1t vanilla ext. 1t cloves
1 C cooked mashed pumpkin 1/2C nuts & 1C raisins
2C flour 1t baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheets.
Combine shortening & sugar and cream together then add egg and vanilla, beat till fluffy. Beat in pumpkin. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Add nuts and raisins. I hate raisins and never use them!
Drop by teaspoonfuls about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 min.
Brush the hot cookies with glaze and cool.

Caramel Glaze
6 T butter 1/2t vanilla extract
1 1/2cups confectioners sugar about 1/4C of cold water
Melt butter in small pan until butter is lightly browned
Remove from heat and stir in c. sugar, vanilla and enough water to make a glaze. Drizzle over cookies or apply with brush.

Have fun!
If this doesn’t do it for you google pumpkin cookies and frosting.

Nice story.

The people in the house across the street from us had a flag up hanging flat on the brick front of the house from the day we moved in. They took it down after the election. They are the ones who had a McCain/Palin sign on their lawn parallel to their house. We were the only ones who could see it as it wasn’t placed for drivers going by. I think come spring we will be putting up our own flag. I find it all rather amusing now.

These are lovely, gluten-free and dairy-free. If you are absolutely craving a cookie, try an Amaretti.

They were the BEST truffles ever in my book.

Oooooh — I think that’s the cookie! Not quite the frosting, but that reads like the cookie I remember. Thanks heaps!

I am sure Cindy McCain will give you her recipe!

Christy,

My heart goes out to you and your FIL. The first year of a loss is always the hardest because there is such a hole where all the milestones were. All the traditions, all the memories. What I tell parishioners who struggle with it is to remember and honor the past but also to start some new traditions. I would imagine him being with you will automatically do some of that.

Funny how long ago and far away that name seems now. Booyah!

That’s the place. I really miss food shopping there. It’s a little too far from where I live now to make it worth it. More lunch counters have come in also, which is good because it helps with foot traffic and revenue, however it does cut down on the fresh food vendors.

Reminds me of a new tradition that emerged in our household during David’s illness. I read to him! Started with a book by Kevin Kling of short stories. A friend gave it to us one of the times David was in the hospital. Tender, funny stories. And just the right length for weary days.

Someone last night commented that it was interesting that the publisher should choose flags as a theme in this day & age. But Victor, not a particularly patriot man, had already selected the theme. I found only one photo with a flag in it on the website. Don’t remember it exactly, but it was in the background of a scene, maybe a boardwalk. I expect that it’s more like a photoessay on a slice of Americanism. I’ll ask more questions about it next time I see him.

We have these great conversations about economics, the stock market, foreign policy, his talented family (one of his son’s is a fully employed actor in LACA). It’s very funny to have those conversations while overhearing the others at the salon (Kennth’s in the Waldorf), where the rich bitches are complaining about their husbands, how hard it is to find what they want while shopping, difficulties of getting kids into private schools, chipped fingernails. You get the picture.

Love the market. Only been there a couple of times because going into the city is quite a schlep. But it is a wonderful place.

Just skimming the local paper—the Mummers Parade is also feeling the pinch of budget cuts. It’s 19 days away and they still haven’t figured out what to do.

Oh, Barbara..that is a talent for sure, to real aloud to someone in an entertaining and distracting way. I’ll have to remember that..

We’ve been trying to include him in everything — we got him a stocking to hang with ours at the mantle, and he’s helped pick out gifts for The Peanut and such. Part of why it’s so rough is that he has dialysis three times a week and it utterly wears him out to the point that’s he’s just exhausted a lot of the time. He’s 80+ and not in the best of health, anyway, so it’s not as though he can just snap back after 4 hours of dialysis.

