Big Sky Days

holiday spirit

We are in holiday season.  We have our tree.  We are wrapping presents.  Shipping boxes.  We are making cookies.

And we went to see Santa!  

Can you see him?  He's there!  This is the downtown holiday stroll but Santa was not "strolling."  I mean, he was in a sleigh and stopped to light the downtown lights at each block - but he pretty much zipped on by.  People were almost running along side the sleigh to keep up!   That was fine with us, it was chilly and we just assured our kids that Santa had to high tail it back to the north pole to prepare for Christmas.

We did stroll a bit longer but once the sun went down it was far too cold to be outside for very long.  We did meet a nice bear - who has a nice book.

Then I tried to photograph the cute Sacajawea Middle School trumpet players...but I had 2 hot cocoas, a cookie, and a donut in my hand.  Instead of putting it all down - I tried to also pull out my camera and I dropped it right on the sidewalk.  It broke.  Jeez.  Such bad luck with things lately.   But I still have the holiday spirit.

Holiday Transition

It was quick but we've moved on to the Christmas holiday season!  We all hiked and sledded our way to cut down a tree this year.  It was a balmy 30 degrees out but we went out late the in day, so we did end up cold to the bone.  But it was fun!  

placemats and other holiday updates

Firstly, I had a nice Thanksgiving Feast at my daughter's montessori school today.  I went to help out and mostly I did dishes- which given the current state of my cracked hands was not my first choice - however, I felt good being there.  The Feast was also a delight.  The kid's made homemade pumpkin-applesauce (pumpkins from their garden) and blueberry-spelt scones.  Yum.  All the kids had about 6 scones each, that is how delicioso they were.  

Over the weekend, my kids made placemats as gifts for the other little people that will join us for our Thanksgiving festivities.  I tried to get them to say things like:

Thanks for being my friend and/or cousin.

I am thankful for you.

I am grateful for you.

So happy you are joining us on this Thankgiving holiday!

or even, good ol' Happy Thanksgiving!

However, none of those lovely sentiments were added to any of the placemats.  In fact, my son mostly wrote jokes on his.  Despite this, I think they turned out pretty good and will look nice on the kid's tables I am planning.  Lookie here:

According to the Thanksgiving timeline I concocted for myself, I should be cleaning the house today and making the dough for the dinner rolls.  Yep.  I am already behind schedule.  Got to get it moving but this is how I feel...

...only it is much colder outside than this.

just in time

Just in time for our Thanksgiving celebrations:

 

While thinking of the cooking and the baking and the cleaning and the making...I thought about the music.  Something new to hear and I love Mason Jennings.  He probably can relate to our cold snap since he's from Minnesota.  Because bbbrrrrrrr...

Maybe people can just watch this if they can't think of anything to say to one another at thanksgiving dinner.  Or they don't like the food.  Maybe I should download more music, just to be safe.

And thanks for the beautiful flowers, Mom.   Just checking to see if you read my blog.  

What an amazing surprise!  Okay...I will call you and say thanks, too!

 

 

Oh, stuffing.

Yesterday, feeling the stress of Thanksgiving Stuffing, I really yelled at my son.  I mean, let him have it.  Afterall, he was traipsing through the house with his snowshoes on!  In my further defense, not only was I worried about the metal grips on the bottom of the snowshoe scratching my wood floors but my daughter had finally fallen asleep for her nap.  (This is no easy feat at times!)  Therefore, once I determined that the awful screeching/slidding/clunking sound was my son searching the house for his lost mitten with all his snowgear and snowshoes on-  I yelled. And with all the drama I could muster, I picked him up and brought him to the door and told him to never, EVER, walk in the house with the snowshoes on or he will never wear them again.  (I can't actually remember what I said in the heat of the moment but I know it was something like this and I was very mean.)  

After an apology, he sadly and silently put on his lost mitten and went outside.  In my huff, I continued at the back door cleaning and organizing all the various cold weather gear laying around.  Muttering under my breath. Ugly words.  Then I looked outside and there he was standing by the door, looking at me.  It was then I knew I was so wrong.  I opened the door and said quietly, "what's the matter, sweetie?"  And the tears flowed freely and he said, "I didn't know the rules about the snowshoes - this is only my second time wearing them."  I melted.  I grabbed him and hugged him and told I was so sorry I overreacted and that I was really upset because I couldn't figure out what kind of stuffing I wanted to make.  I really said this.  It just came out and he gave me a strange look but then laughed.  I went on and on over-apologizing for being so harsh and eventually he broke away and ran out to play in the snow.  Whew.  

Somehow this helped me figure out the stuffing.

Here he is in the snow.

Spiderman snowshoes.

So what is my problem with the stuffing, you kindly ask?

Cornbread or

sourdough or

spicy or

sweet or

sausage or

not

to stuff or

not too stuff

Basically, it was all a bit of a problem.  And I was feeling so unsure, uncertain.  At the time of my parental outburst at my son, I was searching cookbooks and the internet trying to decide on a recipe. I don't have a beloved recipe for stuffing, probably because for many years I wouldn't eat the stuff.  And my mom has a family recipe I was considering but my husband was asking for cornbread stuffing and he really doesn't ask for that much...

As I was watching my son and his snowshoes outside, I decided cornbread stuffing.  Well,  This recipe seems like the perfect solution for someone who really can't decide.  Love the Pioneer Woman.  And I am just going to stuff the bird.  There.  All done.  I feel much better. 

I do hope it tastes good.

 

beginning to celebrate the holidays

As the upcoming holidays approach, I am thinking of ways to celebrate that are not too full of consumerism.  Yes, we will give presents.  And, yes, many of them will be store bought.  But I still find myself searching for the other part of the holidays.  The connecting and the family ritual side.  And I am always drawn to the handmade gift...but more about that later.

First off, thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday.  I think because at my house it is about just getting together with family and friends and enjoying a slow meal.  This year, I wanted to try to really consider the thankfulness of Thanksgiving.  I guess I am not talking about pilgrims and indians here because I have never been certain of what really happened all those days ago at Plymouth Rock.  But instead, using this opportunity to be remind ourselves of what we are thankful for today.  This year, I planted a gratitude jar in the middle of our dining table with a bowl filled with paper and a pen.  And we are filling up the jar!  The idea is to write down what you are thankful for and close up the note and place it in the jar.  We will then share all of these notes on Thanksgiving Day.  Now, this isn't a new concept and it can be done in many ways or really any day of the year.  In fact, I have a friend whose family shares one thing they are thankful for everyday at dinnertime!  But this is our first "go" at it and we will see what it brings!