It’s been a huge adjustment for all of us having him here. It’s a lot of extra work for me, but honestly? He’s family and we wouldn’t do it any other way. Especially not this first Christmas when he really needs to be with family to get through it. But I can already see that we’re going to have to plan better and perhaps bring in a little help to manage this moving forward. Because you can only go so long on fumes before it catches up with you.

barbara was a sweetheart and gave me a little advice on managing from her experience. If you have some from yours as well, I’d love it. We’re trying to plan ahead as much as possible — he’s not quite in the needing round the clock care stage, but we can see that on the horizon and we’re trying to figure out how we best get from here to there without wearing ourselves out completely as well. It’s tough…

Hair salons are always interesting places. Conversations go on there that the likes of us don’t hear anywhere else. Grateful for that last part.

Delightful image, eCAHN –

Oh wow — you know the economy is sucking rocks when the Mummers parade is having a tough time.

barbara is laughing about “a little advice.”

Um … is it that high in calories or were you talking about the Caramel Icing ? *g*

Christy – when my father was on dialysis, he was older – 84 – and what we found was that it wiped him out so much that he only really had one day a week that was a ‘good’ day since the day after his dialysis would be a recovery day for him. So, those weekends were always planned to be as special as we could make them for him with the kids, special food(he seemed to lose his sense of taste for some reason), outings not too far away..music..that sort of thing. He appreciated it, I know.

Christy !

Mom’s first few Christmases without Dad were very painful, having the Grandkids around certainly helped.

Please encourage Dad to talk about all the fond memories, it is much better than focusing on the great loss.

The Peanut and I made snickerdoodles yesterday — which were grandma’s favorite cookie. So he got to tell her all about that — was a nice moment for him.

They will work out the parade. They always do in lean times. A couple years ago they was some brief talk about selling name rights. That didn’t go over well.

It’s a shame though that they really don’t perform on the street as much as they used to. It’s all about saving it for the the judges at City Hall.

Having both the physical and psychological burdens makes it much harder. Profound sadness complicates the physical challenges. This time of year, I tell everyone, is about story telling. The more we can tell our stories and tell the stories that have meaning for us, the richer the season. As for all the rest, if you want to have a chat at some time, let me know, but not sure my “expertise” is what would be most helpful.

Last night we put up our tree. In the past Mr. Rev. has usually sat and read and tried to pay as little attention as possible. He’d grudgingly get up at the end and put the plastic icicles on—his job but after getting it in the stand and holding the lights as I loop them, that was it. This year I poured our double stingers (no brandy alexanders for me this year—it was my holiday fave) and asked him to be more involved. Most of the ornaments have some story to them so it takes longer but is more fun to recall where we were when we bought them. It was much better last night. Don’t know if it was the quad bypass in Oct. or my explicit request (though I make it every year) but this year we did most of it together.

I still remember waking up to the heavenly smell of baking … Mom and Grandma would bake for days, then share their goodies with family and friends.

The mayor in his budget cutting had to cut out about half of what they needed for police and sanitation etc. He put some of it back in, but the mummers are not happy.

One of my best New Year’s day memories was driving down 11th street in Philly behind this box truck. It went through an intersection and stopped in the middle of the street in front of the corner bar.

The driver got out and opened the back and out jumped about 30 of the comics that had performed, in full costume and make up and went running into the bar. Very Marx brothersish.

Sense of smell is the most emotionally evocative sense. I learned that in a class on fiction writing several years ago, where we were advised to always include smells in our writing. And if you read fiction with that in mind, it will pop out at you.

In the last day or so, I heard the scientific reason for that. Apparently, the sense of smell is located very near the amydula in the brain, the amydula being the part of the brain that controls (or doesn’t control, as the case may be) the emotions.

Wasn’t the Irish Pub at 14th and Walnut was it? I worked there one summer. *g*

This conditioning has been passed on for generations … as with slaves from Africa. It is changing quickly in India but their religious fundies still teach regressive lessons in the name of religion to keep people under their control. What ticks me off are the many “yoga/meditation gurus” who do this too … a real pity that they can’t be voted out of office …

My FIL lost his wife of 61 years on Nov 8. It’s been rough. Thank goodness he has 7 children + children-in-law + 14 grandchildren + 6 great-grands who love him very much. He was living for the Army-Navy game last weekend. Five of his sons and assorted wives and grandchildren (including my daughter) went with him. They sat on the 30-yd line about 18 rows from the field (not far from Dear Leader). They had a blast. Now he has to get thru Christmas without “Granny.” Every January MLK weekend the whole family spends a long weekend at the beach together. I hope that will help him, but it will surely be sad too not having her with us.

Re: cookies: Last Saturday I made a batch of epicurious.com-recommended Mexican Wedding Cakes, hard little football-shaped shortbread cookies containing chopped tart dried cherries and pistachios and dredged in powdered sugar. They are fabulous.

Cold and blustery here in Utah. Something big is coming in. Just put on a pot of coffee and watching the lil` muffin play in her saucer. How’s all?

I wonder how the clubs are doing also with the economic situations. It’s a very expensive proposition to be a member and put the whole thing together on their part. That’s part of the reason they save it all for the performances in front of the judges.

I know of two people who had to drop out because they could afford the dues.

No it was Big Charlie’s Saloon in south Philly. My dad took me there as kid and I thought I was so cool ordering a root beer.

This is what ticks me off, Yoga is the foundation of Indian culture and religion and it states that at the very least, women are equal to men.

In fact, a women who is an enlightened teacher is worth 10,000 men who are the same … that is the real teaching on India but it has been trampled for selfish gains.

Let me clarify, my Dad would go and have lunch at the bar on occasion and I would join him. It was the neighborhood meeting place.

In NH and MA and the ice storm turned the family and block into IDP’s.

Hope power is back soon and it dont get to cold.

One of the things I’m discovering in these first months without David is how much I long to talk about…David. Talk about him and hear what others have to say about him. People are somewhat reluctant (though not totally) because sometimes it makes me cry, but really, that’s okay. Somehow, it’s hugely important to me to know, to hear that others remember and miss him, too. And that he brought meaning to their lives as well. No one preps survivors very well in what to say, how to say it, or the value of simply being there, literally and metaphorically.

new posting upstairs about the Palin-McCain Blackberries being for sale.

We had Mr. Rev’s son here for a couple of days and took him to Longwood gardens yesterday before taking him to the airport. We couldn’t go in the 2 evenings he was here because it was pouring rain both nights, but even in the daylight the conservatory is stunning. In the large reflecting pool they had what was made to look like a red carpet pointing up to a beautiful large tree “decorated” with white poinsettias. The “carpet” was 1100 pounds of cranberries floating on the water with brick and grass borders. Hard to describe. The pictures on the web site only begin.

We’ll have to go back at night before they knock it down January 11.

What I always told my kids after my father died was that as long as we tell all the crazy stories about my father(and there are many, believe me because he was a character for sure), he isn’t really gone. Talk about David forever, Barbara..we love stories about David.

(((TobyWollin)))

Barbara,
My heart goes out to you. I’ve not been around here much at all over the past few months so I had not heard. It could be that people need “permission” to tell the stories they hold on to. And yes, most people don’t know what to do or say. You may need to be their coach. Just let them know what your needs and wants are and my guess is that they will be happy to oblige and relieved to know what to do or say.

Blessings to you.

Deb

Wonder if that’s like my mom’s recipe; the cookies puffed up and were cake-like…??

I’ll have to email her today and see if she can send me the recipe; I’d forgotten about them, and I think my son the veggie hater would love them. He loves anything with pumpkin in it provided it’s a sweet.

Milineryman (3) — you crack me up!

Thanks, RD. I missed a lot of time here, too, so didn’t know you had health issues in your family. Yours?

The thing that I look forward to most from you is descriptions of how beautiful David’s flowers will be come spring and summer.

Start a blog about your David. Don’t take comments, you can even make it private and not share it with the public, or leave it as open as you want.

The writing is cathartic; you can cry as you type what you want to say about him, as long and as deeply as you want, without being self-conscious.

I started blogging 6 years ago because I had things to say and nobody in my circle with whom I could discuss these things. And look what’s happened in 6 years — I’ve made a living from it, made many, many new friends, made real change happen — and talked to my heart’s content about things I loved.

Go for it; in some ways it makes our loved ones even more accessible, right at your fingertips.

Superb idea, Rayne!! When I was taking care of my mom when she had dementia, my only connection with the world was through the internet — I told anyone and everyone I had an email address for what was happening, hoping that someone could tell me what was happening to her and what I should do. She did not have Alzheimers, so all the usual sites had nothing I could use. People I emailed put me in touch with other people who’d had experiences like mine and prepared us well. Sharing is not something to be ashamed of.

I understand very well what it is like having lost my first wife a few months before our 30th anniv. It seemed like friends were afraid to mention her. The holidays were tough. But things will be better. Please don’t hesitate to share those stories you have.
Mike

Great idea. Or just journal a bit — I started keeping a journal after my first miscarriage because I needed to pour my heart out onto the page to be able to let go, even a little bit, before the grief suffocated me. It helped tremendously.

Good morning all.

It’s quiet here this morning and it still hasn’t made it back above 40 degrees. It’s interesting that we’re talking about opportunities for young girls. My wife and our oldest are visiting a campus this weekend as our daughter continues the quest of deciding on college. This has been a very difficult process for our family, because my wife and I both were very serious students in high school but didn’t agonize over college choice and just went to the state school (where we met). The process today is much tougher. Our daughter is a good student, with about a 3.5 gpa in a private prep school, but she is much more social than we were and just doesn’t make academic achievement the priority we did.

Things did not improve a couple of days ago, when she got word that the school she really wanted to go to, even though she called it her “safety school”, said they wanted to see this semester’s grades before deciding on admission. That made her very upset about this weekend’s trip. The trip is more than just a simple campus visit. It is to take part in a weekend “clinic” put on by the school’s NCAA varsity equestrian team and is a potential route to being invited onto the team, possibly even with a scholarship. Because of the blow to her confidence by the “safety school”, and because her riding this year was her first in a higher age bracket where the competition (and political influence on judging) was more intense, she announced Thursday that she wasn’t going. This was made even worse by finding out that a rider she knew had already signed with the school she is to visit and that they have announced their fall signing class.

We persisted, trying to be patient, and then good news came in yesterday’s mail. She was admitted to Auburn, where the clinic is being held. She had basically already come around to the idea of going to the clinic, but already having admission in her pocket was a real boost. We also found that Auburn announces both fall and spring signing groups for their equestrian team, so she still has a shot.

The bottom line is that our current society is so focused on being the best that the pressures on teenagers are fundamentally different from when my wife and I were there. Our drive for achievement was mostly internal. For today’s teens, it is embodied in a society that says if you’re not in the upper one half of one percent, you just don’t matter. I think that our daughter didn’t want to go to the clinic because she was very afraid of failure. She kept saying she didn’t like the way NCAA equestrian events are held and didn’t like the horses she seen in those events in photos and videos on the internet. I think she took that attitude as “insurance” against not getting chosen.

My wife and I wanted her to go to the clinic because we want her choice to be informed. If she chooses not to compete on a team, even if offered a scholarship, we will respect that choice. We just insisted that the choice be informed, and we felt that couldn’t be the case if she didn’t go have the first-hand experience. She, of course, thought that we were pressuring her to go that route (and understands how much money we have lost through the market crash, so she knows the value of a scholarship), but we are proud of her for going to experience it for herself.

I’ll spend the rest of the weekend hoping for the best at the clinic and finding fun things to do with our younger daughter. She likes to bake, so there will probably be goodies waiting when the travelers return.

I hope she has a fantastic time at the clinic, Jim. The pressure really is enormous for kids these days on so many levels — it’s tough to watch as a parent, isn’t it?

I got fresh anise seed yesterday for Pfeffernuesse, a childhood favorite of mine that I ate at my best friend’s house. And I will be making gingerbread with friends because teh Royal Icing is soooo much fun.

And I will use your flourless recipe from above Christy, since friends and family have celiac. Thanks for that one!! Can you dredge up the link for your lemon cookies from the other day?

Having the acceptance in the pocket is a big confidence builder; I’m hoping she has fun and feels comfortable at the clinic. That seemed to be the ticket for my three in terms of college: if they felt accepted, liked, comfortable…that was where they went. If they didn’t, it did not matter what was being offered, degrees or anything else. And as a parent of two daughters, I felt it was my job to be straight with the girls and prepare them with some skills and ‘internal fortitude’ for what they would face. i told them all my stories about being asked about what form of birth control I was using during an interview, and being laughed at when I asked for a promotion. Of course, I also made them learn how to milk and goats, garden and shear the sheep…

Here you go — typed it out for Barbara.

See? It brings tears. But tears will make his gardens grow, right? (((Christy)))

Absolutely. Hugs, hon…

It’s really tough. I think the hardest thing for us to accept is when she tries the “I don’t care” attitude because it’s so different from how we were. We’re beginning to understand that really does care (and probably just as much as we did) and the attitude is just cover to push back on the social pressures.

Absolutely, Jim – “I don’t care” means “I don’t want to care so that when I get crushed, it won’t hurt me”. They are afraid to want things too much…and to show it.

Seeing the grandkids and comparing to what their parents did it is scary.
The oldest two are both in AP (younger ones not in school). They all had their first learning computers at about the age of 3.

pecan tassies—i found a recipe using mini-phyllo pastry shells.

called crunchy pecan pie bites

Even though she is an older teen, I would suggest that you get your hands on Wayne Dyer’s excellent video “What do you really want for your child” and watch it together, then chat about his points afterwards.

I do lots of talks with teens, esp in Grades 11 & 12 and early College about expectations. After an hour, they see life differently.

I’ve spent so much time over the past 5-6 years imparting yoga/meditation wisdom to my girls and the pre-teen still is pressuring herself to follow the ideals of her peers, so I know how strong the pressure really is.

Thank you Christy!

This will be our last Christmas with my father. I recall that last summer it did not seem he would make it until his birthday in late June, but he has been amazing. It is getting harder and harder for him now, though he has not stopped eating and is still able to get up and around a little.

My mother lost both of her parents around Christmas a few years apart. She has always taken things in stride, prayer is her thing.

But it will be a huge worry when she is alone. I am not inclined to take up the rosary, but who knows?

It’s all about talking at their level, I don’t tell my girls to meditate, I tell them to upgrade their Processor and RAM … *g*

Thanks, Petro. Found and bookmarked the ordering site.

For those in long relationships, it’s really like losing half of their being, so they always feel incomplete. The conventional wisdom is that Time heals all wounds, but actually, Love heals all wounds so have as many people as possible call and meet her and remind her how important she is to everyone.

just catching up on thread

((((barbara)))) i didn’t know david was gone. i wondered why you hadn’t mentioned him..didn’t know if it was ok to ask, so, i didn’t..((a big hug))

But when you have a third grader doing homework assignments with Powerpoint it is a bit amazing

My pleasure. If you can, get some CDs by Louise Hay – “You Can Heal Your Life” & “The Power Within” – remarkable lady who taught women to be self- empowered.

They are available at libraries but be sure to make copies … it’s nice to listen to them every once in a while. Let me know what you all thought of Dyer’s video.

Louise is happily retired but I hold her as the most powerful self-help guru of the past century.

It’s relative, my grandma was amazed that I could read the newspaper at 6.

Pumpkin Spice Cookie w/Penuche Frosting

1/2 c. each pkd.brown sugar & white sugar
1 c. butter or margerine (softened)
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. each baking soda,baking powder,& cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350F. Cream butter & sugars untill fluffy.
Mix in pumpkin & vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Drop tsp.full 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 min.

Penuche Frosting

3 Tbsp butter or margerine
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c powdered sugar (depending on how thick you
want frosting)
1 tsp. flavored extract (vanilla for plain)

In med. saucepan, combine butter & sugar. Over med. heat
cook 1 min. or untill slightly thickend. Cool slightly.
Add milk. Add extract. Stir in powdered sugar. Lightly
(or heavily ;) ) frost cookies.

My mom started w/maple extract, but then changed to orange
extract, and now these are everyones favorite.

Enjoy,
Casia

Good Morning Christy and Puppies.

Bittersweet thread today. That’s a big part of what’s so great about the Lake.

A tidbit of happy news to share. I think my honey will be coming home this afternoon with his brand new knee. He’s a trooper, doing well. It’ll still take hard work on a regular basis to get back his stamina, but he’s bored witless with the hospital and says he’ll only agree to stay one more day if they promise he can order out for dinner. Aww. I wish I had time today to make some of scrumptious FDL-issue recipes. No time right now, but maybe it’s better to wait for him to be here and have some cookies fresh’n warm from the oven. Yeah. That’s the ticket. ;->

Petro’s giving some good counsel here. You have really touched my nerve with your story about your daughter. I had been thinking in bed this AM before I arose that it was eleven years ago today that my only (a daughter)was admitted early to her first choice school. (It’s a dear friend’s BD…the reason I can remember the date.)

She did well there academically but really struggled socially at times. I was naive when she left home. Had no idea about the social expectations that young people suffer from today. It’s especially difficult for young women — there is extreme pressure to be perfect. That stuff I knew … what she was not prepared for was the “MTV Spring Break” mentality that pervades a lot of young people’s cultural expectations.

Bottom line, my dearest daughter seemed to need me more during her college years than at any other time. You just couldn’t plan for when, how and for how long. Thank goodness we were early adopters of cell phones!

The only advice I can share comes from my family. When my twin and I left for college, my mother said “if you call when there’s a problem, please call later and let me know how it was resolved”. Thank goodness we all took this to heart — not just for our peace of minds but it allowed us to reflect in the latter calls how “the daughters” had made situations “work”.

((( Adie & Honey )))

Easy on the Rum Balls, we don’t want him thinking he’s Beckham or anything … *g*

((((Barbara))))

Holidays can be such a hard time. We appreciate your staying tuned in at the Lake.

Best wishes and blessings to you Adie. May your homecoming be everything you wish it to be. May the brand new knee work as well as the old. I know a little bit about it because I had my knee rebuilt after a car accident with bone donated from the bone bank to rebuild my knee along with five screws and a plate. May you be blessed with the best.

Hey, you guys are like extended family! Is this an amazing place or what?!

Heh..if nothing else, THIS is what makes us different than Daily Kos :)

You are so right!

OMG! You caught me off-guard with that one! *g* He will have a full social and sports calendar when he gets home.

Yesterday, I finally broke down and played his & our kitty’s favorite riotous, ping-pong/tennis slam-serve/ foosball dy-no-mite game of catch and slam, since he wasn’t here to do the honors.

This morning I woke up and six of her favorite toys had been brought to bed during the night. And as I sat up, I noticed huge panther eyes nearly hidden in the folds of the covers. Oye. It’s time he came home.

Thank you. I hope you are doing well now.

Okay, tomorrow we’re making Almond Loaf. It’s a third generation recipe from my wife’s family, so it has some quaint directions:

3C white sugar
1 C white Karo syrup
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 C blanched slivered almonds
Butter the size of a walnut

Cook first four ingredients in a 4 qt pot to hard soft ball stage (a modern candy thermometer is essential for this, go just past soft ball stage). Add butter the size of a walnut. Beat on mixer until consistency of mashed potatoes. Add almonds. Pour onto four heavily buttered plates. Work into loaves about two inches in diameter. It will be warm but stay with it until it forms. You may need to refrigerate for a short while before forming into molds as it hardens. Wrap in waxed paper and foil.

We store it in the refrigerator and warm at room temp for a while before slicing. Heavenly.

these are on my ‘to bake’ list, as soon as i find the phyllo shells.

Crunchy Pecan Pie Bites
2008 Southern Living Annual Recipes

makes 6 dozen
prep: 15 minutes
bake: 10 minutes pecans, 22 minutes for ‘bites’
cool: 30 minutes

3 cups chopped pecans
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
5 (2.1-oz.) packages frozen mini-phyllo pastry shells

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

2. Stir together sugar and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Stir in pecxans, eggs, and next 3 ingredients.

3. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoonful pecan mixture into each pastry shell, and place on 2 large baking sheets.

4. Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks, and let cool completely (about 30 minutes). Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

to make Mini Pecan Pies:
Substitute 1 1/2 (8-oz.) packages frozen tart shells for frozen mini-phyllo pastry shells. Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2. Spoon about 1/8 cup pecan mixture into each tart shell. Place tart shells on a large baking sheet. Proceed with recipe as directed in Step 4, increasing bake time to 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Garnish with currants, if desired. Makes 1 dozen.

Do let me know your thoughts after viewing the Dyer video.

I can’t run, play tennis, or ski any more, but I am thankful to be able to walk, mostly normally, although my doctor told me I would never be able to walk normally again. Thank you, I hope your honey can walk and live normally and do anything he desires again!

My Fav recipe is rather short and simple.

1. Invite sister over.

2. Pour her a healthy serving of Bailey’s and/or Disaronno.

3. Keep her company … and voila, after a few short hours and bottles of Heaven, we enjoy her goodies … *g*

I’m glad you feel it too. This is truly a caring community here. I often find my fella lurking over my shoulder, or all-to-willing to listen as I quote something special from the Lake.

Tender feelings abound here, but also great strength, and some howling good fun.

I think this place even, in its spare time, makes MSM , politicians, bigbidness & all the rest look over their shoulders nervously and do a bit more fact-checking these days than they used to. That’s gotta be a good thing, just so long as we can take time to share our recipes and supportive thoughts whenever we take a notion.

We’ll keep at it until Blitzer, Dobbs & JoeScar are replaced by Marcy, Christy and Jane.

I’m not a regular reader anymore (full time mom, full time nursing student) but I LOVE your Saturday morning Pull up a Chair—esp. when it involves recipes! I am also coming late to the news about your father-in-law so I don’t know the details. But there are some great resources out there for caregivers. (I just completed a term paper on the subject.) Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal has a lot of good info but I really have to plug the Family Caregiver Alliance website” http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/home.jsp Good luck, and if you find the original cookie recipe will you post it?

Glen Greenwald would be good too. He was great with Bill Moyers last night

Yep, also Digby and Horton. Rachel’s success will make this happen sooner rather than later.

Yes! We all got together over T’giving, watched football, made the food that Granny would’ve made, and toasted her. Her daughter said Granny “told” her later that it was a great party. I love that.

You’ve been challenged to be sure. Sometimes you simply have to work with what you’re dealt. I hope you’re not in pain constantly. That’s awful. I’ve been there, but no more, thank heaven.

I had undiagnosed Lyme disease since ‘62, & finally had both arthritis-wrecked knees replaced. One infected, so required 2 more total-knee ops to set it up proper. I can’t run or kneel, but that’s no barrier to having a glorious time getting around and doing things I couldn’t do for some 40 yrs, so I “go for it” within specs so-as to save what I DO have.

I enjoy the good and “file” the not-so-good. I came out extremely lucky on balance. I try to work within what I can do, and not spend time stewing about what I can’t. I figure I was extremely lucky given the circumstances.

Best wishes to you. You have friends here.

The Sunday talk shows are going backwards. MTP = Gregory yech = Only bright spot is Fareed Zacharia.

Excellent attitude, Adie ! Have you ever read/heard Louise Hay ?

They’re that way because of lack of competition … Sunday morning Evangelists … change will happen, esp. when they have to compete more for ad dollars.

You’re stubborn to the point of being totally unsquelchable, also, eh? *g*

It’s a deal.

[oops, pardon, microwilly doesn’t like my spelling above. guess which word. sigh]

i’m afraid i haven’t heard of her. but i’ve got google… *poof*

Pain is something you learn to live with as I am sure you know. You are someone I hope I can emmulate, you have a great spirit and I wish you the best!

christy–i remember a pumpkin/caramel icing cookie like the one you described, it was a betty crocker recipe.
here’s the google page, see if one of them is it. one is from the ‘allrecipes’ site, i find a lot of things on that site.
http://www.google.com/search?q…..=firefox-a

Yes. It was a constant in my life for decades. But not now. As I say, I was very lucky. It was just the knees, and the horrible, notorious Lyme exhaustion. That’s a weird combo in a hyperactive kid. Who knows. Mebbe the hyperactivity saved my hash. Quit was not part of my vocabulary.

I wish I could make your pain go away. Do you consult with physicians nowadays about the pain? They do have better, safer, less debilitating meds now than when I was younger. My case was very different from yours, since Lyme mimics rheumatic arthritis to a large degree. Totally different from a severe trauma injury such as yours.

I take no meds now, not even ibuprofen, which was my drug of choice for many years. Ibuprofren can cause liver damage, so I meditate now instead of taking any meds, although sometimes the pain is very difficult to take.

But I thank you most sincerely for your concern. god bless!

Your aged doxie diva story brought back memories of my parents’ approach to dealing with their mini-doxie’s refusal to move off the back porch on snow days. My dad simply took the snow shovel and pushed the snow out of the way for several feet–he called it a “Primrose Path” for their pampered pooch. Worked like a charm, although she still shivered and shook and raised each paw several inches off the ground with each step she took.

My accident not only broke my knee, but broke my right collar bone completely, as well as four ribs and damaged my head. Glass from the winshield of my car, basically sheared my scalp from my skull. The doctor claimed I suffered brain damage, but I refuse to believe it since I am able to think pretty clearly. Well I think more than clearly, but who can say?

I just looked her up. Remarkable person!

I guess, other than being very impressed by her accomplishments and resilience, I wouldn’t read her writings except to appreciate how she has persevered through many challenges.

I don’t seem to need a coach to help me concentrate on the positive, or be doggedly stubborn about pursuing something I find compelling and important.

Don’t get me started on how dumbya/face-shooter have enabled continuation and acceleration of the trashing of our one fragile planet. I do know we and others in the sciences way back in the 60’s were already terribly worried about the possibility of mass extinctions in the future. I don’t have much hope about that right now, but I will never stop fighting for such causes. Yes, we get into it enough to act right close to home, placing our own 8 acres in a conservation easement* rather than let it be split up for sprawling ‘burbs. (* not particularly advisable for all properties so small, but ours plays host to a rich diversity of wildlife, including many species of nesting birds as well as migrants passing through; we’ve spent 35 yrs adapting the area to serve better in that role – through planting and management of woodland and “edge” habitat for cover, nestsites and food, teaming with berry bushes etc.; think of it as a wildlife fast-food joint *g* ) It’s all the more valuable because of other similar throughout our area, so they act as a “green belt” through the sea of concrete in the suburbs.

Well, I MUST go get that fancy dinner I promised the homecoming patient.

Sorry to have hogged the blog so much. Yikes! *blush*

Back later guys. Be good, when ya feel like it….

P. E. A. C. E.

Peace and best wishes to you Adie….

Christy, have you looked in your recipe books? I use a few of the most often used recipes as bookmarkers in my most used recipe books.

p.s., He’s home and doing well.

Kitties are thrilled, and trying mightily to learn and respect the proper lapcat routine around and about a “new” knee.

Life is good right now at our house. ;->